Just the sight of Berry running with other small children at a town party, laughing and playing with growing confidence, filled Nora with joy. Fay spent a great deal of the morning in Nora’s backpack while Nora did everything from pour cider to bagging apples.

“Break time,” Tom said from behind her. And she felt the weight of the baby lifted from her shoulders. “Give me a hand here and I’ll wear the baby for a while.”

“Oh, Tom, I’m sure you’re too busy for that!”

“We’re all busy,” he said, handing her the backpack to hold while he shrugged into it, then laughed as baby Fay instantly had her little hands all over his head. “Are you having fun?” he asked Nora.

“I’ll let you know when I catch my breath! When you said it would be crowded, I had no idea it would be like this.”

“It’ll be like this all weekend and the next.”

And a little while later Nora noticed Fay’s little head lying on Tom’s shoulder as she slept while he continued to hand out bushel baskets.

Nora took a moment to grab Berry and fix her a hot dog. They sat together on the porch steps as far away from the crowd as Nora could get them, just long enough for Berry to devour a hot dog. She had no sooner taken the last bite when her little one escaped yet again, and this time headed for Reverend Kincaid’s family who had gathered on a blanket in the yard under the shade of an apple tree.

“Hey,” someone said.

Nora turned to see Darla sit down on the step beside her. “Hi. Are you enjoying the festival?”

“Oh, yes and no,” she said. “It’s very social, isn’t it? I’ve met some nice people, but two full days of apple picking? I can think of other things I’d rather be doing. And I get none of Tom while he’s all tied up with work.” She gave a nod toward the barn. “Apparently you figured out how to tie him down for a while.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean the baby? That was totally his idea. But what a great idea—my back was killing me and it looks like Fay’s getting her nap at the same time.”

“Where’s your husband?” Darla asked.

Okay, she wasn’t the first person to ask, Nora thought—but why did it feel like a jab? “No husband, Darla. Just me and the little ladies.”

“Oh, sorry—did your husband die, too?”

Nora just shook her head. “No, I wasn’t married. And before you ask, there’s no man in my life now, either.” Then with a guilty pang she added. “I’m very sorry for your loss. Maxie told me.”

“Thank you. Things have been so much better since Tom came into my life. Fate is pretty strange, isn’t it? One minute I’m a grieving widow and the next I’m falling in love with the man who was comforting me.”

Nora smiled at her while she fought envy. “That’s wonderful. Tom is such a good man.”

“Hmm, handsome, too. And look at him out there with the people! Everyone loves Tom—he’s a natural salesman.”

“I don’t usually see him in this capacity,” Nora admitted. “Around here we’re all just a bunch of farmers and pickers. This is hard work, running an orchard.”

“I kind of think of Tom the way I would a pro football player—the body can’t do that forever. At some point a person would have to find less physically taxing work.”

“Or hire the right helpers,” Nora said. “Maxie is still picking apples, though Tom has tried to keep her off ladders. It’s fun to watch the two of them sneaking around each other.”

“I can’t see Tom picking apples into his seventies. And I can’t see me living on an orchard. The nearest decent restaurant is almost an hour drive.”

“I guess you haven’t eaten at Jack’s,” Nora asked.

“That bar in town?” She made a face. “I’m not big on bar food. Kind of greasy.”

“Jack’s has a huge reputation,” Nora said. “I hear people come from all over the place. The cook, Preacher, is known for his comfort foods—meat loaf, brisket, stew, soups, breads…”

“I don’t do bread,” she said. She patted her flat tummy which was snug in a pair of expensive jeans. “I can’t stay in these size four jeans if I eat bread.”

“Do you and Tom eat out often?” Nora asked, because she’d seen Tom at the table. He clearly wasn’t worried about getting into his jeans.

“Around here? Not so much. But I’m sure that will change when the harvest is over and Tom comes to see me rather than me always traveling to the orchard. I’m only here to attend a course in Davis. I look forward to taking Tom to some of my favorite restaurants.”

But Nora was no longer thinking about eating out. “When your class is done, I assume you’re headed back home.”

“Of course—my home is in Denver.”

“But how will you see Tom then?”

Darla’s eyes held an unmistakable sparkle. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Sure,” Nora said. And she thought, from whom? She didn’t exactly have a lot of confidants.

Darla circled a knee with her arms, her fingers laced together. “We’ve talked about the future a little bit. Like the fact that Maxie deserves a restful, indulgent retirement. Someplace where she doesn’t have to work so hard or cook so much. Some sort of village for seniors where all the chores are done for her. Where she can relax and enjoy life more.”

“But Maxie loves the orchard,” Nora said, feeling a bit panicked at the very thought. “She loves to cook and garden and have tons of people around!”

“Please,” Darla said, laughing. She threw a hand wide. “This look relaxing to you?”

Nora swallowed. “Maxie loves this. I can’t imagine Tom without her here!”

“Who says Tom is staying here? Look at him out there.”

He was a pure pleasure to look at, laughing with men from the town, flirting with their wives while he bagged up apples, turning so they could admire the sleeping baby on his back. Everyone was going to be bone tired when this was over, but they’d be happy to have had all their friends together, their neighbors, their town, not to mention all the folks who came from much farther away every year.

“See how great he is? Tell me something—if he can sell apples with that little effort, imagine what he could do with a product that brings in tons of money.”

“They’re his apples,” Nora said quietly.

“Maybe not for long.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we’ve talked about the possibilities of retiring Maxie, selling the orchard and settling in a city rather than the back woods. With Tom’s experience in business, his degree and his persuasiveness with people, he could do almost anything, but let me tell you—he’d be a natural in sales.”

Nora told herself there was absolutely no excuse for feeling like she’d been sucker punched. There was nothing between her and Tom except a friendship she was very grateful for. And he deserved to have a life—a wife, children, happiness. “So…you’re getting married, then?”

“Well, we’re certainly not engaged.” She held out her hands, fingers splayed, demonstrating no ring. “But just between you and me, I think it’s only a matter of time.”

“Congratulations,” Nora said, hating the weakness in her voice.

“Thank you,” Darla said, straightening a bit. She was proud of that—being in love with Tom, counting the days until he asked her to marry him. “Well, look, I’m sure you have to get back to work and I have a little reading to do. And, I want to change clothes before evening.”

Nora bit her tongue against asking why. Instead she told a huge lie. “Nice talking with you, Darla.”

“You, too, Norma.”

“No, it’s Nora.”

“Oh,” she said on a laugh. “Right.”

* * *

Sunday at the orchard was a repeat of Saturday with lots of people turning out, and in most cases not the same people. The big difference for Nora was that her dad and Susan brought the little girls, watched them, napped them, fed them and did all that while meeting half the town.

“Sunday afternoon is my regular day to visit Nora and the girls,” she heard Jed tell someone. And, “Yes, you have it right—we were estranged for many years but by good fortune and Reverend Kincaid, reunited. Bitter divorce—I’m sure you’ve heard of such things.”

She just smiled to herself when she overheard him. He didn’t seem to have any shame or blame, just the facts. She admired that.

In the afternoon, people began to leave. First to go was Darla, her many suitcases carried to the red Caddy by Tom, a rather platonic kiss goodbye and off she went. A bit later Rosalie and Penny loaded up and departed and when Nora saw that, she bolted to their car to give them each a hug. “Will you be back?” she asked.

“See you on Thursday,” Rosalie said.

“In the meantime, see if you can get Maxie to rest a bit before the next surge.”

“I don’t like rest,” Maxie said. “I can rest when I’m dead.”

And the three of them laughed, but Nora didn’t. She carried the secret about Maxie going into retirement so Tom could sell the orchard and marry Darla.

When the October sun was lowering and the clouds moving in, Tom told her to take her kids and go. And he suggested she take her time in the morning. “It’s been a long week and big weekend for everyone. We don’t have to start at the crack of dawn. Sleep in if you can.”

She wanted to grab him by the front of his jacket and beg him not to move Maxie into retirement, not to sell the orchard and go away. Instead, she couldn’t help but smile at him. “Will you sleep in?”

“I’ll try, but when Maxie starts banging around pans and Duke sticks his cold nose in my face, I usually get up. I like mornings.”

She had learned to love the mornings as well, especially since she had a job to look forward to and more so now that she had a car to drive her there.

After a full afternoon of playing outdoors at the orchard, the little ladies were in dire need of a scrubbing and bed. Jed and Susan wanted to hang around awhile to talk to Nora, so she cleaned up her girls and settled them in bed. Just as she’d been completely unprepared for toys, clothes and furniture, her father managed to surprise her once more.

“Your friends at the orchard are wonderful,” he said. He grabbed Susan’s hand and said, “I want to make something available to you—something for you to consider for the future. And please, there’s no pressure of any kind. If you have an interest in finishing your education, I have some advantages as a tenured professor. Not only is your tuition waived, after a little checking I found out I can get you into family housing. Child care on the campus is affordable. Nora, if you’d like to go back to school, I’d like to help make that happen.”

She was speechless for a moment, even though he’d mentioned school at least once before. “Family housing?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t presume to offer you my home, even though I’d be happy to have you and the girls move in. But I respect your boundaries. Take all the time you need, not just with me, with everyone who comes into your life. Those little girls are precious. Don’t take any chances.”

“It could really happen? School?”

He gave a nod. “It’s not the answer to everything, Nora, I know that. This seems like a good place with good people. If it works for you here and you’re satisfied, there’s no need to change things. But if money is holding you back from going to school, let’s not let that stand in the way. I can help. Without investing much. And Stanford is a quality school.”