Rose Garden

Why did life have to be so hard? That’s the question Autumn Chapman must answer, because now her family’s money is gone, her parents divorced, and she’s on her own. Autumn had a fairly easy life. As an only child, she lived the good life in Detroit. Her father made a high income and was able to send her to a prestigious girls’ preparatory school out East. Unfortunately, in her junior year, the Detroit economy went bust, her father’s business failed, and her mother bailed out of the marriage. There was barely enough money to keep her in the final semester of her school. With scrimping, she was able to keep Apparition, her horse, at the Ridgemont School with her. With plans for college now scrapped, she realized that she must live and act as an adult. She must rebuild her life from a pile of ashes. Soon she found work at a Detroit stable teaching riding lessons and splitting rent for a cheap apartment with another girl. Her mother had quickly remarried and her father moved to Florida to try his hand at another startup business. Autumn was on her own for the first time in her life. When she caught her fiancÈe Chris with her roommate, another aspect of her life shattered. An unexpected job opportunity arose for her. She hears from Marie Barnhill, her friend and roommate in boarding school. Marie offers Autumn a chance to live and work in California while Marie goes on an art study tour of Europe. The job seems tailor made for her. She can keep her horse and live in Marie’s cottage on the property. She soon ships her horse Apparition cross country and now settles into her friend's cottage. In exchange for room and board for herself and her horse, Autumn will teach riding lessons and help in day-to-day stable management at Copper Canyon Stables. Autumn and her horse settle into their new surroundings. Mrs. Barnhill, a widow, runs the stable on her own and welcomes Autumn living in Marie’s cottage. She offers friendly, motherly advice when the need arises, yet realizes that Autumn needs to make decisions on her own. A new rider arrives one day and Autumn finds him clumsy but charming. He brings a very sloppy personal assistant named Chunky who comes equipped with a video camera to capture shots of his boss, Logan Graham. Logan is an actor in the popular daytime TV soap opera, The Brandenburg's of Crystal City. He needs English riding lessons to prepare for an upcoming story line. Autumn complains to Mrs. Barnhill about him that evening at supper. Mrs. Barnhill tells her to be patient. She tells Autumn this happens all the time. Many times actors need horseback riding lessons and they come to Copper Canyon. She tells Autumn that there are many side industries in California that support the television and movie business. Autumn decides Logan is rather sexy and thinks she should pay more attention to her feminine side before the next lesson. Logan has a secret- he's inexperienced with woman. Not