by Hannah Reed
“I’m over here,” I heard from the far side of the room.
That’s when I noticed a curtain drawn between the voice and me. When Hunter pulled it aside, I saw Patti lying in the next bed. She looked like she’d just woken up. She had big bandages wrapped around her head and her eyes were more purple than black.
“My head hurts,” she whined. “I keep asking for more painkillers and they won’t give them to me. And I had splinters all over in the palms of my hands from that stupid shovel. They pulled each one out individually, and boy did that hurt.”
Hunter was trying to contain himself. But when he saw the expression on my face, he burst out laughing.
“And how does a person get any rest in this place,” P.P. Patti went on. “The only good part of this whole arrangement is that”—she gave me a huge grin—“we’re roommates!”
I sunk back in the hospital bed and grimaced.
Forty-six
Hunter brought me home from the hospital. We sat in my backyard with Ben at our feet. Having almost lost my life proved good for our relationship. My man even took time off from work to take care of me.
Now, as we sat gazing at each other across my patio table, he said, “I think it’s time to take a step forward.”
I needed clarification. “Like?”
“Like, maybe it’s time we moved in together.”
Wow! Really? On the inside I was bouncing up and down. On the outside, I smiled serenely and said, “My place or yours?”
He smiled back. “It doesn’t matter as long as we’re together. We’ll talk more in a few days when you’ve recovered fully. I don’t want to take advantage of you.”
And with that, he did.
It felt good to get back into the daily routine, back to my busy but normal life. My honeybees buzzed happily along in my absence, unaware of my close call with death. Stanley Peck had made sure they were cared for while I was in the hospital. Noel had even helped out in the beeyard before he’d had to head home to get ready for school to start. Stanley told me he and his grandson had had a serious conversation about keeping the whole safe-blowing escapade from Noel’s mother, for fear she’d never let him come within a hundred miles of Moraine or his grandfather again.
A few locals expressed relief for the peace and quiet Noel left behind.
The store also ran smoothly without me for the few days I was out, thanks in large part to Carrie Ann, who put aside her online game playing to actually help manage the business. Maybe I would consider giving her a promotion.
I was back behind the cash register a few days later, though, when Mom came into The Wild Clover. She was holding hands with Tom and grinning.
“You need to put your money in a bank,” I advised my mother’s boyfriend. “We’ll all feel safer.”
“I already have,” he assured me.
Grams was right behind them, with Dinky straining at the end of a leash. “I’ve decided to keep Dinky with me,” she said. “I’ve grown so fond of her over these last few days. Even though she’s still peeing where she shouldn’t. Hunter promised to help me train her.”
What wonderful news!
“Let’s get a family photograph,” Grams suggested, hauling out her point-and-shoot.
Holly came out of the storage room just in time to get into the picture. Milly took it for us.
Through the front window, I saw Lori Spandle and DeeDee Becker. Lori peered in, then rushed inside. “That dog isn’t allowed in an establishment that caters to food products,” she said with an airy sniff, indicating Dinky. “I’m filing a report.”
Just then, DeeDee moved closer to the window, where I could see her better. She was wearing a scarf around her neck. It was an animal print. A bead or two in the fringe glistened and sparkled in the sun.
I heard Mom say, “Lori Spandle…” but that’s all I caught. Because I was out the door, intent on the klepto who’d stolen my scarf from the library.
DeeDee saw me, recognized the look on my face as her death knell, and took off running.
Like the bulldog I could be (a family trait from my mother’s side of the family), I was right behind her.
The Wild Clover August Newsletter
Notes from the beeyard:
• As goldenrods and asters begin to bloom, honeybees will be busier than ever collecting nectar.
• Bees need water to drink and to dilute thick honey. If it hasn’t rained, help them out with an outdoor water supply (bucket or bird bath).
• Late August and September are perfect times to visit a beekeeper, and if you’re lucky, he or she will let you sample comb honey right from the hive.
Here are a few simple honey concoctions:
• Honey sticks—stir into a cup of hot tea.
• Drizzle honey over a wedge of salty cheese for a delicious combination.
• Add a little honey to your bath water for a soothing, silky soak.
Nutty Rhubarb Muffins
1 cup brown sugar + ½ cup
½ cup honey
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3½ cups all purpose flour
½ cup oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups rhubarb, diced
½ cup hickory nuts or walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, honey, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Mix together flour, oatmeal, baking soda, and salt.
Combine all and mix well.
Add rhubarb.
Grease muffin cups, scoop in batter.
Mix together the rest of the brown sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle on muffins.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Makes 2 dozen.
Blueberry Scones with Honey Glaze
SCONES
2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup whipping cream
1 cup fresh blueberries
Raw sugar or cinnamon sugar (optional)
GLAZE
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon orange juice
3 teaspoons honey, or to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix glaze ingredients and set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix in flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add pieces of butter. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender, or two knives, until the butter is pea-size.
Combine egg with whipping cream. Add to the dry mixture. Stir until just mixed. Fold in blueberries.
Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead ten times until dough is nearly smooth. Roll dough into an 8-inch circle. Cut it into 8 to 12 wedges. Sprinkle with raw sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Place scones one inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
Drizzle with glaze.
Notes from the garden:
• Leave ripe tomatoes on the vine for an extra week to capture their fullest flavor.
• First flowers from cucumbers and other vine crops are all male and don’t produce fruit.
• Fertilization begins with the second set of blooms, which are males and females.
Grilled Corn with Ancho Honey Butter
Corn on the cob
1 ancho chile—minced if fresh, seeded and torn in pieces if dried
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 garlic cloves
¼ cup cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1½ teaspoons kosher salt pepper
If using dried chile, soak in warm water for 3
0 minutes, then drain.
In food processor, chop cilantro and garlic. Add chile, lime juice, honey, salt.
Add butter and blend until smooth.
Shuck ears, brush with ancho butter, season with salt and pepper, grill until brown 10 to 12 minutes.
–OR–
Toss unshucked ears on grill (silk and all), and cook over high heat until husks are charred 10 to 15 minutes, then serve with ancho butter.
Peach and Ginger-Honey Smoothie
1 peach, pit removed and sliced
½ cup milk of your choice
½ cup peach yogurt
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
6 ice cubes
Blend and enjoy.
About the Author
Hannah Reed lives on a high ridge in southern Wisconsin in a community much like the one she writes about. She is busy writing the next book in the Queen Bee Mysteries. Visit Hannah and explore Story’s world at www.queenbeemystery.com.