Wild orchids

the long version

"Ford Newcombe loved his wife, Pat, more than anyone - and anything - in the world. She came into his life when he was just a college student with big dreams of becoming a published author. With love and humour, she guided him down the path to success. Since Pat's death six years ago, Ford has lived a life of solitude, barely able to put pen to paper. Finally, inspiration comes in the guise of Jackie Maxwell, a smart, sassy university researcher. It's her intimate knowledge of the story of a young woman's friendship with the devil - and what the townspeople did to her - that persuades Ford to hire Jackie as his assistant and to move to Cole Creek, North Carolina, where the story is said to have taken place."--Publisher description.