Pausing in the hall outside the kitchen, she wondered why she was behaving like a teenager on a first date. Pheromones. That’s all it is. Bees have them and so do humans. So calm yourself, girl. There’s work to be done and it can’t be done if you’re fantasizing about your employee.
Mugs of steaming coffee sat on the table next to a stack of toast on a plate. His face lit up as soon as she came into the room. Pheromones, she reminded herself, as she sat across from him and reached for her mug.
“I didn’t know what you’d want with the toast,” he said, studying her face. He gestured to the tub of cream cheese and the jars of jam and peanut butter.
She picked up a knife and began to smear on cream cheese. “This is a treat,” she said. “I usually grab a bowl of cereal and eat it standing by the sink. When Dad’s here, he’s always humming and hawing by the kitchen door, wanting to know why I don’t get up earlier.”
Will laughed. “He sounds like a character.”
“Oh he is, trust me. If you pass the Jack Collins test, you can win over anyone.”
“Even his daughter?” His voice was teasing but his eyes were dead serious.
Annie choked on the toast. “Ha ha,” was her lame response after she managed to swallow.
“So what’s on for today?” he asked, getting down to business.
“What did you finish while I was gone?” She drank her coffee while he talked.
“I set up the bee excluders on all the colonies at the Vanderhoff place and I collected about half of the supers at the McLeans’.”
“Not bad for a beginner.”
“Like I said, I’m in Part Two now.”
He had a nice grin. She wondered what kind of person he’d been before the accident. Already she’d noticed a change in him since the day he’d arrived at the farm.
“The plan for today?” he prompted.
Annie felt her face color. “Get the rest of the supers from the McLeans’ and extract them. Have you been putting the honey into the settling tank?”
“Yes. Wasn’t that the right thing to do?”
“Yes, of course. Just that one of my regular customers is a commercial bakery in Essex. They don’t care if their honey has bits of wax floating in it because it’s used for baking.”
“So we leave it in the buckets for them?”
“The sixty-pound ones. They’ll send a truck to pick them up when we call.”
“And the honey in the settling tank?”
“That goes into jars for retail sale. We’ve got several customers in Essex and the valley. Some shops in Charlotte. Plus, a few locals pick them up to sell at farmers’ markets.”
“Much business competition here?”
“Lots of people keep hives, but we’re the largest apiary in the valley and beyond Essex. Our biggest competitor is a commercial outfit called Sunrise Foods. They supply to the major grocery chains—the Red and White in Essex carries their produce—and to most of the other commercial bakeries. But because we don’t pasteurize our honey, we pick up a lot of the health-food business.”
“Sounds like business is good.”
Annie swallowed the last of her coffee. “It is and it isn’t. The problem is that on one hand, we have more customers than we can supply. We’ve had to reduce the number of our colonies the past two years because Dad and I couldn’t handle three hundred hives. Right now we’ve got about two thirty, and can scarcely manage those without extra help. That’s why we had to hire Danny.” Her heavy sigh underlined her point.
“We’re kind of on the cusp. Too big for the standard Mom-and-Pop thing, and too small to keep up with the demand. We seldom advertise anymore because we can’t physically handle any more customers. Yet we don’t have the cash flow to upgrade the way we should or to hire more help.” She paused, adding as an afterthought, “Even if we could find the help around here. Most people—unless they’re farming—want to work for those big box stores or factories outside the valley.”
“Well I’m available, if you need me.”
He played with the spoon on the table next to his coffee mug. The thing was, she did need him. But she wasn’t quite so ready to admit that she liked his presence. She liked the way he fit right in, making himself at home. She was beginning to like too much about him, which made working together complicated.
“The pay isn’t great,” she said.
“But the perks are.”
That grin again.
He scanned the kitchen, his eyes lingering briefly on her before dropping to his coffee. “Breakfast, maybe a lunch or two in quaint surroundings… Scott Andrews came by early this morning and offered me temporary work with the volunteer unit. Seems one of his men is out of commission.”
He doesn’t want me to see what must be in his face. What he feels about fighting fires again. She wished she could offer some sentiment that would reassure him. Not knowing exactly what had happened to him would make anything she might say incredibly trite.
“Whatever you decide, I’d be very happy to have you stay on here.” She stood to clear the dishes.
“I’ll let you know.” He carried his mug over to the sink where Annie was rinsing the dishes. “Thanks,” he said, without looking at her.
She nodded, unsure what exactly he was thanking her for. “I’ll meet you in the honey barn in about five minutes. Okay?”
“See you there.” Without another look her way he sauntered out the screen door.
Annie watched him go, fighting the impulse to call him back, tilt his head to hers and whisper in his ear that everything would be just fine.
THE SUN BEAT DOWN and seemed to permeate right through to the bone. Annie had to stop several times to blink away sweat dripping from her hairline under her hat. The bees were in a foul mood, too, which didn’t help. She’d smoked them twice and they still clustered around, dive bombing at the mesh around her face. She glanced over at Will, bent over the hive across from her, and wondered if he was experiencing the same difficulty. Judging by the way he kept bobbing his head back and forth, he was. Still, he hadn’t complained.
He was a decent person and sensitive, too. And not in the sappy “new age man” kind of way, but truly aware of what others might be feeling. Considerate. A sense of humor. Sexy. Yes, she had to admit he was sexy. The scar didn’t do anything to diminish his good looks. If anything, it made his appearance more interesting. And…. one caveat. Married?
That tidbit, dropped two days ago, lurked in the back of her mind. Was he still? She doubted it. He wasn’t the type to cheat. Nor the type to run off. So there had to be some kind of separation. And she prayed it was permanent.
Annie stuck her gloved hands into the slots on either side of the super and tugged hard. It was heavy with good clover honey. She could smell it and so could the few dozen bees that hadn’t escaped into the bottom of the hive. They flew in frantic circles around her head and hands.
Gasping, she bent her knees under the weight of the super and duck-walked to the pickup, a few yards away. She propped the end of the super against the lowered flap of the truck and, with as much energy as the heat and the end of the work day allowed, pushed the super against the others.
Before she had a chance to catch her breath and move aside, Will was right behind her. Although he slid his super onto the truck with relatively more ease, she saw that it was a struggle for him, too. Spring weather conditions had been perfect and there would be a good harvest this year. If only they could get it all in.
She hadn’t understated their situation the other night. Jack would rebound after his convalescence, but he’d never be the man he was even ten years ago. And given his unexpected heart complication…
When she’d come home a year ago she’d made it clear to her father that the move was temporary. She’d needed a break from teaching and city life. At least that was the superficial reason, but escaping the painful reminders of Jim Fraser was the main one. So it seemed Ambrosia Apiary’s days were numbered. The question of what A
nnie would do with her life when that point in time arrived was one she’d deferred answering.
She leaned against the back of the truck and glanced at Will. The notion of a future that might include him was appealing.
Will whipped off his hat, wiping his brow with his forearm. “That it?”
Annie nodded, her mouth too dry for speech, and tossed her hat and gloves in with the supers. She opened the passenger door and took out the small cooler, handing Will a bottle of water, and started guzzling hers while unzipping her bee suit. Kicking off the last leg, she stepped clear of the suit and, after another long swallow of water, poured the rest of it over her head. When she looked up, Will was doing the same.
“What I wouldn’t do for a swim about now,” he said, raising his wet head her way. With water beading down his face, he looked like a twelve-year-old boy.
The warmth that flowed through Annie had nothing to do with the sun. “I’m with you,” she said wistfully, mopping her face with the end of her T-shirt. She picked up her suit and threw it into the truck.
“Seriously, is there some place around here to swim? The stream at Rest Haven isn’t very deep.”
“Actually there’s a small lake at the end of it. Well, that’s what we’ve always called it but it’s really just a big pond.”
“No kidding? I walked along the stream quite a ways and never saw it. But wait a sec. I saw that pond from the top of the hill on the highway to Essex. Just before the turnoff to Rest Haven.” He climbed out of his suit, splashed more water on his face and placed everything in the truck.
“How far did you go along the stream?”
“To that farmhouse that looks abandoned but isn’t.”
“Henry Krause’s place?”
“Made the mistake of wandering onto his property without an invite.”
“Did old Henry come roaring out with his shotgun?”
“Guess you know the drill.”
“He’s the valley eccentric. Since his wife died about fifteen years ago, he’s isolated himself more and more.”
“Him and his racing pigeons.”
“You saw the pigeons? He doesn’t usually let people get that far. Must be getting old.” Annie scanned the ground for any tools left behind and opened the driver’s door. “Ready to go?”
“Sure.” He got in and, after Annie turned over the engine, said, “Let’s go for a swim in his pond.”
She glanced across at him to see if he was joking. “You serious?”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to get shot?”
“He’s harmless. Just a bit paranoid. Besides, he told me to come and visit his pigeons anytime.”
“No way.”
“Yeah.” He stared out the windshield. “Looks like we’ve got company.”
Annie turned her head, still trying to register the fact that Will had apparently won over Henry Krause. She saw a man on horseback riding their way. “Bob McLean. He’s probably making his rounds. He likes to ride his land, then if he spots some problem he goes back for the truck.”
“A nice life.”
Annie glanced from him back to Bob. She knew the life Will was referring to wasn’t as romantic as it seemed, though the idea of riding horseback around your property must be appealing. “Well, it gives him the chance to exercise his horses and he can avoid using the truck, cut back on gasoline.”
“I was thinking more in terms of the peace of mind it must give him.”
Annie felt her face warm. She’d lived in the valley too long to be able to look at things from any perspective other than practical.
Bob rode up to her side of the truck. “Morning, Annie. Will. How’s it going?”
“Great. You’ll be getting some good honey this year, Bob.”
“The family will be happy about that. Sorry about the business with Danny.” He shook his head. “Boy’s got to learn to organize himself and finish a job. Anyway, he’s lucky to have the chance to pick up the course he needs for college at summer school. I hope your plans haven’t been tossed about as a result. ’Course—” he ducked his head to aim a smile at Will “—you’ve got some good help here. Even if he is a city slicker.”
Annie’s smile felt forced. She hoped Will didn’t object to the term. “Yes, I do,” was all she said, not daring to look at Will.
“How’s your dad doing?”
“Fine, thanks. He’ll be back in a couple of weeks, maybe sooner.”
“Knowing him, it’ll be sooner.” Then his smile disappeared and he leaned forward in his saddle. “Did you hear there was another fire last night? A place south of Essex. One of the firefighters was injured.”
Annie turned sharply to Will, who was staring straight ahead. Why hadn’t he mentioned the fire to her? Was that the firefighter Will would be filling in for? “No, I hadn’t heard,” she said.
“Not a lot of property damage, but the fact that someone was hurt changes things a bit, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” she said, distracted by Will’s silence. Why didn’t he speak up?
“Well, I’ll let you go. You folks look hot. See you,” he said, tipping the peak of his baseball cap and wheeling the horse around. As he and horse headed toward the pasture on the other side of the beehives, Annie let the pickup coast along the rutted path.
Unable to keep the question inside any longer, she half turned to Will. “Why didn’t you tell me there was another fire last night?”
“I didn’t want to worry you,” he said, his tone casual. “Was that wrong?”
“Well, no,” she blustered defensively. “But obviously the reason Scott Andrews asked you to work for him is because of the man who was injured. Wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
He really was maddening, she thought. Just when he seems to be more open and almost chatty—for him—he pulls a number like this. “I don’t need protecting, Will. Even if I seriously thought this arsonist might be a threat to our place, I wouldn’t be scared about it.” She realized at once how silly that sounded. Weren’t people supposed to be frightened of threats?
His reply made her feel even more foolish. “From what I’ve seen of you, Annie, I hardly think you need protecting. I simply thought you didn’t need anything to add to your concern about your father and…uh…you know.”
She flushed at his less-than-oblique reference to their conversation last night. I knew it was a mistake to confide in someone I don’t really know. The talk ended there, until Annie pulled into the yard at the apiary. She turned off the engine and was about to climb out when he placed his hand on her arm.
“I was going to tell you, Annie. I just got sidetracked by other things.” His eyes held hers. “Let’s go over to ask Henry if we can use his lake or pond or whatever it is right after we’ve finished here. Okay?”
Did she really want to make an issue out of such a small point? “Sure,” she said, trying to sound indifferent.
An hour later she was driving behind Will’s camper van and wondering if she was doing the right thing or not. Did swimming together after work cross the employer-employee line? She knew something was changing between them. Or maybe she was kidding herself to think they’d ever had a standard work relationship. Bosses don’t cry on their employees’ shoulders. Or go swimming in an isolated spot with an employee who’s attractive and sexy.
You’ve already crossed the line, Annie Collins, just thinking like that.
CHAPTER TEN
THEY’D AGREED TO PARK vehicles at Will’s campsite and walk to Henry’s place along the stream.
“Give me one sec,” Will called out as he got out of the van. “I’ll get my swimming trunks.”
Annie climbed out of the truck and stretched. She was reaching inside the cab for her towel when Will stepped out of the van, wearing a pair of dark blue boxer-style swim shorts with a T-shirt.
“All set?” he asked, flicking his towel over one shoulder.
When he reached a grove of willows where the path widened,
he waited for her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “When we get to Krause’s property, I’ll go ahead. I’m a bigger target.”
“Ha-ha,” she said. “I just hope for your sake he’s wearing his eyeglasses.”
“He wears glasses?” Will’s voice pitched.
Annie grinned. “Just kidding.”
“Have you ever swum in the pond?”
“Oh, yeah. Henry used to let people park in his driveway and tramp through his field to get to it. That was when his wife was still alive.”
“Maybe after she died he couldn’t handle seeing other people’s happiness.”
She’d never considered that. But then, fifteen years ago her own world was falling apart. Maybe she and Henry had something in common.
“When I was a teenager,” she said, “we used to have bush parties at Rest Haven. It wasn’t a campground then, but the Waters family still owned it.”
“Yeah? I got the impression from Sam that it was a recent acquisition.”
“New to Sam and his brother, Mike. His father died a year ago and they inherited the land. That’s when they began to turn it into a campground. I’ve heard they have big plans for the place.”
“Some kind of exclusive fishing and hunting outfit. I don’t see it myself. The place is in the middle of nowhere. They’ll be lucky to get regular campers.”
“Sam will have to put in a swimming pool, too, because the stream’s no good for swimming.”
“What about the pond?”
“It’s on Henry Krause’s property and there’s no access to it except through his fields.”
Will stopped to wipe his forehead with the end of his towel. “Too bad. This stretch along the stream is the coolest spot in the whole campground. It’ll be great for trout fishing at least.”
When they reached the barbed wire fence around Henry Krause’s back pasture, Will held it apart for Annie to climb through. They walked through the pasture, overgrown with weeds and wild grasses.
The Beekeeper's Daughter (Harlequin Super Romance) Page 11
