Lily thought she might burst with gratitude. Dan didn’t even know the meaning of inconvenient, while it seemed to be one of Paul’s favorite words.
He cleared his throat. “I probably should have turned around once I saw you to the bridge, but I came all the way, just to be sure. I got to the end of the lane just as Bitsy stormed out of the house with her shotgun.”
Bitsy propped her elbow on the island and rested her chin in her hand. “Even though you can be a pest, Dan Kanagy, I’m glad you came when you did. You scared that boy away.”
“You don’t need me when you have a shotgun,” Dan insisted. “I was mostly useless.”
“I would never call you useless, Dan Kanagy,” Aunt Bitsy mumbled. Aunt Bitsy couldn’t bring herself to give a compliment in full voice.
Still, Lily felt that compliment down to her bones. Dan was anything but useless, to her family and to her. He was fast becoming one of the most important people in her life. Could she muster the courage to tell him that? And would he reject her for all her past mistakes, the biggest one being Paul Glick? He certainly had every right to question her judgment.
“I’m glad I came,” Dan said, “even if it’s only so you know that I want to help any way I can. It wonders me if we should call the police.”
The police? It wasn’t the Amish way to involve the police in anything. Dan must really be worried.
“I don’t want my girls in danger,” Aunt B said. “I will think on that.”
“My dat knows the county sheriff,” Dan said. “Just say the word, and I will talk to him. In the meantime, I hate to be a pest, but I want to spend more time here.” He gazed at Lily with those deep brown eyes that always made her a little breathless. “I know I promised to quit bothering you, but would you allow me to come tomorrow morning and help you load up the honey to take to Glick’s Market? I know there’s a lot of it, and I hate to think of you sisters loading all that honey by yourselves.”
Lily’s heart swelled as wide and as deep as Lake Michigan. How could she ever hope to deserve so much kindness? In a moment of pure joy and sheer insanity, she threw her arms around Dan’s neck right where he sat, and laid a kiss smack on those uncertain lips.
She caught him completely off guard. He stiffened momentarily before standing up and pulling her with him, their lips still firmly attached. He wrapped his arms tentatively around her waist and tugged her closer. She felt dizzy as stars and fireworks and parades danced around in her head. Aunt B and her sisters stood not eight feet away, but all she wanted to do was savor the feel of Dan’s arms around her and the sensation of his lips on hers. He felt so warm and alive, his heartbeat so strong and vital, as if he carried spring with him wherever he went.
They parted, both dazed and completely out of breath. The look of surprise on Dan’s face was priceless. She probably could have knocked him over with a stiff puff of air.
Someone standing near the fridge cleared her throat. Lily and Dan slowly turned their heads in Aunt B’s direction. Flanked by Rose and Poppy, she stood with her arms folded firmly across her chest and her mouth pressed into a line of indignation.
Dan took two steps backward, glancing at the shotgun in its usual place against the wall. His gaze traveled to Lily’s face. “Fright has made you delirious,” he said.
Giggling, Lily responded by putting her arms around his waist. He raised his hands as if Aunt B were pointing the shotgun at him. Rose and Poppy looked like their eyes might pop out of their heads. Aunt B narrowed her gaze, but Lily thought she might have caught a glint of amusement in her eyes.
“I have good news,” Lily said, smiling so wide she thought her lips might break. “You might be surprised to hear that Paul is not paying us enough for our honey. I’ve decided to sell it to Carole Parker. And it’s all thanks to Dan.”
Rose beamed, Poppy gave a loud cheer, and Aunt B didn’t change her expression. The honey price was secondary to the fact that her niece had her arms around a boy in plain sight in her own kitchen.
Dan risked Aunt B’s wrath by sliding his arms around Lily and pulling her way too close. He gazed down at Lily, his expression overflowing with tenderness. “Are you sure it’s what you want?”
She got on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms good and tight around his neck. “I finally figured out that Paul and I are a terrible match. It’s over between us.”
Dan caught his breath and his face lit up like a brilliant sunrise. He immediately pulled her closer and kissed her thoroughly. Every cell in her body came to life as his lips touched hers.
In her distant consciousness, she heard loud and soft whispers and even louder footsteps. Aunt B made a muffled protest as it sounded as if her sisters were dragging her up the stairs.
Lily giggled with her lips still firmly pressed to Dan’s. Aunt B was not one to go quietly.
Dan pulled away from her and smiled. “I think I’m growing on her.”
“Like mold.”
He chuckled. “If it weren’t for mold, we’d never be able to make cheese.” As if he couldn’t bear to keep away, he kissed her again, with more tenderness than Lily could have imagined possible. She felt the strength of his heartbeat against hers.
So much love. So much happiness.
His lips were inches from hers when he whispered, “Marry me, Amtrak?”
Her heart thumped a wild rhythm. She finally understood the deep affection behind that word. “Jah,” she whispered back.
His eyes got moist, and his smile got sort of fuzzy. “I knew I’d have more of a chance if I asked while you were still delirious.”
“I don’t think I’ll stop being delirious for the rest of my life.”
Dan glanced over at the window seat, where Farrah Fawcett lounged like a princess. “Farrah Fawcett, is it all right with you if I marry Lily?”
Farrah Fawcett lifted her head and condescended to give them a curt meow before averting her eyes and pretending she didn’t know them.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said. Once more he kissed her. It was glorious and achingly insufficient at the same time. From the warm thrumming of her pulse to the effervescent energy that traveled through her body, she might have been a bird about to take flight.
She suddenly understood why her aunt frowned on kissing. They’d have to stop soon or Aunt B would be waving that shotgun around with great energy yet.
There was so much more to tell Dan and her family. So much to apologize for. So much to rejoice in.
Aunt B would have to know about Paul’s threat of shunning. It was the only thing that marred the perfection of Lily’s happiness.
But all that could wait. Tonight, with Dan’s arms around her and his love securely tucked inside her heart, it was enough.
With or without Farrah Fawcett’s approval.
Chapter Thirty
Lily, her sisters, and Aunt Bitsy surrounded the island and formed the popcorn into small balls with their butter-coated hands. They only made Rose’s honey and vanilla popcorn balls on very special occasions, and today was most certainly an extra special occasion. This morning Dan had showed up with Carole, and Carole had brought her pickup truck to take every last pint of honey they had except for the fifteen gallons they kept for themselves for baking.
Carole had written out a big check, with a promise to buy more honey as soon as they extracted later in the fall.
That alone was cause for celebration, not to mention the little matter of Lily getting engaged to Dan last night. Poppy wanted to throw a party. They settled for popcorn balls and maybe Scrabble, if Dan didn’t run away in horror at the very suggestion.
Plus a new mousetrap. Dan had promised to bring a foolproof mousetrap when he came tonight.
Poppy finished forming a popcorn ball and placed it on the wax paper, grinning smugly at Lily. “Tell me again how red Paul’s face got when you said you weren’t going to marry him.”
“Now, Priscilla,” Aunt B scolded. “It isn’t nice to dwell on another person’s misfortun
es.”
“I feel sorry for him,” Rose said. “To lose Lily must have been very painful.” She shook her head. “But I’m not sorry enough to wish him back.”
Lily smiled. Being free of the fear of Paul’s disapproval made her giddy. She felt as if she’d finally crawled out of the hole she’d been living in for eight years. She wanted to lift her hands to the sky and shout.
They heard a firm knock, and Lily rushed to the door. Dan stood on her porch holding an apple box and looking so handsome Lily didn’t know what to do with herself.
His smile was fast becoming her favorite sight in the world. “Hey, Amtrak,” he said, sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine. “Is Bitsy here?”
“Jah. Inside.”
“Too bad,” he said in mock disappointment. “I was going to kiss you.”
“I heard that,” Aunt B said. “Don’t even think about it.”
Dan grinned and stepped over the threshold. “I wouldn’t dream of kissing Lily in front of you, Bitsy. It’s more fun behind your back.”
Bitsy gave Dan the evil eye. “You can’t pull one over on me. I see everything.”
“I like your new tattoo,” Dan said, setting his box on the table.
Today Aunt B sported a tiny green-and-yellow snake on her right forearm. It looked quite intimidating.
“Denki,” Aunt Bitsy said. “Snakes eat mice, you know. I’m hoping for some good karma.”
Lily had no idea what good karma was. Maybe she was another one of Aunt B’s movie stars.
Rose gave Dan a sisterly peck on the cheek. “What did you bring us?”
Dan tapped on his box. “This is the last mousetrap you’ll ever need,” he said, winking at Lily.
Aunt Bitsy waved her hand dismissively. “Well, Dan Kanagy, I don’t have much faith in you, but let’s have a look.”
He took the lid off the box, reached inside, and scooped out a . . . cat—the ugliest cat Lily had ever seen—a black-and-white cat with unruly fur and lopsided whiskers and one ear split right down the middle. Its right eye only opened halfway, and part of its tail was missing, as if it had seen a lot of street fights in its day. The half-open eye was yellow and the other eye was light green. A deep scar ran down one side of its mouth lifting its lip from its teeth permanently.
The cat scowled at the humans and hissed at Farrah Fawcett. Farrah Fawcett gave Dan a huffy sneer, jumped from her window seat, and ran, actually ran, from the room and up the stairs. Lily didn’t know how this new cat would be with mice, but Farrah Fawcett seemed a little concerned.
Aunt B scowled in disgust. “Really, Dan Kanagy, really? Haven’t we got enough stray cats around here?”
“Now, Bitsy,” Dan said. “Roger Gordon, my farmer friend down the road, has had this cat since he was a kitten. Roger says he’s a born hunter. He hasn’t seen a mouse in his barn for years.”
Bitsy lifted a suspicious eyebrow. “Then why is he willing to part with such a cat?”
“He has two other cats, and his grandchildren are terrified of this one. So I offered to take him. He’ll have your place cleared of mice in a matter of weeks.”
The cat sat in Dan’s arms and glared at his new family. He’d probably be able to rid them of squirrels, rabbits, and small raccoons as well.
Rose puckered her lips and spoke directly to the cat. “Oh, you’re adorable, you poor little thing.” She took him from Dan’s arms and cuddled him like a baby. “Don’t you worry. We’ll take good care of you.”
Aunt Bitsy wiped the butter from her hands. “Now, Rose, don’t get attached. We’re not keeping him.”
“Of course we’re keeping him,” said Rose. “This poor kitty needs a place where he’ll be loved.”
“He won’t be loved here,” Aunt Bitsy insisted.
“Aunt Bitsy,” Rose said, her eyes wide with childlike faith, “we can’t give him back now. The grandkids don’t like him. He needs a place where he’ll feel acceptance.” She scratched the sparse fur on the top of the cat’s head. “Welcome to the family, kitty. We love you.”
Aunt B’s glare could have peeled the orange paint off the barn door. “Dan Kanagy, you have brought me nothing but a big, fat headache. I’ve a mind to get out my shotgun.”
Dan smiled and backed away from Aunt B’s wrath. “Now, Bitsy, remember that I am engaged to Lily, and she would be very sad if you murdered me.”
Aunt B narrowed her eyes. “On a scale of one to ten, Lily, how sad would you be? It might be worth it.”
Lily laughed. “Oh, Aunt B. Don’t you think we could keep him for a few days to see if he’ll catch our mouse?”
Aunt B sighed dramatically. “All right, he can stay. But he’s going straight back to the Gordons if he proves as useless as Farrah Fawcett.”
“He’s never going back,” insisted Rose.
Aunt B threw up her hands in surrender and looked heavenward to talk to Gotte. “You’ve brought the Apocalypse upon us.”
Rose giggled, then snuggled the new cat against her chin. “What should we name him?”
“How about Dandelion?” Dan said. “You’ve got a lot of them around here.”
Aunt Bitsy’s upper lip twitched. “You should know, for as many as you’ve trampled.”
“What about Charcoal?” Poppy said.
Aunt B propped her hands on her hips. “I’m the one who has to put up with this animal. I should be the one to name it.”
Dan nodded. “Fair enough. What would you like to call him?”
Aunt B took the cat from Rose and met him face-to-face. “There’s only one name for this cat. We’re calling him Billy Idol.”
Please turn the page for some sweet recipes from the Honeybee Sisters!
Rose’s Honey Lavender Ice Cream
Note from Rose: This is a yummy, different ice cream that Aunt Bitsy loves but Farrah Fawcett turns up her nose at, even when it’s melted. If you like a stronger lavender taste, you can use up to ¼ cup of dried lavender. I like just a hint.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk (2% or whole is fine)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup honey
½ Tbsp. dried lavender
4 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. vanilla
Bring the milk, cream, honey, and lavender to a gentle boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. I add the lavender when I remove the milk mixture from the heat instead of boiling it with the other ingredients, but either way is fine.
Remove from the heat and let steep for ten to fifteen minutes. Strain out the lavender petals and let cool a bit.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm milk mixture, whisking as you pour. This helps warm the eggs slowly so they don’t cook when you add them to the hot liquid.
Pour the warmed eggs back into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture. This mixture is now called custard because of the eggs. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (five to ten minutes).
Strain again into a bowl to make sure you got all the lavender pieces. Set the bowl of custard over a large bowl of ice water. Stir the custard until cool, then cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (three hours or overnight).
Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and invite Dan Kanagy over to do the crank turning. This ice cream is creamy and smooth and pleasantly soft. It doesn’t freeze very hard because it uses honey instead of sugar.
The vanilla adds a lovely color, and the ice cream is a very pretty beige. The lavender doesn’t add any color. I really like watching the little lavender pieces floating on top of the milk mixture, and the smell, while it cooks, is delightful.
Aunt Bitsy’s Honey Curry Chicken
Note from Bitsy: This recipe makes two chicken breasts. If you want more, you’ll have to double it, and since you can read this recipe, I assume you know how to double everything for yourself. Don’t overcook or you’ll end up with a pool of
blackened honey at the bottom of your pan.
Ingredients:
¼ cup melted butter (margarine might work too,
but I hate margarine, so you’re on your own)
¼ cup prepared yellow mustard
½ teaspoon curry powder
½ cup honey
½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together and pour over two raw chicken breasts. Bake for one hour (or until chicken is cooked through) at 350 degrees. Serve over rice.
Lily’s Bienenstich Cake (Bee Sting Cake)
Note from Lily: Aunt B thinks this cake is too much trouble to make, but it’s so delicious and so perfect for special occasions that I think it’s worth the effort. The cake is very dense and moist, but it’s the cream filling and the almond topping that make this cake so wunderbarr. I think it’s called Bee Sting Cake because it is so sweet that the bees want to eat it.
Cake
1¼ tsp. active dry yeast
¾ cup whole milk, warmed just over room
temperature with 1 Tbsp. honey added
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 cup bread flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
Honey-Almond Topping
9 Tbsp. unsalted butter
⅓ cup plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar
4½ Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
1½ cups (4 ¾ ounces) sliced almonds
3 pinches of sea salt
Pastry Cream Filling
Sweet as Honey Page 32
