The Apple Orchard

Dr. Abby MacKenzie worked with the firm "Los Angeles Mental Health Associates". She helped treat the firefighters, cops, and such, that need assistance in dealing with trauma. Her first patient of the day would have been a cop who had accidentally killed an innocent bystander. She walked at work to find the officer dead in her office. Unable to cope, he had committed suicide. The horrible scene burned into her mind and Abby took it as failure on her part. Her boss forced her to take a three month sabbatical (with pay). She fled to an apple orchard. Harvesting was about to begin. The idea was to work very hard all day so she would be exhausted at night and have no dreams. Dr. Jake Templeton was a highly respected cardiologist. His nine year old daughter, Stacey, had changed since the car accident that killed her mother two years before. Wanting her to be around those who love her, Jake had her living with his brother's family at Templeton Orchard. he spent every weekday at the hospital and every weekend with his daughter. It was obvious Stacey was hiding something. Yet no one had been able to get through to her. The LAST thing Jake wanted was a broken psychologist near his daughter! ***** Here is a wonderful story that shows how love can heal. The author hooked me immediately and have co-characters that I could not help but care for. In my opinion, this story is 100% perfect! I highly recommend it to all!

Los Angeles psychologist Abbie MacKenzie helps firefighters, policemen and other law enforcers deal with trauma. When she arrives at her office one morning and finds her patient, an LAPD cop dead from suicide, she feels she has failed the man. Her boss suggests a sabbatical, and so her Call to Adventure begins ... picking apples in a Massachusetts orchard owned by a friend of her aunt's.Cardiologist Jake Templeton sees Abbie's presence as a threat. Recently widowed, Jake feels a psychologist is the last person he wants near his troubled nine-year-old daughter, especially since four therapists have failed to help Stacey. Stacey, on the other hand, gravitates to Abbie right away. Despite Jake's desire to keep his distance, he, too, falls under Abbie's spell.Recurrent nightmare flashbacks keep Abbie from being able to deal with her own situation, but she comes to love Stacey like a mother, and the little girl returns that love. Thus, gradually, Abbie's love creates the healing environment for Stacey as Jake's growing love for Abbie facilitates her own healing.This is a lovely story dealing with complex emotions and struggles which the talented Ms. Barrett handles superbly. You won't be disappointed in The Apple Orchard. More please, Ms. Barrett.

Dr. Abby MacKenzie worked with the firm "Los Angeles Mental Health Associates". She helped treat the firefighters, cops, and such, that need assistance in dealing with trauma. Her first patient of the day would have been a cop who had accidentally killed an innocent bystander. She walked at work to find the officer dead in her office. Unable to cope, he had committed suicide. The horrible scene burned into her mind and Abby took it as failure on her part. Her boss forced her to take a three month sabbatical (with pay). She fled to an apple orchard. Harvesting was about to begin. The idea was to work very hard all day so she would be exhausted at night and have no dreams. Dr. Jake Templeton was a highly respected cardiologist. His nine year old daughter, Stacey, had changed since the car accident that killed her mother two years before. Wanting her to be around those who love her, Jake had her living with his brother's family at Templeton Orchard. he spent every weekday at the hospital and every weekend with his daughter. It was obvious Stacey was hiding something. Yet no one had been able to get through to her. The LAST thing Jake wanted was a broken psychologist near his daughter! ***** Here is a wonderful story that shows how love can heal. The author hooked me immediately and have co-characters that I could not help but care for. In my opinion, this story is 100% perfect! I highly recommend it to all! *****

Devoted to her job, Abby Mackenzie loves Mondays when she begins yet another week as a psychologist. Then one Monday morning she walks into her office to find blood spattered everywhere - a police officer she had been counseling committed suicide in her office. Now traumatic shock syndrome plagues her life, forcing her to reevaluate her chosen profession. After all, if she cannot help herself, then perhaps she cannot help others either. So she abandons her office for the temporary physical labor in apple orchard, hoping the hard work will bring the exhaustion of much needed sleep.Two years ago Dr. Jake Templeton and his daughter Stacey suffered the loss of his wife. Four therapists have not been able to bring joy back to his daughter's eyes. Believing Stacey has suffered enough loss, Jake cautions Abby to keep her distance from his vulnerable daughter. Despite his determination to remain stoically uninvolved with Abby, Jake finds himself drawn to both her strengths and her vulnerabilities.Traumatic shock syndrome brings three characters together in an unforgettable tale of trauma and healing in THE APPLE ORCHARD. Abby's flashback paralyze her career, leaving her questioning her abilities. Her need for healing opens the path for young Stacey to find her own path to healing. As mistrust of therapists gives way to hope, Jake alters his opinions of psychologists and his plans for the future. A beautifully written, character driven romance filled with hope, THE APPLE ORCHARD comes very highly recommended.

In THE APPLE ORCHARD Linda Barrett quickly draws the reader into the story of a strong family composed of compelling yet genuine people-the kind of people we all wish we knew-or are lucky to know.Jake Templeton is a successful cardiologist in Boston during the week and returns home to his daughter Stacey and his family's apple orchard in the countryside on the weekends. Jake's beloved wife died two years before in an accident that left his life shattered and his daughter emotionally scarred. More than anything, Jake wants to see Stacey happy again. He's tried everything-including child psychologists-but no one seems able to help Stacey reach beyond her grief and puzzling wariness toward him, an attitude that tears at his heart.Abby Mackenzie's life is perfect. She has a loving, supportive family and a career she adores as a psychologist helping Los Angeles's unsung heroes-police officers, firefighters, and secret service agents. But her world comes crashing down when one of her clients commits suicide. Abby blames herself. Unable to cope with her guilt, Abby takes a sabbatical and finds herself in Massachusetts and Jake Templeton's apple orchard.All Abby wants is to work hard picking apples so she can sleep at night, untroubled by dreams of the tragedy in LA. She does all she can to avoid the handsome Dr. Templeton, who's made it clear he doesn't trust psychologists and doesn't want her near his daughter. But neither Jake nor Abby can deny their attraction to one another. When a family crisis occurs and Stacey's tentative friendship with Abby seems to be healing the pain of her mother's death, Jake and Abby must forget old wounds and rely on one another to help Stacey and the Templeton family.I recommend THE APPLE ORCHARD without reservation. Like Ms. Barrett's other novels, THE APPLE ORCHARD is a treat to be savored and will leave you hungry for her next release.