Season of Dreams

by Jenna Mindel

  And trust God to show her the rest.

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

  Chapter Fifteen

  The 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 northern 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 whispere
d, “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.

  Epilogue

  The following May at the height of cherry blossom time, Eva’s wedding day dawned warm and sunny. The day couldn’t be more perfect. And she felt perfect.

  Her mother stepped back and smiled into the mirror. “Sinclair’s finally here. Eva, are you ready?”

  Eva clicked her tongue and shook her head. Her own brother, the officiating minister no less, was late to his sister’s wedding. Typical Sin.

  She took another peek at her reflection and smiled.

  Her wedding dress was soft and billowy, making her feel like a cherry blossom fairy. Considering the wreath of flowers on her head, all Eva needed were wings. But then she was already floating on air.

  “I’ve never been more ready in my life,” Eva said.

  Adam and Eva had been busy ever since that June storm cost them a third of their cherry crop. Straight-line winds had ripped up the orchard on high ground, but the low-lying areas had been spared. Other growers weren’t so fortunate. With the cherry supply low and demand high, Adam sold enough quality fruit to break even. The orchard was all his with a promise to be theirs after they returned from their honeymoon.

  Eva followed her mother down the stairs into the kitchen where her bridesmaids, Anne and Beth, waited. They leaned against the new cupboards Adam had custom-made from the old cherry trees they’d uprooted.

  The thoughtfulness of Adam’s gift still tugged her heart-strings. He’d brought the warmth of the cherry wood into their home as a reminder of the Marsh growers that came before them. Their legacy.

  Eva ran her fingertips across one of the doors and sighed.

  “You are so spoiled,” Anne said.

  Eva smiled at Adam’s sister. “I know. But you don’t see how hard Adam puts me to work in the field.”

  “You love every minute,” Beth added.

  Another truth.

  Adam might be a smart businessman, but he was lazy when it came to keeping track of his investments. He had considerable funds left after paying off his father.

  And she’d finally obtained her loan.

  Together they spent the fall and winter months renovating the second floor above the garage into an apartment for her parents. And the farmhouse had been upgraded with private baths for each upstairs bedroom along with a private innkeeper addition. Marsh House Bed-and-Breakfast would open for the first time after they returned from their honeymoon.

  Eva’s father stepped into the kitchen and his eyes filled with tears. “Daughter of mine, you’re beautiful.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Eva’s throat grew tight. She glanced at her mom, whose eyes were also shining bright.

  Her parents planned to live as snowbirds. After wintering in the Keys, they’d return to LeNaro and help in the
field and house. Everyone was truly happy.

  Eva linked arms with her mom and dad. “Let’s go get married.”

  Walking toward the blooming orchard, Eva spotted Adam. He stood near a white iron arch draped with flowers and bows compliments of her aunt Jamee. Ryan and Uncle Larry stood with him.

  The breeze fluttered a few blossom petals around her groom and, once again, Eva was taken by how handsome he looked. There was no doubt that her cherry-orchard Oberon belonged right here. They both did.

  Eva didn’t hear the harp music playing, nor did she notice the guests seated in neat rows of white chairs. Walking toward Adam, she focused on the intensity of his laser blues.

  She hardly heard Sinclair’s words until he asked the final, most important question of the ceremony. “Eva Marie Marsh, do you take Adam Leonard Peecetorini as your wedded husband?”

  Eva threaded her fingers through Adam’s. The hint of his woodsy cologne mingled with the scent of cherry blossoms overhead. “I do.”

  Her oldest brother smiled. “Adam, do you take Eva as your wife?”

  “You bet I do.” An enthusiastic Adam leaned forward for the kiss.

  Laughter rippled through the audience.

  Even Sinclair chuckled. “Then I pronounce you Mr. and Mrs. Peecetorini. Go ahead and kiss your bride.”

  Eva thought it’d be a simple smooch like they’d discussed, but Adam surprised her with a full sweep and dip as he kissed her senseless.

  Applause from their guests drowned out her gasp.

  When they finally broke for air, Eva spotted one of Uncle Larry’s honeybees land on the flowers pinned to Adam’s lapel.

  Adam saw it, too, but he didn’t panic. He watched the bee for a moment until it flew away. And then he looked at her. “A fitting christening, don’t you think?”

  Her heart swelled with pride and she nodded. “I love you.”

  “I love you more.” Adam drew her close.

  Eva had never felt more cherished or blessed. They’d made it through the first of many seasons yet to come.