Chapter 5 #2
Shaking free of the past, Dani focused on Lawson and his question. She shifted to her knees and gestured around the clearing. “There are a couple of dozen hives scattered around the clearing.”
Lawson turned to survey the scene, and she watched his gaze land on one apiary, then zip around the area, checking out the rest. “The colorful cubes? Those are beehives?”
Bibi bopped his hand, and Lawson immediately petted her, but his gaze remained on the clearing.
Knowing it was safe to get down, Dani stood and moved to the tailgate. She always used the back bumper to climb in and out of Beatrice.
Lawson offered her his hand, and a shock of pleasure rushed through her when she took it. Hoping he didn’t feel the tremble, she let him assist her to the ground. Then he lowered the tailgate to give Bibi easier access to follow her.
His hands grazed the tailgate with what she could only describe as reverence, and Dani wondered how it would feel to have those hands grazing her body.
She was absurd. But at least she knew she wasn’t cold or broken like the rest of her family seemed to be. They only got that kind of look when they were talking about profits.
To resist the desire to reach out and touch Lawson’s hands, she buried her fingers in Bibi’s fur and gave her a rubdown.
Lawson held out the hat she’d left in the truck bed. He smiled when she put it on. His gaze roved over her body for a long moment, but then he yanked it away and back to the apiaries. “Okay, tell me about bees.”
She laughed. “Careful. I can talk about my bees for hours. They’re fascinating, and if we’re not more careful as a species, we’ll lose them. If we do, we lose the planet shortly thereafter.”
And there she went, preaching again. That wouldn’t be anything other than a turnoff.
Except Lawson nodded. “I’ve done some reading on the subject.
We need the bees for their pollination skills.
My sister Jolie has a couple of degrees in environmental science, so we all know a bit about the environment.
Enough that we want to be on the side of helping.
My family uses regenerative farming practices to help the orchard, and Thea has a compost facility on the property. ”
“The Worminator.”
His laugh boomed. “The Worminator. I haven’t been here long enough to see it or become an expert, but I’ll learn more soon.
Would your bees benefit from access to the apple trees?
Are they too far from them? Gray is building an immense garden between the farmhouses.
He’s sticking to plants native to Vermont and trying to attract bees and butterflies with his choices. I bet they’d like that.”
Her heart lifted. He wasn’t asking to be polite.
He wasn’t bored with the topic. “Most bees can travel several miles to forage, although they usually prefer to stick within a mile of the hive. Mostly, they find food sources naturally. My pots are an experiment to see if I can lead them to new sources.”
“We should plant some in a path to the orchard. But not near the cider cabin. Nash and Olivia are building an addition to make it into a house. I’m guessing the noise and construction wouldn’t be good for the bees. There’s no danger to little Ella Mae from the bees, is there?”
She shook her head. “No danger. Bees tend to avoid people, although they’re also attracted to bright colors like yellow and orange. Once they figure out people aren’t a food source, they mostly move on.”
Dani walked toward the closest apiary, but they stopped a few yards away.
“Each of the towers is a separate hive. There’s one queen who lives in the brood box at the bottom.
The other bees do everything to support her.
It’s still early in the spring, so they’re not foraging far yet, but you can see them flying around, going in and out of the tray at the bottom. ”
He grinned at her. “So cool. There are a lot of them.”
“Thousands. You’re not allergic, are you?”
He shook his head. “No allergies. But lots of questions.”
That made her smile. “Go ahead and ask.”
He grinned like a little boy ready for an adventure.
“Okay. Do they go into the other hives? Do they get along? Where do they make the honey, and how do you collect it? Do you wear one of the suits to protect yourself when you’re near the hives?
How does Bibi feel about the bees? Do they bother her? ”
Dani laughed like she hadn’t in a very long time. Maybe ever. It was a pure delight to have someone interested. “That’s a lot of questions. It would be impossible for a human to identify the individual bees apart from the queen, but they know who they are and where their homes are.”
His gaze roved her clearing. “You said something about getting different flavors of honey depending on where they forage. Would you like to experiment with hives near the apple trees? Would apple-flavored honey be a good thing?”
She grinned. “I think it would be a great experiment. That’s one reason for the wildflowers. I figured I could seed the way toward a clearing near the back part of your family’s orchard. Jolie had mentioned trying to improve the area’s biodiversity, and bees are very good at that.”
Lawson nodded, his eyes roving the space. She could almost see the wheels turning as he thought about the process. If he was a mechanic, he probably enjoyed knowing how things worked.
For the next hour, he asked questions, and nodded as she explained. His interest was gratifying, and she was surprised at how comfortable she felt with him in her field and talking to her. She’d never been good at conversations, especially with people she didn’t know well.
You’re so awkward, Daniella. You’ll never attract the right person unless you can conduct a socially acceptable conversation with a man. Learn to ask the right questions.
With an internal sigh, she shoved the memory of her mother to the back of her brain.
Bibi bopped her hand with a soft woof. The one saying she was hungry. Dani ruffled her fur. “I know you’re hungry again. Your food is over with Beatrice.”
Lawson turned to search the clearing. “Beatrice?”
Smiling, Dani walked back to the truck. She patted the tailgate. “This is Beatrice. Bibi and I have our lunch with her on sunny days. Come on up.”
Lawson hopped up and offered his hand to Dani to help her climb onto the truck bed. Another flash of warmth flowed through her at the touch.
He didn’t let go of her, and they stood close on the tailgate. His thumb rubbed over her fingers, and she had to battle the urge to lean in for a hug.
When was the last time she’d been hugged by a creature other than Bibi?
After a few hours of talking about bees with this man, she wanted that more than almost anything.
Except for maybe how much she wanted a kiss.
Proof that she was losing her damn mind.
Bibi leaped up to the truck bed and squished between Dani and Lawson, breaking the contact and the spell. Probably for the best.
Dani moved to where she’d been sitting earlier and pulled out her backpack. She smiled at Lawson. “I’ve got some sandwiches in here, along with Bibi’s lunch. Would you like to share?”
His eyes were warm, and she wondered what he was thinking about sharing with her.
Whatever it was, she suspected she’d be all in.
Yep, she was a mess.