Chapter 7 Like Bees To Honey
Like Bees To Honey
A week later, Lawson drove an ATV out of the equipment barn, then up and down the driveway. The machine purred and handled like a dream. That was another added to the farm’s fleet.
There were several ATVs in the barn, but only one had been working before he arrived.
The others needed fresh gas and oil, along with new parts.
Spark plugs, filters, shocks, and brake pads.
Things he would have had access to back in Boston.
Here, he’d had to put in an order. That had required a quick inventory of the barn to see what else he might need.
It made more sense to put in a comprehensive order and to have stuff on hand for the vehicles they used.
Lawson was having a blast digging into the barn and deciding what to fix next. The tractor with the aerator attachment had been first up. He’d never tackled anything like that, and playing with a new engine was fun.
Gray hadn’t stopped grinning while running the machine over the field. Lawson had always enjoyed making his customers happy with his work. It was even better knowing it was for family and friends and that he was helping the team and the farm.
Now that Lawson was digging into the work, he knew it would still be fun the following year, and the year after that, especially if they wanted to switch to electric or solar-powered vehicles. He looked forward to learning how to convert everything to more environmentally friendly fuel sources.
He was seeing his future here at the farm in years. Decades.
He hadn’t been in Vermont long, but he missed Boston so much less than he’d expected. It amazed him that he’d quickly become addicted to clean air. Sure, the scents of exhaust and motor oil would always be among his favorites, but it was good to drink in the spring Vermont air as well.
Hell, he even liked the scent of the apple trees and the wet soil. The Worminator was an acquired taste, but he also looked forward to helping with it as well.
He drove the ATV back to the barn and parked it outside. For now, he wanted to close the barn and then head back to Dani’s property.
He’d settled into a routine of working on the farm equipment and helping where needed in the mornings and evenings. In the afternoons he spent time with Dani and learned more about her and her bees.
She was fascinating, and his attraction to her grew every day. He didn’t want to keep shutting it down. He wanted to lean in and kiss her. Find out how she tasted. What touches made her sigh with pleasure, and which ones amped up her system.
His own system required nothing more than her presence to ramp up. Even the thought of her had his body responding.
The army had trained Lawson to control his body and thoughts when necessary. You couldn’t be in special forces without knowing how to shut down your emotions and control yourself.
But this wasn’t the army.
And Dani wasn’t Gloria.
The thought of that woman brought his libido back under control. Would Dani think he wasn’t enough as well? That playing with engines was somehow less than running the business from an office.
He couldn’t imagine it. Her family was the type to sit in offices, and she’d distanced herself from them, hadn’t seen or heard from them in over a year.
Hard to even imagine. Before he’d moved to the farm, it was never more than a few days between conversations or texts with family members.
Losing their parents so early had ensured the siblings were tight. Fox had worked hard to build the bonds between the kids and with Fox himself.
Lawson missed the cranky exterior that loved to grump about selfish idiots who only cared about themselves. He missed the rants, where Fox would explain the importance of respecting the planet and demand to know what the kids would do to improve things for people and the environment.
This sent Lawson back to thinking about converting the machinery to solar and electric power. He and Ricky had discussed it a few times, but they’d been too busy to spend the time exploring the process.
Now Lawson had the time because he was in charge of his schedule, which was strange. He’d talked with Amber about it, and she said it had taken her months to stop looking at the time to know when her shift would start or end.
Like his siblings, Lawson wasn’t a shirker and enjoyed setting his own schedule in order to spend time with Dani when he wanted. Which was a lot.
Inside the farmhouse, he put together a few sandwiches and grabbed some apples. They might have been picked in the fall, but the freshness made it seem like it had been hours, not months.
He also packed a small container of cheese and a few biscuits he’d baked for Bibi. Who knew making dog cookies would be a great way to relax and distract him from thinking about making love to Dani?
Well, that wasn’t quite true. As soon as his brain stopped thinking about any task, his thoughts drifted to Dani. Night and day.
The chemistry between them was impossible to ignore. Every touch caused a reaction, and every look had his heart and body reacting.
The woman wore floaty dresses with work boots. When it was chilly, she pulled on chunky sweaters and when it was sunny, she tossed on a floppy hat to protect to her skin.
She danced through the fields when she thought no one was watching. She’d named her truck Beatrice, and talked to it quietly, as she did with her dog and even the metal art she made.
It had been glorious weather, so they’d been spending it outdoors. He couldn’t wait to be invited into her workshop. He imagined that would be a huge turn-on for him, especially if she didn’t mind working with an audience.
Not that he needed additional fuel for that particular fire. It would be fun to do some welding together. Maybe she’d like to work with him on polishing up Beatrice.
Although the driving need for the truck had lessened, Lawson still wanted to make the old girl shine. Knowing how much Dani and Bibi enjoyed using the truck as their lunch spot meant she probably wouldn’t want to move it.
How much could he do in the field without electricity? Something else to think about.
Lawson packed the cooler and headed back to the newly fixed ATV. He enjoyed the walk through the orchard, but this would be an excellent test run for the machine.
And it would get him to Dani more quickly.
He followed the trail through the orchard to the cider house. There weren’t any firm trails between there and Dani’s property. He knew Thea didn’t want traffic on what he now knew was cover crop. Keeping the land as natural as possible was important.
He’d leave the machine at Nash’s place and walk from there.
When he pulled up, he found the family having a picnic on the ground. Charlie bounced up with a wave. “Hi, Bobby.”
Lawson grinned at his callsign. The kid loved using them. He’d loved the story of how Lawson’s British friend had started it. In London, police officers were often called bobbies. With the first syllable of his name being Law, his fate had been sealed.
No one had called him that in Boston, and it was fun to hear it being used here at the farm. Another reminder of how lucky he was. He had an amazing family and had found another family in the army. Hearing the callsign reminded him of good times.
And broke his heart a little because not all those times had been good. They’d lost friends and witnessed some horrific scenes. Humans could be awful.
Lawson shoved away the thoughts as he removed his helmet and greeted Charlie. “Hey. Are you enjoying your picnic?”
“We are. Are you bringing a picnic to Danny?”
This kid was perceptive. “I am.”
Charlie grinned. “Want a bottle of cider to take? This one has an Asian flavor, and we need feedback.”
“Asian flavor? What’s in it?”
Charlie shook his head. “We want you and Dani to guess and give us feedback.”
Charlie sprinted into the cabin for the cider, and Lawson walked to the blanket.
“Law. Law.”
He picked up the little girl for a messy hug. “Hi there, Ella Mae. I see you’re enjoying some applesauce.”
Olivia laughed. “And now you’re wearing some applesauce.”
Lawson shrugged. “I’m a mechanic. A little mess never hurt anyone.”
Which was good, because Ella placed her messy hands on his face. “Law. Applesauce.”
Or at least that’s what he thought she said. She’d been through some trauma in her life, but she was safe now, and learning new words and phrases by the day.
After chatting for a few minutes, Lawson added the thermos to his pack and headed through the trees.
He didn’t aim for Beatrice’s field yet. Instead, he headed to the small clearing where Dani was going to add a few hives. The rains from the previous few days had cleared, and this would be a good time to set up new apiaries.
Grinning at himself, Lawson figured he knew enough about bees that he could probably start his own colony.
He had no interest in that, but he wanted to help Dani set up a couple of these new ones.
He was curious about the process and the experience, but it was also about spending time with Dani doing something that filled her with joy.
The idea of adding new beehives closer to the property thrilled Thea and Jolie. The entire team was glad Lawson had recovered from the mistakes he’d made when he’d first met Dani.
He couldn't believe he’d known her for such a short time. He couldn’t imagine his life without her and Bibi in it.
Maybe today was the day to take a risk and kiss her.
If things didn’t work out, it would make things exceedingly difficult for Dani and his family.
Dani was a reserved person. She wasn’t necessarily shy, but liked her privacy and quiet world of bees and metalwork.
She didn’t need much of a social life, but she did need peace.
Her family hadn’t understood that. Well, except for her great-grandmother. Lawson wished he’d been able to meet Frannie B. He also wished she’d lived long enough to see what Dani had accomplished alone.