Season of Dreams

Beth opened the door. “Good morning, Adam. Come in. Eva will be down in a minute. Want some coffee?”

Adam stepped into the warm kitchen and shed his coat. “I’d love some.”

Beth handed him a mug of steaming brew. “Have you had breakfast? It’d only take a minute to warm up Eva’s oatmeal.”

Adam nestled on a stool, propping his elbows on the ceramic tile-covered island while he cradled his cup. “I’m not much of a hot cereal fan.”

“I promise you’ll like this. If not, no big deal.” Beth shrugged, but Adam got the distinct feeling that if he didn’t like it there was something wrong with him.

Maybe there was more than just the cereal at stake here, Adam mused. He suspected that if he messed with Eva, he’d have to answer to her roommate. A tall, solid-looking woman, Beth was a formidable force. “I’ll give it a try.”

Beth smiled. “You won’t be sorry.”

They were talking about the cereal, right?

He shook off his musings. Something about the brown sugar and spice smell of Eva’s kitchen felt like home. A real home. Not the rambling, fully staffed estate of his father’s where Adam and his siblings each had private apartments.

Adam stirred milk into his bowl of oatmeal that was loaded with nuts and berries. “She puts cherries in everything, doesn’t she?”

“Just about. She loves them. She loves this orchard, too, if you haven’t already noticed.”

Adam didn’t miss the serious note in Beth’s voice. He remembered the way Eva fussed over the young tree he’d gashed with the ATV and felt like a heel all over again. “That’s why I hired her.”

Beth quickly turned to put away the remains of breakfast. Though he couldn’t guess why, Beth seemed disappointed with his answer.

Adam took a bite of cereal, savoring the heat and texture. “Wow. This is good.”

“Thanks.” Eva entered the room dressed in a butter-colored sweater and matching pants that hugged her slender form. Her hair gleamed against her shoulders and her lips had been slicked with berry-tinted gloss.

Adam dropped his spoon. He glanced at Beth, who smiled at him again, only this time with beaming approval. She’d witnessed his jaw-drop reaction to seeing Eva dressed like a girl instead of a farmhand. And he could practically hear the matchmaking gears turning inside Beth’s head.

Adam focused on his breakfast. He had no business finding Eva Marsh so attractive. Any entanglement with her would throw a wrench in what he was trying to figure out. Trying to do.

He’d done more than his fair share of dating. He needed to stay away from that slippery slope. Besides, he’d never get tangled up with an employee. Unlike his father, who had a habit of getting involved with his secretaries, Adam kept work and his personal life separated.

He peeked at Eva leaning against the counter. She watched him over the rim of her coffee cup. Attending church with her inched pretty close to that personal line.

Eva didn’t like the hitch in her breathing when she read the appreciation in Adam’s eyes. She didn’t like admitting that she’d taken extra care getting dressed this morning either. But that was exactly what she’d done, all because she was trying to compete with the beauties at Adam’s table last night. Ridiculous, considering she’d never come close by comparison. She shouldn’t care. Eva knew who she was and where she came from.

Still, she hadn’t been prepared for his approval or searching curiosity when he’d stared at her. She took too big a gulp of coffee. Swallowing the heat brought tears to her eyes and she coughed.

“You okay?” Beth asked.

“Coffee too hot.”

Adam brought his bowl to the sink, putting him much too close for comfort. “You going to make it?”

Eva coughed again.

He touched her elbow. “You okay?”

She stepped away. “Thanks, I’m fine. Really. Let’s go.”

But she wasn’t fine. For a split second, Eva had wanted to sway closer to Adam. Like a magnet drawn to steel, she’d felt a sharp pull between them. She didn’t need to act on it. She wouldn’t.

“Eva, you coming?” Beth slipped into her coat.

“Yes.” She brushed her thoughts aside and grabbed her jacket.

Could men like Adam Peece be trusted? Not by her. No matter how nice he seemed, Peece was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Despite having to work with him, Eva would keep her distance. Despite friendly outings to church, Eva was his employee. There was no point in dressing to catch his attention. She shouldn’t want it.

But she did.

The small church was full of people chatting in the foyer when they arrived and Adam felt the weight of several stares. Both men and women scrutinized him closely. He didn’t fit the flannel shirt and blue jeans dress code of a northern Michigan small town. So what if his clothes screamed out-of-towner? He liked to look nice.

Eva was pulled aside by a little old lady with blue hair. The elderly woman whispered in Eva’s ear and made her laugh out loud. Adam realized he’d never heard Eva really laugh. He liked it.

“Adam, this is my grandma Marsh.” Eva’s eyes were shining with amusement.

Adam looked at the woman, who was not much taller than Eva but with the same chocolate-brown eyes that proved a family resemblance. He took the lady’s hand in his own. “Very nice to meet you.”

Grandma squeezed his fingers with surprising strength. “My, my, but you’re a looker. I’ve got my eye on you, young man.”

Adam swallowed a laugh and winked at her instead. “I hope so.”

He glanced at Eva, who shook her head before saying, “I’m going to get Grandma settled next to Aunt Jamee and Uncle Larry.”

“I’ll catch up with you in the sanctuary.” He watched them walk away.

“So, what do you think?” Beth asked him.

Adam turned to see Beth looking smug. “Of what?”

“Of Eva.”

Adam didn’t understand why her roommate kept tossing Eva at him as if she was incapable of attracting a guy on her own. That was a new one. He was used to pushy girls like Beth hoping to snatch him for themselves, not their friends. He wasn’t interested in romancing Eva. He shouldn’t be. “Ah…yeah…well, she’s capable. Why do you keep asking me?”

Beth shrugged her shoulders, but she gave him that satisfied grin that only girls could muster. The one that said she’d gotten the answer she was looking for even though he hadn’t said a thing. “No reason.”

He rolled his eyes when she walked away. Maybe he should find an excuse to leave early. But then Ryan made a beeline for him with an intense-looking man pushing fifty.

“Hey,” Adam said.

“Adam, I want to introduce you to my uncle. He’s been our beekeeper for as long as I can remember, but Eva can fill you in on details. Uncle Larry, this is Adam Peece. He bought the orchard from Dad.”

“Peece? Any relation to the canning company?” Larry extended his hand.

“My father’s business, third-generation owner.”