Maren Jacobs learned a long time ago that people always leave; that's what makes her so good at her job as a land acquisitions agent for the Martin & Foster Land Agency. And now, they have a new assignment for her: convincing the people of Apple Alley, North Carolina, to sell the land their lives have been built on for generations.

This job should be like every other: get in, convince the powerful Archer family to sell, and get out so she can return home to her brand-new corner office. But Jackson Archer has other plans...

Apple Alley is not your average farming community, and Jackson Archer is not your average farmer, and he is going to do everything in his power to save the land he loves - even if it means choosing between the orchard his family has owned for generations and the infuriating woman he is starting to fall for.

For two people who have spent most of their lives shouldering their burdens alone, they are about to learn that community and family are not a weakness, but a strength, and that maybe the best place they can be is BE-CIDE each other.

Sometimes, people leave... but what if they chose to stay?

I obtained a degree in Business and Humanities from the University of North Georgia in 2024, and currently work for the ministry Fellowship of Christian Athletes in North Georgia. I am an avid reader and writer, and I self-published my first book of poetry in 2022. It was briefly available at Barnes & Noble and can now be found on Amazon under the title "Surrendered". I manage my own blog where I share messages about finding the joy in life and appreciating the little things, am an aspirational traveler, and a major advocate for fun facts, the pursuit of learning, and all things coffee.