Humiliated, J.C. quits, and moves with Elizabeth to a farmhouse in Vermont sight unseen. By winter, she is strapped with escalating repairs needed to her new home, running out of money and patience, and overwhelmed with loneliness. After suffering a nervous breakdown, she meets local veterinarian Dr. Jeff Cooper. Desperate to return to New York, she considers burning down her house, but she begins spending her time making and selling her homemade "gourmet" baby food, which soon grows into a full-fledged business, Country Baby. As her business expands and orders start pouring in from all over the country, J.C. and Jeff strike up a romance.