Tansy rolled her eyes—but she was laughing as she turned back to the Junior Beekeepers milling around. “I hear there’s a big end-of-the-year school dance tonight,” she called out. “If we work hard, we will be back here before lunch—with plenty of time to spare.”
A dance?Dane glanced at Leif, who was staring at Kerrielynn, who was counting heads.Was Leif going?
“We’re all here.” Kerrielynn held out her clipboard.
“Let’s load up. My van or Kerrielynn’s. Seat belts on.” Tansy opened the doors on her van. “We’ve got bees to rescue.”
No surprise, Leif was climbing into the front passenger seat with Kerrielynn. Dane knew better than to ride with them—he didn’t want to cramp his little brother’s style. But, by the time he’d made his way back to the Honey Hill Farms van, it was full, too.
“I guess I’ll take my truck? Unless you want me to ride up top.” Dane shrugged, backing up to inspect the top of her van.
“You did say you were going to keep things interesting.” She stood beside him, her head cocked to the side as she assessed the van’s roof. She grinned at him. “If that’s what you want to do. By all means.”
The drive to the Granger place was a little longer but Dane didn’t mind the quiet. He listened to a podcast on a new development in varroa resistant queen rearing. It was interesting stuff. He’d be curious to know what Tansy’s take would be. Knowing her, she’d have a whole slew of opinions.
As soon as they’d unloaded and gathered, Tansy held up her bee suit. “I know there are lots of folk on social media that handle bees without protective gear but I don’t know these bees so I’m going to suit up.” She paused. “Something you should know.Everybeekeeper has their own way of doing things. Whatever works for them and their bees.”
Watching Tansy was torture. She was cute and animated when she was talking bees, and the way she stretched and twisted to dress, well. Her Bee Kind T-shirt hadn’t seemed all that snug, but watching her wiggle into her suit had an instant effect on him. Breathless, heart thumping, head spinning. He had to tear his gaze away so he wouldn’t stare at the soft fabric clinging, just right, to the swell of Tansy’s breasts.
Her gaze met his and she stopped talking. It was a second, no more, but that second was so charged the air between them seemed to vibrate.
Or it’s the bees.
He blew out a slow breath.Why am I standing here?Like he didn’t know how to put on a damn bee suit. He yanked on his jacket and jerked up the zipper, leaving back the hood. If he didn’t get himself together, even the Junior Beekeepers would pick up on his feelings for Tansy.
That brought him up short.Feelings. For Tansy. He took a deep breath.
“If you brought a suit, put it on.” Tansy was talking, oblivious. “If not, Mr. Knudson and I will let you borrow from the extras in the van. And tape—to help keep things sealed up.”
Thankfully, that ordeal took a while—long enough that he couldn’t worry over the revelation that was twisting his gut. There was time to figure that out later, when he wasn’t chaperoning a bunch of kids around a hive of bees.
“I know some of you are getting ready for your level-one beekeepers apprentice test. Who wants to get the smokers ready?” Tansy let Kerrielynn pick a student for the task.
“That’s how they realized there was a problem.” Tansy pointed at the water trough next to the shelter. “Lots of dead bees floating in the water. Anyone know why?”
Oren Diaz nodded and said, “Bees can’t swim.”
“That’s right.” Tansy nodded. “If you want to keep bees, not only do you need to make sure they have access to a water source, you have to keep them from drowning. Anyone have ideas to help this?”
“Corks,” one kid yelled out. Another said, “Chicken wire.” Lastly, “A stick.”
Dane listened to their answers, impressed. Her question-and-answer session had the kids fully engaged by the time they reached the feed shed. “While Mr. Knudson and I see what we’re dealing with, everyone stay put.” The kids made a half circle several feet back while he and Tansy stepped in to scan the space.
Pretty or not, the space between the functional roof and the aesthetic arch they’d added for the mini-barn look was an ideal place for bees to settle in. Dane’s eyes caught on a quarter-size hole along the seam of the wall and roof. “There?”
“That’s it.” Tansy nodded. “Good eye.”
“A compliment? I knew it was going to be an interesting day.” Her soft laugh triggered a surge of warmth in his stomach. A few aggressive puffs of smoke later and he was cutting into the ceiling planking. He climbed up the heavy-duty three-step stool and peered inside the hole to better assess the situation. “I know bees are master architects but I still marvel at what they’re capable of.”
“Careful, Dane. You almost sound like youcareabout the bees.” Tansy stood beside the ladder, smiling up at him.
“Wouldn’t that be something?” He carefully cut the honeycomb into large pieces, gave it a once-over, and handed it to Tansy. Tansy took the comb, used rubber bands to secure it in an empty frame and slid the frame into the nuc box that would keep them safe to transport the bees to their new home. She’d pause now and then, waving the kids closer to point things out or ask them if they saw anything special on a certain frame.
“No queen?” Dane handed down another piece of comb.
“Not yet.” Tansy peered up into the hole. “I’ll find it.”
“You’ll find it?” Dane chuckled. “Not if I find her first.”
