Title: Avocado Toast (The Orchard Brides, Book 1)
Author: Nancy Fraser
Genre: Sweet/Inspirational Romance
Book Blurb:
The last place Andrew (Drew) Morgan wants to be is back on the family avocado farm in Plentiful. If he had his way, he’d still be active military and deployed someplace far, far away. Unfortunately, he rarely gets what he wants. And, being back in the orchard is just the latest in a long list of disappointments.
Single mother, Chloe Taylor has relocated from Fresno to the rural area of Plentiful, California to build her marketing business beginning with the local agriculture co-op. It’s her job to convince the local farms to invest in a major overhaul of the co-op’s publicity campaign. A mixture of modern operations, and older, family-owned farms, only adds to her frustration.
At the moment, her biggest challenge is bringing the owner of Plenty Good Farms in line with the others. The fact that the old curmudgeon of an owner, Samuel Morgan, has brought his nephew in to run things gives her hope. Surely, the younger Morgan will be more amenable to her progressive ideas.
When Chloe first presents her plan the Morgan men, it’s Drew who throws a monkey wrench into his uncle’s agreement to sign the necessary contract. What she doesn’t realize is that Drew’s reluctance has more to do with his uncle’s health issues, and the possibility that he won’t be able to talk the man who raised him into retiring.
When Drew is forced by the military medical team into choosing between a desk job or retirement, he shares his frustrations with Chloe and she helps him find a new purpose outside of being a full-time farmer. It also helps that their attraction is growing. Drew has definitely fallen for the independent woman, and her adorable daughter.
Will Chloe’s faith and determination help her lead Drew through his difficult decisions and bring them what they both need... a love that transcends their everyday challenges.
Excerpt:
Drew shifted in the front seat of his car and faced his uncle. “So, where to go first? Do you want to get some lunch at Steph’s Place?”
“Maybe after we go by the co-op,” Sam commented. “Let the other church goers get in and out of the diner first so it won’t be so danged crowded.”
“Sounds good.” Pulling out onto the main road, he waved his hand toward town and announced loudly, “To the co-op.”
When they arrived, the first thing Drew noticed was the compact SUV he’d seen earlier in the church parking lot. Given the co-op was closed on Sunday’s it was likely the woman was an employee, rather than a customer. And, if so, Sam would know her.
No doubt, an introduction was eminent. The thought pleased him.
Sam led the way to the back door, fishing for his keys in his jacket pocket as he walked. “Shouldn’t be anybody here today.” Giving a sharp nod toward the other car, he grumbled, “‘cept her, I guess.”
Drew followed his uncle inside the dimly lit building. The smell of fresh produce filled the air. Bins of apples, oranges, lemons, and pears sat center court, surrounded by tables loaded with vine fruits. To the side, a display of avocados took up very little space. With only two growers in the immediate area, Sam and his best friend Jake Patterson were small potatoes compared to the citrus and apple orchards.
Shelves lined the walls with locally canned goods. One wall had been devoted to at least six different brands of honey, both regular and specialty.
A light shone from the corner manager’s office, and the two men made their way in that direction. They’d almost reached the doorway when a young girl came out of the room, stopping just short of where they stood.
She raised her head and stared straight at Drew. “I know Mr. Morgan, but who are you?”
He did his best to hide his grin. “I’m Drew. Who are you?”
“Jessi,” she responded, her chocolate gaze narrowing with suspicion. “My mom works here.”
Sam’s attention went from the young girl, to him, and back again. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone here on Sunday.”
“We’re putting up the new posters,” a husky, but decidedly feminine, voice said from the office door. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone either.”
“Just giving my nephew a tour.”
Drew shifted his stance and met the woman’s gaze. She was even more beautiful up close. He stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Drew Morgan.”
She placed her hand in his, her grip firmer than he expected.
“Chloe Taylor, and you’ve already met my daughter Jessi.”
The marketing manager. And she has a daughter. His previous enthusiasm plummeted. A daughter likely meant the knock-out brunette also had a husband.
“It’s nice to meet you, Chloe Taylor,” Drew said, pulling back his hand.
“No, it’s not,” Sam insisted. “This is the upstart woman trying to get me to sign onto her fancy marketing plan.”
Chloe Taylor’s brown eyes, a shade darker than her daughter’s, rolled around in obvious exasperation. “Perhaps, Mr. Morgan, if you’d just give my plan a chance—”
“Nope.” Waving his hand to encompass the main floor of the cooperative, Sam nodded toward the corner display. “Not until you give my crops the same fancy attention those orange and apple growers get.”
Drew waited patiently to see how this ‘upstart woman’ would respond.
“If you’d bothered reading my plan,” she said calmly, “you’d realize that the rotation of featured produce depends on crop yield. Once we get to the end of April, when you and Mr. Patterson have brought in your first full harvests, you’ll both get a proportional amount of space.”
“Yet, them danged hippies and their fancy honey get an entire wall,” Sam groused. “When I was coming up, this entire area was nothing but avocado farms. Now, there’s just the two of us left.”
Chloe pressed her fists to her slender hips, the defiant motion drawing Drew’s chuckle. Perhaps Sam’s housekeeper wasn’t the only woman willing to stand up to him.
“And nobody knows you’re here,” she said, her voice still calm. Even. “Because you refuse to market your product properly.”
“She has a point,” Drew put in, his agreement drawing Sam’s angry glare. “I’m just saying, the website looks good. Even you agreed with that. Mrs. Taylor obviously knows her stuff.”
“It’s Miss Taylor,” she corrected.
Drew’s pulse picked up speed. No husband. Score!
“Why don’t we sit down tomorrow, as planned, at eleven,” Chloe suggested. “The three of us can go over everything in detail.”
“Andrew’s only here for a few months,” Sam pointed out. “He’s military and he’s got more important places to be than here with me. So, it’s my decision, not his.”
“You’re right, of course,” she agreed. “However, a third opinion never hurts.”
“Fine,” Sam conceded. “We’ll listen to your proposal. But I’m not making any promises.”
Chloe smiled sweetly and gave a nod of her head, the simple motion sending her long hair flying across her shoulders, ratcheting up Drew’s pulse a full notch.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Amazon Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09RF6KWPX
If money were no object, where would you go for a Spring Break vacation and why?
I’d take my grandchildren to Disney World. The eight-year-old is begging to go, and the teenage girls would likely have just as much fun. To me, family is the most important thing in my life, so to share a vacation with them would be perfect.
Why is your featured book a must-read this spring?
Nothing says ‘spring’ more than the first blooms of flowers, or trees in an orchard. This series, The Orchard Brides, brings the best of the season to life.
And, just to show we’re not kidding around, we’ve also put together a cookbook of recipes from the fruits featuring in the ten-book series. The cost is only 99 cents and all proceeds go to the SPCA. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TNBFSLT/
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon US or Canada gift card
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon CA account to win.
Runs April 1 – 30
Drawing will be held on May 2.
Author Biography:
Nancy Fraser is a best-selling and award-winning author who happily jumps across multiple romance genres with gleeful abandon.
She's also the granddaughter of a Methodist minister known for his fire-and-brimstone approach to his faith. Nancy has brought some of his spirit into her Christian romances. And, her own off-beat sense of humor to her clean & wholesome books.
When not writing (which is almost never), Nancy dotes on her five wonderful grandchildren and looks forward to traveling and reading when time permits. Nancy lives in Atlantic Canada where she enjoys the relaxed pace and colorful people.
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