Crush by Leigh Marsden

Author:Leigh Marsden [Marsden, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781742532370
Publisher: Penguin Random House New Zealand

Chapter 21

Ben opens a wooden farm gate and waves Philippa through. She clunks the truck into gear, nervous behind the wheel of such a big vehicle, and eases through the gap. Ben shakes his head as she passes. He closes the gate behind her and climbs back into the passenger seat.

‘You need to stop riding the clutch,’ he says.

‘I told you I didn’t want to drive,’ she replies between clenched teeth.

‘You need to practise to get more confident. It doesn’t just magically happen.’

She sighs, having already endured the same conversation several times that morning. Two fire callouts the night before mean Ben has been moody and short-tempered since climbing out of bed – not ideal circumstances for a driving lesson. She concentrates on navigating the rocky track across the field, making the truck jerk and hop several times in her eagerness not to overuse the clutch. The sky looms dark above and the mountains in the distance are obscured by dirty masses of clouds.

‘Not good weather for hive work,’ Ben muses. ‘Bees can be really nasty in storms.’

‘So can you,’ Philippa mutters.

‘What?’

‘Nothing.’

They drive down into a small ditch, popping back up in an area of denser foliage. The hives peek through the bush, cheerful in yellows, oranges and pinks.

‘You paint the hives such pretty, bright colours,’ she says.

‘It’s for function, not aesthetics. Helps the bees identify their hive. If they come back to the wrong one the others will repel them.’

‘I’m just saying …’ she trails off as he directs her around the clumps of hives. She cranks up the handbrake and switches the engine off with relief.

‘No need to yank the handbrake so hard.’

‘Ben!’

He shrugs, apparently mystified by her resistance, and jumps out of the truck. She takes a moment, wiping a film of pressure-related sweat from her upper lip and forehead. When she joins Ben beside the truck deck he’s already wearing gloves with the smoker lit on the back deck. He shoves his veil over his head and stomps towards a yellow hive.

‘Add some more pine needles to the smoker, would you?’ he says over his shoulder while removing a large stone from the hive lid.

Philippa grabs a bunch of the fragrant needles and places them in the smoker. The fire immediately extinguishes. Her heart sinks.

‘It’s gone out,’ she calls to Ben.

He strides back over and snatches the smoker out of her hand. ‘You don’t dump a whole lot on top, of course that’ll smother it.’

She throws her hands up. ‘You just said add some, not how much.’

He taps the side of his head, causing the veil to tip to the side. ‘It’s common sense.’ He tips out the excess needles and relights the fire, before heading to the first hive and sending a small puff of smoke through the entrance.

Philippa leans on the truck and watches him work. He removes one frame at a time and inspects it carefully.

‘What are you checking for?’ she asks.

‘Diseases, making sure the queen’s laying properly, whether they’re storing honey,’ he says.

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