Season of Dreams

The man gave him a shrewd look. “As the fourth generation, are you looking to move into cherries now?”

Adam saw where this was going. He wanted to set Larry straight. “No, I decided to go it alone. Although, if my dad wants to buy them from me come harvest, I won’t complain.”

Larry slapped him on the back, satisfied with the answer. “Absolutely not. Come on, I’ll introduce you to a grower that also rents bees from me. He’s a good man to know around here.”

Adam gave Ryan a nod and went with his uncle. Larry introduced him to Jim Sandborn, a cherry and apple farmer who lived about five miles south of Marsh Orchards.

“New to fruit farming then?” Jim eyed him with apprehension.

Last year, Adam had come to Leelanau County to investigate buying fruit from the area processors. He’d made no secret of researching the particulars for a new product line he wanted to propose to his father.

Adam met Robert Marsh at one such processor and after a long conversation Adam toured the man’s property. That first glimpse of Marsh Orchards had been like hearing a siren’s song that dug deep into his blood and stayed there. The more he listened to Eva’s father talk about growing cherries, the more Adam wanted to experience it. The more Adam saw of the land, the more he wanted to own it.

“I’m brand-new. But I’ve hired Eva Marsh as my manager to show me the ropes.”

The hardened farmer with hair whiter than the snow piled up outside cracked a hint of a smile. “Lots of you young fellers trying yer hand at cherry farming. But Eva’s a smart girl, that one. Known her since she was knee-high. Tiny but just like her dad, and stubborn, too. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks. I will.” Adam hoped the guy meant what he’d said. Admitting that he worked with Eva was what had melted Jim’s frosty stare. He wondered if the other growers might relax as quickly once they knew Eva was his manager.

The music started and Adam extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jim.”

The man shook it, nodded and wandered into church.

Adam followed suit, surprised to see Eva waiting for him.

“We sit near the front.” Her eyes challenged him.

He wasn’t about to back away, even if they’d been in the very first row. “Closer to the action. I like that.”

He slid into the fourth-row pew right before Ryan could slip in. Adam sat beside Eva. He grinned at the annoyed look she flashed him before she scooted as far away from him as the large lady seated on the other side allowed. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her prickly reaction.

The service started with singing, and the congregation didn’t hold back in volume or enthusiasm. Adam glanced around. Most of the church members looked like farmers or typical small-town stock. He spotted Uncle Larry sitting between an attractive woman who had to be Aunt Jamee and Grandma Marsh. Larry nodded in acknowledgment.

Adam faced the front and clapped along. He liked the feel of this church with its warm, open faces. By the time the minister stood at the podium, memories of attending services like this with his mom flooded his thoughts. Coming to church had been a good call, even though Eva’s proximity distracted. He was aware of her every move.

Eva tried to concentrate on the service, but it was impossible with Adam next to her. From the deep tone of his singing voice pleasantly tickling her ears, to the sincerity of his whispered prayers, she was undone.

Incredible! Adam Peece was a real man of faith. He hadn’t been kidding. The knowledge didn’t mix well with the image of Adam with his group of friends last night. Not that any of them did anything wrong, but it was hard to reconcile those two sides of her boss. He was the life of the party but quietly serious in worship.

Watching him with his eyes closed pierced her spirit with an ache of longing. She missed the close relationship she used to have with the Lord. Eva had kept prayer journals during her daily devotions, but she hadn’t opened one in two years.

A gnawing in the pit of her stomach hinted that maybe it was time to stop blaming God for what had happened to her. She’d held on so long to the Lord’s lack of protection, when she needed to accept that she’d made a horrible mistake trusting Todd. Her mistake. One she’d never make again.

Once the service concluded, she inched her way out of the crowded row, sensing Adam right behind her. The warmth of his nearness surrounded her even though he remained a proper few inches away. She stopped to wait for a woman to gather up a diaper bag.

“Hey, Eva.” Beth appeared from behind two elderly ladies. “Ryan’s dropping me off at my mom’s. I’ll see you later tonight.”

Eva nodded. Great. That left Adam to drive her home alone.

“I see an opening.” Adam took her by the hand. “Come on, we better make a break for it.”

Eva noticed that Adam’s touch was warm, although his palm felt rougher than she expected from a paper-pusher. Careful to watch that she didn’t bump into anyone, she followed Adam’s weaving between groups of people.

An expanse of solid man stood in her way, then he spoke. “Hello, Eva.”

She stopped short at the sound of that terrible voice. The voice she hadn’t heard in two years. The voice belonging to a man she’d thought she loved until he’d attacked her.

Todd!

The last time she’d heard Todd’s voice he’d bellowed drunken obscenities when Beth had helped her get away from him.

Her hand slipped out of Adam’s grasp as the clamoring buzz in her ears drowned out the sounds and faces of the people surrounding her. Todd blocked out the light of her tunnel vision, making her feel dizzy. Sick.

She sucked in air, but it didn’t help. Stars formed before her eyes. She was going to faint. Right there. In the middle of the sanctuary, she’d fall. Adam would see and he’d know. He’d tell Ryan. And Ryan would go after Todd.

No!

Stepping back until her bottom connected with a pew, Eva gripped the solid wood until she felt a fingernail crack. The pain helped her focus, helped her calm down a shade. She tried to make her mouth work, but nothing came out despite hearing herself scream on the inside.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes,” she croaked.

“This is my wife, Susan. We’re up from Grand Rapids visiting my in-laws who attend here.”

Eva’s eyes widened when she took in the pretty woman standing next to him with a pink bundle of baby in her arms.

The woman’s eyes narrowed as if recognizing her. But they’d never met. “Nice to meet you.”

She felt the warmth of Adam’s hand at the small of her back.

“Everything okay?” Adam’s voice sounded far away, as if he was talking from the other side of a long tunnel.

“I—” Eva looked back at Todd. The urge to yell and pound on him overwhelmed her, sapping her strength. He acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever passed between them.

“Todd, honey, we better go. Dad’s pulled the car up front.” Susan shifted her pink burden and moved toward the door.

“Look, Eva…” He reached out a hand but let it drop with a sigh. He gave her an awkward smile and then nodded toward Adam. “Take it easy, okay?”

Eva didn’t know if she responded. Her knees shook, and her stomach lurched. Sweat broke out along her hairline. She really was going to be sick.

Why here? Why now?

“Eva?” Adam touched her elbow.

She shrank away from him.

“Who is that guy? Did he say something to upset you?”