Baggage -- we all have it. What sets us apart from one
another is how we handle it.
Kelly came to Virgin River determined to gather emotional
and physical strength and take time to recover from a scary
medical episode which turned out luckily to be a cautionary
message. A promotion to chef was her career dream. She faced
enormous stress working with various temperamental and
competitive types, but the final push came when she was
accused of being a home wrecker by the wife of her boss and
mentor. That confrontation forced her to make a life
altering decision. Cooking was in her blood and so, upon
arrival in Virgin River, she naturally wound up in a kitchen
-- this time her sister's amazing one. Her sister Rachel's
love wasn't in cooking but rather in organic gardening. It
was a natural partnership and gave Kelly the feeling that
she had come home.
Lief and his stepdaughter Courtney were somewhat new
arrivals in town. He craved stability for Courtney as her
life was spiraling out of control after her mother's sudden
death. Both were devastated and needed time to gain some
normalcy. Lief was finding his place in Virgin River and
upon meeting Kelly began to think he could move on perhaps
to a solid lasting relationship. But Courtney was stalled.
There truly wasn't any aspect of her life that wasn't in
turmoil and Lief knew he needed help. He also knew there
was no hope for him unless he was able to get through to
Courtney and any personal plans, hopes or dreams had to
move to the back burner for the inestimable future. She was
like a runaway train gaining speed heading for a disaster.
So as she became more demanding Lief capitulated until
there appeared to be no hope for any future with Kelly.
Kelly's attempts to establish some sort of relationship
were met with malevolence and disrespect and yet Courtney
seemed to relish time spent with Kelly's sister Rachel. As
an adult, Kelly was all too aware of what Courtney was doing
but that didn't make it hurt any less. So even as Lief was
trying to convince her to be patient and stay hopeful, Kelly
wasn't willingly going to set herself up for still another
devastating hurt. The ball was virtually in Courtney court
and all their lives hung in the balance.
HARVEST MOON is an interesting story of how our children can
manipulate our lives even when we realize they aren't
capable of making what we think of as adult decisions.
Somehow, this should have made Lief and Kelly look silly.
But anyone who has a daughter knows it's important to pick
your battles. And when your child is suffering from a
trauma, your entire being is invested in helping her
recover. Once again Carr doesn't look for easy answers. She
respects her readers and lets them follow this bumpy ride.
THE RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS:
MAKING IT UP AS YOU GO ALONG
Rising sous-chef Kelly Matlock’s sudden collapse at work is
a wake-up call. Disillusioned and burned out, she’s
retreated to her sister Jillian’s house in Virgin River to
rest and reevaluate.
Puttering in Jill’s garden and cooking with her heirloom
vegetables is wonderful, but Virgin River is a far cry from
San Francisco. Kelly’s starting to feel a little too
unmotivated...until she meets Lief Holbrook. The handsome
widower looks more like a lumberjack than a sophisticated
screenwriter—a combination Kelly finds irresistible. But
less appealing is Lief’s rebellious stepdaughter, Courtney.
She’s the reason they moved from L.A., but Courtney’s
finding plenty of trouble even in Virgin River.
Kelly’s never fallen for a guy with such serious baggage,
but some things are worth fighting for. Besides, a bratty
teenager can’t be any worse than a histrionic chef...right?
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