Free Season of Dreams by Jenna Mindel Page B

small logs into the fireplace, then lit the pile with a match. The snap and crackle of flames licking the wood was the only sound in the quiet farmhouse. She glanced at Adam. His eyes were closed.
    Bending over him, she gently slipped off his gloves and hat. When he didn’t stir, Eva unlaced his boots and dropped them to the floor. Even his wool socks looked expensive. She tucked his feet onto the couch and covered him with a thick throw blanket.
    She touched his forehead again, fighting the urge to smooth back his hair and kiss his brow. What now?
    â€œThanks, Eva,” Adam croaked.
    â€œYou should take off your coat.”
    â€œJust a quick nap and then I’ll head home.”
    Eva knew better. Adam was in no condition to drive an hour to his town house. Whatever illness his little half sisters had suffered, he’d caught the same flu bug. And that meant he wouldn’t be fine any time soon.
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    â€œHow is he?” Beth sat at the kitchen table with her schoolwork spread out around her.
    â€œHe’s still sleeping on the couch.” Eva glanced at the clock. It’d been almost three hours. Worry nagged her. She’d given him water and a pain reliever to fight the fever, but he’d zonked back out. “Should I wake him up?” Beth shrugged.
    â€œEva?”
    She turned toward the sound of Adam’s craggy voice, and her stomach pitched with dread.
    He leaned against the kitchen’s entryway. His face looked mottled and blotchy, his eyes glassy, his lips swollen. “What did you give me?”
    Her mind went blank and then she remembered. “Ibuprofen.”
    His eyes closed. “I’m allergic to it.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you say something?” Her voice sounded shrill as she flew out of her chair and rushed toward him. Oh, what had she done?
    â€œWe’ve got to get him to the emergency room,” Beth said.
    â€œNo, no. Got any Benedryl?” He was in his stocking feet, but still wore his coat and coveralls. He’d been too chilled to remove them. His sweat-soaked hair plastered his head.
    Eva looked at Beth, but her roommate slipped on her coat and grabbed her purse. “Where are you going?”
    â€œI’ll get the car. Eva, get Adam ready and let’s go.” Beth knew how to spot allergic reactions as part of her training as an elementary teacher. If she thought this was serious, it was.
    Eva swallowed hard as she stared at Adam. “I’ll get your boots.”
    Five minutes later, Eva slammed the back door of Beth’s car and climbed into the passenger seat. She turned to keep her eye on Adam, who sprawled in the backseat. He wasn’t saying much, and he kept swallowing as if he were having trouble breathing. The nearest emergency room was twenty miles away in Traverse City. What if—
    â€œDear Lord, please let him be okay,” she whispered.
    â€œAmen.” Beth sped up.
    They made it to the hospital in record time, despite the wintry road conditions. Eva rushed inside the E.R. with Adam while Beth parked.
    â€œOh, man, this isn’t good.” Adam tossed his wallet at Eva and then clutched his stomach.
    With shaking hands, she gave the E.R. nurse his insurance card and driver’s license. “He’s having an allergic reaction to ibuprofen.”
    They got him in to see a doctor right away, while Eva stayed behind filling out Adam’s paperwork to the best of her ability. Slipping into a vinyl chair that crinkled when she sat down, Eva tapped her pen against her leg. She had no clue about Adam’s health history.
    â€œHow is he?” Beth flopped into the seat next to her.
    â€œI don’t know.” Concentrating on the form attached to a clipboard, Eva let out a groan. “Immediate family? Beth, I don’t even know who to call in an emergency.”
    â€œCheck his coat and see if his cell is in there.”
    Eva found Adam’s phone tucked into an inside