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it. She wouldn’t.
    â€œEva, you coming?” Beth slipped into her coat.
    â€œYes.” She brushed her thoughts aside and grabbed her jacket.
    Could men like Adam Peece be trusted? Not by her. No matter how nice he seemed, Peece was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted it. Despite having to work with him, Eva would keep her distance. Despite friendly outings to church, Eva was his employee. There was no point in dressing to catch his attention. She shouldn’t want it.
    But she did.
    Â 
    The small church was full of people chatting in the foyer when they arrived and Adam felt the weight of several stares. Both men and women scrutinized him closely. He didn’t fit the flannel shirt and blue jeans dress code of a northern Michigan small town. So what if his clothes screamed out-of-towner? He liked to look nice.
    Eva was pulled aside by a little old lady with blue hair. The elderly woman whispered in Eva’s ear and made her laugh out loud. Adam realized he’d never heard Eva really laugh. He liked it.
    â€œAdam, this is my grandma Marsh.” Eva’s eyes were shining with amusement.
    Adam looked at the woman, who was not much taller than Eva but with the same chocolate-brown eyes that proved a family resemblance. He took the lady’s hand in his own. “Very nice to meet you.”
    Grandma squeezed his fingers with surprising strength. “My, my, but you’re a looker. I’ve got my eye on you, young man.”
    Adam swallowed a laugh and winked at her instead. “I hope so.”
    He glanced at Eva, who shook her head before saying,“I’m going to get Grandma settled next to Aunt Jamee and Uncle Larry.”
    â€œI’ll catch up with you in the sanctuary.” He watched them walk away.
    â€œSo, what do you think?” Beth asked him.
    Adam turned to see Beth looking smug. “Of what?”
    â€œOf Eva.”
    Adam didn’t understand why her roommate kept tossing Eva at him as if she was incapable of attracting a guy on her own. That was a new one. He was used to pushy girls like Beth hoping to snatch him for themselves, not their friends. He wasn’t interested in romancing Eva. He shouldn’t be. “Ah…yeah…well, she’s capable. Why do you keep asking me?”
    Beth shrugged her shoulders, but she gave him that satisfied grin that only girls could muster. The one that said she’d gotten the answer she was looking for even though he hadn’t said a thing. “No reason.”
    He rolled his eyes when she walked away. Maybe he should find an excuse to leave early. But then Ryan made a beeline for him with an intense-looking man pushing fifty.
    â€œHey,” Adam said.
    â€œAdam, I want to introduce you to my uncle. He’s been our beekeeper for as long as I can remember, but Eva can fill you in on details. Uncle Larry, this is Adam Peece. He bought the orchard from Dad.”
    â€œPeece? Any relation to the canning company?” Larry extended his hand.
    â€œMy father’s business, third-generation owner.”
    The man gave him a shrewd look. “As the fourth generation, are you looking to move into cherries now?”
    Adam saw where this was going. He wanted to set Larry straight. “No, I decided to go it alone. Although, if mydad wants to buy them from me come harvest, I won’t complain.”
    Larry slapped him on the back, satisfied with the answer. “Absolutely not. Come on, I’ll introduce you to a grower that also rents bees from me. He’s a good man to know around here.”
    Adam gave Ryan a nod and went with his uncle. Larry introduced him to Jim Sandborn, a cherry and apple farmer who lived about five miles south of Marsh Orchards.
    â€œNew to fruit farming then?” Jim eyed him with apprehension.
    Last year, Adam had come to Leelanau County to investigate buying fruit from the area processors. He’d made no secret of researching the particulars