Page 5 of Love’s Harvest (Lilace Lake #3)

Sarah arose to a bright, crisp October day, and the sound of her two daughters squabbling over a doll’s dress.

Turning her frown into a smile, Sarah got out of bed to see how she could help settle the feud.

She’d picked them up from her mother’s late last night so they could have a peaceful morning together before going apple picking with Aaron.

Mia and Emily loved one another dearly, but following the other’s instructions didn’t always happen. It was helpful that they were both independent and strong-minded, but it was exhausting to see this struggle being played out day after day.

She walked into the girls’ bedroom. “Good morning! Let’s have a nice day. What would you girls like for breakfast? After that, I have a treat for you. We’re going apple picking with Aaron.”

“Yay!” cried Mia and Emily together in a little chorus of joy.

“Let’s put down the dolls and head to the kitchen for breakfast. Emily, it’s your turn to choose.”

“I want waffles,” said Emily.

“Okay,” said Sarah. “And we’ll put fresh fruit on the side.” She liked to balance treats with something healthier.

The girls chattered as they climbed up into their seats at the kitchen table.

“I like Aaron,” said Emily matter-of-factly.

“And his dogs,” added Mia. “How many apples can we pick?”

“We’ll see,” said Sarah, popping frozen waffles into the toaster. Sundays were days for lazy breakfasts.

“We’re going to get a lot of apples today,” said Mia.

“Lots of them,” agreed Emily.

Sarah was grateful the girls were excited about their plans. Even if cooking all the apples in varying ways became a chore, picking apples was fun for all of them. She could already envision frozen apple pies, applesauce, and apple butter.

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The girls were waiting, faces pressed up against the front window when Aaron pulled his silver truck into the driveway. The girls jumped off the couch and ran to the front door waiting like excited puppies as he got out of his truck and walked toward them.

“Hi, there,” Aaron said, patting the girls on the back as they rushed forward and clutched his legs with excitement. “Are we ready for adventure? The sun is shining on us, a good sign.”

“We want apples,” said Emily.

“Lots of them,” added Mia.

Chuckling, Aaron looked at Sarah. “Their enthusiasm is contagious.”

Sarah laughed. “I’ve had to deal with it all morning. But I have the girls ready. We just need to grab a few things. I have a small cooler with water, along with some pretzels, and sunscreen, of course.”

“After we pick apples, I’ll treat you all to lunch,” said Aaron.

He and Sarah loaded their things into the truck and worked together to install the safety booster seats Sarah had taken out of her car.

Aaron was a patient man, but Sarah could see he was finally ready to take off.

They drove to a well-known orchard outside of Londonderry. It delighted Sarah that her daughters were now visiting one of her favorite places from her childhood.

The Orchard, as it was called, contained trees holding three different kinds of apples and some pear trees. At Halloween, people could come to pick out pumpkins.

Aaron pulled into a parking space, and while he got out of the car with the cooler, Sarah spread sunscreen on the girls’ faces and arms. They wore long pants and sturdy sneakers as the website suggested. Cute, pink, Red Sox baseball caps sat atop their blond heads.

Sarah whipped out her phone and snapped a few pictures just as an older couple walking by stopped. “Are they twins? They look exactly alike. So adorable.”

“Yes,” said Sarah. “Thank you. Come, girls.”

They joined Aaron inside the main building, where he handed them plastic U-pick bags that the orchard provided.

“Ready? Let’s go. I thought we’d start with the Cortland apples,” said Aaron. “That’s the closest station. Then, later, we can go to the Macoun apple station.”

“Sounds perfect,” said Sarah, satisfied he’d thought things through.

They headed out.

Sarah and Aaron walked together, pulling a wagon with their cooler while the girls skipped and ran ahead of them.

The plan for The Orchard was well thought out and carefully developed after the original site was established in the late 1700s. Even with all the added tourist attractions, The Orchard buzzed with insects and came alive with the cries of birds.

“Ah, nature at its best,” sighed Sarah.

“The Great Spirit has blessed this land,” said Aaron. “Look at all this harvest.”

Sarah smiled at him. “I love how you make life seem so spiritual.”

He lifted her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Time to get the old Sarah back. I know you’ve been through a very difficult time, but you’re still the person I once knew.”

“Aaron, you deserve a woman who is whole,” Sarah said, gazing at him with tenderness.

“I know what I know,” said Aaron. “And our time will come.”

Sarah was both thrilled and worried by his words. She’d meant what she’d said. He deserved better than her.

“I like this tree,” said Emily, standing by a tree laden with delicious-looking apples.

“Okay, choose carefully and place the apples in the bag Aaron gave you,” Sarah said. She was relieved the apple trees had been pruned earlier to allow many of the apples to be within easy reach.

Watching her children pluck apples from the tree, their faces alight with joy, Sarah experienced a pang of sadness that their father hadn’t experienced moments like this.

After they picked enough Cortland apples, Sarah loaded their bags into the wagon and handed each of the girls another U-pick bag. “These are for more apples. Let’s go.”

“I’m hot,” said Mia, wiping her forehead.

Sarah handed each of the girls and Aaron a container of cold water. “Here you go.”

“Ahh,” said Aaron. “We must give thanks for water.”

“Nice thought,” said Sarah. “Can I hear a thank you from you girls?”

“Thanks,” Mia and Emily said, and studied Aaron, who was tapping a hand to his chest over his heart as he looked up at the sky.

“Okay, on to the next spot,” Sarah said, and the girls eagerly ran ahead of them as they walked to the Macoun apple section.

“You’re talking more about your beliefs,” she said to Aaron. “You didn’t speak about them much in high school.”

“No, I was trying to transition into my life in Lilac Lake. But it’s important for me to return to my tribe every so often. It keeps me grounded.”

As they drew closer, Sarah could see the girls reaching into the tree for apples.

Mia cried out and then burst into tears.

Sarah ran to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Looks like a bee sting,” said Aaron, taking hold of Mia’s arm. “Hand me some of the water,” he said to Sarah. He looked at the site of the sting and carefully rubbed a fingernail across it to pull out the stinger.

Emily stood by as Sarah held Mia, and Aaron poured some water on the dirt, mixing it into a paste.

He took hold of Mia’s arm and spread the mixture across the swelling.

“I think I got the stinger. This should help take the soreness away until we get back to the main building. There, we can use soap and water for the wound and get some lotion for it.”

Sarah looked at Mia. “Do you want to go back home, or do you want to stay and pick more apples?”

“I want to stay,” said Mia. She held out her arm for everyone to see.

“Okay, then, we can pick more apples, but check to make sure it’s in a spot that hasn’t attracted a lot of bees,” said Sarah.

“Bees usually don’t sting unless in self-defense,” said Aaron. “Just give them their space.”

The girls stayed close as they all began to pick enough apples to fill their bags.

“Okay, that’s enough,” said Sarah laughing as she piled more full bags into the wagon.

“How about some ice cream?” Aaron said.

“Yay,” said Emily. “I want strawberry.”

“I’m going to have something else,” said Mia.

They walked back to the main building which held an ice cream store and a farmer’s market that sold fresh fruit and vegetables and farm items, including Aaron’s maple syrup.

“First thing, Mia, is to get your arm cleaned up. How’s it feeling?”

“Better,” said Mia. “Hurry. I want my ice cream.”

Sarah took both girls to the ladies’ room and was washing Mia’s arm when she heard Aaron call to her from outside the door. “I’ve got the first-aid cream.”

“Go get it, Emily,” said Sarah.

Emily returned with the cream, and Sarah gratefully spread it over the bite which was just a red mark on Mia’s arm.

A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting at a table in the ice cream shop eating the most delicious vanilla fudge ice cream Sarah had ever tasted.

“At home, we can have an early dinner,” said Sarah, wiping strawberry ice cream off Emily’s face. “And Aaron, you’re invited. I have a nice, easy way to cook chicken, and I make a mean salad.”

Aaron licked ice cream from his cone. “That sounds delicious. While you were working on Mia’s arm, I paid for the apples. They’re in bags already loaded in the truck.”

“Thanks,” Sarah said, realizing how nice it was to have someone else helping her. Maybe, if Jesse had lived, a day like today might have happened. Maybe not.

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At home, the girls were more than ready to sit in front of the television where they quickly fell asleep on the couch.

As Sarah organized the apples and prepared a number of them for the slow cooker recipe she had for applesauce, she and Aaron talked quietly about his work at the development. She spoke about her job at the hardware store as she fixed a chicken casserole.

“We’ve hired someone new,” said Sarah. “A high school girl named April Loomis. She’s gone through tutorial programs for dyslexia, and though letters are a problem, she’s excellent with numbers.

Her tutor is hoping that having a part-time job will help not only with finances, but will boost April’s self-confidence. ”

“A good deed. I like it,” said Aaron, smiling at her.

“We’ve hired her to help mark inventory.

It’s going to take extra time to teach her everything, but I’m hoping it will be worth it for both of us.

My parents have always tried to help others.

That’s why our staff is so loyal to us. At one time or another they’ve all received some sort of extra help. ”

“I get it. Hazel has asked me to come to school and talk to her students about some of the stories from my tribe,” said Aaron. “I figure it’ll be interesting to them and helpful to my tribe for young people to learn about the people who were here before settlers arrived.”

“Definitely,” Sarah said. “You can talk to them about nature and your maple sugar trees, too”

“I save that talk for springtime.” He studied her and then came closer. “Do you remember our high school years as much as I do?” he asked quietly.

Drawn into his dark-eyed gaze, she held her breath as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him, feeling for a moment that she’d been whisked back in time to when she was young and in love and free.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him.

She heard his sigh of contentment as she nestled against him. She felt the same way. He was her first love.

“Hey! What are you doing?” asked Emily, standing in the doorway staring at them.

Sarah jerked away from Aaron. “I’m just getting a hug. Want one too?”

Emily ran to her, and Sarah picked her up and gave her a growly bear hug, smiling at her daughter’s laughter.

Mia appeared. “Me, too.”

Sarah put Emily down and picked up Mia. When Sarah glanced at Aaron, he was smiling.

She had a flashback to the time when Jesse was alive and stood scowling at her when she was hugging the girls. It wasn’t that Jesse was mean; he just had nothing to give them.

“How about a glass of wine while I get dinner ready?” she said to Aaron, putting Mia on her feet.

“Thanks. Do you need help?”

“Emily and Mia will set the table. If you’d like to pour the water and milk, that would be helpful.”

She mixed a salad, adding slices of apples to the greens as a treat for the girls. She worked hard to make sure they ate balanced, healthy meals and weren’t afraid to try something new.

After setting the table, Mia and Emily climbed into their booster seats and watched Aaron pour the drinks.

Sarah brought the salad and casserole to the table and allowed Aaron to help her get seated.

“Smells delicious,” said Aaron, watching as she served the girls, then him.

After serving herself, Sarah looked at Mia. “It’s your turn to say grace.”

“Thank you for our food,” said Mia. “And thank you, Aaron, for helping with my bee sting.”

Sarah and Aaron exchanged smiles, and then everyone dug in.

They’d just finished their meal when Sarah’s mother called.

Sarah let it go to voicemail. She didn’t want anything to ruin this time with Aaron.

Her mother hadn’t thought Aaron was good enough for her in high school when he’d decided not to go to college.

Now that Aaron was a successful owner of a business, he was deemed very suitable.

Sarah wanted this time with Aaron to be private.

After dinner, the girls raced to their room to play.

While Sarah was putting dishes in the sink, Aaron came up behind and gave her a hug. “Thanks for a special time. I’d better leave. It’s a busy day tomorrow, and I’ve got dogs waiting for me at home.”

She turned around and faced him. “It’s been a fun-filled time together. It means a lot to me that you enjoy the girls.”

“And you,” he said, his dark eyes twinkling. He straightened and grew serious. “Let me know when we can do something together again. I’ll try to make it to Jake’s next Thursday.”

“I will too,” said Sarah, purposely avoiding saying more. She couldn’t push a relationship between them when she knew from her past how everything could change and become something horrible. That’s how it had been with her and Jesse.