The Apple Orchard

The Apple Orchard
Susan Wiggs

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers into the lush abundance of Sonoma County, in a story of sisters, friendship and the invisible bonds of history that are woven like a spell around us.Tess Delaney makes a living returning stolen treasures to their rightful owners. She loves illuminating history, filling the spaces in people's hearts with stories of their family legacies.But Tess's own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, and a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter.Then Dominic Rossi arrives on the doorstep of the San Francisco shop Tess hopes to buy, and he tells her that the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. Tess has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she hadn't heard of.Isabel is everything Tess isn't: all softness to Tess's hard angles, warm and nurturing where Tess is tightly wound. But against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, with Isabel and Dominic by her side, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep.Book one in the Bella Vista seriesFor fans of Santa Montefiore, Patricia Scanlan and Cathy Kelly.‘Wiggs tells a layered, powerful story of love, loss, hope and redemption.' – Kirkus, starred review

“Sometimes you stumble across a treasure when you’re looking for something else entirely.”

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs brings readers to the lush abundance of Sonoma county in a novel of sisters, friendship and how memories are woven like a spell around us.

Tess Delaney makes a living restoring stolen treasures to their rightful owners. People like Annelise Winther, who refuses to sell her long-gone mother’s beloved necklace—despite Tess’s advice. To Annelise, the jewel’s value is in its memories.

But Tess’s own history is filled with gaps: a father she never met, a mother who spent more time traveling than with her daughter. So Tess is shocked when she discovers the grandfather she never knew is in a coma. And that she has been named in his will to inherit half of Bella Vista, a hundred-acre apple orchard in the magical Sonoma town called Archangel.

The rest is willed to Isabel Johansen. A half sister she’s never heard of.

Against the rich landscape of Bella Vista, Tess begins to discover a world filled with the simple pleasures of food and family, of the warm earth beneath her bare feet. A world where family comes first and the roots of history run deep. A place where falling in love is not only possible, but inevitable.

And in a season filled with new experiences, Tess begins to see the truth in something Annelise once told her: if you don’t believe memories are worth more than money, then perhaps you’ve not made the right kind of memories.

From one of America’s most beloved writers, The Apple Orchard is a story of family ties—both old and new—and of the moments that connect our hearts.

The Apple Orchard

Susan Wiggs

www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)

For my mother and father, Lou and Nick Klist, with deepest love. All I know in the world of love and passion, hard work and dedication, and the sturdy resilience of the human heart, I learned from my parents. You are, and have always been, my inspiration.

Contents

Part One (#u3af72057-2511-5457-94a7-53ad5ea69039)

Danish Apple Pie Recipe (#u92e8eb80-e873-558b-b079-1f1b8fa2d644)

Caramel Apple Topping Recipe (#u53103b40-3271-5edd-a8f3-c4dfff80ba0c)

Prologue (#ub6050726-2a98-599a-963c-b07976733a87)

Part Two (#ubb2c7a5e-50ed-5c93-96f1-d97d315bf8e9)

Apple Chutney Recipe (#uf70cf3a3-8fbc-5f19-9f8a-2089192c21a8)

Chapter One (#u85533b82-6204-5c06-bec6-e0c2e9603dc8)

Chapter Two (#u6df7cee9-c57b-52e1-8ced-ed141ea9a8e8)

Part Three (#u00df6b09-00f1-5d2d-98f9-f31a9c876678)

Lavender Scones Recipe (#u62ea3dc6-8951-5ad0-9dd9-c866782549c0)

Chapter Three (#u09ff452e-d663-5b7c-812f-78630a52b35f)

Chapter Four (#u4c825c45-c178-58d5-b6dd-b208408567fb)

Chapter Five (#u7d6d5674-4de9-51e3-b5f8-37144d508192)

Part Four (#u6aa9407e-9700-5e5b-b5ba-2bdb1a80aa2f)

Grape and Rosemary Focaccia Recipe (#u3893eead-3153-5793-890a-44b6de4fe8ca)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Backyard Garden Salad Recipe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Tweed Kettle Pie Recipe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Julekake Recipe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Part Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Mulligatawny Soup Recipe (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)