The Apple Tree (33 page)

Bianca nodded. “I’ll still watch Owen for you sometimes. I’m sure I’ll miss him.”

Her mother waved her hand. “Oh, honey, we’ll still see each other all the time.”

“
Okay. I’m glad.” Bianca’s gaze fell on the stack of mail on the coffee table and she lifted it, shifting through the bills and junk.

The Linn Benton Community College catalog caught her attention. On the cover, a smiling student held a large black camera. Photography classes. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? She had enough money in savings to afford one class. A grin spread across her face and she tossed the rest of the mail back on the table before bounding upstairs to get her laptop to register online.

Later that night, Bianca lay on her stomach across the bed, her laptop open in front of her. Levi lounged beside her, his hand caressing her back as she worked on her blog. She’d been so busy with wedding preparations that she hadn’t had time to come up with any new recipes, but she still had maintenance to do like answering emails and comments.

“
You know, lying here on the bed next to you… It’s a little distracting,” she said.

He laughed, running his fingers through the hair falling down her back. “I hope that doesn’t mean you want me to leave?”

She flipped over, facing him. “No, don’t leave. I like the distraction.”

He smiled, scooted closer and placed his hand on her cheek. “I don’t want to be anywhere without you.”

They kissed, long and slow.

She groaned and ran her finger along his jawline. “Why are we waiting till Saturday again?”

He chuckled. “For the wedding or for… after.”

“
After.” She grabbed his hip and pulled it toward her.

A smile lit his face. “Whoa, hey there little lady.”

She giggled and ran her hand through his hair. “Actually, as much as I can’t keep my hands off you, I’m glad that you want to marry me first. It feels… right.”

“
It’s what you deserve.”

Her eyes lowered and she bit her bottom lip. “But you should know… I’m not a virgin.”

He shook his head, running his hands through the roots of her hair. “I don’t care. That’s not why I’m waiting. I’m waiting, because I want you to know that you are more important to me than anything else.” A naughty smirk crossed his face. “But I’m glad the wedding is in a few days. I don’t think I could wait too long.”

She leaned forward, kissing him again and inhaling his masculine, earthy scent.

He moaned and tangled his fingers in her hair.

Electric current shot through her lower body and she tossed her leg over his hip, pulling herself on top of him. Straddling his hips, she pushed herself against him.

“
You,” he kissed her, “are making it very hard to keep up this nice guy act I have going.”

She laughed, flopping herself down on the bed. “Oh, so it’s all an act?”

He sat up, reaching his arm over her and hovering just above her lips, grinning. “Yep. It’s all an act.”

“
Have you… been with many women?”

He plopped back down beside her. ““Not many… I told you I was married, so there was her. And then… after she left, I was lonely, so I spent the night with a woman. But afterward I just felt empty. I realized then that I’m not that kind of guy. That I needed to find someone I truly cared about. And it took me a century to find you.”

She slipped her hand into his, giving it a squeeze. “I’m glad you did.”

They lay in silence for a few minutes until she said, “I’m glad we’re having an actual wedding too, instead of just running off to Vegas. I would have regretted never having the dress, the bridesmaids, all of it.”

He smiled and twisted the hair on his forearm between his fingers. “I know.”

“
You always do that.” She nodded toward his arm. “Play with the hair there.”

A deep chuckle left him. “I guess you’re right. I’ve never thought about it, but I do. You’re observant.”

Rolling over, she propped her elbow up to rest her head. “You know, there’s still so much I don’t know about you. I feel like I’m never going to know everything.”

“
We have years. I’m sure after a while you’ll be sick of hearing all my stories.”

She smiled and ran her finger along his arm, drawing circles. “You still haven’t told me how you figured out the apples caused the curse.”

He took a deep breath. “Well… it took me several years to figure it out. I’d completely forgotten about the tree, because at the time I wasn’t using that part of the property.” He flipped over on his side so he was facing her, resting his head in his hand. “My wife’s brother came down to visit from Portland, bringing along my nephew. One day I took the boy for a ride around the property, and when we came to the tree he grabbed an apple and took a bite. Later, my brother in law came down with the same illness that killed so many before and the only thing connecting the events were the apples.”

“
That poor boy, he had no idea.”

He sighed, running his hands through his hair. “My nephew returned to Portland after that, so no one else found out what’d happened. Except, I think Edith suspected. She blamed me although she had no proof, but she didn’t speak about it with anyone else.”

She bit the inside of her cheek, suddenly conscious of how very serious the situation was. “Don’t cut the tree down.”

His head shook. “I have to. Otherwise, it’ll always be a threat. Peter’s going to be angry we’re getting married and it will make him desperate to figure out the curse.” He rubbed his thumb along her hand. “Once it’s done, I’ll tell him so he’ll have no reason to threaten you.”

“
I’m not scared of Peter,” she said. “I’m scared of losing you.”

He ran his hand along her shoulder. “Peter cares for you in his own twisted way, but if he tells his father about you… well, his father doesn’t care. And my Uncle Charles can be vicious when there’s something he wants.”

“
Just promise me cutting it down won’t harm you.”

He bit his lip. “I can’t promise, but I have faith it’ll work out.”

B
ianca stood in front of a mirror in Levi’s living room. His house had become the women’s dressing room for the day. Stephanie brought the full length mirror. Hairbrushes and makeup cases littered the coffee table, making the room more feminine than it had probably ever looked before.

The men had been kicked outside to a small tent in the field by the house. It stood just behind the bigger white tent setup for the reception.

Bianca glanced behind her at her friends, who wore matching sage-colored dresses and kind smiles.

“
You look beautiful.” Stephanie touched her shoulder.

Bianca wore a white lace-covered gown that dropped over her hips to her ankles in a straight line. It had a deep V-neck and cap sleeves, the hems scalloped with more lace. She ran her hands over her thighs, smoothing the skirt.

“
Really beautiful.” Kate’s face was a slightly green color and she’d excused herself to the bathroom several times with morning sickness.

Bianca gave her a sympathetic smile. “The ginger tea didn’t help much?” A twinge of jealously hit and she had to glance away. She would never experience morning sickness. But, starting today, Levi would be hers and she would be his. And that was all she really needed.

“
No, not really.” Kate held her stomach. “But, I’ll be fine. You worry about yourself today.”

Bianca turned back to the mirror. Her hair curled into loose waves, twisted so that it hung over one shoulder and her lips had been glossed a delicate rose color. Stephanie had just finished applying her makeup and she’d done a wonderful job. The girl could be a makeup artist.

Her mother came through the front door to join the women, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Are you ready, hon? It’s time.”

Bianca nodded, taking a deep breath. This was it. Her throat tightened with emotion as she swallowed, willing her eyes to stay dry. She imagined Levi waiting for her and she smiled.

Her mother crossed the room, wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Bee.”

Bianca squeezed her back, grateful for her support. Her father had decided not to come. Apparently, Amber didn’t want to travel with the new baby.

“
Thanks, Mom.” She dropped her arms, standing straight and taking a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

Levi waited in front of the crowd, fidgeting and unsure what to do with his hands. They’d only invited about forty people to witness their union, but it suddenly felt like a crowd of three hundred. The remaining apples of the season had been destroyed, so there was no worry that someone would come across the tree, but still, his heart pounded from the attention.

His friend, Frank, stood next to him. He’d flown in from Chicago the night before to be his best man. Frank nodded encouragingly, his hands clasped together in front of him.

Levi moved into the same position. He just wanted Bianca to come down the aisle and join him. With her, he could face the crowd, he could face anything.

He looked out over the rows of people.
A bundle of white freesia flowers and evergreen leaves draped from the end of each row of chairs. The fragrance from the flowers mixed with the earthy pine smell of the woods that surrounded the field.

A deep breath filled his lungs as he appreciated the scent and remembered the last time he’d stood at the front of the aisle like this. When he’d waited for Edith, he’d been full of doubts and uncertainties. Today, he knew marrying Bianca was right.

He focused his attention beyond the guests, outside the tent, to the green landscape of his property. They’d gotten lucky. The sky was a perfect cloudless blue without a drop of moisture.

The musician began playing the traditional Cannon in D on acoustic guitar.

Levi’s heart pounded as he waited for Bianca. His eyes scanned the back of the tent, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Kate and Stephanie appeared, stepping down the aisle, one after the other, in matching strapless dresses. Stephanie’s gaze pointed right at Frank, giving him a flirty smile. Levi glanced behind him. To his amusement, Frank grinned back at her.

The music changed to the Wedding March, signaling the entrance of the bride. He took a deep breath. She stood at the end of the aisle, smiling, more beautiful than he’d ever seen her and staring straight at him. A sense of calm spread over his body and he couldn’t help the goofy grin that spread across his face.