by Mindy Steele
“Here, read these over, show them to him when he is feeling better. I have to be out this way in a couple weeks to check on a couple places not faring as well as Adam’s. I can print off some more literature for you two to look over.” He slipped into the front seat, then eyed the darkening sky. “Looks like we might get that rain they keep teasing us with.” Rain would be a blessing right now, as dry as it had been lately.
“Oh, here is my card too.” He offered it to her. “You can call anytime you have questions or worries.”
“Thank you, Steve.” Belinda felt better taking care of Adam’s livelihood with Steve a phone call away.
“You know, I can ask a woman I know when she plans on separating colonies and perhaps if the timing is right and Adam is able to travel, I could take you two to see her.”
“That would be wunderbaar. Hands on is better than reading.” Even as she spoke, she surprised herself with how easy the words came. Before Adam, books were as close to stepping out of her comforts as she got, and now she was selling flowers and honey and talking to state inspectors and contemplating a trip to visit a perfect stranger. She never would have thought she was capable of any of this until Adam had showed her what she could do. She could never repay him for seeing more in her than she did herself.
“I agree. You tell him it’s been another five-star review. He knows what it means.”
“Danki for all your help.”
“You’re welcome. You take care of that fellow and those hives.”
“I will. Goodbye, Steve.” He drove away as the first drops begin to fall.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adam!” Belinda rushed into his bedroom, breathless. Adam jerked awake and rolled over, shirtless, and what little breath she had vanished. Hadn’t Ada said he was awake and eager to see her? Belinda gripped the doorframe to keep from toppling over at the sight of his bare torso. Even under the tight wrapping around his four broken ribs, those muscles his clothes had hinted at before hadn’t been exaggerated one bit. She quickly turned away as any respectful maedel would do. Today was certainly one for the books.
“I’m sorry. Ada said I could come in. I’ll come back,” She made a motion to leave.
“Bee, wait,” Adam quickly said, bringing her to a halt. She could hear the strain in his voice. She chided herself for her carelessness in startling him. “Don’t go.”
She stilled. Bee, he’d called her again. She liked when he called her that. Like she was important, as important to him as his bees. But maybe it was simply easier than her given name, she reminded herself. He slipped into a shirt, folded neatly at the end of his bed. “All right.”
Belinda turned cautiously, her cheeks flaming. No way would Susanne Zook ever have broken Adam’s heart if she had seen where he kept it.
Adam chuckled, making her redden even more. “You look embarrassed.”
“I shouldn’t have barged in. This is your room.” A fact that she was now becoming too aware of. What kind of woman just barged into a man’s personal space? “I just was so excited and Ada said...” Adam held up a hand.
“It’s all right, Belinda. You have a brother. And I know he and Ivan have taken you and Tabitha swimming a time or two. There’s no sense in getting embarrassed.”
True...but Ivan didn’t make her heart do backflips.
She stepped into his room and worked to control her breathing. “Did startling you jostle your injuries? Are you in pain?” She winced. She didn’t dare glance at his upper torso a second time. No need with such a vivid picture already stained into her mind’s eye.
“It’s going to hurt no matter what. Not your fault.” She could see pain etched on his face. Adam slowly moved himself into a sitting position. Guilt ravaged her for causing him further pain.
Belinda turned to take in the room, his personal space. The floors resembled butterscotch candy, smooth and polished. There was a five-drawer dresser, a hook where he hung his Sunday best, and one simple chest in the corner. Did he keep his secrets in there, she wondered, staring at its cherry-tinted wood. She and Tabitha had hope chests of their own, filled with linens, birthday cards, and books that Belinda found so wonderful, she purchased them to keep instead or returning to the local bookmobile. She bit her lip, clenching her dress nervously. She was standing in his room and couldn’t remember a single reason she had come in the first place.
“Did you come to check up on me, Belinda?” His tone remained steady, only flustering her more.
“I’ve come before, but you were sleeping. I have something to tell you.” She regained her composure and beamed a smile. “I’ve had such a day, and I couldn’t go home before telling you about it.”
“You look...like sunshine. I feel better already,” he teased. At least she thought him to be teasing until something in his eyes flickered. “Mammi always said sunshine was the best medicine. She was right.” He shifted slightly, a boyish smile playing on his lips. “Did something happen today?”
“Something did,” she finally remembered. Adam smiling like that made it hard to concentrate. “After dropping off all the honey and making flower deliveries, I...”
“You did what?” That deep voice she found she rather liked more and more suddenly shifted into a growl. “Was this what Mamm was keeping from me?” His body jerked angrily and he let out another groan. It was obvious she was causing more distress than he needed. Had he not known she was making deliveries? The tight binding around his middle seemed to not be holding everything together right now.
“Adam, please,” Belinda begged, moving nearer. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I will go.” She sucked in a sob. “The last thing I meant to do was cause you to hurt yourself.”
“Don’t go,” he said between bated breaths. “Finish, please.”
Belinda bit her lip and stared at him with sorrowful blue eyes. “You’re clearly in pain, and I caused it.” He closed his eyes, took a slow breath, and opened them again.
“It’s not so bad, I promise,” he assured her. “Now tell me everything,” he urged. She didn’t believe him one bit.
“I made the deliveries,” she repeated. “We can’t stay in business if I don’t,” she explained when his lips tightened into a firm line. He clearly didn’t like that she had done that.
“I’m sorry I got hurt, Belinda. You should never have had to go alone.”
“Nee, it was fine,” she quickly assured him. So he wasn’t upset at her, just at himself, again. How did he not see that he alone couldn’t do everything? “I should have done it long ago, Adam. We both know that.” She pinned him with a serious look. “I took flowers to the florist and Marcy was as nice as you said she would be. She said I am her best supplier and that she hopes we have a long relationship working together. And Jackson,” she smiled. “Jackson is as curious as you said too.”
“You see now that there was nothing to fear. I’m happy to see you happy.” His stiff frown lifted slightly. “And as I warned you, Jackson asks lots of questions.”
“Jah, he does.” She cocked a hip and waved a long delicate finger toward him. “He thinks you have a girlfriend. You should not lie to kinner.” She watched him swallow hard, a nervous grin playing on his lips.
Belinda stepped slowly around the bed to the window and looked out. “I went to the bakery. I got to see my flowers on a big wedding cake. They were so beautiful.” She turned to him again, a blush flirting with her skin. Her freckles were multiplying from summer’s time with her and he found he adored each one. She touched her cheek. “Sorry. I’m just...”
“Exhilarated,” he muttered. “I like this side of you.”
“You do?” She really hadn’t a clue just how beautiful and amazing she was, and that made him love her all the more. He startled at the thought, glad that she started talking again before noticing the shock of his own thoughts hitting him.
When she finished tellin
g him about her visit with Marcy and Jackson, Adam hoped she wasn’t ready to leave. “What else? Tell me what you did next.” Nice save, Adam.
“Well, Mia is wunderbaar, like you said. She talks differently and I’ve never met anyone who uses their hands so much when speaking, but I really liked it. The way she says things is so, so, enchanting. She gave me four large cupcakes and....oh, wait.” She ran out of the room and before he could exhale fully, she returned with a blue box. She sat down on the side of his bed gingerly, so as not to disturb him, a breath away. He could smell the flowers, the bakery, and sunshine waft off her. God, how he’d missed her.
She lifted the box’s lid. “Mia said it was your favorite.” She tilted the box so he could peek inside.
“She thinks she has to feed me every time I walk in there. I think she’s using me to test her recipes.” He winked. She smiled and he quickly lifted the muffin out and bit into it greedily. It was that, or kiss her. He assumed she hadn’t been kissed before and imagined she was not yet ready, but still, it was tempting to try to steal at least one. Lying in bed for days with so little to fill his time, thoughts of kissing Belinda had played in his head a lot.
“I went to the market to share my treat with Tabitha.” Her shoulders straightened. She was proud of all her accomplishments today, and so was he.
“You have been busy today.” Maybe they could deliver flowers together next Saturday. He hoped he would be up to it by then. The doctor had said six weeks without working. Riding in a buggy with the most beautiful woman in the district didn’t count as work. Pure pleasure, that would be.
“I ran into Abner Lapp today.” Her voice lost all its excitement and he heard the shift clearly. “Well, I met him at the produce auction when Mica took me first, but I ran into him again today at the market.” Adam lifted a brow as she fingered a thread loosening from his quilt. “Tabitha sort of pushed me to be nice and now Abner wants to take me fishing, or walking, or something.” Her face scrunched adorably, but all Adam registered was that Abner Lapp was back in Havenlee and asking Belinda on a date. Had this been the extra interest Ivan had been hinting at?
“He did, huh?” Adam frowned, shoved another bite into his mouth. “I didn’t know he moved back.” He set the rest of the muffin back into the box, appetite spoiled.
“He says he is opening a leather shop.” To his ears, she didn’t sound impressed—but that might be wishful thinking on his part. “I don’t want to go,” she whispered. Those big blue eyes and soft-spoken words were trampling all over his heart. If he just leaned forward a bit, he could make her forget all about Abner Lapp. Her scent covered him completely and he leaned into that waft of air more for himself than for her.
“Then don’t,” he said in a grave tone. The urge to pull her closer filled him. It would be worth whatever pain four broken ribs cost him. Then again, Mamm would probably have a conniption if she caught sight of that under her roof. They were close enough now, it would be worth risking. Belinda’s eyes widened. She felt it too.
After overcoming so many obstacles today, she might as well tell Adam how she felt while she was still riding this cloud of bravery. He had to know she had no interest in Mica’s old friend, and that she was having some feelings she wanted to explore further, with him. Before she could open her mouth and let the words fly carelessly into the air, Adam leaned slightly closer, his eyes on her lips, and she panicked.
How many nights had she thought about that kiss, her first? Belinda jumped to her feet, as if only now realizing she was in his room, on his bed, and near enough to be kissed. What would Ada think if she walked in—and was she even ready to kissed?
“You were right.” She brushed her hands down her apron and nervously tidied her kapp. “No one all day even looked at my ugly mark.”
“Strawberry kiss,” he corrected, not taking his eyes off her. She backed away farther.
“So you need not worry about me selling flowers or honey, or going to town on my own.” She lifted her chin and struggled mightily not to take the bottom lip between her teeth.
“I’m proud of you for that, though I wish it wasn’t because I got hurt. But Belinda, that’s not what I’m worried about.” His words were so direct, his gaze arrowed onto her.
How did one respond to that? Head spinning, the only thing Belinda could do was leave. She needed air, and time to think. “Well...uh...you just heal and rest. The bees are happy, the flowers are selling, and everyone has been helping, so I don’t have to it all alone. The inspector came by. Apparently, there is an outbreak of mites in the area, but we checked everything and your hives are safe. He said he gave them a five-star review.” Each word came out in a nervous stutter. Despite the urge to run, put some distance between them, she couldn’t leave without thanking him for all he’d done to help her. “I have some things to discuss with you about the hives, but that can wait.” She needed to get away from him before she did something more stupid, like fall harder for him. Adam didn’t want a wife, he wanted a hundred hives and a busy, solitary life.
“Today I had an adventure and it’s all because of you, Adam.”
“Yeah, I’m a keeper,” he said, leaning back against his stack of pillows.
“I’ll come back tomorrow and we can talk more...about the hives.” She stepped to the doorway. “If there is anything I can do to show my appreciation, just say it. I could never have gone to town without you encouraging me.”
Adam stared at her for the longest moment, and then grinned. “Anything?”
She swallowed hard, noting his eyes had traveled down to her lips again. “Anything,” she boldly replied. She should tell him now. Tell him she wished he had asked to take her fishing, not Abner Lapp, that he was the only person she wanted to walk under the moonlight with—but she had missed that opportunity, letting too many thoughts run through her head, just as she might have missed her only chance at a kiss.
“Let me think on it and get back to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Adam took a breath, glad to be out of the house and into the sun. Late-July heat bore down on him, but he didn’t mind. He needed to see Belinda, talk to her. He walked cautiously across the road, mindful of his steps. Mica was at another auction, Tabitha at the market, so Belinda would be alone today, aside from her grandmother, and Adam was fairly certain Mollie Bender had taken a liking to him. That last casserole alone was signature Mollie, and the chocolate cake made especially for him was like permission to proceed.
When he didn’t find Belinda in the greenhouses as Mollie suggested, Adam knew where to find her. He’d spotted her earlier, dressed in jeans and carrying her veil. She had to be at his mammi’s, checking the hives for the last harvest coming in just a few more weeks. It amazed him how much one woman could accomplish throughout a day. It was a long walk, but he would take his time. His ribs were still sensitive, but he was healing well and Mamm agreed it would lift his mood to go see her. Funny how he didn’t have to tell his mother where he was going, but she knew all the same.
At the base of the hill, he heard it. It sounded like a madman with a bat. Surely those town boys hadn’t returned. Adam picked up his pace just as another clash resounded through the air. With some effort, he reached the crest of the hill where fence separated pasture and parcel, and came to a sudden halt at the scene splayed out before him. Adam knuckled both eyes clear of dust.
Not a madman, but a madwoman, with two large pots, pounding them together as if trying to wake the dead. If this was some adventure of sorts Belinda had bravely talked herself into, some new experience to add to her newfound independence, he wasn’t impressed. In fact, he half wished he hadn’t tried coaxing her at all.
“What in the world are you doing?” he yelled toward her, and began slowly making his way over. Belinda shot up an arm.
“Stop there!” He did, though he hadn’t a clue why. “I found them,” she said, and pointed t
o a section of fencing. Adam looked—and that’s when he realized Mammi’s back gate was no longer a faded rust red peeling with age, but dark, a thousand honey bees dark. His lost swarms.
In this slow-moving summer, he had almost forgotten about the bees that had swarmed off months ago. What were the chances? He shook his head and watched Belinda bang pots together again. She quickly fetched an empty super she must have carried up here, along with the two large pots. The woman truly was stronger than she looked. She nudged the wooden box closer to the gate in deft movements.
“Bee, you can’t think to...” But his words fell on deaf ears. He all but raced to reach her, to stop her from this exercise in blatant stupidity, but by the time Adam drew near, he was gasping in pain, soaked in sweat, and scared to death that the most important person in his life was about to do something terribly stupid while he had no way of stopping her.
“Don’t come any closer. They aren’t very pleased right now.” Adam was none too happy with her either.
“Neither will I be, if you think you are going to capture them. Bee, you’re not even wearing a veil.” He took another slow breath to rein in his nausea.
“I dropped it,” she replied, and then the woman dared to wink at him. Oddly, instead of anger, in that wink, Adam felt the earth move. Spellbound and speechless, and hoping not about to pass out from exertion, he watched her scoop up bees by the handful and lower them into the super. Defenseless to do anything, unable to talk sense into her, he could only watch from twenty feet away, a bystander to her recklessness. How could someone afraid of so much be so fearless?
Halfway through her task, Belinda paused. “Hear that?” she called out to him.
He bent an ear her way, wary and alert. An even hum rose, and soon the rest of the gate became visible as the remaining bees, like obedient soldiers, went straight into the super without any nudging or forcing. It was the most amazing thing Adam had ever witnessed in all his days.
