Jodi Chapman is raising her preschool boy on the autism
spectrum. Her ex-husband decides to remarry and reduce
child support, just when Jodi finds a special school near
her in Chicago. The only way she can afford the
school is by accepting her new work assignment - one that
will take her home to farm country.
HIS HOMETOWN GIRL brings Jodi back to Cedar Bay, Vermont,
home for the summer with her kid Tyler as she attempts to
purchase dairy land from the locals for her big Midlands
agri-firm. Waiting to greet her is a local farmer, Daniel
Gleason, who went to school with Jodi and now wants to form
a farm co-op and apply for organic farming grants. His
problem will be getting other, older farmers onside. While
he's delighted to meet Jodi again, he just hopes their
business affairs can remain separate.
Jodi tells Daniel the business case for consolidating; half
of New England farmers have another job off the farm, and a
third of farmers are over 60. Farm labour is hard to hire
and afford, so farms are often kept to an easily managed
size. Jodi's own father had a farm accident which left him
physically impaired, so Jodi knows all about hard work.
Daniel is modernising, with a wind turbine and solar panels
providing free power.
Socially life is not clear-cut as Jodi attends a ten-year
class reunion - all the country girls have a few kids by
now, while the bachelor men are highly appreciative of an
attractive single lady. Trying to teach Tyler and protect
him from hazards like lakes, occupies a lot of Jodi's
mind. Daniel's sister Sue asks to work with Tyler outdoors
to prove her child psychology thesis and help him interact.
Daniel admires Jodi more than ever, but the thorny issue of
selling farms threatens to divide the community, and Jodi
finds herself at the heart of the conflict - maybe even in
danger.
I enjoyed HIS HOMETOWN GIRL from the start and even more so
as the challenges and options kept increasing. Joanne Rock
gives us credible characters with modern issues which need
to be discussed; as the feelings deepen to a shaky romance
I found myself willing Jodi and Daniel to find a way to
make it work. This is a romance which can be read without
blushing and it's all the stronger for that.
Jodi Chapman will do whatever it takes to get top care for
her autistic son. If that means going home and convincing
local farmers to sell their land, so be it. Even if her
biggest opponent, childhood rival Daniel Gleason, is equally
determined to convince farmers to buy into his co-op plan.
And he's not playing fair.
Facing off against Daniel is the last thing Jodi wants. The
attraction that's always fueled their competitiveness is as
strong as ever and just as distracting. But with both their
futures on the line, and years of distrust between them, how
can they ever be on the same side?
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