the apiary like her life depends on it.
“Shit.” Barefoot, I rush outside and run up the hill to my bee farm. “Alyson,” I call out, and she turns and comes racing toward me. Except when she gets close, my gut tightens, and real fear sets me into action.
“Jesus,” I say and hold her trembling shoulders to look her over. “How many?”
“I… I don’t know,” she cries, her pink lips getting puffier by the second. “I… I must be allergic.” She winces and tears prick her eyes, but she’s doing her damnedest to hide them. My pulse jumps, hating the hurt on her face.
“You’ve never been stung before?” I ask as I scoop her into my arms.
“No,” she mumbles and slides her hands around my neck to hang on. “Not too many bees in New York City.”
I run back to my cottage as Cluck comes racing from the path and chases after us. I hurry inside, and Cluck stands in the doorway like a worried watchdog as I set Alyson on the kitchen chair.
“Is your throat itchy, or are you having a hard time swallowing?”
“No, just my lips,” she says and lightly touches them.
“Okay, it’s not anaphylactic shock, so this should work.” I pull the Benadryl from the fridge and pour a generous amount into the cap. “Drink this.”
She swallows it all and cringes. “Ohmigod, that’s worse than the stings.” She holds my shoulders and takes deep gulping breaths.
“It tastes awful but it works. Look at me.” Her gaze lifts, and she sweeps her tongue over her lower lip. “You’re going to be fine.”
Her shaky hands tighten on my bare shoulders like she’s afraid I’ll leave her, and her eyes grow wider than I’ve ever seen them. That’s saying something, considering they nearly bulged out of their sockets when we fell in the Atlantic. “I’m not going anywhere,” I reassure her. Her breathing changes, slows, and the swelling around her mouth slowly begins to abate.
Her eyes drop, take in my bare chest. Her hands jerk back, and she sets them on her lap. “You should put a shirt on.”
“That’s not really my concern at the moment.”
“Right. Ah, okay. I didn’t know you were a bee farmer.”
“It just never came up,” I say and push her hair back to look over her face. I tilt her chin.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Searching for stingers,” I say and inch back to look at her arms and bare legs.
“I had no idea I’d react. Thank God you had that vile-tasting stuff.”
I chuckle. “What were you doing up there?”
“I…was just looking at all the apple trees. Exploring a little. A bee started chasing me, and I ran right into the apiary.” She takes a quick breath. “When will it stop hurting?”
“I’m sorry, Alyson.” My stomach drops. “I should have mentioned the apiary.”
She gives a humorless laugh. “God, I can’t believe this is happening.”
I let loose a breath and go back on my heels. My gaze goes to her ruined shoes as I tug my wallet from my back pocket and reach for my credit card. “Yeah, I know. You’re not cut out for this. Have you called Bryce’s yet? The guy who wants to buy your orchard? He and your uncle didn’t always see eye to eye, and Jack didn’t really like him, but he’ll take this place off your hands.”
Her eyes jerk to mine. I’m not sure why she’s so upset, but if looks could kill, I’d be a goner.
“No, I haven’t had a chance. Just like I haven’t had a chance to get new shoes or clothes. I haven’t been able to take a breath since I arrived,” she blurts out, her chin trembling slightly. “I plan to head straight into town after this and find something suitable.”
“I’m sorry, Alyson. But you just said you couldn’t believe what was happening. I mean the sooner—”
“What I meant was, I thought you’d seen me at my worst, but I was wrong.” She points to her slightly puffy lips. “This might be the worst.”
I grin at her. “Nah, people pay big bucks to get sexy lips like those.” Before I can think better of it, I lightly run my thumb over her parted lips. Our eyes meet, and her fast intake of breath, along with a flicker of interest on her face, doesn’t go unnoticed. A burst of heat arcs between us, settles in my groin, and all I can think about is cupping her face and taking her mouth in a slow, deep kiss until