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Outside, Wes crossed to his truck and climbed in. He had plenty waiting for him at the orchard, but as he started the engine, his thoughts went first to Kate. His bear lifted his head at once.

Wes smiled as he pulled away from the bakery and headed toward the orchards.

And our mate, his bear said happily.

CHAPTER 5

Kate

By midmorning, Kate had answered three emails, talked one client out of moving a bathroom wall for reasons that had nothing to do with plumbing, and decided she had earned a break.

She closed her laptop and looked through the kitchen window. Her father was somewhere in the orchard, while Janice had taken Penny to collect eggs from a neighbor. Beyond the first rows of trees lay the boundary with Wes’s orchard.

Yesterday Kate had seen the trees and heard what her parents would need to learn. What she had not seen was what happened when an established orchard started bringing fruit in. If harvest was about to become a large part of their lives, she wanted to understand it better.

And Wes might be there, the voice in her head said.

But that was not the reason Kate reached for her jacket, pulled it on and went outside.

Isn’t it? the voice asked.

She chose to ignore it.

The cool air carried the smell of damp grass and apples, and somewhere beyond the house a tractor engine started up. Kate crossed the yard, her boots crunching over the gravel, and headed toward the orchard.

A track ran between the two orchards, her parents’ Bramblewood and Wes’s Russet Hill. Kate followed it through the gap in the boundary and immediately noticed the difference in activity. A tractor moved between the rows with empty bins behind it, two men carried equipment out of the packing barn, and voices drifted across the yard. Bramblewood had seemed so peaceful yesterday. This was what harvest would look like when it reached her parents.

When she reached the yard, one of the workers beside the trailer noticed her and called a greeting. Kate stayed clear while he shifted another empty bin, then asked if Wes was around.

“Went into town for breakfast,” he answered. “But he should be back any minute.”

Kate could have gone home and come back later, but she had already walked over and did not particularly want to leave.

Without seeing Wes, the traitorous voice in her head added.

“Do you mind if I wait somewhere out of the way?” she asked.

“Not at all. Just keep clear of anything with wheels.” The man nodded toward a workshop tucked away at the side of the yard.

“I can manage that,” she replied.

He smiled and returned to work. Kate wandered toward the workshop, taking in the practical order of tools, bins and equipment while she waited.

Then an engine sounded on the drive. Kate turned and saw Wes’s truck appear between the trees.

Wes slowed as he came into the yard, spotted her near the workshop and smiled. “Morning. I wasn’t expecting to find you here.”

“Is that a problem?” she asked. Had she walked straight into the middle of his working day?

“Of course not.” He got out of the truck and strode toward her. The look on his face told her he wasn’t simply being polite to his new neighbor’s daughter.

Her stomach did a little flip in appreciation.

“Hey, Wes!” one of the men farther down the yard called. “Where do you want the next load of empty bins?”

“By the west orchard,” Wes answered, then turned back to her. “Sorry. Things get busy before the main harvest really gets underway.”

“You don’t have to apologize. If this is a bad time, I can come back later.”