Chapter One
Daniel Eagan downshifted then accelerated through the curve. Weeping hemlocks and spruce trees grew side by side with oak and maple trees lining the road leading him to his new home—and life in Ohio. 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 so Dan 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 type of vine it was—he’d have to wait until spring. He checked his watch, saw that he’d made good time and could slow down to admire his surroundings. 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. Horses grazed 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, but for now he wanted to get to his destination before late afternoon.
He began to wonder if he missed his turn when all at once he noticed the bright yellow water tower looming ahead. Almost there. He drove past a cornfield with a ship’s mast and crow’s nest and pulled over. Chuckling he snapped a picture with his cell phone to send to his cousin back home.
As he drew closer to the water tower, he noticed writing on the side of it—painted 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 at the county name at the top of the street sign—Licking County—noting it 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. A young woman walked 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 shifted to neutral, pulled up the hand brake and shoved open the door. He ran toward her as she lost her balance again. This time she pitched backward off the fence into his waiting arms.
Warning bells sounded as she turned her head. The sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose captivated him. He nearly got lost in the endless blue of her eyes. Unable to pinpoint her age without asking, he pegged her as seventeen—eighteen tops.
Reason returned and he set her gently on her bare feet. His gaze dipped down. She’d painted her toenails a bright green…another tip off she was in her late teens.
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?”
She tilted back to look up at him. “I didn’t ask you to stop.”
He was here for a new teaching job, and used to being the boss. Kids, and their parents, respected his authority. Why was this disconcerting young woman giving him a problem? “You could have broken an arm or leg.”
She put her hands on her hips and gave him a measuring look. He wondered if she was older than he’d first thought. She dressed as if she were, but he remembered some of the teenagers he’d taught back home dressed as if they were in their thirties. Looking for another clue 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 as tears filled her eyes. She looked away, but answered, “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 fiery strand of hair out of her eyes. Damn him for noticing. If the local law caught wind of the thoughts he was having, they’d slap him in cuffs and take him downtown.
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 then 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. 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 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. Relief speared through him. “You’re not one of my students.”
This time, she held out her hand. “Meg Mulcahy. Welcome to Apple Grove.”
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