Amber grinned.“As if you don’t know exactly where each goes without a plan.You guys start unloading, and I’ll see if the driver would like a coffee before I help.”
He and Gray shared a smile.“She’s going to be amazing at running this place.”
Gray nodded.“She has a knack for knowing exactly what people need and figuring out how to make it happen.”
Sure enough, Amber brought the driver cookies, a steaming mug, along with more for him and Gray.The man chipped in to help them unload, and by the time he left, he’d promised to spread word of the No Phailed Apples Inn to see if he could drum them up some business.
His quiet, gentle sister’s eyes sparkled with gratitude.Her kindness wasn’t a marketing ploy, but it probably worked that way.
Unloading the plants and placing them in the enormous field that separated the two farmhouses took a few hours.They still had to be planted, but Lawson could see his friend’s vision: quiet pathways for strolling, groupings of plants that were native to the area, and would help with the farm’s biodiversity.
Ford was building benches for the pathways, and Gray was planning fountains made of rocks and natural items.He was also growing lots of seedlings and plants indoors, so once he transferred them into place, the space was going to be bursting with life and color.
“This is going to be incredible.Any time you need help, let me know.”
Gray grinned at him.“How about making sure the lawn tractor is ready to go?The aerator, too.”
Lawson laughed.“You got it.”Knowing the ground was still too wet for the machines, Lawson knew he could put it off for a few more days.
Today, he had an old lady and her mountain of a dog to charm into selling him her truck.
Dani kept searching the sky, but hadn’t seen the drone for a few hours.It had circled and returned too many times for it to be a coincidence.The more she thought about it, the more fear rippled through her.
Who was watching her?Why?
Her family might want her to return to the fold and marry the banker, but spying on her land with a drone wouldn’t help them.
Dani’s Frannie B business was doing well, but it wasn’t like she was a large enough company to be a threat to other honey suppliers.She’d chosen this area of Vermont because no other companies were in direct competition.
Was a new apiarist moving into the area and wanting to check out her setup?Were they planning to return to disturb her bees?Annoy them enough that they stopped producing honey?It seemed like a ridiculous way to stop the competition, but it was possible.
She’d have to discover if drones posed any threat to her bees.If the sound bothered or confused them, they might avoid returning to the hives.That would be a disaster for her business.
Dani hadn’t brought her phone, so she couldn’t research it until she returned to her house.
“What do you think, Bibi?Was it a kid playing with a new toy, or a threat?”
Whatever it was, the drone had ruined the day for her.Was there a way for her to set up an alert to let her know when a drone flew over?Was there anything she could do to stop it?
If it returned, she might have to speak to the police chief in Phail.She went to the quirky town whenever she needed supplies, and the people were friendly, but not overly nosy.Dani liked her privacy, and no one had intruded past the shields she put up.
Talking to the police would open that up, but she’d take the risk to save her bees.
She wondered if her family would hire someone to ruin her business.Would they think that would have her run home and agree to their plans, even after all this time?
It was ridiculous.She wasn’t that important to them or their plans.Paul had probably married someone else by now.She imagined her parents pretended to have two children, which was fine with her.More than fine.It gave her a sense of relief.They’d continue to leave her alone.
Eventually, Dani quit searching the skies and returned to the front of her property.Instead of going into the cottage to research, she headed into the garage.She needed to burn off some of her worry and fear.Researching now would only amp up her stress levels, so she’d wait until she was calmer.
She didn’t want to head inside because that’s where her phone was charging.She didn’t want to know if one of her family members had left her a message or if someone was trolling her blog.Could people find her location through her blog?She’d set the privacy settings as high as possible, and she didn’t want to give it up.The Frannie B’s Honey blog expanded her reach and allowed customers to find her and her products.Closing it down wouldn’t be good business.
Unless someone was using her blog to find and harass her, or hurt her bees to help their own business—so many awful possibilities.
Normally, she would have opened the large garage door to the beautiful day, but the drone had scared her.Instead, she locked the door as soon as she and Bibi were inside.
“Okay, girl, I’m going to bend up some metal.That should take care of some of the bouncing nerves.”
She had stacks of metal rods organized by their varying thicknesses.Today, she’d focus on the thickest rods to help kick out some of her nerves.And to ensure she didn’t waste any of the more fragile material.That required far more attention to detail, and her body was too shaky.
