How to Charm a Beekeeper's Heart by Candice Sue Patterson

Author:Candice Sue Patterson [Patterson, Candice Sue]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: christian Fiction
ISBN: 9781611168563
Publisher: Pelican Book Group
Published: 2016-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

22

Arianne heaved the last box into the trunk of her car. A spool of satin ribbon escaped and unraveled at her feet. She stomped her foot, picked it up, and spiraled the silky tape around the cardboard circle.

“What’s wrong, Mommy?” Emma peered around the car.

Arianne forced a smile. “Nothing, sweetheart.”

Except that Missy wouldn’t answer her phone, and at some point during the night had cleaned out her things from Arianne’s apartment.

She shouldn’t have been so hard on her sister. They’d had plenty of arguments over the years, but they never lasted more than a few days. Arianne was tired of being sucker-punched at every turn. Her life was like circling a barren wilderness with lookout points over a beach resort she couldn’t get to. Nowhere to cross. What am I doing wrong, Lord?

She threw the spool into the overloaded trunk and hoped the lid would shut.

“What are you doing?” Gravel flew as Huck kicked the brake on the Gator so hard it jerked him and the vehicle to a stop. His fleece-lined hoodie added to his bulk. She traced his broad shoulders with her gaze, his tender embrace from the other night branded on her skin.

He slid from behind the steering wheel and limped toward her. “What’s going on?”

She looked at the trunk then back to Huck, wondering what she’d done wrong. “Now that I’m back to work full-time and not designing anymore, I thought I’d take this stuff back to the shop.”

“You’re not leaving though…”

Was that desperation in his voice? His eyes?

“Yes, but I’ll be back.” Arianne studied him, her heartbeat speeding.

Huck shifted to see inside the trunk. His gaze roamed the contents and landed on her open sketch book. “Is this the dress you designed for Darcy?” He pulled it off the top of the pile.

Heat flooded her cheeks. No, it was her dress. “I set a match to Darcy’s sketch the day after she fired me. Those are some I’ve done for fun over the years. Nothing important.”

He studied the design for a few moments then fingered through the rest. His face revealed nothing.

“These are really good.” Huck turned to the next page. “I mean, I don’t have a clue what I’m looking at, but you’ve clearly got talent.” He looked them over again. “Have you ever thought about designing and selling your own dresses?”

She tugged the book from his hand and tucked it back into the box. “Only every day since I was five.”

“So why don’t you?”

She slammed the trunk lid, relieved when it locked into place. “That costs money I don’t have.”

He caressed her elbow. “Don’t give up on it.” Huck rubbed his palm over her upper arm and stepped closer, then let go. With an awkward gait, he sauntered back toward his vehicle, but not before she caught the tortured sheen in his eyes.

“You’re getting around well by yourself now. Sergeant Sandy deserves a medal.”

He stilled.

“See you tonight.” She got into the vehicle and closed the door, smiling. That sizzle and pop she felt whenever he was near wasn’t just in her imagination.

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