Apple Orchard Bride
Hometown ReunionWhen Toby Holcomb becomes guardian to his cousin’s daughter, he goes from hard-living bachelor to father without a clue. One thing he can do is give Kasey a stable home. Returning to Goose Harbor, he takes a job at his childhood friend’s apple orchard. But Jenna Crest isn’t ready to forgive him for his past mistakes. Desperate for sweet Jenna’s help in raising his little girl, Toby vows to make amends to the woman he wronged so many years ago. Suddenly, he and Jenna and young Kasey are feeling more and more like a family. But convincing Jenna he’s a changed man will take all the love in his heart.
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Hometown Reunion
When Toby Holcomb becomes guardian to his cousinâs daughter, he goes from hard-living bachelor to father without a clue. One thing he can do is give Kasey a stable home. Returning to Goose Harbor, he takes a job at his childhood friendâs apple orchard. But Jenna Crest isnât ready to forgive him for his past mistakes. Desperate for sweet Jennaâs help in raising his little girl, Toby vows to make amends to the woman he wronged so many years ago. Suddenly, he and Jenna and young Kasey are feeling more and more like a family. But convincing Jenna heâs a changed man will take all the love in his heart.
âI care about you and your dad, and about the orchard,â Toby said.
âI always have, Jenna,â he continued. âYou guys are a second family to me.â
Jenna turned away. âDonât say stuff you donât mean.â
He stood just inches from her, his gaze searching hers with an intensity she couldnât look away from.
âI care, Jenna. I care. Tell me what I have to do to prove it and I will.â
Wrestling her racing heartbeat, Jenna fought the need to sag against him. To rest her head against his chest, cling to him and cry for all their lost years. But Toby didnât love her. Never would. Heâd made that fact crystal clear years agoâhis friendship with her was a dirty secret he didnât want anyone to know about. She wouldnât fall for that again. For him and his ability to say the right thing.
Besides, even if he was a changed manâ¦she had changed, too.
âI want things to be okay between us again,â he whispered with a gentleness that tore at her heart.
Could she ever trust him?
Lies are the worst, arenât they? Especially ones we tuck away in our heartsâones we allow to begin to define us.
Sometimes weâre aware of the falsehoods we believe. We repeat them over and over to ourselves when weâre hurting. Because of what had happened in his life, Toby believed he was a failure. It stopped him from being able to grow in his relationship with God, and it kept him from understanding his value in the world.
Other times a lie can be buried so deep we donât realize itâs there or how much it affects the way we view the world and ourselves. Jenna didnât realize that she believed she wasnât worthy of love, but everything about how she interacted with others showed this to be true. She believed this so much that it blinded her from seeing God was there beside her, fighting for her, loving her.
Iâm so glad Toby and Jenna chose to be strong. Theyâre on their way to eradicating the lies that were so comfortable to cling to for so long. Thatâs hard work, friends. I pray youâre in the process of doing this, as well. The truth is that Godâs love for you is not dependent on anything you can do to lose or gain His attention. He loves you. You can choose to believe that or not. Thatâs really all there is to it.
Thanks for walking through a part of Toby and Jennaâs love story with me. Make sure to read all the other books in the Goose Harbor series. I love connecting with readers! Look for me on my author Facebook page or on Twitter, or connect with me through my website and newsletter at www.JessicaKellerBooks.com.
Dream big,
Jess Keller
JESSICA KELLER is a Starbucks drinker, avid reader and chocolate aficionado. Jessica holds degrees in communications and biblical studies. She is multipublished in both romance and young-adult fiction and loves to interact with readers through social media. Jessica lives in the Chicagoland suburbs with her amazing husband, beautiful daughter and two annoyingly outgoing cats who happen to be named after superheroes. Find all her contact information at jessicakellerbooks.com.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
âPsalms 34:18
For Carol, who has never given up on me.
Not once. Not ever. Thank you for being one of my heart sisters.
Contents
âThis canât be happening.â Jenna Crest jogged toward the line of dwarf trees sheâd planted at her family orchard when sheâd first moved back in with her father.
Young branches were stripped bare, and chunks of bark had been peeled off at least eleven of her sixteen new Braeburn trees. With damp dirt between her fingers, Jenna scrambled from tree to tree, desperately trying to determine if any of them could be saved. Even though she knew the answer right away, she still examined each one closer. All were ruined.
Much like her.
She stood, rested her hands on her hips and kicked at the ground. âAll that work. For what? Nothing.â
These new trees had cost her countless hours of care, attention and even love. Sheâd researched and chosen the breed of trees, despite her father suggesting they plant Pristine trees along the edge of their property. Sheâd tested the soilâs pH and had dug sulfur into the row until it reached the correct level.
