CHAPTER SEVEN
Melanie glanced in the rearview mirror at the two girls in the backseat.
Addy had invited Olivia along for their Sunday outing, and the girls hadn’t stopped chattering since getting in the car.
It’d given her the opportunity to meet Olivia’s parents.
Nick and Ashley had a good vibe with each other and their kids—Olivia, Jordy, and four-year-old Emmy.
To Addy’s delight, the family had two goats and a flock of chickens.
Ashley had issued an invitation to come over sometime so they could have tea and get to know one another.
Addy’s excitement helped distract Melanie from The Kiss. Not that it was a big deal. A friendly peck was all.
So why couldn’t she stop dwelling on that brief meeting of lips?
Because no matter how casual she’d pretended to be, that kiss had lit something inside her that still hadn’t faded.
Had she shocked Gage? Freaked him out? He hadn’t acted shocked or freaked.
She wondered what he’d do if she marched over to his house to try it again. Just to test the results. That’s what scientists did, right?
Beyond the electrical pulse thing, there’d been something between them she had trouble defining, a connection that made her yearn.
Melanie drove along Mill Creek Road where a welcome sign with a smiling red apple pointed to the entrance of Cider Mill Farm. Gravel crunched under her tires as she followed arrows to a dirt lot and parked at the end of a row of cars.
Fall foliage and puffy clouds on an otherwise crystal-clear sky made the scene perfect. Given the cool temps and light breeze, they wore heavy sweatshirts and jeans.
“Come on, girls. Let’s go see what there is to see.”
They walked along the road with its split rail fence, apple trees heavy with fruit on the other side. A descriptive sign identified the grove as Honey Crisp, a variety with a crisp, juicy texture and sweet-tart flavor.
“Look!” Olivia looked up, craning her neck. “There’s apples.”
“We can climb up on the fence to pick some.” That was her girl, always ready to dive in.
“Hold on,” Melanie said before the girls could start climbing. “We’ll come back later. We need to pay first.”
Across the road stretched an open area that sloped down to Mill Creek.
A section was planted in trellised berry vines, their leaves withering with the fall weather.
Picnic tables dotted a wide expanse of brittle grass, and huge chestnut trees in fall colors of yellow and brown provided shade.
At the far end of the meadow a crew was setting up equipment on a stage.
The girls ran ahead as they neared the old farm buildings repurposed for a store and the bakery café. “Cider Mill Farm” was painted in big block letters on a tall barn-like structure. A sign by the door invited visitors inside to learn about cider production.
“Can we go in, Mom?”
“Sure, lead the way.”
They filed into the building with a wide plank floor. The girls stood behind a large viewing window to watch workers operate the apple press.
“Look, the machine is squishing apples,” Olivia said.
Addy had her face pressed to the glass. “And that big tube is sucking them up.” The tube carried the mashed apples to what a sign identified as the press.
The production room looked clean, and workers wore white overcoats and blue bonnets over their hair. There were stainless steel vats and troughs, and lots of tubing. The air was fragrant with the tang of fresh apples.
“Can we get some cider to take home?” Addy asked.
“Sure we can, but let’s wait until the end of our visit so we don’t have to carry it around.”
Olivia grinned up at Melanie. “My mom gave me some money so I can get some cider too.” With her blonde hair and blue eyes, the little girl was the opposite of Addy’s nearly black hair and brown eyes, but they matched each other in enthusiasm.
“We should look around before we decide what to spend our money on. And we’ll want to pick apples.”
They wandered outside and through sliding barn doors into the charming country store. Melanie paused inside the door to take it in. The operation had grown to be much bigger than she remembered.
After admonishing the girls to look but not touch, Melanie strolled through rustic displays of jars and bottles filled with anything that could be made from apples and boysenberries: jam, jelly, butter, syrup, pie filling.
There were bottles of golden honey harvested from hives located on the farm.
She’d have to follow the same advice she’d given the kids. It would be too easy to spend her budget for the day in the gift store.
That said, Melanie couldn’t resist dishtowels printed with the Cider Mill Farm logo and the smiling apple from the welcome sign and ended up buying a cookbook with recipes from the café. Her stepfather liked to bake so it’d make a great Christmas gift for him.
She found the girls at a display of old-fashioned toys. “C’mon, girls, let’s get our buckets so we can pick apples.”
Behind the checkout counter, wooden pails were stacked high on a bench and a sign listing u-pick prices in chalk hung on the wall. And at the register was Delaney McGrath.
A flood of emotions had Melanie taking a minute to get her balance.
One night had changed the trajectory of so many lives.
She and her mom had left their hometown and only recently returned.
But Delaney? The young man she’d loved had been sent to prison.
Melanie didn’t know the full story, other than that when his conviction had finally been overturned, Walker had left the area for a number of years before returning home.
When she’d run into Delaney the previous year, she’d acted friendly and not like she hated her. That didn’t alleviate the weight of guilt Melanie felt over Walker’s conviction.
She waited while a large family purchased pails. Delaney told the parents, “Pay attention to the signs in the orchards. They identify the variety of apples with their flavor and texture characteristics so you can decide which you want to pick. Feel free to mix and match.”
The family trooped out and Delaney spotted her. She skirted the counter and surprised Melanie with a warm hug she wasn’t sure she deserved.
“Welcome home, Mel. I’m so glad you’re back.”
She swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat. “Thanks, Delaney.” She set her hand on Addy’s shoulder. “This is my daughter Addy, and this is her friend Olivia.”
Delaney beamed at them. “Hello, girls, welcome to Cider Mill Farm.” The girls said their hellos, then crowded around a display of jars holding old-fashioned stick candy in a rainbow of colors.
Delaney said, “If it’s okay with Melanie, you can each choose a stick candy, my treat.”
“Sure, go ahead, girls,” she said when two sets of pleading eyes turned on her.
Delaney looked good. No, more than good. Her childhood friend looked truly happy. “Mom said you and Walker have a baby girl. Congratulations.”
Delaney’s smile was warm and easy. “We do. Harper is almost eleven months old and is a champion crawler.” She whipped out her phone and pulled up a picture. “Here are my two favorite people.”
Melanie’s heart melted at the photo of Walker cradling a round-cheeked little girl whose green eyes matched his. “Oh my gosh. She’s adorable. Walker looks like a man who knows he’s struck gold.”
“We’re in a good place. Only a few years ago, neither one of us would have guessed we’d be married and have Harper. We don’t take it for granted.”
“Can we see?” Addy asked.
Delaney turned the phone to show Addy and Olivia.
“I’m happy for you, Delaney.”
The girls picked out their candies, and Melanie said, “We’re excited to pick apples.”
“Today is a great day for it. And if you get hungry for more than apples, my sister Cameron manages the bakery café next door. Our apple cider donuts are very popular, and if donuts don’t do it for you, she was baking apple pie cinnamon rolls this morning. You won’t want to miss them.”
Addy’s eyes grew wide. “Mom, Mom, Mom. Apple cider donuts. Can we get some?”
“They do sound amazing. We’ll have to check out the bakery after filling our buckets.” Melanie pointed out the door. “Addy, why don’t you and Olivia go outside and sit on that bench by the door while I get our pails.” Addy didn’t question the request and the kids trotted off, holding hands.
“I’d like pails for each of the girls.” Melanie looked into the eyes of the friend from so many years ago.
She took a breath to calm her nerves. “You emailed me last year and said you and Walker wanted to talk about, well, everything. If that’s still the case, I’d like to set up a time when we can do that. ”
Delaney nodded. “I do. Walker and I both want to have a better understanding of what happened that night and with the trial, if you’re comfortable talking about it. We feel like there’s a lot we don’t know.”
“I want that too.” The tension in Melanie’s shoulders eased. “I bought a house east of town. I’m still unpacking, but I’d be happy to host if you and Walker want to come over one day this week.”
“Let’s exchange contact information. I’ll talk with Walker and check our schedules. Would you mind coming here? It’ll be easier with Harper’s nap schedule.”
“Sure, that’s fine. I’d prefer a time when Addy’s at school.”
“Okay, then I’ll text you so we can set it up.”
With numbers exchanged, Delaney asked, “What street is your house on?”
“Bluebell Lane. The house needs work, but Addy and I are excited about having a couple acres. We’re already planning our garden for next spring.”
“Oh, that’s fun. I can’t wait until Harper is old enough to do things like that. You must be neighbors with Gage Landry, he bought a house on Bluebell Lane last year.”
“We’re next-door neighbors and kind of friends.” Were they friends? What was between them was hard to define. “Gage asked to be included when we meet. He seems to think he should keep an eye on me.”
Delaney raised her brows. “Ooh, that’s interesting.”