Chapter 10 Worker Bee
Worker Bee
Instead of walking through the orchard, Lawson drove his truck to Dani’s the following morning.
Leaving her the previous night had been difficult, but he knew if he’d stayed on her couch, they’d have ended up in bed. Their first time together wouldn’t be because she was scared and uncertain.
He had plans that involved hours, not minutes. Dani deserved to be worshipped and he was just the man for the job. Their first time wouldn’t serve as a distraction. It was going to be all about Dani and pleasure.
Grinning, he thought back to their phone conversation the previous night. It had lasted well past midnight. He’d never done the late-night chat thing with another woman, and it surprised him how incredibly intimate it had been.
Her whispered words had filled his room as they’d talked about hopes and dreams. Fears and worries. Plans for her business and his workshop. He’d teased her about bringing his workshop out to Beatrice’s field. All he needed was a battery-operated welder.
It hadn’t been a specifically sexual conversation, but he’d been hard and aching by the time they’d hung up.
Sleeping had taken a while, but his dreams had been stellar and escalated sexy to a whole new level. He couldn’t wait to reenact them with her one day.
He’d texted Dani earlier that he was bringing his truck.
Whoever the courier was, and whenever they arrived, he wanted them to have the impression that Dani wasn’t on her own and had people in her life who were ready to protect her, which was true.
Not just because of Lawson, but his family and everyone else on the farm would jump in to help.
An extra vehicle on her lot would prove she wasn’t alone, but he fully intended to be at her side. He wasn’t in the habit of putting on an intimidating persona, but he’d learned the skill in the army and could pull it out at will.
He’d used it in many situations to protect kids and families overseas. Hell, he’d had grown men throw down their weapons without even drawing his own.
This was even more important because it was personal. This time, the threat was to Dani.
The courier might be a hired hand, but they were reporting back to Dorothy Richards, and that meant Lawson was fully prepared to pull off intimidating.
When he parked in the lot, he heard Bibi howl from inside the cottage. Another layer of protection for Dani. Anyone hearing that howl would think more than twice before approaching.
There was no way a stranger could know that Bibi was fully prepared to lick a new friend to death. Despite her size, she was a big softie. The furry mountain was full of love, but Lawson didn’t doubt that she would protect Dani from any threat.
He knew the feeling.
He jumped out of the truck and headed to her door. He didn’t have to knock as Dani opened the door for him, looking as pretty as sunshine, but he could see the nerves in her eyes, so he leaned down for a kiss. “Now, that’s the perfect way to start the morning.”
Eyes closed, she hummed an agreement and kissed him again. “I dreamed about you last night.”
Hell, yeah. “Same. I hope your dreams were as sexy as mine.”
Her cheeks flushed, and her eyes sparkled. “I’m betting they were.”
Lawson edged her into the cottage and spun them so Dani’s back rested against the door. Then they were kissing—tongue and teeth and desire.
She wore another flowery, floaty dress, so he boosted her up, and she wrapped her legs around him. When their bodies aligned, they both groaned. He leaned his forehead on hers. “Dying here, Dani.”
Her throaty laugh reached into his soul. “Me too.” She put her hands under his shirt and ran her fingers over his abs and chest, making them both moan. Then, his mouth was on hers again.
He didn’t know how long they kissed, when Bibi nearly scared the skin off him with a howl that wasn’t nearly as friendly as the one he’d heard when he arrived earlier.
The courier had arrived.
Neither he nor Dani told Bibi to quiet her howl. Instead, he lowered Dani’s feet to the ground, and they straightened their clothing.
Lawson shoved aside his desire and pulled up every protective instinct he had. It wasn’t hard. This courier represented a threat to the woman he was damn sure he was tie rods over spark plugs in love with.
After they had their breathing back to normal, he kissed her lightly. “You’ve got this. No matter what the paperwork says, we’ve got your back.”
With her eyes locked on him, Dani drew a slow breath, held it, then released. She did it three times and then blinked. “Okay. Time to be an adult and find out what they want.”
That made him grin. “You’re definitely an adult, Dani. One hundred percent sexy woman.” She smiled, and he tugged her away from the door and ran his hands up and down her arms.
Bibi continued to howl, and Lawson realized the dog had a pissed-off mode. When he’d first met the Newfoundland she’d been loud, but friendly. All she’d wanted was to get to know him.
This sound was different. If the courier had any functional brain cells, they’d be nervous.
Which was good.
Dani brushed her lips over his one more time. “For luck.”
Then she snapped her fingers. Bibi rushed to her side, and the howl stopped like magic.
Dani rested her hand in Bibi’s fur, and in a moment, the courier knocked on the door.
“You’ve got this, sexy woman.”
She sent him a grin over her shoulder and reached for the doorknob.
Thanks to Lawson, Dani wasn’t terrified when she opened the door. Sure, nerves continued to rattle through her, but she was also smiling. A much better presentation to give to a courier who had orders to report back to her mother.
Lawson and Bibi’s presence ensured she felt safe. No matter what her mother wanted, she could, and would, handle it.
Her parents held no power over her, and she’d finally realized it.
Her hand barely trembled when she opened the door, Bibi at her side, Lawson at her back. Feeling like a superhero with her own squad, she looked up at the man before her.
Tall. Imposing. Her mother had probably chosen him for his size, and the serious look he aimed at Dani.
Instead of saying anything, Dani waited. The man wore a tailored suit, not a uniform. Was he a courier employed by Frances Bishop Cosmetics rather than a random hire?
The man looked her over, then checked out Bibi. Her girl didn’t make a single effort to lick the stranger. Her reaction to this man was as different from her reaction to Lawson as possible, which told Dani everything she needed to know.
The man’s eyes moved to where Dani knew Lawson stood just behind her. He would have no choice but to see that she wasn’t alone. She had support and needed nothing from her family.
Which was true. It gave Dani another boost of superhero power. She truly was an independent adult. Had been for years, but she just hadn’t realized it.
Most of her remaining nerves drained away. Like Lawson had said, she had this.
The courier’s eyes finally returned to hers. His eyes remained flat. “Daniella Richards?”
“Who wants to know?”
The man’s eyebrows shot up a fraction, but he controlled the reaction quickly. “Dorothy Richards sent me. She told me she had informed you of my arrival.”
Dani didn’t bother to hide her eye roll. “Which doesn’t answer my question.”
Behind her, Lawson huffed out a soft laugh.
She kept her eyes locked on the man. It took a moment, but he finally reached into an inner suit pocket and pulled out a card. “James McPhee.”
Dani took the proffered card. Sure enough, it read James McPhee, Consultant. “What kind of consulting do you do?”
The man’s eyes flattened. “Depends on what the client needs. In this case, Mrs. Richards has sent me with documents for you to sign, and then I’ll return them to her.”
Dani didn’t respond to that. She had no intention of complying with the request. A few weeks before, this would have intimidated her. Now she rolled her eyes. “Not going to happen.”
His eyebrows angled down. “Mrs. Richards expects—”
Dani cut him off. “I won’t sign any documents without my lawyer’s approval.” Well, that sounded far more impressive than it was. She didn’t have a lawyer on retainer, but she was sure the woman who’d helped her with the business paperwork could help her if necessary.
“Mrs. Richards requested that the papers be returned with your signature this afternoon.”
Dani shook her head and reached for the door. “No.”
The man’s hand shot out to stop the door from closing.
Lawson and Bibi both growled. Proving he wasn’t an idiot, James McPhee glanced at Lawson before returning his eyes to Dani.
He reached into his suit pocket again and pulled out an envelope showing her full name typed neatly on the front.
Of course, her mother hadn’t bothered herself with writing out her name personally.
Dani considered refusing the envelope, but her curiosity was too high. She was pretty sure that if it was a court summons the man had to say that. And why in the world would her family summon her to court? Her conspiracy-theory brain was running wild again.
The courier held out the papers. “I’ll wait.”
Dani took a deep breath and decided. She took the papers. “Please don’t bother.” And then she closed the door.
Bibi immediately leaned into Dani’s side and rubbed her head into Dani’s hand until she petted her friend. Lawson’s hands gently gripped her shoulders, and he kissed her hair. “Nicely done.”
She turned in his arms, letting the envelope fall to the floor while she hugged him and Bibi snuggled between them for her own hug. “I had this inane thought he would say, You’ve been served like some TV show.”
Lawson chuckled and swayed her side to side. “I didn’t think about that option. I don’t think there’s any reason to think they’d be suing or summoning you to court.”
She leaned into his warmth and strength. “I couldn’t think of one either. Good old conspiracy brain in action. Anyway, thanks.”
He ran his hands over her back. “You’re welcome. For what?”
“For being here. For supporting me but not trying to take over. For believing that I could handle it.”
“That’s easy. You’re a very capable woman, Dani, as proven by the life you’ve created for yourself. I figure you can handle anything.”
And wasn’t that a heady feeling? A wonderful man who believed in her, who thought she was strong.
Which meant she was strong enough to open the envelope and read the contents. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“You sure? I don’t mind standing here with you in my arms for another hour or two.”
She laughed, probably as he’d intended, and leaned back with a smile. “We can get back to that later.”
Then she took his hand and squeezed it. She had to scoot Bibi to the side because at some point she’d planted her butt on the envelope. She ruffled her fur. “Keeping it safe, or keeping me from reading it?”
She tugged Lawson over to her small, bright blue couch with its overstuffed cushions. She sat in the middle, and Bibi leaped up to snuggle in on one side while Lawson squeezed into the other end with his arm around her.
Safety surrounded her, and nothing her mother wanted could take that away.
Deciding the band-aid treatment was best, she ripped open the envelope and pulled out the papers inside.
A quick glance showed it wasn’t from her mother at all. It was from the firm of lawyers that represented Frances Bishop Cosmetics.
She skimmed it, but didn’t understand what she’d read, so pulled her eyes back to the beginning and started again.
After her third read, she shook her head. “This is strange.”
Lawson rubbed her shoulder. “You didn’t know you had decision-making powers in the company?”
She shook her head. “I was barely a teenager when Frannie B died. She didn’t say a word to me about anything like this.”
“What did she tell you?”
Dani smiled. “That I could be Dani instead of Daniella if I wanted. That I didn’t have to have the same dreams as my family. I wasn’t broken, I just had different priorities. If the outdoors and creating pretty things made me happy, I should find a job that fit that.”
Lawson kissed her hair. “She must be so proud of you.”
Dani smiled up at him and blinked away the mist. “Thanks. I hope so.”
Then she turned her attention back to the relevant part of the letter. “It sounds like my parents want to merge with another cosmetics company. They say this will expand the reach of both companies. The board of directors wants this to happen.”
“That’s the way I read it, too. Apparently, you have veto power over mergers and name changes.”
Dani shook her head. “This is unbelievable. Why wouldn’t I know about this?”
“No idea. Obviously, mergers and name changes haven’t come up, but someone should have informed you of your rights when you became of age.”
She nodded, thinking it through. She’d lived in a small apartment during college and hadn’t moved home after finishing her degree. Still, she’d seen her family weekly for a family dinner, usually followed by some event where she was expected to cope with small talk with strangers.
A shudder ran through her, and Lawson stroked her arm. “What do you want to do next?”
He was such a good man. “I don’t know. First, I think I’ll let it simmer in my head for a bit, and then I’ll call either the law firm or the lawyer who helped me set up my businesses.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a smart plan. If you give it some time, you’ll have a better idea of what questions to ask.”
“I don’t know how this affects my family’s finances. Are they in trouble? Do they need this merger, or do they simply want to expand? I don’t want the name Frannie B came up with to disappear. But if they are desperate for money, what would she want me to do?”
She leaned into Lawson’s shoulder while he held her, and Bibi snored in her lap.
After a few minutes, she shook herself. “I’m going to drive myself crazy just sitting here thinking about it. Let’s go check on the bees.”
Lawson grinned. “I hoped you would say that. The bee suit I ordered arrived yesterday. Now I can get a better idea of how everything works.”
Grinning, Dani took his hand. Bibi followed them out of the cottage.
A black sedan with tinted windows sat on the other side of the street. Probably the courier. Instead of acknowledging his presence, she locked up, took Lawson’s hand again, and headed to play with her bees.
The man could wait.