Chapter 16
Slow Burn
Later that night, contentment filled Dani as she strolled with Lawson through the woods toward her home. At the cider cabin, they’d waved at Olivia and Nash’s family with little Ella snoozing on Nash’s shoulder.
The apple trees gave way to maples and birches. Pines and spruce. And her wildflowers sleeping in the deepening dusk.
They’d spent the evening with fabulous people, laughing and talking about ways to improve the farm. Her first set of new bees would arrive soon, and the entire group at the farm wanted to watch how she set everything up.
This was so much more than she’d expected when she’d moved to Vermont. So much more than she’d ever expected from life.
She squeezed Lawson’s hand. “Thanks for lending me your family.”
His warm chuckle coasted over her skin. “You’re welcome. Although you were included before I arrived. They all said amazing things about you after the Drone Incident.”
She laughed because she could hear him adding capital letters to the words. “Without the drone incident, I don’t know if we’d be strolling through the starlight on this beautiful evening, so I guess I can forgive you for scaring me.”
Lawson lifted her hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles. “True, but I’m still sorry for that. I saw Beatrice, and it was love at first sight. All else faded into the background.”
At his words, they arrived at the edge of Beatrice’s clearing. The bees were mostly snoozing for the night, and she figured Beatrice was also getting her beauty sleep.
Dani loved the peace of the evening. Maybe it was time to tell Lawson how she felt, surrounded by Beatrice and her bees, with Bibi yawning behind them.
She tugged Lawson to a stop and took a deep breath.
Bibi’s barks filled the clearing. Gone was the sleepy dog who’d been trailing behind them. In her place was a pissed-off warrior.
Dani found herself tucked behind Lawson as he turned to face where Bibi had run toward her apiaries.
And then she smelled it.
Smoke.
Fire.
“Call Nash. Get help.” Lawson’s firm command had her dialing before she realized what she was doing.
“Hey, Dani. What’s up?”
“Smoke. Fire. My bees.”
Nash swore. “We’ll be right there. I’ll get Olivia to call Mitch and reinforcements. Stay safe.”
Dani didn’t know who Mitch was, but it didn’t matter.
Lawson had disappeared into the trees, following Bibi. Dani spotted a small fire in the grass between two of the apiaries.
She grabbed one of the pots she’d planned to use for more wildflowers, ran to the pond on the far side, and hurried back with the water. The fire hadn’t reached either of the apiaries yet.
They could still save them.
She was on her second trip when Lawson returned. He grabbed another pot and helped. Then Nash appeared through the woods and added his aid.
It wasn’t long before the fire was out, but they kept moving, ensuring that no embers remained simmering in the area.
They spread water over the entire space, turning the wildflowers and grass into a sodden mess.
A safe, sodden mess.
Flashlights and voices warned of more people coming. Dani jerked toward the sound, ready to defend her bees and property.
Lawson’s soft voice reached her. “It’s okay. Knox and the others are here.”
“Are you sure?”
He moved in front of her and cupped her face. “I’m sure. We’re safe.”
He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, making her realize she’d been crying.
Then he tugged her into his arms and held her. “It’s okay, Dani. The fire’s out. Your friends are safe.”
“Bibi. Where’s Bibi?”
He kissed her hair. “I’m not sure. She was too far ahead for me to catch her, and I couldn’t leave you alone to deal with the fire.”
Her heart ached. “I have to find her.”
“We will. Let’s catch everyone up first, and then we’ll follow her trail.”
Everyone arrived except Olivia, who’d stayed back with the kids.
Lawson lowered Beatrice’s tailgate and boosted Dani up to sit on the edge. He sat beside her and tucked her under his arm.
Her entire body shook, and she realized he was worried she’d collapse. “I need to find Bibi.”
Barks sounded from the other side of the clearing, and her heart soared. She leaped off Beatrice, Lawson at her side.
She followed the sound, and then Bibi broke through the trees with Fox, the Great Pyrenees, at her side.
Dani dropped to her knees, and Bibi kept coming. If Lawson hadn’t supported her back, she’d have ended up on the ground under her massive girl. Instead, she hugged her tightly. “Are you okay, Bibi? Did anyone try to hurt you?”
Bibi licked her face and rested her massive head on Dani’s shoulder.
Lawson crouched beside them and hugged them both. “Good job, Bibi. You let us know in time, and the bees are safe. And you scared away the asshole who tried to hurt them. Good girl.”
Lawson’s voice trembled, and Dani leaned into them both. For a moment, she breathed in the safety of the two she loved most in the world. They were safe.
She heard the voices behind her, but couldn’t focus yet. They were safe people too, friends and family.
Finally, she drew in a deep breath and hugged Bibi again. “Thanks, my friend.”
Then Lawson helped her to her feet, and they moved back to where the crowd had gathered around Beatrice.
She was hugged repeatedly while everyone murmured how happy they were that she and the bees were safe.
Family.
This made her think of her own, and that made her sad. The only people who had any reason to hurt her or her bees were those who wanted something from her.
Her family.
She leaned into Lawson. “Do you think someone in my family tried to hurt my bees? My business?”
He hugged her. “The police chief and firefighter from Phail are on their way. We’ll let them look before we come to any conclusions.”
So, he agreed with her but didn’t want to say it aloud until they had more evidence.
Her family hadn’t stopped with verbal requests. They’d tried to hurt her.
Rage simmered inside Lawson. Some asshole had tried to set fire to Dani’s bees. If they hadn’t been walking back from the apple farm, fire could have swept through the entire area.
Bees and Beatrice. The surrounding forests. It could have wiped out Dani’s cottage or spread to Lorraine’s property and the apple farm.
Without road access to the clearing, bringing in the Phail fire truck would have been impossible. The closest road access was Nash’s cabin or the road leading to Dani’s cottage.
The fire could have killed the bees and surrounding wildlife, as well as Dani and Bibi.
The arson investigator from Phail, Bella Martinez-Robinson, chatted with Dani, who sat on Beatrice’s tailgate with Bibi attached to her side.
Marcus Ramirez, the Phail police chief, approached Lawson. “Tell me what you’re thinking. And remember that I’m a cop, so don’t go making threats I’d have to confess to hearing in court.”
As Arrow probably intended, Lawson managed to laugh. “That helps. Thanks. I’m thinking it’s one of the assholes working for her family, or maybe a family member.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Dani’s great-grandmother started a cosmetics business. Her parents run it now. Until the other day, Dani hadn’t had contact with any of them in a over a year. They don’t approve of her independence or her lifestyle.”
The chief’s eyebrows shot up. “They don’t approve of a woman running a couple of successful businesses?”
Lawson shrugged. “She didn’t want to marry the man they chose. He was a jackass, but he had family money and connections. Dani walked away.”
Marcus nodded. “I knew I liked her.”
Lawson watched where his sisters stood on either side of Dani as she talked with Bella and her husband, Mitch, the local fire chief.
“Me too. Her mother emailed a few days ago, saying she needed Dani to sign some papers. They want to merge with another company. She didn’t know it until then, but Dani has veto power over name changes and mergers. ”
“She didn’t know?”
Lawson shook his head. “She was a minor when her great-grandmother passed, and no one told her. When Dani asked questions, all she got was avoidance and demands that she sign. No one’s giving her straight answers.”
They both looked around the clearing, and Lawson sighed. “Setting fire to her bees is cruel and petty. It would hurt her and her business, but it wouldn’t send her running back to her family. This proves they don’t know her at all, if that was their plan.”
Marcus nodded. “Sounds like. Okay, let’s see what Bella has told her.”
Turned out there wasn’t much evidence for anyone to find. Bella shook her head with a frown. “I’ve got a few matches. No cigarettes or fuel used. The matches are too small to get viable fingerprints.”
Marcus’s eyebrows went up. “No fuel?”
Bella shook her head. “None. Looks like they ripped up some leaves and grass, then set them in a pile and lit them. Then did it again in a couple of spots trying to get a larger flame.”
Marcus frowned. “No dropped evidence.”
She shook her head. “Sadly, no. People who do this need to do serious jail time. The fire could have taken hold if Lawson and Dani hadn’t happened across the area. Swept through all the trees and buildings.”
Lawson ground his teeth together and tried to keep his voice level. “Bibi ran off that way. I don’t think we were too far behind the asshole.” He hadn’t kept running because he hadn’t wanted to leave Dani.
Dani leaned into him. “Bibi returned with Fox. I hope they got in a bite before they lost the person.”
Marcus laughed. “Me too.”
From Dani’s side, Bibi turned to the same forest area and barked again. No growl, though.
Lawson looked at the other dogs. Boomer was the most highly trained. The big German shepherd stood alert, his attention trained on the same area as Bibi. His tail wagged, and Lawson relaxed, although he would have enjoyed taking on whoever had tried to hurt Dani.
A woman Lawson hadn’t met yet walked through the woods with a half-dozen dogs around her. Boxers and Bernese Mountain dogs. This had to be Lorraine, who lived on the property next door.
Sure enough, the woman marched right to them and studied Dani. “Are you okay?”
At Dani’s nod, she hugged her. “My troop alerted me that someone was on the property. Half of them took off into the woods.”
Lawson held out his hand. “Hi. You must be Lorraine. I’m Lawson Malssum.”
The woman smiled. “I would have guessed you were a Malssum. Nice to meet you.”
He nodded. “Same. Someone tried to set a fire near Dani’s apiaries.”
Outrage filled Lorraine’s face, and she brushed her hand over Dani’s arm as she looked around. “You got it out? Any damage to your bees?”
Dani nodded. “They’re safe. We were returning from the apple farm, and Bibi spotted the fire before it took hold.”
Lorraine nodded and then turned toward her property. “With the reaction of Bibi and my dogs, I’m guessing the jerk took off that way. Probably had a car parked on the side road. With yours being the only drive, they probably figured no one would notice a vehicle.”
Lawson grinned. Lorraine was proving to be a great ally. “Any chance you have any security cameras out that way?”
She shook her head. “No. After the incidents last year, I have some on the house, but the land is too big to bother. Plus, the troop won’t let anyone near.”
Lawson imagined that was true. They appeared to be almost as well trained as Boomer.
As if Marcus was thinking the same thing, he nodded. “It’s dark now, but I’d like to do a pass through your property if that’s all right, Lorraine. Which of the dogs would be best to lead a search?”
“Boomer.” At least six voices spoke, making them all smile.
Marcus nodded. “Boomer, it is. Is that okay, Amber? You can come with us, so he doesn’t get stressed.”
Lawson’s quiet sister nodded with a smile, and Gray’s arm landed on her shoulders. He’d go too.
Lawson agreed. “Bibi might help, too. She followed the asshole for a while.”
So, he, Dani, Amber, Gray, Marcus and the dogs headed into the woods with large flashlights from Marcus’s squad car.
Bella and Mitch stayed at the scene with a few others, while the rest ensured Dani’s cottage and garage were safe.
Dani tried several times to send everyone home to bed, but they refused, causing her eyes to mist again. When they were walking, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “You’ll get used to it, eventually.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Get used to what?”
“Being surrounded by people who care. Having a family at your back.”
She squeezed his hand and nodded.
He kept her hand in his as they followed Bibi and Boomer into the forest. Hopefully, they’d find something to identify the jerk who’d tried to burn the field.
Then they could put this shit behind them and get on with their future.