Page 14 of Love's Harvest
“How about some ice cream?”Aaron said.
“Yay,” said Emily.“I want strawberry.”
“I’m going to have something else,” said Mia.
They walked back to the main building which held an ice cream store and a farmer’s market that sold fresh fruit and vegetables and farm items, including Aaron’s maple syrup.
“First thing, Mia, is to get your arm cleaned up.How’s it feeling?”
“Better,” said Mia.“Hurry.I want my ice cream.”
Sarah took both girls to the ladies’ room and was washing Mia’s arm when she heard Aaron call to her from outside the door.“I’ve got the first-aid cream.”
“Go get it, Emily,” said Sarah.
Emily returned with the cream, and Sarah gratefully spread it over the bite which was just a red mark on Mia’s arm.
A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting at a table in the ice cream shop eating the most delicious vanilla fudge ice cream Sarah had ever tasted.
“At home, we can have an early dinner,” said Sarah, wiping strawberry ice cream off Emily’s face.“And Aaron, you’re invited.I have a nice, easy way to cook chicken, and I make a mean salad.”
Aaron licked ice cream from his cone.“That sounds delicious.While you were working on Mia’s arm, I paid for the apples.They’re in bags already loaded in the truck.”
“Thanks,” Sarah said, realizing how nice it was to have someone else helping her.Maybe, if Jesse had lived, a day like today might have happened.Maybe not.
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At home, the girls were more than ready to sit in front of the television where they quickly fell asleep on the couch.
As Sarah organized the apples and prepared a number of them for the slow cooker recipe she had for applesauce, she and Aaron talked quietly about his work at the development.She spoke about her job at the hardware store as she fixed a chicken casserole.
“We’ve hired someone new,” said Sarah.“A high school girl named April Loomis.She’s gone through tutorial programs for dyslexia, and though letters are a problem, she’s excellent with numbers.Her tutor is hoping that having a part-time job will help not only with finances, but will boost April’s self-confidence.”
“A good deed.I like it,” said Aaron, smiling at her.
“We’ve hired her to help mark inventory.It’s going to take extra time to teach her everything, but I’m hoping it will be worth it for both of us.My parents have always tried to help others.That’s why our staff is so loyal to us.At one time or another they’ve all received some sort of extra help.”
“I get it.Hazel has asked me to come to school and talk to her students about some of the stories from my tribe,” said Aaron.“I figure it’ll be interesting to them and helpful to my tribe for young people to learn about the people who were here before settlers arrived.”
“Definitely,” Sarah said.“You can talk to them about nature and your maple sugar trees, too”
“I save that talk for springtime.”He studied her and then came closer.“Do you remember our high school years as much as I do?”he asked quietly.
Drawn into his dark-eyed gaze, she held her breath as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.
She closed her eyes and leaned into him, feeling for a moment that she’d been whisked back in time to when she was young and in love and free.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him.
She heard his sigh of contentment as she nestled against him.She felt the same way.He was her first love.
“Hey!What are you doing?”asked Emily, standing in the doorway staring at them.
Sarah jerked away from Aaron.“I’m just getting a hug.Want one too?”
Emily ran to her, and Sarah picked her up and gave her a growly bear hug, smiling at her daughter’s laughter.
Mia appeared.“Me, too.”
