Chapter 18
Busy As A Bee
A few days later, Dani had finished installing all her new hives. The bees appeared content, and the colonies remained apart.
Charlie had helped with the second colony and had added apiarist to the endless list of careers he might want to try when he was an adult. Whatever he chose, Dani knew he would be a success. With his enthusiasm and curiosity, he’d be an asset to any company. He’d make a strong entrepreneur as well.
He’d hung out with her and Lawson for a few hours that day, and Dani had started thinking about kids of her own. Not something she’d ever considered before, but it was on her mind because she had Lawson in her life and she felt more secure in herself. A positive bubble of future possibilities.
She’d also enjoyed another pleasant conversation with Evelyn. They hadn’t discussed their mother or the documents she wanted Dani to sign.
Instead, they’d talked while Dani and Lawson installed another bee colony. Evelyn had been intrigued and mentioned coming out for a visit one time to see it all in person.
Dani had learned that Evelyn did indeed work for Frances Bishop Cosmetics, although she called it The Company.
Evelyn didn’t mention a title, but shared that she oversaw all the company’s events.
Wining and dining visiting company members.
Putting on charity events. Dani discovered Frannie B had insisted the company invest a portion of the yearly profits into children’s charities.
Feeding the hungry and offering scholarships for sports and arts programs. Exactly something Frannie B would have done, and it helped Dani think more positively toward her family. They hadn’t tried to eliminate that.
Dani didn’t know why she had never known about the charity support and events before. She’d never been interested in being part of running the company, so she hadn’t made any effort to discover what it entailed.
Her parents had encouraged her to be charming and to focus on attracting a man who would bring his skills and money to the company.
It didn’t interest Dani, but she was glad to see that Evelyn appeared to have found a spot within the business that made her happy.
Dani hadn’t offered to come visit her sister to learn more about her job, but she wondered if she should have. Evelyn had offered to come to Vermont.
Returning to the city made Dani queasy, but once her sister visited, maybe she should consider it.
She’d even exchanged stilted but increasingly pleasant texts with her brother.
He was currently at a cosmetics symposium in France, learning a variety of things, including techniques to make a new line of Frances Bishops Cosmetics fragrance free and ways to improve the efficiency of their production facilities.
Like Evelyn, Nathaniel was curious about Dani’s bees. They’d managed one phone conversation and planned to have more once he was back in the States.
She hadn’t brought up the fire, but didn’t believe he was involved in anything nefarious either. Which left Jeremy or her parents, maybe them all working together.
Bibi heaved a sigh and shifted her position next to Dani, where they sat in the back of Beatrice. “Sorry, my friend. Is it too much introspection for you? Are my thoughts keeping you from your snooze?”
Awareness tickled Dani’s skin, and Bibi lifted her massive head to check out the forest. If her senses hadn’t alerted her to Lawson approaching, Bibi’s happiness would have let her know there was no danger.
Bibi didn’t move from where she was draped over Dani’s legs, but her tail thumped against Beatrice, and she lifted her head to watch over the tailgate.
Dani did much the same.
When Lawson appeared through the trees, she figured Bibi lit up as much as she did herself. Lawson locked his eyes on her and grinned.
She ruffled Bibi’s fur. “I think we’re both goners, aren’t we, girl? We have excellent taste in men.”
Lawson picked up his pace and vaulted over Beatrice’s tailgate. Then he snuggled into Dani’s other side and slung his arm over her shoulders. He leaned down to kiss Dani as he reached over to ruffle Bibi’s fur. “How are my girls this fine morning?”
As if they hadn’t woken tangled in each other’s arms. Lawson didn’t like leaving her alone, but he’d been helping at Nash and Olivia’s building site.
She’d promised to stay in the fields while she worked with her bees and planted more flowers.
Plus, she’d kept her phone on her and checked in regularly.
Nothing had happened since the attempt at setting a fire in the field, but no one was taking chances. The quiet should have been comforting, but it wasn’t. They were waiting.
Her family hadn’t gotten their way, so she knew another foray was coming. Dani wondered about calling her mother again but had so far decided against it. If her mother wanted something, reaching out was up to her.
“What are you thinking?”
She grinned. He knew her so well. “Bibi and I were contemplating.”
“Serious thoughts?”
She thought of babies again, but shoved that aside.
“Some. Thinking about how much Charlie and Evelyn both enjoyed setting up new colonies. Wondering if she was serious about coming to visit. Thinking about whether I should call my mother or make a trip to the city. Not knowing what’s happening is bugging me, but I also figure she can call if she wants to talk to me. ”
Lawson kissed her hair and leaned back against Beatrice’s cab. “It’s hard to know what to do. If your mother had nothing to do with the fire attempt, it would be safe to reach out.”
Dani nodded. “It’s gone so well with Evelyn, I’m thinking about it. There was a lot of misunderstanding between my sister and me. Maybe it’s the same with my mother.”
When Lawson didn’t respond, she looked up to find his face carefully neutral. “You don’t think so?”
He shrugged. “It’s your call, but I wouldn’t treat her and Evelyn the same. Even though your sister is older, she was still a child. Your mother was an adult and knew exactly how she treated you.”
A child’s needs and interests should matter to a parent. “I know. I rarely think of my father in all of this, but he’s a factor, too.”
“What’s he like?”
She thought back. “Spencer Richards is a serious man who doesn’t have time for frivolities or anything unrelated to business.
He was never a man to play with us or help with homework.
It was our job to figure things out. He was never abusive, not even verbally.
Not neglectful, but oblivious. He couldn’t understand that anything was more important than his work.
Looking back, I’m surprised he agreed to have any kids, never mind three of them. ”
She’d never said that much aloud about her father. Lawson hummed. “Sounds like he wanted an heir or two to work the family business with him.”
Probably true. “I don’t know my brother Nathaniel as well. Even though he’s closer in age to me than my sister, he loved numbers and always wanted to know what our father was doing. I think you’re right. He’s exactly what my father wanted him to be.”
“It's probably normal for parents to want their kids to follow in their footsteps, but it’s also normal to let them follow their own interests.”
She nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. “Even though my father was Frannie B’s grandson, it’s hard to think of him as the head of the company. Probably because I don’t know him as well. My mother was always more in our lives.”
She felt Lawson nod, and for the next few minutes, they sat in silence and enjoyed the sunshine and Bibi’s soft snores. This was precisely what she wanted with her life: time to sit with those she loved, enjoy the day, enjoy nature, and rest after working hard.
She doubted her parents would understand the peace and joy she found here, but she no longer felt like she was less for loving and wanting different things.
Dani gently shifted Bibi’s head and then straddled Lawson’s lap. His hands went immediately to her hips and his fingers drifted over her dress. She leaned down to kiss him. “You’re very good for me, Lawson Malssum.”
He grinned. “Right back atcha, Dani Richards.”
After a long, drugging kiss, she pulled back. “I don’t think I’m quite ready to make love out here in the daylight when anyone could show up.”
Lawson’s eyes sparkled. “Sounds like a challenge.”
When she laughed, he ran his fingers lightly over her skin. “But that’ll have to wait for another day. Once this is all behind us, we’ll see how brave we can be.”
She laughed. This man was brave in every sense of the word. But he was also a protector. He might encourage her to stretch her boundaries, but she didn’t have to worry that he’d push her past her comfort level.
But he was also irresistible, so she lowered her head to kiss him again. “For now, we’ll just get in some warm-ups.”
He was laughing when he kissed her back.
Lawson hated waiting. He preferred action and decisiveness. Waiting for Dani’s family to make their next move was annoying, mainly because Dani worried about it, worried about whether she should take the next step herself.
He’d been digging into her family’s background. Nothing pinged. Besides her brother’s few speeding tickets, the Richards family had no issues.
Jeremy Beaumont was a privileged son from a privileged family. Old money. Stocks and bonds. Trading. Making money for the sake of making money.
Average grades in his finance degree. Member of a few fraternities that included the rich and spoiled. People who were proud of themselves for being born into money.
Nothing illegal about any of that. Nothing impressive either.
Lawson couldn’t examine the financials, but he suspected Beaumont was living the rich-boy lifestyle to the hilt. Was he desperate for money? Was that the reason for the requested merger?
The Frances Bishop Cosmetics company was privately owned, so there wasn’t much he could dig up that way. If they were a public company, it would be different. As far as he or Dani could tell, it continued to be owned by her parents and possibly her sister, brother, and brother-in-law.
They’d checked on the bees and were heading back to Dani’s garage. “I don’t like leaving you alone.”
She swung their hands and smiled. “I know, but I’ll be inside with the doors locked and Bibi on guard. My phone is on, and I’ll check it frequently. I’ve got to get these orders filled, and you need to help Nash and the others put up the frame for the cider cabin’s addition.”
He sighed. “I still don’t like it.”
Instead of heading straight to the garage, Lawson insisted on checking the house for any signs of trouble. He then checked the outside of both buildings and the inside of the garage. Nothing appeared touched or bothered.
Dani squeezed his hand. “It’s been days. Either they’ve found a way around having me sign, or the merger fell through. Evelyn has said nothing in our conversations, so I’m sure it’s fine.”
Lawson was glad that Dani and her sister were building a relationship. Although they were very different women, they were connecting.
Dani reached up and cupped his cheek. “I’ll lock up behind you. The deadbolt is secure, and I’ll call you at the first hint of anything weird. You’re only a few minutes away.”
Lawson ensured his family would bring the ATVs down to the cider cabin. He kissed Dani. “If Bibi growls, let me know.”
“I will, I promise. Now stop worrying about me and go help your family.”
Which made him think of officially making her his family. He was sure and he was ready, but this wasn’t the time. Not when they only had a minute. Hell, he hadn’t even told her he loved her. That should come first.
Tonight, he’d tell her tonight.
With a sigh and another kiss, he left, waiting outside until he heard the deadbolt turn.
He jogged through the fields to Nash’s cabin.
The faster he got there, the better. Dani figured she had four hours of work in the garage.
He’d even made her promise to let him know if she moved to the cabin to grab food or use the bathroom.
He was being more than a little paranoid, but with Dani’s safety on the line, he didn’t care.
It was all hands on deck at the cider cabin. Knox and Thea. Ford and Jolie. Amber and Gray. Nash and Olivia. Charlie. Little Ella Mae sat in her sandbox with her own tools around her.
Today, they were focused on framing the exterior walls first, then the trusses. Ford had become friends with Sean Falcone from Phail. Sean owned Falcon Construction, and he was bringing in a crane to lift the trusses into place.
With so many hands, it was going to move quickly.
After he’d checked with Dani for the fourth time, Amber approached with a smile. “How would you feel about me and Boomer visiting Dani?”
Lawson’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
His quiet sister smiled. “You’re nervous about her and Bibi being alone while she’s working. Boomer and I can add another layer of protection for her. You know Boomer is the best there is.”
He knew that, but if there was danger, he wouldn’t send his sister into it.
As if she sensed his thoughts, Amber laughed.
“How about this, then? I’m going anyway.
I’m better at drywall and tiling than exterior construction.
I’ll put in my time here once the shell is up.
For now, I’m going to learn more about metalworking.
I have a few pieces I want to commission for the B&B.
This seems like a perfect time to speak to Dani about them.
We’ll let you know if anything weird happens. ”
Amber reached up to kiss him on the cheek, then she and Boomer walked into the woods.
Gray appeared at Lawson’s side, grinning. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
Lawson nodded. “Always has been. But in a quiet way that kept people from noticing her.”
Gray waved when Amber turned to do the same just before she disappeared, as if an invisible link tethered her and Gray. As if she’d known he’d be watching.
Gray slapped him on the shoulder. “Being surrounded by family and friends here makes her so damn happy. She’s blossoming just like the trees.”
His buddy’s voice was sappy and full of love. Lawson almost wanted to rib him about it, but it was his sister who’d turned Gray sappy, and Lawson couldn’t find anything wrong with it.
He felt the same about Dani.
They stood for a few seconds before Ford called out. “Wake up, boys. The quicker we get these walls up, the sooner we’ll break for lunch. Move it.”
Laughing, they moved.