Season of Dreams (17 page)

“How are things with you and Adam?” Her mom's eyes gleamed.

Eva chewed her lip when Ryan bounded back down the stairs.

“Don't worry, I'm not listening,” he said as he crossed the kitchen floor. “But they're dating.”

Eva felt her cheeks heat. “Thanks, Ryan.”

“So, your father was right. You're in love with him.”

“Mom!” Nothing like beating around the bush. Eva's mother had always been what her father called a straight shooter.

“I knew it. The minute your father introduced me to him, I knew he'd be perfect for you.”

The teakettle whistle blew, saving Eva from having to answer. She popped up and poured steaming water into a carafe. Eva wasn't about to make any plans with Adam until the end of the season. How could she?

And how could her mother have possibly known anything when it came to her and Adam? But Eva's mother knew everything, and that was what made Rose Marsh so charming and infuriating all at once. She spoke her mind, and she was usually right. But this time, she might be wrong.

“Look, Mom, we're taking it slow. One day at a time.” She set down the carafe and slipped back into her seat.

Her mother nodded as she fished out a teabag from the canister Eva placed in front of her. “Then you know what's at stake.”

Eva froze. “What do you mean?”

Her mother's eyes narrowed. “Eva, did you know that Adam stands to lose the orchard to his father?”

“Yes. I know.”

“How do you feel about it?” Her mother dunked the teabag once, twice, three times before draping the tag over the rim of her mug.

“I'm not happy. Not at all. How could I be?”

Her mother reached out and grabbed both of Eva's hands, stilling them. “Before you go any further with Adam, Eva, you must ask yourself one question. Can you love this man if he loses it all?”

A chill took hold of Eva. She'd refused to think about the worst-case scenario as much as possible. It made her sick to dwell on it. It wouldn't happen. It couldn't. But her mother waited for some kind of response. Eva could only answer honestly. “I don't know.”

“Well, you better find out because, according to your father, Adam's giving this everything he has. But it might not be enough.”

 

Later that evening, Eva drove her pickup to church loaded with boxed chocolate-chip cookies. The windows were down and the warm night air blew in all around her. Singing along to a blaring radio helped block out what they were up against this season. It kept her from thinking too hard.

Eva pulled into the parking lot. She spied the vans and school buses from other church youth groups that had come for the special event—a speaker to teens had been brought in all the way from Chicago.

Eva parked. Then she grabbed the cookies, stacking the boxes against her stomach in order to carry them. Teenagers opened doors for her all the way down to the basement kitchen and fellowship hall.

On her way back up the steps, a man was coming down. When she recognized the broad shoulders, her heart stopped.

Todd!

He looked surprised to see her, too. “Hey, Eva, are you helping out?”

She shook her head and leaned against the railing for support. “Just dropping off cookies.”

“Mind if I walk you back to your truck?” His voice sounded unsure, awkward even, as if he'd been caught unprepared.

So was she. Her fingers went numb from gripping the railing so tight. What was he doing here? She looked around expecting to see his wife. No one.

“I help with the youth at our church in Grand Rapids. Susan is at her parents' house. I was hoping to talk to you if you have time. It'll only take a minute.” He hardly looked her in the eye.

Eva tamped down the fear clawing its way up her spine, making her neck itch. She needed to face Todd and extend forgiveness. This was her chance. But she'd make sure they were in plain sight. If she needed to scream, she'd be heard. “Let's go to the parking lot.”

Eva followed Todd with her pulse and thoughts racing. What did he want to talk to her about? What could he possibly say to her? And why now when his wife was conveniently absent?

Once they were outside, Eva glanced around, making sure people milled about. It wouldn't be dark for another hour yet. She was at least visibly safe. She watched Todd walk next to her. His bulky size was intimidating.

At her truck, she eyed him with caution. Maybe she wasn't ready for this after all. “Look, Todd—”

“I owe you an apology for what I did.” His voice broke and he looked away. When Todd raised his eyes again, Eva was moved by the stark regret she saw—and the shame.

Could it be?

“I have a daughter now.” He cleared his throat and then briefly closed his eyes. “When I think of someone putting
her in the position I put you, it makes me crazy. It wasn't your fault, Eva. I'm to blame for what happened.”

Eva's chest tightened and her knees weakened, but she nodded for him to continue. She'd make him say it. She had to hear him say he was sorry.

Facing him brought it all back, but instead of the nightmare holding her in its frightening grip, she felt oddly disconnected. Was this how it felt to gain closure? Watching the attack roll through her mind's eye as if it had happened to someone else?

“I'm so very sorry. Can you forgive me?” Seeing Todd shaken made her believe that he hadn't been unaffected. He'd been hurting, too.

She was glad of that.

The opening to let go of the bitterness she'd held on to for so long spanned before her. Todd's eyes begged for her to forgive him, to release him from his actions and tell him it was okay. But it wasn't. All the pain she'd stuffed inside worked its way up from her belly, like bile. She wasn't going to get sick. Not this time. This time she had control.

Part of her wanted to give Todd a tongue-lashing he'd never forget, and another part wanted to beat him down to the ground and make him feel what she had that terrible night.

Either one would be nothing more than an empty gesture. She wouldn't be any further ahead than she was now. And Eva needed to get ahead. She desperately wanted to move on and take a chance with Adam—finally free from fear.

“I forgive you.” The words burned as they left her tongue. Her throat scourged from saying them.

Todd's eyes looked bright and watery. “Ever since I came to Christ, I've tried to make amends for the way I treated
you. One way is working with youth-group guys. I show them the best way I know how that they need to respect each other, especially the girls. I'll never forget what I did to you.”

She wouldn't either. But maybe it wouldn't hold her hostage anymore. “I understand.”

“Susan wasn't sure you'd talk to me. I'm grateful you gave me this chance.”

Eva tipped her head, relieved that his wife knew about their past. Todd really had come clean. His regret was real. His remorse genuine. She cleared her throat. “I am, too.”

He gave her a nod. “Thanks, Eva. I finally feel like the weight is lifted.”

Eva took a deep, steadying breath. “Yeah, me, too. Bye, Todd.”

As she watched him walk back to the church, Eva realized that he and his wife would probably be in Sunday's service. She wouldn't come close to chatting with them, but maybe this time their attendance wouldn't keep her from going. But it'd be okay to go somewhere else, too, depending on what her parents wanted to do. Either way, she'd talk to Adam about it.

Climbing in behind the wheel, Eva started her truck with shaking fingers. She drove down the road but didn't get far before she had to pull over. Tears blurred her vision and rolled down her cheeks. She'd faced her enemy and won, but it was God's turn and Eva owed Him her contrite heart.

Resting her head on the steering wheel, she released a shuddering breath and prayed.

“Forgive me, Lord, for drifting so far away from You. For blaming You when I needed You. I need You, Lord. Please help me heal.”

Wiping her nose on some napkins from the glove
compartment, Eva stretched out on the seat and stared at the ceiling above her. She listened to the crickets calling from the high grass. The smell of sweet summer was in the air with the first cut of hay. And God felt close, like He held her in His arms assuring her it'd be okay. He'd never been further than a prayer away.

She didn't know how long she lay there before accepting that the weight really had been lifted. She'd been set free. Was it enough to banish the horrible flashback? Eva didn't know yet. She might still need counseling, but she'd go.

And trust God to show her the rest.

This time, she'd trust God with her life.

T
he next few days Adam and Eva worked hard alongside Bob Marsh. They had settled into a daily routine of going over the orchard, verifying proper growth and quality of the green cherries. After checking the flytrap counts, Adam and Eva sprayed the trees while Bob contacted his previous workers. Two college-aged guys were lined up to start work through the harvest. They were in good shape.

But Adam couldn't relax. Not yet.

Eva had been supportive, encouraging even. But every now and then he'd catch her gazing over the orchard with a frown. Watching her worry might as well have been a fist jammed into his midsection. Nothing he did felt like enough. Even his prayers fell short.

After parking the tractors in the pole barn for the evening, Bob slapped him on the back. “A good day's work despite this heat.”

Adam looked up at Eva's dad and laughed. Not as tall as Ryan, Bob was still an intimidating figure of a man hardened by years of farm work. “You live in Florida. You're supposed to be used to it.”

“Yeah, but there's nothing quite like a hot day in north
ern Michigan. You've done a fine job so far, Adam. The fruit looks good, the bugs aren't too bad. We'll see.”

“Thanks.” Adam was grateful to have him here, and Bob looked happy to be back in the field. “Let's go eat.”

In the kitchen, Beth, Eva and Rose Marsh chopped vegetables for a Tex-Mex dinner. Their laughter put a smile on Adam's face. He felt at home. This place had become home to him. Eva was his home now.

“Wash your hands,” Rose said before they could even think of sitting down.

She was the spitting image of Eva in thirty years. Small and slender, her short, bronze-colored hair had streaks of gray, but her eyes were hazel. Eva inherited her chocolate-colored eyes from her father and Grandma Marsh.

“I'll take the upstairs bathroom,” Adam offered so Bob could use the powder room in the laundry area.

Bob gave him a raised brow. “The boy knows his way around.”

“He's been working here since February,” Eva chimed in. “Uh-huh.” But Bob was grinning at them.

“Don't worry, Mr. Marsh. Eva's been properly chaperoned.” Beth gave him a wink.

“Thank you, Beth. Her mother and I can take over from here. Isn't that right, cupcake?”

“Nice, Dad. Real nice.” Eva flashed him an exasperated look. But her father's nickname suited her. Small and sweet.

Her parents knew they were dating, but public displays of affection hadn't been practiced in front of the Marshes other than hand-holding. For now, it might be wise to keep it that way.

They'd gone out for ice cream the other night. But instead of hugs and kisses, Eva had told him how she'd
faced Todd. He hated that she'd been alone, but the reality was Adam couldn't be more proud of her. They'd talked a lot about their resolve to put their pasts behind them.

He watched Eva standing at the sink and working next to her mother. Eva still wore the same clothes from the field—a pair of shorts with a doubled-up tank top. She was beautiful. His dainty cherry pixie was pretty from the top of her messy ponytailed head down to her bare feet.

The thought of spending his life with Eva, here on this cherry farm, made his heart pump with longing. He had to succeed. Another six weeks and they'd finally know. For now, he felt as if he'd been placed in a holding pen. Relationship limbo.

After dinner Adam pulled Eva onto the porch to say good night. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

Adam shook his head. He wanted to tell her how he felt. That once the harvest was in, he wanted to make plans with her, the lifelong kind. But the words stuck in his throat. He couldn't push that on her, not yet. Not until the orchard was safe. “Thanks for hanging with me through this.”

Her eyes mirrored the anxiety he carried, but she wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. “It'll work out the way it's supposed to.”

He buried his face in her neck.

The screen door squeaked as Bob opened it. “Ah, Adam. You might want to see this. It ain't good.”

“What is it?” Adam pulled away from Eva but gripped her hand as they followed her father into the house.

Severe weather warnings for several counties blipped across the bottom of the TV screen. Leelanau County was one of them. Adam's stomach turned.

He let go of Eva's hand and grabbed the remote from the coffee table. He changed the local channel to the weather
station and felt like cursing. A mass of severe thunderstorms packed with high winds was rolling through Wisconsin. The massive red and yellow radar image headed straight for them. It'd overtake them in a few hours.

“The lake might weaken the storm's strength,” Eva said.

“Maybe,” her father echoed.

Adam couldn't tear his gaze away from the TV. “Bob, you mind if I stick around?”

“I'll have Rosie make up the spare bedroom.”

“Don't think that'll matter. I doubt I'll be sleeping much tonight.”

 

Eva watched Adam pace the living-room floor only to stop, peek out of the lace curtains and then pace some more. Lightning flashed with brilliant streaks of blue that brightened the room lit with only a couple of lamps. Thunder rumbled in the distance, but the rain hadn't arrived yet. The air hung heavy and still, as if it, too, held its breath.

Adam flipped back to the weather station. They all waited for the close-up radar map of Michigan to flash onto the screen. The storm was coming. And it was big.

“Is there anything we can do?” Adam looked at her dad.

Her father had been the one Adam turned to for answers from the very beginning. Eva tried not to take it personally, but it was tough when Adam hardly looked at her.

“All we can do is wait it out.” Her father leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He watched the forecast as closely as Adam did.

“Anyone want some tea?” Eva's mom looked up from her book and peered over the top of her reading glasses.

“We're fine, Rose,” her father answered.

Every grower faced the uneasiness of nature's fickle
turns. Sometimes for the best, sometimes for the worse. Eva knew how it went. She remembered nights like this as a kid. Her mother used to round them all up—Sin, Ryan and her—and then read to them. Some fairy tale or a story from the Old Testament. Anything to keep them occupied. Anything to keep them from asking their dad questions.

Her father had paced and prayed just like Adam did now.

She smiled at the similar intensity Adam had that was so much like her father. But she might as well not be there for all the help she could give either of them. “I'm going out on the porch.”

Adam glanced at her then, his blue eyes troubled, but he nodded.

Letting the screen door close with a snap, Eva sat down in a rocking chair to watch the storm come in. Despite the very real possibility of a bleak outcome, the dark sky was beautifully lit up. The lightning grew more insistent, more colorful and more threatening with every flash.

“Dear Lord,” Eva whispered, “this whole thing is in Your hands. Your will be done. I'm trusting You on this.”

Sitting quietly, she hummed while she rocked. The sounds of thunder grew louder as the storm barreled closer.

“Are you okay?” Adam stepped out onto the porch.

She turned toward him. “Are you?”

He shrugged. “This is worse than I thought it would be.”

“What do you mean?”

“Facing the force of nature, I'm powerless. I might toil, work hard, do everything right and yet one storm can strip it all away. It's that simple and yet complicated.”

Eva stood and wrapped her arms around Adam.

He pulled her closer. Taking the elastic holder from
her ponytail, he threaded his fingers through her hair and tipped her head back. Searching her eyes, he whispered, “I love you, Eva. I want you to know that.”

Warmth spilled into her, but Adam's worry, the finality in his gaze, snatched at her peace. They'd get through this, wouldn't they? “I love you, too.”

The wind kicked up suddenly, bending the surrounding maple trees with a whoosh. A folding lawn chair blew over with a bang against the porch and made her jump.

Adam brushed his lips against hers and then grabbed her hand. “Come on, we better get inside.”

Eva followed him indoors. Her mother was busy closing windows, trapping the heat of the day inside the house. The ceiling fans ran at full speed, moving warm air around but giving little relief.

Lightning brightened the room again, followed by a deafening crash of thunder. The lights flickered and then went out. The fans slowed to a stop. And then the wind howled as if laughing at them.

The storm had arrived.

Without letting go of each other, Eva and Adam peered outside through the picture window in the dining room. Her parents did the same a few feet away. Even Beth had joined them. After losing power, she couldn't continue with her end of the school year lesson plan.

No one spoke. They just listened. Until a slice of lightning hit nearby and brought down a maple tree with a crack of thunder that rattled the windows. The deafening sound startled them into laughter.

Eva leaned into Adam's embrace as sheets of rain pelted the ground with an unrelenting show of strength. There was nothing they could do but watch their hopes for a successful harvest wash away.

An hour later, as the storm finally rumbled its way east, Adam asked her, “Where are the keys to your truck?”

She knew he wanted to see the damage and the darkness outside didn't matter. He'd want to see what was left even if by the shine of headlights. “I'm going with you.”

He waited for her to slip into her shoes. “Bob, we'll be back.”

Eva glanced at her folks as she handed Adam her keys. What could she say?

“We'll check out the damage thoroughly in the morning. Things have a way of looking brighter by daylight.” Her father wrapped his arm around her mom.

Eva nodded and turned to follow Adam.

Once outside, Eva noticed the scatter of leaves and branches tossed around the lawn. At the far edge of the backyard, the struck maple lay in a splintered heap. Lightning still echoed through the sky with hues of blue and pink.

“Wow,” she whispered.

“This doesn't look good, does it?”

“I've seen worse.” When she was twelve, a hailstorm had obliterated her father's cherry crop. That year had been bad for every grower. The area's entire supply of cherries was lost.

Silently they climbed into her truck and Adam drove. Bouncing down the lanes of the high portions of the orchard wasn't pretty. They each rolled down their windows to better see what was left, if anything, of their cherries.

Light rain dripped in through the opened windows, but it didn't matter. Devastation surrounded them. Cherry tree branches had been broken, and leaves and cherry clusters littered the ground. The wind had torn the orchard to shreds.

“Still want to be my partner now?” His eyes were red-
rimmed and his voice dark with sarcasm. Adam Peece had just given up.

But Eva wouldn't let him. They loved each other. That had to count for something.

He went to get out of the truck, but Eva stopped him. “Yes, Adam. I still want to be your partner.”

She grabbed his shirt with both hands and made him face her. Right then, Eva knew the answer to her mother's question with sharp clarity. “For life.”

He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her left ear, but his expression remained serious. “Are you talking business or personal?”

She laughed at him then, suddenly giddy with the realization that she'd love Adam forever. Losing the orchard, or even losing her family home, wasn't going to change that. “Do you really think we can have one without the other?”

He gave her a smile that made her toes curl. “Eva Marsh, is that a marriage proposal?”

“There's one thing I know, Peece. I love this orchard, but I love you even more.”

He leaned closer. “Then I'll take that as yes.”

She stopped him with both hands flat against his chest. She smiled, letting happy tears trickle down her cheeks. “But you haven't given me your answer.”

“I will, Eva. I want to give you a ring that'll knock the cute little cherries off your apron.” He flipped her hand over and kissed her palm.

She stared at him. “I don't need a fancy ring. All I need is you. No matter what happens or where we end up, as long we stick together and trust God, we'll figure it out.”

He kissed the underside of her wrist. “We have a lifetime ahead to figure it out. We don't have to rush.”

Eva swayed closer. “But we will get married.”

“Yes, we'll definitely do that.” His face shone with happiness when a flash of distant lightning lit up the sky. Rain still dripped into the truck and the muggy night air carried the smell of wet grass.

None of that mattered when Adam kissed her.

Eva kissed him back.

And this time, she wasn't afraid.