A Wedding in Apple Grove

by C. H. Admirand

  Miss Trudi’s eyes gleamed. “You are going to eat those words when you meet him.”

  Meg didn’t want to admit to the nerves jangling inside of her. She waited a beat until they settled back down and said, “I don’t think so.”

  “I’ll take that bet.” Miss Trudi stuck out her hand and Meg knew then that she’d been reeled in, hook, line, and sinker. A firm believer in playing fair, Meg shook hands, but had a funny feeling that Miss Trudi had an ace up her sleeve.

  Needing a few moments to herself, she sought out her dad to tell him she was going for a short walk and would be right back. She was relieved that the widow wasn’t with him. Mary Murphy was very observant and might pick up on what was really bothering Meg.

  But if her father suspected she was brooding, he didn’t let on. “I’ll save you a slice of cake,” he promised.

  “Thanks, Pop.”

  ***

  Daniel Eagan downshifted then accelerated through the curve in the road leading him toward his new home—his new life in Ohio. Weeping hemlocks and spruce trees grew side by side with oak and maple trees. The sheer size and number of the trees were daunting.

  The shades of green melded into a blur as he picked up speed on the straightaway. “No sidewalks.” He knew he was getting closer to the town of Apple Grove but still hadn’t seen more than a handful of homes along Route 70. Up ahead, there was a break in the trees; he slowed down to see if it was a driveway or the street he’d been looking for: Eden Church Road.

  It was a pond just a few feet from the edge of the road. The weathered split-rail fence by the road was covered with vines. He couldn’t guess what it was—he’d have to wait until spring. He checked his watch and saw that he’d made good time and could slow down and admire his surroundings. What he saw made him smile. There was a brightly colored, inflatable, kid-sized canoe on the other side of the pond next to a beat-up rowboat, with a fence just beyond. Seeing the horses grazing on the other side of the fence, he wondered if the owners competed in equestrian events, like his friends back home in Sussex County, New Jersey. He’d have to find out later; he wanted to get to his destination before late afternoon.

  He’d started to wonder if he’d missed his turn when all at once he noticed the bright yellow water tower looming ahead and knew he was almost there. He drove past a cornfield with a ship’s mast and crow’s nest and had to pull over, grab his cell phone, and snap a picture out the window to send to his cousin back home. As he approached the water tower, he noticed writing on the side of it; in bold green letters it read: Marry me, Edie, Love Bill. He wasn’t sure if it was the John Deere color scheme or the fact that someone would write a marriage proposal on the side of a water tower that tipped him off to the fact that he wasn’t back East anymore—life was definitely different in the Midwest. He only hoped he’d fit in. He couldn’t go back; he could only go forward.

  A few miles later, he saw the sign for Eden Church Road and slowed down to make the turn. He smiled. The county name at the top of the street sign—Licking County—just added to the charm. The road ahead wound through gently rolling hills. Ten minutes down the road he noticed a farmer’s wall—stones piled a few feet high and deep—outlining the property he could see up ahead. A huge barn, corral, and freshly painted white, two-story farmhouse, complete with the requisite wraparound porch and rocking chairs, were off to the left. As he drove past, he saw a crowd of people gathered out on the lawn. He slowed down and took it all in—the women dressed in myriad colors standing amid the background of grays and dark blues of the men in jackets and ties. There were long tables clothed in white and folding chairs sporting ridiculously large bows. Everyone seemed to be talking, laughing, and having a wonderful time. A wedding—he wondered if it was Edie and Bill from the water tower.

  As he drove past, he saw a figure up ahead and laughed. “Must be my perspective.” A few more feet and he saw he wasn’t hallucinating; there was a young woman walking along the top of the fence as if it were a balance beam!

  His heart stuttered as the figure windmilled her arms to keep from falling, barely regaining her balance. Swerving to the shoulder, he threw the gearshift into park, cut the engine, and ran toward her as she lost her balance a second time. This time she pitched backward off the fence and into his waiting arms.

  She weighed more than he’d thought she would, but that wasn’t as much of a problem as the warning bells going off in his head as her curves brought his libido roaring to life. He opened his mouth to speak as she turned her head, and he nearly lost himself in the endless blue of her eyes. The sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose captivated him, and they both laughed suddenly, for no apparent reason. He gently set her on her feet and noticed the bright green polish on her bare toes. It somehow fit the intriguing young woman.

  Irritation tangled with thoughts he had no business thinking. “You could have been seriously injured,” he ground out. “What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?”

  The imp’s head was even with his shoulder. She tilted back to look up at him. “I didn’t ask you to stop—”

  “You could have broken an arm or leg.” It was his “coach” voice, he realized with some chagrin. He was here for a new teaching job, and he was used to being the boss. Kids, and their parents, respected his authority. Why was this disconcerting new acquaintance giving him a problem?

  She put her hands on her hips, giving him a measuring look, and he began to wonder if she was older than he’d first thought. He took in the swirl of pale green silk—but then remembered that some of the teenagers he’d taught dressed as if they were in their thirties. Looking for other clues as to her age, he focused on her face. The freckles hinted at youth, but he just wasn’t sure. He shook his head and demanded, “Does your mother know you walk on fences?”

  Her smiled slipped and tears filled her eyes. “She used to.”

  Now he’d gone and done it. It was obvious she’d lost her mother recently. “Can I call someone to pick you up?” He was reaching in his pocket for his phone when she brushed a strand of fiery silk out of her eyes. Damn him for noticing the color and texture of her hair. If she was a minor, the local law would be taking him out behind the first available barn and shooting him for harboring the kind of thoughts he was having.

  He had to put some distance between them. “Here,” he handed her his phone, but she shook her head, declining his offer.

  “I’m just taking a walk and I’ll be heading back to my friend’s wedding.” She tilted her head to one side and asked, “Are you driving through Apple Grove or staying on?”

  “Moving here. I’m Dan Eagan,” he said, holding out his hand, “your new phys ed teacher.”

  At her lilting laughter, he withdrew his hand and balled it into a tight fist. He didn’t like to be laughed at. While he searched for the diplomatic words to put her in her place, she crossed her arms beneath the breasts he was trying his best to ignore and said, “Well, Dan Eagan, you would have been a welcome addition to the teaching staff a dozen years ago when I was there. Mr. Creed didn’t have the high school girls’ hearts all aflutter, like I am sure they will be when you walk into class.”

  She smiled and he noticed the fine lines around her eyes and the maturity that comes with living life. He narrowed his eyes. “You’re not one of my students.” Relief speared through him.

  This time, she held out her hand. “No,” she agreed. “I’m Meg Mulcahy. Welcome to Apple Grove.”

  He clasped her hand in his and realized she’d known all along what he was thinking—and she seemed to enjoy the fact that he’d been caught off guard. In his book, he owed her… and payback was a bitch.

  He held her hand captive. “Well, Meg,” he said, “I’m glad you’re not one of my students.”

  “Oh?” She seemed surprised by his comment. “And why’s that?”

  Encouraged by
the catch in her voice and interest in her gaze, he drew her even closer. When she tumbled against him, he felt the jolt of energy all the way to his soul.

  Her eyes said yes, but her body tensed as if she wanted to say no. He waited a heartbeat for her to make up her mind. The instant she relaxed against him, he lowered his mouth until it was a breath from hers. “What is it about you?” he asked. “I don’t even know if you have a boyfriend waiting over at that reception, or a husband, and I still want to kiss you.”

  She slowly smiled. “No boyfriend, no husband.”

  Right answer, but still he hesitated, asking, “If I kiss you now, will you hold it against me?”

  “If you don’t, I just might.”

  Unable to resist her sassy mouth, he brushed his lips against hers. She might have expected heat, but it was their first kiss—a kiss that shouldn’t even be happening—so instead of heat, he gave her softness and the promise of more to come.

  Then, unable to resist, he pressed his lips to the freckles on her nose and eased her out of his arms, wondering what had possessed him.

  Indecision filled her gaze for a heartbeat before she grinned and launched herself at him. “That wasn’t a kiss—” She wrapped her arms around him and used his shock to her advantage, tangling her tongue with his.

  He groaned and would later swear that he’d lost his mind on the side of Eden Church Road.

  When she finally slipped out of his arms, she rasped, “That’s a kiss.”

  He had to agree. “Are all of the female residents of Apple Grove this friendly?”

  She frowned. “They better not be.”

  Before he could think of a reply, she was walking away from him, searching the side of the road for something. “What did you lose?”

  He could have sworn she said her mind, but when he asked her again, she called out over her shoulder, “My sandals—I dropped them when I fell.”

  Dan found himself following her—he just couldn’t seem to keep his distance. He reminded himself that he wasn’t ready for a relationship, and given what he’d been told about the size of Apple Grove, if he started an affair with the winsome Meg, one of their 597 residents would be sure to find out. Was he ready for that?

  “Welcome to Apple Grove,” he mumbled beneath his breath, finding one of her shoes. “This yours?”

  “Thanks.” She reached for the strappy sandal, put her hand on his shoulder, and slipped it on.

  “You’ll break your neck, walking around on one heel,” he muttered.

  “Not if you find the other one for me.”

  He was right; she was going to be trouble.

  ***

  Meg watched Dan’s eyes change from a soft, clear gray to the color of winter storm clouds and she wondered if he was angry or aroused. He turned toward her and she got distracted by his strong jaw and the deep cleft in his chin. The temptation to touch it with the tip of her tongue had her staring at him, mesmerized… she couldn’t look away. He was built like a linebacker, but moved with the grace of a dancer. But the last thing she needed in this life was to get involved with another football player—a reminder of a past that would never be her future.

  She used to have a weakness for broad shoulders and muscular biceps. When she’d fallen against Dan, tingles of awareness set off sparks of desire wherever their bodies had touched. He was a big man—the only part of her that hadn’t brushed against him were the soles of her feet. She shivered at the thought; the reawakening of her libido was acutely painful.

  That was the only explanation she could think of for why she’d been tempted beyond reason to kiss him—really kiss him: she’d lost her mind. Maybe it was the celebratory atmosphere of Dan and Edie’s wedding… maybe it was seeing yet one more proposal on the water tower. Whatever the trigger had been, she’d acted on the impulse and had been rewarded. Although he’d been a perfect stranger, there was something perfectly wonderful about Dan Eagan, something she intended to explore—later.

  “Here it is.”

  The sound of his deep voice broke through her wandering thoughts. When Dan handed her the other sandal, she drew in a calming breath. It had been years since a man had affected her. It felt as if she’d been reawakened to sights, sounds, scents, and touch after years of moving through everyday life without feeling anything.

  “Are you all right, Meg?”

  “Uh, yes,” she said. “I was just thinking.”

  His eyes sparkled and she could tell he was trying not to smile. “About that kiss?”

  She laughed as she stopped to slip into her other shoe. “Yeah,” she confessed. “And boy, do you pack a wallop.”

  When she straightened up, he reached for her hand, entranced by her refreshing honesty. “I’d like to get to know you better, Meg,” he said, squeezing her hand briefly before letting it go. “And I could use a friend in Apple Grove. I’m a long way from home.”

  The plaintive note in his voice tugged at her heartstrings. She may have jumped the gun by tangling tongues with Dan before she got to know the man, but there was no use regretting a kiss that she would be replaying in her mind for days to come. Deciding to go with her gut, she said, “Town’s closed up on account of Edie and Bill’s wedding, but I know where we could get a good cup of coffee—my treat—and I could introduce you to some people.”

  When Dan smiled, laugh lines formed around his eyes. It was nice to be attracted to a man who she hadn’t known since grade school. This was a first for her and she felt giddy. There was an air of mystery about him, his personality a puzzle to be figured out—she couldn’t wait to get started. “I could really use some caffeine,” he told her. “Is it far from here?”

  She laughed and felt the years fall away. “Nothing is that far away in Apple Grove.” She fell into step beside him as they walked to his car. Easy in his company, she marveled that the day had done a complete one-eighty. Nothing like a little gut-burning passion to put a spring in your step and a smile on your face.

  Thoughts of Miss Trudi’s prediction occurred to her and she asked, “Are you a betting man, Dan Eagan?”

  He shrugged. “I used to be.”

  That was a loaded statement—she’d have to find out what was behind that comment. As he moved to open the passenger side door for her, she stepped back and shook her head. A sidelong glance in Dan’s direction had her mouth drying up. She swallowed—it was either that or drool. She knew she wouldn’t be waiting long before she’d be following up that heart-pumping kiss with another. Good Lord, she needed to talk to Honey B. She smiled up at him, took his hand, and led him away from the car and toward the boisterous crowd still gathered in Edie Parrish’s backyard.

  Trudi Philo looked up from where she sat beneath the hundred-year-old oak tree and slowly smiled. “Why, Meg dear,” she crooned. “I see you didn’t waste any time finding a man.”

  Meg couldn’t help but laugh. With a shake of her head, she grinned. “Miss Trudi Philo, meet Mr. Dan Eagan.”

  Trudi’s smile was wide and welcoming. “Welcome to Apple Grove, Daniel.”

  He leaned close so he could gently grasp her hand. “It seems like forever since you’ve visited, Aunt Trudi.”

  Aunt? “I thought you didn’t have any family left, Miss Trudi.” Meg was confused. “I thought you were the last Philo in the great state of Ohio.”

  Like the crafty old dear that she was, Miss Trudi patted Dan’s hand and drew him into the empty chair beside her. “I am dear, but my grandnephew Dan, here, is from my mother’s side of the family: the Eagans.”

  “No wonder you gave him such a glowing recommendation to the Board of Ed.” Meg looked at Dan in a new light; he wouldn’t be as much of a mystery as she’d thought—she actually did know his family. Small world.

  Miss Trudi’s eyes flashed a split-second warning that Meg was wise enough to heed. “Dani
el’s a wonderful teacher and a fine man. Our familial relationship had absolutely no bearing on the decision. Everyone on the Board knows of our connection, but they wanted Daniel because of his résumé.”

  Meg stared at Dan and noticed the tinge of pink on his cheeks. Was he embarrassed? It made him all the more human in her eyes. Unable to help herself, she gave in to the overwhelming need to tease. “I have a feeling he’ll get on famously with his students—especially the troublesome female ones. Won’t you, Dan?”

  The sidelong look he cast her way had her fighting to hold back a bubble of laughter. Fifteen minutes in the man’s company and she felt more alive than she had in months. Deciding to give the poor man a break, she urged, “Why don’t you tell your aunt how we met? I’m sure she’d find it humorous.”

  Dan’s jaw clenched, and Meg wondered if she’d gone too far. Once she started to tease, it was hard to stop.

  He drew in a deep breath and rumbled, “Meg was walking on top of the fence and was about to fall off when I came along. I caught her.”

  Miss Trudi turned toward Meg. “Really? How providential. Did you get hurt?”

  “Not a scratch.” Dan frowned and flicked a glance at Meg. “But if I’d gotten there just a few seconds later, she would have done a header off the fence and knocked herself unconscious.”

  It was Meg’s turn to frown. “I wouldn’t have fallen if he hadn’t scared the crap out of me.”

  “Watch your language around Miss Trudi,” came a gruff voice from behind them.

  Damn, she’d done it again, and after she’d been doing so well lately. It would have to be Sheriff Wallace catching her backsliding into her old habits. Sometimes the eight-year difference in their ages felt like two… and other times… “Sorry, Mitch,” she answered without missing a beat. She’d been on the wrong side of the man more than once growing up. The last time had been her wake-up call that she wasn’t immortal.

  The memory of having been caught and, worse—having to be rescued a third time—made her face burn with embarrassment. The sheriff had seemed like a god to her youthful imagination the time he’d climbed up the water tower and reached out his broad-palmed hand to grasp hers, pulling her to safety. She owed the man her life. Since she hadn’t come up with a way to repay the favor, the very least she could do was listen to him.