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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.”
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?”
Eva closed her eyes with a quick shake of her head. Seeing Todd upset her. Seeing him happily married and blessed with a beautiful baby girl infuriated her. How could God be so cruel? Todd had flourished, while Eva was stuck in a hellish purgatory she couldn’t climb out of.
She felt the gentle pressure of Adam’s hand return to the small of her back. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”
Adam drove with the heat cranked to full blast. He kept glancing at Eva huddled in her seat. She hadn’t quit shivering. He wanted to pull over and gather her into his arms, but he didn’t trust the wildness in her gaze. The fury. He feared he might make matters worse by offering unwanted comfort.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
“Old boyfriend?”
She glanced at him with haunted eyes. “Yeah.”
The ex-boyfriend was a giant of a man who looked far too clumsy for a petite thing like Eva. He struck Adam as one of those unmotivated types with boring stability stamped across his forehead. Eva needed someone who’d keep up with and challenge her. Maybe she had bossed the big dude around too much. Maybe that was why he’d left her. “Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
Adam glanced her way again and she looked close to tears. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. Tears weren’t good. A snappy Eva he understood, but a sad Eva busted him up. “It’s okay to unload.”
“I don’t want to unload. Why don’t you unload? What are you doing here, Peece?”
He braced himself for the unleashing of that pent-up anger. “What do you mean?”
“You’re the green bean heir. Why’d you buy my cherry orchard? To play nice and sweet so you could get in good with the growers to rip them off somehow? A guy like you can’t be serious about working a farm. Do you really think you belong here?”
Adam knew why he was here, but Eva wouldn’t believe him if he explained the calling that had filled him the day he saw the orchard. Maybe it was part of how God had whispered through the branches to woo him back into the fold like a sheep gone lost. Adam didn’t know.
All he knew was that he had to have the land. It was bigger than his grandfather’s farm, but it beckoned with the same promise of a simpler, better life. Away from his past where so-called friends looked at him with greed-filled eyes. And women wanted him more for what he could do for them financially.
Adam desperately needed a simpler life.
Explaining the whys would be a waste of breath. Eva struck him as a person who needed action, not words. Proof. Besides, she was hurting. Bad. If she wanted to take it out on him, he could handle it.
He pulled into her driveway but didn’t shut off the engine. The hum of the heater pouring out warm air masked the silence. Adam turned toward her. He didn’t want her to bolt, not yet. “What if I do belong here?”
She stared at him with her sweet mouth hanging open, looking as if the world around her had crumbled. “I miss the way things were.”
He gently touched her shoulder, wishing he could ease whatever it was that tore her up. Wishing he could promise her that she’d never get hurt again, but that was not the way life worked. “I’m sorry.”
Just then, Ryan’s truck pulled in next to them and the moment was lost. Eva exited the car and made for the house quicker than a jackrabbit.
Adam shut off the engine and got out.
“What’s wrong with Eva?” Ryan wore the concerned look of a brother ready to defend his sister if needed.
“She’s upset about some guy who showed up at church.”
Ryan’s eyes narrowed, as if weighing the truth.
Adam couldn’t blame him. He’d be concerned, too, if it were his sister. He looked up into Ryan’s gaze without flinching.
Finally, Ryan slapped him on the back. “Come on, man. Eva’s bound to have something good for lunch and we can talk her into going skiing. She doesn’t get out much, and it sounds like she needs an afternoon of fun.”
Eva wouldn’t look at Adam throughout the meal. His eyes had a way of luring her in and keeping her. She had to prove that she could do this job. Mouthing off like that to her boss was a good way to get fired. Instead, Adam had understood and even attempted to comfort her. And he wanted her to go skiing.
That might be the best way to get back in his good graces after such an awful display of emotion. She couldn’t stay home alone. Not now, not after seeing Todd. This morning had taken its toll, dredging up all the fury and fear she still wrestled with.
Maybe skiing would end up being therapeutic. She hadn’t skied in years, but it was better than staying alone until Beth returned. She’d ride with her brother, and that should give her a reprieve from dodging questions laced with good intentions.
On the way, she realized how wrong her reasoning had been when Ryan asked, “So what’s up with you two?”
She stared out the passenger window of his truck. “What are you talking about?”
“I have eyes. You were crying when you got out of Adam’s car.”
Eva gritted her teeth. She’d lost it, but she’d recovered in time to fix lunch. She didn’t think Ryan had noticed. “Todd was in church. He’s married with a baby girl.”
“Why’d you two break up anyway?” Ryan followed behind Adam’s fancy four-door Jeep Wrangler.
It was the kind of vehicle that suited Adam. The doors, the hard top and who knew what else could be taken off. Adam loved zipping around on the ATVs, so she imagined he’d love to go two-tracking, as well. Unless he never got that Jeep dirty. Unless it was all for show from a city boy who liked the idea of having a fun car but didn’t put it to use.
Eva turned her attention back to Ryan and shrugged. No one knew about Todd, only Beth. “Because he’s a jerk.”
“Then you’re better off without him. But why the tears after all this time?”
“I don’t know.” But she knew. She hadn’t faced Todd since that night at a party two years ago. She’d never gone to the police because she couldn’t drag her family through more junk after the death of Ryan’s girlfriend.
Instead, Eva hoped she’d get over it. Fat chance. Seeing Todd brought back the pain almost as if it had happened last night.
“What do you think of Adam?”
Eva stared at the snow-covered landscape whizzing by. “I try not to.”
Ryan laughed. “You like him, don’t you?”
“No.” Only partly true. She was afraid to like him.
“Come on, Eva. He’s a good-looking guy with a fat wallet.”
Eva closed her eyes. “So?”
“So, you haven’t dated since you broke up with Todd.”
“I’ve been on a few.” Eva had gone on three dates, but they didn’t work out. Her fault, not theirs.
“Maybe it’s time you went on a few more.”
“You’re one to talk,” Eva blurted.
Ryan’s neck reddened. “I have my reasons.”
Remorse pulled Eva into the melancholy place she frequented far too often. “Yeah, well, so do I.”
After a few moments of silence, Eva felt Ryan looking at her. “What?”
“With Mom and Dad in Florida and Sin gone, it’s up to me to look out for you. You’re the youngest.”
Her heart swelled into her throat, making it hard to swallow. “Thanks, brother dear, but I’m a big girl now. I can fend for myself.”
“I know you can. But I’m here just the same.”
“Thanks.” Her eyes stung in the corners. Ryan was a good man, and he deserved better than what he’d been through. Bolstering her courage she asked, “Why didn’t you move away after Sara died?”
“This is where Sara wanted to be. I won’t ever leave.”
Eva nodded, but her heart ached for her brother who’d lost the love of his life. Maybe that was why she and Ryan understood each other. They each accepted what they’d lost.
But Eva didn’t want to accept losing her family’s orchard. She’d do her best to show Adam the ropes even though she prayed for two things—he’d keep her on as farm manager long enough for her to get that loan and he wouldn’t ruin the farm.
She needed those cherry orchard views to lure guests for her bed-and-breakfast.
Chapter Four
Ryan pulled in behind Adam’s Jeep parked in the last driveway at the end of a row of large but unpretentious-looking town houses. Eva changed into her ski boots and then slipped out of her brother’s truck to look around. Adam’s place was tucked into the woods at the base of a hill. A stream wound its way through the complex that bespoke quiet living.
“Nice.” Ryan gave a low whistle. “This guy has some cash.”
“It belongs to his family.” Pampered. That was what came to Eva’s mind. Ski slopes and beach resorts were no doubt Peece family destinations. It was no wonder he could buy Marsh Orchards and give her folks the means to retire early.
Feeling out of place, Eva scanned the snowy trails that led toward the ski resort. Why’d she come? The question rang through her brain again when Ryan handed her the skis she last used as a teenager. Hoisting them onto her shoulder, Eva wasn’t sure joining Adam and Ryan had been such a good idea.
“You okay?” Adam had quickly changed into a trendy black ski jacket with matching black-and-red checked pants. She shook herself out of her daze. “It’s been a long time since I’ve done this.”
“We can hit the easy trails first.”
Eva glanced at her brother, who looked anxious to bomb the black diamond trails. How’d she turn out to be the only kid who played it safe in her family? “I don’t want to hold you guys back. You two go on ahead. I can putter until I get my ski legs.”
Adam handed Ryan a lift ticket, then turned to her with a grin. “There are some nice, gentle slopes here. And I’ll give you some pointers. You’ll do fine.”
Great. Peece wasn’t going to be easy to shake loose. She’d been hoping for a little solitude. Time to deal with seeing Todd.
“Trust me, you’ll enjoy this.” Adam grinned.
“Right.” Adam had the kind of smile that made her want to believe everything he told her. Not good. She’d believed in Todd once.
“Come on, the lifts aren’t far from here.” Adam carried his skis tucked under his arm and led the way.
Ryan walked fast with antsy anticipation. It was all Eva could do to keep up. When they made it to the base of the hill, Eva fiddled with her ancient bindings. If she took too long, maybe they’d go on without her.