Country Blues — Marjorie Everitt

When Perry Lucas runs his car through Lauren Byrd's rosebushes, she is dismayed, to say the least. She thought she might meet some resistance from her new neighbors in Piney Ridge, Missouri, but he didn't expect they'd try to mow down her house!

Despite their rocky introduction, Perry and Lauren manage to mend their fences in time for the grand opening of Country Blues, Lauren's antiques and folk art shop. Soon her business is booming, thanks to local artists Lily Mae, Pops Carmichael, and Jake MacNab. Not all the natives are friendly, though; to many, Lauren is still an "outlander," that weird California transplant who wears caftans and certainly doesn't belong in the Ozarks. Lauren hopes she can win them over, but she is more concerned about winning Perry. The handsome, hazel eyed attorney is a real enigma, running hot one moment and cold the next. Meanwhile, Nels Hawke keeps asking her out, and Ernie Campbell keeps dumping garbage on her lawn. Men! Sometimes Lauren thinks the only male she can trust is her dog, Charlie. But she can't get Perry out of her thoughts...