Trisha was staring out her bedroom window at the now barren apple trees when Nick emerged from her bathroom after his shower. The night was quiet, as it typically was at season end. It would be slow-going until the spring again. The trees had been pruned, the equipment stored for the winter. The orchard hosted Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's parties in the quiet, cold months ahead. But this time of year always made her sad.

It had taken her more than a week, but she ...