by Tasha Black
“Hey, would you carry these out to the picnic table?” Sage asked as Tansy arrived at the bottom of the back stairs.
“Good morning to you too,” Tansy teased.
Sage just rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, of course,” Tansy said. “Thanks for cooking.”
“I’ve been having fun with it,” Sage shrugged, a little smile tugging up the corners of her mouth.
Tansy grabbed a platter of pancakes off the table. They were chocolate chip, and the chips in each cake formed a smiley face.
“Nice,” Tansy said. “You’re a regular Martha Stewart.”
“Ha,” Sage said. But her cheeks were pink with pleasure.
Sage was a numbers person - all business, all the time. It was nice to see her let her hair down a little.
Tansy carried the platter outside.
No matter how many times she stepped out the back door, Tansy was always taken by the beauty of the land. The bright green foliage of the berry fields stretched out to the woods that separated their farm from the Strickland’s. The same woods she had dreamed about last night…
Before the thought took hold, she saw a figure in the berry fields, heading for the trees.
“No way,” she whispered.
But it was definitely Burton, she could tell by the wide set of his shoulders and his dark hair.
Her feet carried her toward him before she had time to decide. She remembered to place the platter of pancakes on the table before following the center row between the strawberries.
The rich scent of the soil was intoxicating. The plants still glistened with morning dew. The farm was as magical as she remembered it being when she was a little girl coming here to visit.
More magical, if you counted the man just ahead of her.
She wondered what Burton was doing. The idea that he’d had the dream too and wanted to return to the scene was too ridiculous.
But there weren’t a lot of other explanations.
Tansy moved purposefully, but didn’t let herself break into a jog.
When she had almost caught up Burton stopped suddenly.
“Oh,” Tansy said, nearly bumping into him.
He turned to her, the strong planes of his cheekbones even more pronounced than usual in the shadow of the trees that loomed ahead. A hank of his too-long hair covered one eye. He looked like the dark prince in a fairy tale.
For an instant she was taken aback.
Then he broke into a sunny smile. “Tansy,” he said.
“Hi,” she replied, feeling a little embarrassed about sneaking up on him. “What are you doing out here?”
“I was following her,” Burton explained, gesturing to a strawberry plant.
Tansy looked closer and saw a honeybee working away at one of the delicate blossoms.
“I thought she might lead me to her brothers and sisters,” Burton said.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Tansy said. “But I don’t think they normally return to their hive until dark.”
“I see.” Burton sounded disappointed.
“It’s okay,” Tansy said. “I’ve got another plan for bees.”
“You do?” Burton asked.
“Hey, Tansy,” Sage yelled from the house. “Can you wake the others?”
“Come on, let’s walk,” Tansy said, setting off.
Burton walked by her side. She tried not to notice the pull of his big body.
“What is your plan for bees?” he asked.
“We’re going to rent them,” Tansy said.
“You can rent bees?” he asked her.
“Yes, there are companies that will ship them,” she explained. “I researched last night and it’s not that expensive to rent a hive. I already put in a couple of calls this morning.”
“You are very resourceful,” Burton said. His deep voice sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine.
“We’ll see if it works out,” she said. “It’s a busy time of year for bees. Most of the places are probably booked solid. We might have to hope for a cancelation.”
They walked on in companionable silence. By the time they reached the barn Riggs was already headed out the door.
“Good morning, Tansy, Burton,” Riggs said politely. But his eyes were already searching the hillside behind them for Sage.
“She’s bringing breakfast out,” Tansy told him softly.
He grinned, looking a little embarrassed.
“Did you sleep well?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” Riggs said. “I always do. The loft is very comfortable.”
“Good morning,” Sage called from the backdoor of the farm house.
Riggs jogged off in her direction.
“He likes your sister very much,” Burton said.
“I think she likes him too,” Tansy mused, watching her sister’s face light up as Riggs approached. “But she’s not exactly the romantic type, so don’t tell him I said so. I’d hate for him to be disappointed when she shoots him down.”
“Shoot him?” Burton sounded horrified.
“What? Oh. No. No, no, no,” Tansy said. “It’s an expression - for when a woman tells a man she doesn’t want to date him.”
“I see,” Burton said.
“She would never shoot anyone,” Tansy said.
“I did not think so. It was only that…” He trailed off, an awkward expression marring his handsome face.
“Oh,” Tansy said again. “You’re remembering the night we met.”
He nodded.
He was right. When Arden and the three aliens from the lab next door had snuck down the hillside in the middle of a storm, Tansy had come to the door with Grandma Helen’s shotgun.
“We were afraid,” she said simply. “You were sneaking toward the house, out of nowhere, in a big storm, wearing those creepy lab coats. And we were here alone.”
“I understand,” Burton said. “You were trying to protect your sister.”
As usual, the sweet-natured hunk had nailed it. Tansy hadn’t thought of it that way, but she had been trying to protect her sister. The look of sheer terror on Sage’s face had been enough to send Tansy to the gun safe.
Tansy and Sage didn’t see eye to eye on everything, especially not the most important thing to Tansy - holding onto Grandma Helen’s farm.
But when push came to shove, Tansy would do anything to protect her big sister. And she knew Sage would do the same. That’s what family was all about.
“I am glad you did not shoot us,” Burton said.
“Me too,” Tansy agreed.
“Why would Sage not want to go on a date with Riggs?” Burton asked.
“It’s complicated,” Tansy said. She hadn’t ever tried to articulate her sister’s reluctance to date. “I guess I would say she’s very particular. She likes to know what to expect. And Riggs is… unexpected.”
“We are not like human men.” Burton admitted.
She thought she detected a hint of melancholy in his voice so she decided to tread lightly.
“It’s not like human men are perfect,” Tansy said. “Far from it. It’s only that Sage doesn’t like taking a lot of risks or trying new things. She’s always been that way - even when we were kids.”
“What about you?” Burton asked.
She glanced up at him, wondering how he could ask that question.
He was observing her earnestly, as if her answer mattered to him.
“Uh, no,” Tansy said. “I’ve always liked trying new things.”
“I’m glad,” Burton said, grinning at her, his brown eyes twinkling.
Suddenly it hit her that he might have been asking about more than just her personality type. She felt blood rush to her cheeks
“But I don’t have time for adventures right now, I’ve got to save the farm,” she said quickly, willing herself to be more like Sage, just for a little while.
They had nearly reached the picnic table. Sage was pouring out orange juice into mason jars for everyone. Riggs gazed at her as if
she were pouring liquid gold into a chalice for him.
Drago had his arm draped around Arden’s shoulders. Happiness seemed to radiate from the two of them.
Tansy was surprised to feel a momentary pang of jealousy. It wasn’t like her to covet someone else’s joy, and she was happy for her friends.
“Morning, Tansy,” Arden chirped.
“Good morning, Arden,” Tansy replied, glad to find the feeling was as fleeting as it was out of character. “Breakfast looks great, Sage.”
“Eat it while it’s hot,” Sage advised, piling pancakes onto Tansy’s plate.
“So what’s the plan for today?” Arden asked. “Are we going to try and borrow bees from another farm?”
“Nope,” Tansy said, taking a swig of orange juice. “We’re going to rent them.”
“Tansy, we don’t have a lot of money,” Sage said.
“We can get all the bees we need for about five hundred dollars, according to the internet,” Tansy said. “I already made some calls.”
“Who did you call?” Sage wanted to know. “Is bee rental really a thing?”
“Yeah, it’s a thing. I emailed a couple of companies last night and called a few more this morning,” Tansy said. “Beehive Yourself, Sweet Bee’s, Don’t Worry Bee Happy, there were a bunch more, I can’t remember now.”
“Cute names,” Arden said approvingly.
“Hopefully at least one will call back and we’ll be back in business,” Tansy said. She debated giving voice to her fear that it was already too late for any of the firms to have an extra hive of bees available.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, saving her the trouble of deciding.
“I’d better get this,” she said, hopping up and putting the phone to her ear. “Tansy Martin.”
“Hey, Miss Martin, this is Janelle from Bee My Guest,” the voice on the other end said.
“I’m so glad you called, Janelle,” Tansy replied.
She caught Burton’s smile out of the corner of her eye as she headed into the house for pencil and paper.
4
Tansy
That evening, Tansy headed down the hill from the peach orchard, tired but happy.
They had prepared the orchard for the arrival of the rented hives, now all they had to do was wait for the trucks to arrive.
“Are you worried that they’re not here yet?” Sage asked for the third time.
“They’re not supposed to be here yet,” Tansy said. “They won’t come until after dark.”
“Why not?” Burton asked.
“The bees go into their hives to sleep,” Tansy explained. “That’s when they can be transported. Luckily, Bee Our Guest is just two hours away, so they’ll get here late tonight.”
“Arden,” someone called out softly from the hillside just above them.
Tansy nearly jumped out of her shoes.
The only thing on the other side of the hill was the rhododendron hedge that separated them from the lab and observatory on Dr. Bhimani’s property. And no one ever crossed that hedge line.
Well, no one before or since Arden and the men had escaped the lab.
Arden was already heading up the hillside, a smile on her face.
The owner of the voice was heading down the hill at a commanding pace. She was young and beautiful, with stick straight strawberry blonde hair in a ponytail that screamed soccer mom. She was also deeply pregnant.
“Georgia,” Arden said happily.
“I can’t stay,” Georgia said quietly. “I just had to tell you guys that we got Magnum to sit for an interview today and it was pretty funny. If you have time to watch, it should be on Channel 3 in about ten minutes.”
Arden covered her mouth as if to stifle a giggle.
Tansy seemed to remember Magnum as the biggest and most serious of the original three aliens. Though she had seen him in pictures and video, she had never realized she hadn’t heard him speak before.
“How are you guys doing?” Georgia asked, her blue eyes scanning the group for clues. “Dr. Bhimani is worried about you.”
“We are very comfortable,” Burton assured her at once.
Georgia nodded, and looked over at Drago, whose hand was twined in Arden’s again. She broke into a grin.
“Are you mated?” she asked them.
“Yes,” he told her proudly.
Arden’s face went pale, as if she were afraid Georgia would think she had done something wrong.
“Good,” Georgia said in a businesslike way. “One down, two to go.”
She gave Tansy a pointed look.
Tansy gaped at her.
Georgia arched a delicate eyebrow, then turned on her heel.
“Channel 3 in ten minutes, don’t miss it,” she called out as she headed back up the hillside toward the hedge.
Arden ran after her.
Georgia stopped and listened, but Arden spoke so softly Tansy couldn’t hear them.
At last Georgia shook her head and Arden nodded, looking very relieved.
Then Georgia headed back up the hill and Arden jogged down to rejoin the group.
“What was that about?” Sage asked.
“Oh, I, um, just wanted to make sure the other men were okay,” Arden said too quickly.
Sage nodded, letting her off the hook.
Tansy was glad to see it. Sage had never had a lot of friends, her tendency was to steamroll, but with Arden, Tansy could see Sage being more caring.
“What are you smiling about?” Burton asked.
“I’m glad we have an excuse to sit and watch TV after all these farm chores,” Tansy teased. “I’m going to make some popcorn when we get back if we have time.”
“Popcorn can be made?” Riggs asked, sounding mystified.
As Sage began a lesson on the properties of corn and its varied means of being prepared and eaten, Tansy breathed in the last of the summer night.
Crickets were already chirping even though it was still light out. Overhead, the small dark silhouettes of bats fluttered across the sky.
In the valley below, the white stucco farmhouse was so sweet and picturesque it nearly brought tears to Tansy’s eyes. She could still see Grandma Helen sitting in her rocker on the porch, a big mug of tea cradled in her work-hardened hands, looking out over the fields.
This was all Tansy had ever wanted - the simple joy of this life, and maybe someone to share it with.
She stole a glance at Burton who was listening, rapt, as Sage explained how the Native Americans had taught the pilgrims to plant corn.
He treated her sister with such respect. And he had such curiosity about the farm and how it worked.
The seed of an idea began to take root in her mind.
They were heading up the stairs into the house. She looked at the porch again, this time picturing two rockers, one for her, one for…
“Burton,” Sage said. “Why don’t you help Tansy make popcorn while we see if we can get Grandma Helen’s TV working?”
“Yes,” Burton said. “I would be glad to help you, Tansy.”
His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine and she nodded without looking up.
They headed into the kitchen and she busied herself, banging around in the cupboards until she found a box of microwave popcorn.
She removed an envelope and pulled it out of the plastic sleeve.
“Where is the corn?” Burton asked.
“It’s in the bag,” Arden explained.
“How will you cook it?” he asked.
“In the microwave,” she said. “It’s faster and easier that way.”
She went to the machine, placed the bag inside and pressed the popcorn button.
“Now what?” Burton asked.
“We wait,” Tansy said.
He nodded and then smiled.
“What?” she asked.
“You cook like you’re from Aerie,” he told her.
“Did you cook on Aerie?” she asked, mystified. She’d been under the impression they soake
d in starlight for energy.
“Not until we had human bodies,” he said. “Once we did, we prepared our meals in a heat box, like this one.”
“What did it taste like?” Tansy asked, wondering how they had gotten an idea of what foods should taste like just from watching ‘80s movies.
“It was nearly tasteless,” Burton said. “We had no idea what a pleasure food could be until we arrived here.”
“Did you eat well at the lab?” Tansy asked.
“Dr. Bhimani cooks like a scientist with a lot of experimenting and small fires,” Burton said, looking a little troubled. “Is this bad manners to say?”
“Not to me, but you wouldn’t want to say it to Dr. Bhimani,” Tansy said, trying not to laugh. Manners were super important on Aerie. Arden had explained that the poor men were in constant fear of breaking rules of etiquette here on Earth.
“I see,” Burton said. “Thank you for explaining. So, I will not share with others that Dr. Bhimani cooks with science. And your sister, Sage, cooks with love.”
Wow. Sage did cook with love. Tansy was thunderstruck for a moment.
“Is that not right?” Burton asked.
“No, it’s right,” Tansy said. “I just never thought of it that way. But Sage does cook with love.”
She tried not to think about how much better Sage’s cooking had gotten since the men’s arrival.
“And you,” Burton said. “You cook like an alien.”
His brown eyes were twinkling and she went up on her toes to give him a playful smack.
Before she could do it, he caught her wrist in his hand.
A shiver of awareness passed between them.
Tansy lost her balance and caught herself with her hand against his warm chest. She could feel the planes of his muscles beneath his t-shirt.
“Tansy,” he breathed.
The kitchen, the farmhouse, the whole world seemed to fade away until there was nothing but his hand on her wrist and the hunger in his dark eyes.
The unexpected pop of the first kernel startled her out of her daze.
“What was that?” Burton demanded, effortlessly lifting her and placing her behind him, sheltering her body with his as he spun to assess the threat.