The Orchard at the Edge of Town

Fans of McCoy’s Apple Valley series, set in idyllic Washington State, will find this third installment (after The Cottage on the Corner) as cozy as a cup of chamomile tea beside the fireplace. Apricot Miller leaves her cheating fiancé in Los Angeles and flees, in a hideous wedding dress, to her aunt’s neglected Apple Valley home, planning to lay low for a bit before returning to the city and her successful herbal tea business. But the prospect of fixing up her aunt’s house and orchard encourages her to stay awhile, even when her hippie family descends to “help” her through the healing process. Even more attractive is the charm of Sheriff Simon Baylor, who was left raising his twin daughters after the death of his wife. Apricot and Simon face few obstacles; the ludicrous behavior of Simon’s sister-in-law, Daisy, who wants to marry him herself, is more irritation than threat. Cameos by other series characters, as well as McCoy’s familiar scenario of piecing together happy new families from broken ones, make this uncomplicated contemporary feel like coming home. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, Knight Agency. (Aug.)