The Sweetest Thing, page 10
What the hell was wrong with him? This was just Tansy. But why the getup? The snug shirt—and her arms crossed—had some sort of magnetic hold on him. He was trying not to look or remember just how soft she’d felt pressed against him long, long ago. Trying, and failing.
He swallowed but the tightness of his throat didn’t ease one bit. He preferred her sassy ponytail and baggy coveralls and biting comments. That Tansy, he knew how to handle.
Her head swiveled his way, eyebrows raised in question, making her earring sway. A little honeypot earring dangled from one ear and a honeybee dangled from the other.
His attention lingered on her throat, all his hard-fought memories dragging him back to a time when he’d run his nose along her neck. Her skin had been so soft.
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
Her glossy, full lip. Dammit all.
Those big mossy-green eyes studied him long enough to make his insides warm. “Dane?” she whispered.
“What?” He crumpled up the napkin he’d been gripping and tossed it into the trash can, fighting back a flare of irritation at himself. Those thoughts were best left in the past. He tried to focus on the red spot on her cheek, not the rest of her. “Did you get stung?”
Tansy ignored the question, her eyes narrowing. “I get the feeling Leif doesn’t want to be here.”
“That’s very perceptive.” Way to play nice. Dane reached for another cookie and nodded toward the table. “Nice napkins. Your contribution?”
“Kerrielynn brought them. You know, if Leif doesn’t want to be here and you have something else you need to do, I can handle this.”
Dane swallowed his bite of cookie. “Are you offering to run these meetings yourself, Miss Hill?” If he was smart, he’d thank her and leave. He had enough to do as it was.
She seemed to ponder her reply. “It would be for the best, don’t you think?”
Definitely. But if he accepted her offer, was he...admitting defeat? Or worse, would he owe Tansy Hill? “As much as I’d like to accept your generous offer, I can’t.” His sarcasm was anything but subtle.
“Why not?” Her disappointment was comical—and at the same time not funny at all.
He resisted the urge to remind her that he had just as much knowledge and experience as she did. There was no point. It wasn’t about his beekeeping knowledge or whether or not he was of value to the club. It was entirely about her not wanting him here and him worrying over her motivation. “I gave my word to Everett and Lorna that I’d help out,” Dane grumbled, glancing at his brother. “Besides, it’ll be good for Leif.” Leif would come around. “Whether he likes it or not.”
Tansy’s laugh was soft, and it caught him so off guard that he found himself staring at her. Most of her laughter was at his expense. At the moment, she looked and sounded...sympathetic. “Leif needs this. Something good. Like friends that don’t cause trouble or get into fights.” He sucked in a deep breath. Why was he sharing with Tansy, of all people?
Tansy looked as startled as he was, but she nodded. “It’s hard being the oldest sibling. Watching them make mistakes instead of listening to your advice or asking for help? But you can’t give up.”
Dane forced his gaze from Tansy to Leif, mulling over her words. Leif didn’t want to hear a thing he said, could barely tolerate him. But I won’t give up.
She sounded almost pained as she added, “You’re a good brother, Dane.”
Dane went back to staring at her. As nice as it was, all sorts of mental red flags popped up.
“You’re really going to stick around?” She turned, looking up at him. “Do this Junior Beekeepers thing with me?” Her eyes looked emerald green underneath the fluorescent lights of the barn.
He nodded, his throat too tight to answer. Try as he might, he was having a hell of a time ignoring the hair and the shirt and the lip gloss and her sparkly earrings swaying against the long curve of her neck. She wasn’t just sexy. She was pretty—even prettier than she had been back in high school. Thankfully, he was older and a good deal wiser. He took a deep breath, preparing to say something he’d never, ever planned to say to her. “I think it would be in everyone’s best interest if we—you and me—call a truce.”
Tansy took a deep breath but, slowly, she began to nod. “I see.”
“When it comes to anything Junior Beekeepers related, of course.” He couldn’t help but grin.
“Of course.” Her eyes flashed when they met his. “I know it will be a challenge...”
The fire in her eyes had his heart tripping over itself. “Not really. I can behave, Miss Hill.” Was he goading her? Yes. Was he enjoying it? Hell, yes.
Her eyes narrowed. “I’m glad to hear that, Mr. Knudson.” She held her hand out. “Shall we shake on it?”
He was still grinning as he took her hand and gave it a solid shake. But once she’d let go and the Junior Beekeepers meeting was called to order, Dane was no longer grinning. Each time she smiled or laughed or spoke with her hands, she made the hollow ache in his stomach harder to ignore. Worse, his palm still tingled from their brief contact. No matter how hard he rubbed his hand against his jeans, he couldn’t erase the feel of her touch.
CHAPTER SIX
THE ELGINSTON SPRING & FIDDLE FEST was always a fun event. Elginston was a tiny town twenty minutes down the road but still within Lewis County. The town had bragging rights as the birthplace of some 1930s genius bluegrass fiddler, and every May, fiddlers from far and wide came to play and compete in Fiddle Fest. It was one of Tansy’s favorite festivals because it boasted not only a wide array of handcrafted items for sale and yummy food, but world-class music, too.
Another reason she was so partial to it? The organizer always made sure to put Honey Hill Farms booth far from Texas Viking Honey—if the Knudsons even participated.
“I doubt they’ll be here,” Nicole said again, handing the last of the beeswax candles to Astrid.
“It doesn’t matter one way or the other.” Tansy stowed the cash box in the large tote by her feet, refusing to make eye contact for fear Nicole and Astrid would call her on her outright lie. Was it so wrong to wish Dane Knudson wouldn’t turn up so she wasn’t distracted for most of the day? Lorna had said Dane had grown up some but Tansy hadn’t believed it. And then the Junior Beekeepers meeting had happened. Not only had he proposed a truce, there was that moment of understanding between them. It had been one hundred percent unexpected and surprisingly nice. After all that, she needed...space.
“She and Dane have called a truce.” Astrid stepped back. “How does it look?”
But Nicole wasn’t looking at Astrid’s artful display, she was staring—open-mouthed—at Tansy. “What? When?” She blinked her sparkly eyelids—she was playing with new makeup looks to complement her new purple streaks. “How?”
“It’s the right thing to do.” Even if she’d felt unsettled ever since. “For Junior Beekeepers meetings only.”
“Oh.” Nicole wrinkled up her nose. “Huh. How...mature of you both.” She shrugged. “I meant to tell you, Benji had the best time. You two know I love my son more than anything, but I can’t help worrying about him—he’s all sorts of awkward. He gets it from his dad.”
Nicole and her high school sweetheart had become parents when they were barely fourteen. Even though they’d outgrown their relationship, they’d remained friends and seemed to have figured out the whole co-parenting thing. Benji Svoboda was indeed awkward, but in the most endearing way. He was quiet but eager to help and all around sweet.
“He sure knows his honey.” Tansy had a soft spot for anyone who shared her enthusiasm for bees and honey. And boy was Benji enthusiastic.
Nicole nodded. “I know. If you guys decide to hire some extra help this summer for the honey flow, Benji would probably do it for free.”
Tansy and Astrid exchanged a look. At the moment, free was just about all they could afford.
“My oh my, look at this.” Ida Popplewell inspected Astrid’s carefully arranged display. She and her husband, Waylon, owned and operated the local bakery. No matter the festival, their booth was always one of the first to sell out. Resisting one of their delectable pastries or breakfast confections was all but impossible. “It’s prettier than a picture out of Better Homes and Gardens or Southern Living, that’s for sure.” She smoothed the front of her croissant-and-muffin-print apron. “I was telling Corliss Ogden just the other day that you’d be a wonderful interior decorator, Astrid—if Honey Hill Farms ever closed up, that is.”
Tansy’s heart tightened. None of the Bee Girls dared air their precarious financial situation with anyone. Gossip in a small town spread like wildfire and could be just as devastating.
“Not that that will ever happen.” Ida chuckled. “You girls are just as devoted to those bees as your Poppa Tom was.”
Astrid took Tansy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I best get back to my own tent, quick-like, or Waylon will get all sorts of grumpy and chase away our customers.” She paused. “If you see Willadeene or Corliss, you send them my way, won’t you? They missed the last Honey Bee Ladies Society meeting—going to some concert—and I need to catch them all up.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Astrid nodded, holding out a jar of their creamed wildflower honey. “I know it’s your favorite so I set a jar aside—in case.”
“Oh, Astrid, you are a thoughtful one, aren’t you?” Ida took the jar. “It is my absolute favorite. And I know there won’t be a jar left if I come back later.” She grinned, handed over a ten-dollar bill, tucked the creamed honey into the pocket of her apron and bustled down the aisle between the rows of vendor tents.
“Look at you making bank.” Nicole gave Astrid a thumbs-up. “You’re a natural-born salesperson, Astrid Hill.”
Astrid grinned. “I knew she’d want a jar.” She shrugged, turning to Nicole. “Your mom and Corliss went to a concert instead of the Honey Bee Ladies Society meeting?”
“Right?” Nicole shook her head, purple hair shaking, too. “Mom leaving Honey? Possibly missing out on the next big scandal? It’s unheard of, I know.”
Tansy and Astrid exchanged a look. Willadeene did love to gossip. Aunt Camellia said the woman had an uncanny ability to sniff out scandal wherever she went. Tansy thought it was more likely that Willadeene excelled at stirring things up and spreading the word. Either way, Tansy did her best to stay clear of the woman.
“But luckily, nothing big happened so she didn’t resent Corliss forcing her to go to Austin.” Nicole tucked a strand of purple hair back. “Somehow they scored tickets to some Pink Floyd laser show thing.”
Tansy paused and glanced at her sister, who was staring at Nicole.
So I’m not hearing things. “What?” Tansy couldn’t help but grin at the idea of Willadeene Svoboda and Corliss Ogden and her mile-high hair swaying in time to Pink Floyd.
“Oh, don’t let that Corliss Ogden fool you. She might be all buttoned-up and stacked hairpieces but,” Nicole whispered, “she’s a handful.” Nicole loved her mother but didn’t approve of all the gossiping.
“Corliss Ogden?” Astrid shook her head. “The high school secretary?”
“The very same.” Nicole grinned. “According to Mom, Corliss’s got quite a handsome fellow in the city, too. Mom says he was downright dreamy. Almost like Robert Redford. And he’s younger than Corliss.”
“Corliss?” Astrid looked more stunned than ever. “Corliss Ogden?”
Tansy giggled, trying to imagine Corliss Ogden and her Robert Redford–like younger boyfriend out on the town. “I’m going to need a minute to process this new development.” She shook her head, noting Astrid’s nod. “I wonder who else is living a secret life?” Tansy peered around the growing sea of tents and canopies with narrowed eyes.
“Oh, and Mom said something about seeing your aunt Mags’s doppelgänger at the gas station on the way out of town. Like she went on and on about how it was like looking at Magnolia twenty years ago or something. She was totally fixated on it. I mean, it’s weird, but not life-altering, you know. Everyone has one. A doppelgänger, I mean. What’s the big deal?” Nicole rolled her eyes. “But my mom is...my mom.”
Tansy chuckled. Talking to Nicole was always an adventure.
“Back to the secret life thing. If anyone had one and I knew, I’d tell you—you know that. Y’all know everything I know.” Nicole did overshare with Tansy and Astrid and the aunts from time to time, but she kept her circle of confidantes to just the Hill women. She said that, due to her mother and her mother’s friends’ constant need for drama, the only people she truly trusted lived on Honey Hill Farms. “Then again, I didn’t know a thing about this truce between you and Dane so I guess there might be some secrets to learn yet.”
“It’s not a secret.” Tansy didn’t want to make this into a thing. It wasn’t.
She hoped their handshake would prevent things from going horribly wrong during their Junior Beekeepers leadership turn. And, after the handshake, he had behaved. Actually, he’d been...quiet and broody. More like Leif than the Dane she was used to. By the end of the night, she’d been on edge and jumpy and scrambling, unsuccessfully, for a new way to convince him to let her handle the meetings on her own.
Astrid draping an arm over her shoulders gave Tansy a start. “I’m proud of you. I can only imagine how difficult it is—between his expansion plans and the way he lives to press your buttons.”
“Too bad he’s pressing the wrong ones.” Nicole twined a strand of hair around one finger. “Can you imagine? Pressing your buttons—the right buttons, that is—with those giant Viking hands. Oh, hmm, or being squished against that muscled-up wall of a chest?” Her exaggerated wink was overkill.
“Nicole!” Tansy squeaked. Not only had she imagined it, she’d experienced it. She’d tried to forget, tried to keep all the tender memories of Dane locked away, for self-preservation. It hadn’t worked. His chest may not have been as wall-like back then, but she remembered being squished against him and how amazing it had felt to be held in his arms.
Thanks to Nicole, she was caught up in a tidal wave of heart-pounding Dane-memories. Like his large hands pressing her back or cradling her cheek. The tender look in his oh so blue eyes that had made her insides go soft and warm.
It was all too easy to imagine being held against him now, in all his brawny manliness. His touch. He’d smell good, he’d always smelled good... Considering how toe curling his kiss had been in the past, she didn’t want to consider how she’d respond to one of his kisses today...
Stop. What was wrong with her? Astrid and Nicole were right there, watching her. Her cheeks were flaming—they’d notice and jump to all sorts of conclusions. And they’d be right. An unexpected giggle slipped out. Between the increasing pressure on her chest and her inability to get him—and those images—out of her head, her laughter was beginning to sound rather unhinged.
“He is hot.” Nicole fanned herself, her grin full of mischief as she nudged Astrid. “Even you won’t deny that.”
So what? Hot or not, Dane was Dane. Just no.
The concern on Astrid’s face helped Tansy snap out of it.
“Um, whatever. You are being...plain ridiculous.” Tansy forced a smile. She didn’t want anything to do with Dane—she certainly didn’t want anything to do with his hands or his broad chest or any other part of him.
Nicole spoke quickly, “And he’s—”
“Nicole,” she sighed, picked up an empty wood crate and turned, plowing into the poor person who had the misfortune of being right behind her.
“Right there,” Nicole murmured.
“Oh, I’m so...” Tansy sputtered to a stop. No. Couldn’t she catch even the slightest break?
“Sorry?” Dane gripped her shoulders and frowned down at her. “Yeah. Ow.” He released her and rubbed the center of his chest, right where the corner of the wooden crate had slammed into him.
“Yes. I am.” Tansy wasn’t going to stare at him or his hands or his chest. “I didn’t see you,” she breathed, glancing at her sister and Nicole.
Nicole’s mouthed Sorry might have helped—if she wasn’t smiling.
“Glad to hear it wasn’t on purpose.” But the usual teasing wasn’t there. If anything, Dane sounded snippy.
“Why would I...” She broke off. “Of course, it wasn’t on purpose.”
His dismissive snort was all kinds of infuriating.
She glared up at him, braced and ready—but he wasn’t even looking at her. He was scanning the growing city of canopies for something or someone. “It might help if you watch where you’re going.”
His blue eyes locked with hers. “Something tells me you’d have found a way.” Impatience rolled off him in waves.
She gripped the wooden crate so tightly there was a good chance she’d be using tweezers to pull out splinters later. “A way to what? Wound you?”
“Wound? No. Irritate and inconvenience?” He shrugged. “Something like that.”
Dane was always hurling teasing, yet barbed, insults at Tansy but this was different. Mean and outright nasty. There was no sign of his condescending smile or gleeful sarcasm. In his eyes there was...anger. When his attention returned to scouring the crowd, Tansy took a deep breath.
“Um...” Astrid’s flustered expression didn’t help.
“What’s up, Dane? You’re not your usual charming self.” Nicole smiled.
It was Dane’s turn to take a long, deep breath. He rolled his neck, a long blond strand of hair falling along his face, before giving Nicole a pinched smile. “Not a thing.”
Which is a bald-faced lie. “Perusing the competition before things get started?” Tansy set the wooden crate down. “I didn’t see a Texas Viking Honey booth.”
