Kael

by Lori Wilde

  Travis was running fast, trying to urge the kite higher. Kael stood a few yards away, hands on his hips and a bright smile on his face as he watched their son.

  Their son.

  Even though they had not conceived this boy together, Travis was their son, and they had joined themselves in matrimony in order to provide for him. Though Daisy didn’t believe for one minute that the marriage would last, she had to admit it had taken a lot of guts on Kael’s part

  to take such a life-changing step, even temporarily.

  Travis had turned and was running backward, his eyes glued to the kite rising in the sky.

  “Travis! Watch where you’re going!” Kael shouted.

  But his warning came too late. Before Travis could react, the boy plowed headlong into a beehive.

  The hive teetered precariously on one leg, then tumbled over, bees rushing from the top in an angry, swarming horde.

  “Oh, no!” Daisy gasped.

  She slammed on the brakes, threw the truck into park, and frantically grabbed for the bee smoker resting on the floorboard.

  But Kael was closer and quicker. By the time she freed herself from the seat belt and stumbled from the truck, he’d darted across the ground, scooped Travis into his arm, and fled for the stock pond, a thick swarm of black bees bearing down on them.

  Kael limped as he ran, but he didn’t let the injury slow him down.

  Daisy’s heart knocked against her rib cage. Her mouth went dry at the same time her palms

  turned slick with sweat and fear whipped her stomach.

  “Run! Run!” she cried, fumbling in her pocket for a match and trying to strike it as she hurried toward the bees.

  Kael held Travis tight against his chest and bent his body low over the boy’s. The water’s salvation lay several feet away, the bees just inches from descending upon them. She could hear their enraged hum even at this distance. A cold chill chased up her spine, and she swallowed past the lump lodged in her throat.

  She was forced to stop long enough to light the newspaper in the smoker, her fingers bumbling with match after match.

  Kael stumbled against Travis’ weight, and his boot hung on a cactus. He floundered to keep his balance.

  The bees swooped.

  Daisy shrieked.

  Gathering Travis into a ball, Kael hurled the boy forward to safety in the stock pond at the same time he came down on his bad leg, twisting it beneath him.

  Travis disappeared into the pond, water splashing in his wake.

  The bees converged upon the only remaining target.

  Kael.

  He covered his head with his hands, but the bees were relentless. They descended upon him in attack.

  The smoker caught fire at last, and Daisy’s legs churned as she ran, but it felt as if she were slogging through mud.

  “Oh, Kael, oh, Kael, oh, Kael,” she chanted, mentally wincing against the pain she knew he was suffering.

  After what seemed like an eternity, she reached his side, pumping the bellow of the smoker over Kael’s inert body, desperately battling back the bees.

  With a sweeping gesture, she brushed at the bees, shoving them from his head and face with one hand while she pumped the bellows with the other. Smoke filled her nostrils, and she coughed against the acrid taste burning her throat.

  Staring at Kael’s still form, tears stung her eyes. She told herself it was the effects of the smoke, but that wasn’t the case. Truth was, she felt as if her own skin was alive with bee stings.

  “Kael!” she cried, “can you speak?”

  He groaned.

  Tears ran down Daisy’s cheek and splashed onto Kael’s hair. The back of his hands—still locked tight against his head—were covered in ugly red welts. The side of his face had also taken a bad hit. His flesh was a brilliant pink and swelling rapidly.

  Daisy pumped the bellows around Kael, smothering him in smoke. His chest heaved. Daisy hissed in her breath. She had to get him to the house and poke some antihistamines down him before the reaction to the beestings worsened.

  “Are you allergic to bees?” she asked, praying he was not. If he was allergic, they wouldn’t make it to the hospital in time. He hadn’t been allergic before, but you could develop an allergy at any time.

  He shook his head and croaked, “No.”

  Lulled and disoriented, the bees lost their thirst for revenge and gradually flew back to circle the overturned hive.

  “Can you walk?” Daisy pushed a bedraggled strand of hair from her face.

  Kael groaned again and struggled to sit up.

  Daisy’s heart lurched.

  “My knee,” he replied.

  “Here, brace yourself against me.” She squatted next to him and offered her shoulder for support.

  He draped his arms around her neck.

  “On the count of three, we both stand up,” she instructed. “One.”

  He positioned his foot in the dirt. Daisy looked down, unable to look what the beestings had done to his skin. His eyes were puffy, his cheeks misshapen, his swollen lip protruding.

  “Two.”

  He nodded his readiness.

  “Three.”

  They rose in unison, Kael grunting against the pain and favoring his bad knee.

  “There,” Daisy said matter-of-factly, dusting him off with her hands. Except, standing here with the man who’d just sacrificed himself to save their son from angry bees, had her feeling anything but matter-of-fact.

  Kael squinted at her through the slits that were now his eyes. “Where’s Travis? Is he okay?”

  Daisy swiveled her head and saw Travis soaking wet and trembling behind them.

  “Mom?” he whispered tentatively, his shirt plastered against his thin frame.

  “Are you okay, son?”

  He nodded. “Not even one sting, thanks to Dad.”

  Dad.

  She’d never heard Travis call Kael that before. Daisy gulped and swung her gaze back to Kael. Had he gone against her wishes and told Travis the truth? She bit down on her lip. Now was certainly not the time to ask.

  Kael managed a smile in his son’s direction. “Anytime, champ.”

  Tears sprang into Travis’ eyes. “I’m sorry I knocked over the hive.”

  “Could’ve happened to anyone,” Kael said.

  “That’s right,” Daisy soothed, gently patting their son on the shoulder. “Kael’s going to be fine.” Daisy turned to Kael. “We’ve got to get you back to the house. The swelling’s getting worse. Can you walk?”

  “Yeah,” Kael said, his throat dry and scratchy. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Ten

  GINGERLY, DAISY GUIDED Kael toward the truck, while Travis brought up the rear. Kael kept a firm grip on her arm, and Daisy realized for the first time in their relationship, he truly needed her.

  Instantly, she was overwhelmed by a rush of blind love pumping furiously through her for this man who had somehow become her husband.

  Daisy put Kael in bed and dosed him with a round of antihistamines and analgesics. She used her fingernails to scrape the stingers left in his skin, counting twenty-seven stingers. But he had more stings where the stingers had not embedded into his skin. She’d count them all later. She applied cool compresses to his face, neck, and the back of his head. She also placed an ice pack on his swollen knee.

  “That feels good,” Kael murmured, lying back against the pillows, his eyes closed.

  Perching on the edge of the mattress beside him, Daisy battled strong emotions. Emotions like forgiveness, remorse, and abiding love.

  He’d rescued their child. Placing himself in harm’s way. That selfless act went a long way in her estimation. Maybe Kael’s bull riding accident had changed him.

  She resisted the urge to trace her fingers along his arm. The bud of desire she’d suppressed for so long sprouted inside her like a fresh, green shoot reaching hungrily for the sun. Kael’s vulnerability strummed a resonant chord in her soul that had been silent for too long.<
br />
  “I’ll let you sleep.” Daisy cupped her hand to her chest and inched backward from the room. “And check in on you later.”

  Drowsily, Kael barely nodded, the antihistamines already kicking in.

  Ignoring her thumping heart, Daisy turned and fled, pulling the bedroom door closed behind her.

  Aunt Peavy stood in the hallway, her arms folded over her ample bosom, a concerned expression twisting her lips downward. “How’s he doing?”

  “Sore, but he’ll be okay in a few hours. Thank God, he’s not allergic to bee stings.”

  Aunt Peavy made a hissing sound as she sucked air around her dentures. “He sure looked terrible when you dragged him in here.”

  “I counted fifty-five stings in total. Some with stingers embedded, some not.” Daisy shook her head, knowing from experience the pain he was feeling.

  “That’d take the starch out of anybody’s sail, even someone as tough as Kael.”

  “He’ll be okay, but he’s miserable.”

  “You better go have a talk with Travis. He’s beside himself with worry. Thinks it’s all his fault. He even refused my chocolate chip cookies.”

  “I’ll speak to him.” Daisy walked past Aunt Peavy to find Travis in the kitchen, his face buried in his hands, his head resting on the table, his shoulders moving silently as he sobbed.

  “Honey.” Daisy sat down beside him and gently patted his hair. He was still wet from the pond. “Kael’s going to be all right.”

  Travis raised his head. “I did it.” He hiccupped, tears matting on his eyelashes. “It’s all my fault. Dad told me to stay away from the hives, but I wasn’t payin’ no attention.”

  Dad.

  That word again. She loved that Travis was getting close to Kael, but it also worried her. Did Kael have what it took to stick around? The more Travis got attached to him, the harder it would be on the boy if wanderlust hit and Kael took off again.

  “Shh.” She leaned over and cradled Travis to her chest. “It’s okay. Kael doesn’t blame you. Accidents happen.”

  Travis wiped at his eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Now give me a kiss.”

  He gulped, swiped at his eyes, and kissed her cheek.

  “That’s my boy.” She smiled. “Now get out of these wet clothes and take a bath. I’ve got to go see about that righting that hive.”

  “Okay, Mom.” He managed a wan grin. “And thanks.”

  “What for?”

  “For not getting mad at us for flying the kite and knocking over the hive.”

  “Sweetie, why would I get mad?”

  Travis shrugged and avoided her gaze. “I dunno. Ever since you married Kael, you’ve been kinda gripey.”

  His statement, painful but accurate, startled Daisy. Had her marriage to Kael affected her personality? She needed to do some serious soul searching. Perhaps she’d been judging her new husband too harshly.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve been out of sorts lately. I guess I’m just worried about the bees. Will you forgive me?”

  “Sure.” His grin returned, brighter this time, and in that split-second he looked exactly like Kael.

  “Run on upstairs and get that bath.” She gave him a hug. “I’ll see you after a while.”

  Daisy watched her son go, a myriad of emotions darting through her. It was clear she had to change her attitude. If not, the barrier she’d built around her heart would eventually extend to her child. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Resolving to be a better person, Daisy gathered

  up her beekeeping equipment and headed back to the field.

  Daisy spent the rest of the afternoon restoring the overturned hive and dequeening the remaining colonies near the pond. No matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t erase

  Travis’ comment from her mind.

  She had to start acting more positive toward his father. She had to give him a chance to prove he’d changed. For her son’s sake, if not her own.

  By late afternoon, when she’d completed her chores, Daisy’s mind was made up. She’d have a heart-to-heart talk with Kael and tell him exactly what she was thinking.

  “Get the bees situated?” Aunt Peavy asked when she returned.

  “Yeah.” Daisy yawned and stretched.

  “That’s good.”

  “Where’s Travis?”

  “Neela called and asked if Travis could come over for a fish fry. I thought it’d be okay to let him go on over, considering they are his grandparents.”

  “The Carmodys are home?”

  Daisy hadn’t seen Kael’s parents since the day the alfalfa field burned. She’d talked to them over the phone before the wedding but that was it. She felt a little anxious, contemplating how their relationship had changed since Kael had told them about Travis.

  Fear leaped into her chest. “They’re not planning on telling Travis they’re his grandparents, are they?”

  “Oh, no. Neela and Chet understand that you and Kael want to break the news to Travis in your own time.”

  “This is so strange having the Carmodys as my in-laws.”

  “Think how they feel,” Aunt Peavy said. “Living next door for so long without knowing their only grandchild was just a few acres away.”

  Sighing, Daisy plunked down in a chair next to Aunt Peavy. “Rose certainly messed up everyone’s life.”

  “Yes. Poor Rose.”

  “Poor Rose?” Daisy frowned. “Why does she get all the pity? She’s the one who pretended to be me to seduce Kael and get pregnant with his child.”

  “Why?” Aunt Peavy gave Daisy a serious look. “Because Rose is dead.”

  “Like I don’t know that? She was my twin sister.” A wave of old resentment washed through her. It was unexpected and took her by surprise. “From the time Mom and Dad were killed, the only thing I ever heard was ‘Poor Rose, she’s barely holding up.’ Or, ‘You’ve got to forgive Rose, she isn’t handling her parents’ deaths very well.’ What about me, Auntie? Didn’t anybody ever think about me?”

  Aunt Peavy looked contrite. “Sweetie, you were always so strong. There was no need to worry about you.”

  For the first time in ten years, she spoke her true feelings. “No need? I’ve become a bitter, unhappy woman, hiding myself away on this bee farm, devoting myself to my wayward sister’s son. The child that she bore after sleeping with my boyfriend,” Daisy said.

  “Rose had a lot of problems, darlin’.”

  “Don’t you think it affected me, too? I’m not a robot! I got tired of being the reliable one, of making all the decisions, of having to give up fun in favor of taking care of things. If someone had made Rose assume her share of the responsibility, if she’d been held accountable for her actions, I think she would be alive today.”

  Suddenly, the grief she’d been hanging on to since her parents’ deaths burst from Daisy in unstoppable torrents. “I miss her Auntie. I miss my twin sister so much!”

  “Oh, love, you’ve been such a brave little thing.” Aunt Peavy got up from her chair and went over to draw Daisy into her arms and cradle her against her bosom. “You’re so right. I never had any children of my own; I didn’t know how to raise two sixteen-year-old girls.”

  “I’m not blaming you,” Daisy sobbed. “I’m blaming myself and Rose. I guess I’m even blaming Mom and Dad for dying. I know they couldn’t control what happened, but I felt abandoned.”

  “Cry, sweetie, it’s been a long time coming.”

  And Daisy did, relinquishing her emotions to the choking sorrow that had dogged her for years.

  They sat there for a time, Aunt Peavy gently rocking her back and forth, soothing Daisy as she often soothed Travis. “Everything’s okay now. Kael’s back.”

  Kael’s back.

  “You two have been gifted with a child and a chance to make everything right,” Aunt Peavy continued. “Don’t throw it away because you haven’t forgiven your sister.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I see the way you’ve be
en treating Kael. Still punishing him for the mistake he made seven years ago. The man’s aching for your approval, Daisy.”

  “Ha.”

  “Don’t sound so skeptical. He’s loved you for years.”

  “He hasn’t told me that.”

  “Some men find those are tough words to say.” Aunt Peavy pulled a tissue from her pocket and passed it to Daisy.

  “And some men don’t say those words because they don’t mean them.”

  “Actions speak louder than words.”

  “That’s right. And who ran off seven years ago?” Daisy asked.

  “A boy ran away. A man came home. A man who’s been trying to show you what he’s become, but you seem blind to his efforts. Kael willingly assumed his responsibility once he knew Travis was his son. He married you, Daisy. Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

  “It still doesn’t mean he loves me.” Daisy blotted her face with the tissue. “And there’s no proof he won’t leave again when the going gets tough or when the lure of the road stirs his blood. I’m terrified he’ll disappear on me again.”

  “There are no guarantees in life. I would have thought you’d have learned that lesson by now.”

  Daisy pondered her aunt’s words. True enough, life was a precarious proposition. If only she could trust Kael. But the thought of abandoning control in favor of going with the flow terrified her.

  “Feeling better?” Aunt Peavy inclined her head.

  Daisy nodded. “I’m sorry I dumped on you like that.”

  “Posh.” She waved a hand. “That’s what aunts are for.”

  “You’re the best,” Daisy whispered, giving her a fierce hug.

  “I think I better stay home tonight. You might need to talk some more.”

  “Stay home?”

  “Don’t you remember? I’m going to stay over at Jenny’s.”

  “Oh, yeah. I forgot,” Daisy said. “Please don’t change your plans on my account. I’m fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “Positive.”