between them remained strained at best.
During the day they worked side by side reorganizing
the depleted hives. But she rarely spoke to him, and the
silence elongated, increasing tension and pushing Kael to
the limit of his endurance. When he tried to make light
conversation, she answered him in monosyllables, if at all.
Eventually he gave up trying to get her attention and con-
centrated on strengthening the bond between himself and
Travis.
She’ll come around, he assured himself, but deep down
inside, he was beginning to wonder. Would their marriage
go on like this for eternity? How long could he withstand
her cold shoulder before he turned to warmer climates?
In truth, he loved her more now than ever. Observing
her in action brought him to understand exactly what she’d
sacrificed for his son over the years. Too bad Daisy went
at life with such serious resolve. If only there was some
way to break through the barrier she’d erected around her-
self and her emotions. For Kael knew that underneath that
hard shell resided the most tender of hearts. A heart so
vulnerable, so fragile she refused to allow anyone near for
fear of getting hurt again.
And he’d been the cause of so much of her pain.
That knowledge was the one thing that kept him holding
on, clinging to the hope that one day Daisy would give her
love free rein, forgive him his sins and welcome him back
home with open arms. Until then, he could do nothing but
wait.
At night Kael slept in the spare bedroom, fighting grow-
ing thoughts of how things could be between them. Tor-
turing himself with visions of Daisy, her dark red hair flow-
ing freely down her back, her slender, well-built body
encased in a thin white cotton nightgown, he imagined her
slipping into his room at midnight, her pent-up passion, so
hot and deep, spilling over him in erotic waves. He pictured
them making love on the cool, crisp sheets, their bodies
joined, their perspiration mingled as they raised each other
to heretofore undiscovered heights of ecstasy.
In the end, he was only driving himself crazy because
Daisy showed no signs of giving in. He tried every tactic—
kind words, thoughtful gifts, generous gestures. He ran her
bathwater at night—she never thanked him. He cooked
breakfast—she ate without a word. He washed dishes—she
didn’t notice. Nothing worked.
Kael racked his brain, striving for some way to crack her
brick wall and make her take a second look at him. Finally,
three weeks after their marriage, he simply decided to ig-
nore her.
“We need to recolonize the eight hives near the stock
pond,” Daisy announced one Saturday morning while Kael
and Travis sat on the couch, still in their pajamas, eating
sugar-frosted com flakes and watching Saturday morning
cartoons. “Boss Martin called to say the new queens have
arrived. I’m going to the feed store to pick them up.” She
stared at them, a gleam of envy in her eyes.
She’s jealous, Kael thought, of how close Travis and I
have become in such a short period of time.
“I’ll be back in half an hour, and I expect you both to
be dressed and off the couch.” She twirled the truck keys
on her finger.
“Aw, Mom,” Travis complained.
“Don’t ‘aw, Mom’ me.” Her brows dipped in a frown.
“Or I’ll turn the TV off this very minute.”
“Daisy, don’t be such a grouch,” Kael coaxed. “Relax,
it’s Saturday morning.”
“The bees don’t know what day of the week it is,” she
replied. “I’ve got a lot of work to do. Unlike some people,
I don’t have time to fritter away the day watching car-
toons.” She placed a heavy emphasis on the last word.
She seemed sad and lonely to Kael. He ached to reach
out to her and draw her into their circle of love, but the
firm set to her shoulders warned him off. Oh, Daisy, if
you ’d only let yourself, you could be curled up with us, too!
Without a backward glance, she scooped up her purse
from the wing chair and stalked from the room. Kael
winced, put his empty cereal bowl on the coffee table and
ran a hand down his face.
loving spirit when he’d inadvertently slept with Rose?
Daisy, Daisy, Daisy, how can I reach you? Kael fretted.
The answer floated to him, simple and true.
Tell her you love her.
He hadn’t told her he loved her before now because he
knew she wouldn’t believe him. For Daisy, words weren’t
enough. She had to be shown. When she came to accept
the fact he was never going to leave, then she’d come
around.
What if she never did?
That idea, glaring in its possibility, wrenched his gut. No.
He refused to give up. He’d keep at her until she under-
stood the depth of his love.
“Come on, sport,” Kael said, affectionately ruffling
Travis’s hair. “Let’s make your mom happy.” He picked
up the remote control and snapped off the television set.
“Okay.” Travis sprang off the couch. “Maybe we can
go outside and fly my new Batman kite before she gets
home.”
Kael glanced out the window. “I don’t know if it’s
windy enough.”
“Please?” Travis turned his hazel eyes on Kael and
melted him instantly.
“Okay, champ, we’ll give it a shot.” Kael clapped his
hands. “Now, let’s get rolling.”
Driving back from the feed store, a dozen boxes of caged
queen bees wedged securely in the bed of Kael’s pickup
truck, Daisy mentally castigated herself for her sour atti-
tude. Since her so-called marriage to Kael Carmody, she’d
been on edge, battling the nervousness that assailed her
every time she came within ten feet of the man.
She hated being this way. She wanted to laugh and smile
and have a good time. But she was scared. Terrified that if
she let down her guard Kael Carmody would invade her
senses and take her emotions hostage just as he had seven
years earlier.
That would be a tragic mistake. She simply could not
allow herself to fully experience the feelings surging deep
inside her, waiting for the opportunity to emerge and send
her life rocketing out of kilter. She could not, would not,
let herself love Kael. When he abandoned her again, she
wanted her heart free and clear of his imprint because Daisy
knew she could not survive a second betrayal.
And abandon her he would. She had no doubt. Even if
Kael was kidding himself that he could be the perfect fa-
ther, she knew better. Eventually he’d grow tired of the
demands of family responsibilities. Eventually his old rest-
lessness would rear its ugly head. Eventually the glamorous
lure of the rodeo would have him shuffling on down the
road.
Oh sure, for now he was pulling out all the stops, making
the grand gesture of playing proud papa, but Daisy knew
that would not last. The picnics, the ball games, the horse-
back rides would come to a screeching halt once the nov-
elty of having a son wore off and the reality of parenthood
set in. Wait until Kael discovered what it was like to nurse
a sick kid through the night or get a call from the school
principal concerning a discipline problem or spend tedious
hours helping with homework. The man couldn’t handle it.
He simply didn’t have what it took.
What’s the matter, Daisy, jealous?
The thought, like a sharp jolt from the devil’s pitchfork,
prodded her mind.
“That’s ridiculous,” Daisy muttered under her breath.
“I’m not jealous of Kael Carmody.”
But she had to admit it irked her that he’d needled his
way into Travis’s heart so easily. They’d formed an instant
rapport that sometimes left Daisy feeling like the bad guy
when she had to enforce bedtime hours or deny Travis the
sweet desserts Kael brought home. Sure, it was easy for
Kael. He got to be the hero.
Just wait, the voice in the back of her mind predicted
gloomily. Just wait until the rodeo comes to town next
week. Then you ’ll have your answer, and you ’ll know once
and for all if Kael Carmody can indeed resist temptation.
killed the pickup’s engine, got out and went inside to find
Aunt Peavy preparing canned soup and tossed green salad
for lunch.
“Hi,” Daisy greeted her. “How was choir practice?”
“Not too bad. Though somebody should tell Myrtle Hig-
gins flat-out she can’t sing. ’Course Reverend McMinn’s
not about to say a word to the poor old soul.”
Daisy cloaked a smile. Three-fourths of the ladies in the
church choir, Aunt Peavy included, sang off-key.
“Where’s Kael and Travis?” Daisy asked. “Not still in
front of the television set, I hope.”
Aunt Peavy shrugged. “Dunno. They were gone when
Jenny Louise dropped me off.”
“Great. Just when I need them, they disappear.”
“Jenny Louise will be back for me around six. We’re
rehearsing all evening for the passion play on Sunday, so
Jenny just invited me to spend the night. Is that okay with
you?”
“Yes,” Daisy replied, spying a note stuck to the refrig-
erator with a magnet shaped like a toaster. She plucked the
piece of paper off the door and read: “Daisy—we’re al-
ready at the pond—K and T.”
Hmm. Daisy hoped this didn’t mean that Kael and Travis
were attempting to handle the bees on their own without
her around. Kael knew next to nothing about beekeeping
and although Travis was familiar with the procedures he
was still a boy and not mature enough for such a respon-
sibility. Frowning, she fidgeted with her wedding ring. She
still hadn’t grown accustomed to the weight of it on her
finger. Just as she hadn’t yet gotten used to sharing her life
and her son.
Irritation with Kael clawed through her, but a moment
later a calm, peaceful voice whispered in the back of her
head.
Don’t be so critical, Daisy.
Willing herself to look at the world with a more positive
frame of mind, Daisy went back outside, opened the gate
to the back pasture then drove the truck through the field.
The vehicle bumped and swayed over the rutted dirt road
leading to the stock pond located at the farm’s back perim-
eter.
Something in the sky caught her attention, and she raised
her eyes to the clouds. A red-and-black bat kite dipped and
bobbed. Relief washed over her. Kael and Travis weren’t
messing with the bees, they were flying a kite.
She rounded a clump of oak trees flanking the stock pond
on the left. To the right lay the eight beehives she’d posi-
tioned near the wildflowers growing along the top of the
pond. This time of year only sunflowers remained, the blue
bonnets, black-eyed Susans and Indian paintbrushes had
long since disappeared for the season.
Daisy spied Travis running fast, trying to urge the kite
higher. Kael stood a few yards away, hands on his hips and
a silly smile on his face as he watched their son.
Their son.
Even though they had not conceived this boy together,
Travis was their son, and they had joined themselves in
matrimony in order to provide for him. Though Daisy
didn’t believe for one minute that the marriage would last,
she had to admit it had taken a lot of guts on Kael’s part
to take such a life-changing step, even temporarily.
Travis had turned and was running backward, his eyes
glued to the kite rising in the sky.
Kael’s voice rang out at the same time Daisy recognized
impending calamity.
“Travis! Watch where you’re going!” Kael shouted.
But his warning came too late. Before Travis could react,
the boy plowed headlong into a beehive.
The hive teetered precariously on one leg, then tumbled
over, bees rushing from the top in an angry horde.
“Oh, no!” Daisy gasped out loud. She slammed on the
brakes, threw the truck into park and frantically grabbed
for the bee smoker resting on the floorboard.
But Kael was closer and quicker. By the time she freed
herself from the seat belt and stumbled from the truck, he’d
darted across the ground, scooped Travis into his arm and
fled for the stock pond, a thick swarm of black bees bearing
down on them.
Kael’s limp was evident as he ran but he didn’t let the
injury slow him down. Daisy’s heart rumbled against her
rib cage. Her mouth went dry at the same time her palms
turned slick with instant sweat. Fear churned her stomach.
“Run! Run!” she cried, fumbling in her pocket for a
match and trying to strike it as she hurried toward the bees.
Kael held Travis tight against his chest, bent his body
low over the boy’s. The water’s salvation lay several feet
away, the bees just inches from descending upon them. She
could hear their enraged hum even at this distance. A chill
chased up her spine, and she swallowed past the lump
lodged in her throat.
She was forced to stop long enough to light the news-
paper in the smoker, her fingers bumbling with match after
match, her eyes transfixed on the disastrous scene playing
out before her.
Kael stumbled against Travis’s weight and his boot hung
on a protruding tree root. He floundered to keep his bal-
ance.
The bees swooped.
Daisy shrieked.
Gathering Travis into a ball, Kael hurled the boy forward
to safety in the stock pond at the same time he came down
on his bad leg, twisting it beneath him.
Travis disappeared into the pond, water splashing in his
&nb
sp; wake.
The bees converged upon the only remaining target.
Kael.
He covered his head with his hands but the bees were
relentless. They descended upon him in a vicious attack.
The smoker caught fire at last, and Daisy’s legs churned
as she ran, but it felt as if she were slogging through mud.
“Oh, Kael, oh, Kael, oh, Kael,” she chanted, mentally
wincing against the pain she knew he was suffering.
After what seemed like an eternity, she reached his side,
pumping the bellow of the smoker over Kael’s inert body,
desperately battling back the bees.
With a sweeping gesture, she brushed at the bees, shov-
ing them from his head and face with one hand while she
pumped the bellows with the other. Smoke filled her nos-
trils, and she coughed against the acrid taste burning her
throat.
Staring at Kael’s prostrate form, tears stung her eyes. She
told herself it was the effects of the smoke, but that wasn’t
the case. Truth was, she felt as if her own skin was alive
with beestings.
“Kael!” she cried, “can you speak?”
He groaned.
Tears ran down Daisy’s cheek and splashed on Kael’s
hair. The back of his hands, still locked tight against his
head, were covered in ugly red welts. The side of his face
had also taken a bad hit. His flesh was brilliant pink and
swelling rapidly.
Daisy pumped the bellows around Kael, smothering him
in smoke. His chest heaved. Daisy hissed in her breath at
the sight. She had to get him to the house and poke some
antihistamines down him before the reaction to the bee-
stings worsened.
Lulled and disoriented, the bees lost their thirst for re-
venge and gradually flew back to circle the overturned hive.
“Can you walk?” Daisy asked, pushing a bedraggled
strand of hair from her face.
Kael groaned again and struggled to sit up. Daisy’s heart
lurched.
“My knee,” he replied.
“Here, brace yourself against me.” She squatted next to
him and offered her shoulder for support.
He reached out and draped his arms around her neck.
“On the count of three we both stand up,” she in-
structed. “One.”
He positioned his foot in the dirt. Daisy looked down,
unable to witness what the beestings had done to his skin.