Page 103 of Honey Bee Hearts

Rhett looks at me with such longing, it nearly kills me. “I suppose that’s the sweetest form of karma,” he laughs, but it’s such a sad sound. “All my avoidance of love, and here when I finally find it, I can’t have it.” The last words are choked out, andhis eyes water, but he turns away before I can get a good look at his face.

Colt’s face splits into a scowl. “This is bullshit!”

“Give it a rest, Colt,” Gunnar grumbles. “If you really care about her, you let her go.”

He looks around at all of them, taking in their expressions, before turning back to me. His jaw clenches so tight, I swear I can hear his teeth grind together. His face is twisted with hatred, but it’s not directed at me. It’s for himself.

“Three days,” he demands, but it sounds like he’s begging. His eyes shine but he blinks before anything can give away his emotion. “Give us these last three days, Annie Oakley.”

I stare at the four of them, tears streaming down my cheeks, my heart shattering into a million pieces. Because I do love them. I really do. In this moment, I can admit it to myself even as crazy as it sounds. I came to Circle Bee to escape my reality, to escape my pain, and I ran right into more of it.

I press the heel of my hands to my eyes, a sob working its way up my throat. “I broke the rule,” I croak out, my words strangled.

“The door was unlocked,” Rhett says, thinking that’s what I mean. “We can hardly blame you for?—”

“No,” I cry, choking on the sobs. “Not. . . not that one. Rule number five.”

Rhett’s eyes blink in surprise, but the others just look confused.

“What’s rule number five?” Trent asks. “I didn’t know there were five.”

“It was a joke,” Rhett murmurs, his own voice thick with emotion. “Never fall in love with a cowboy.”

Their eyes widen as I stand there, crying, knowing I’ll have to leave, but. . . I can give them three days. I can stay until then, and I’ll cherish every last minute of it.

“Oh, Everhart,” Jinx whispers in my mind. “I’m so sorry.”

She sounds as sad as she had when my plant died. I’d cried then, too, convinced I’d never be able to take care of another living thing without killing it. I’d watered it too much, and Jinx had told me it’s because I never know when to stop giving. So we tried again, and again, and again, until we realized neither one of us had a green thumb.

This is different. This feels more like murder.

Rhett is the first one to wrap his arms around me, his warmth holding me together as I fall apart. Colt is right after, wrapping around me, his body shaking with his anger and frustration. Gunnar comes next, tears falling from his lashes just the same, openly crying for what we have to do. Trent stands back, his eyes on us, his face a mask, but when my eyes meet his, his shoulders tense and he looks away. In his dark eyes, I’d seen his sadness. Slowly, he steps forward and wraps his arms around the four of us, holding us together.

“Three days,” I choke out.

We break apart and Colt lifts me into his arms, his body warm, his eyes hard as he carries me over to the side-by-side and sets me in the passenger seat. He slides into the driver seat and waits, looking straight ahead as we wait for Rhett and Trent to get in the back with Jethro. Gunnar climbs back up on Houdini.

The trip back to the big house is slow, as if moving slower means the time won’t pass as fast. When we pull up to the big house and Gunnar comes back from putting Houdini up in a new stall, we all just stare at the house.

“Do you want to go back to your cabin?” Rhett asks.

I shake my head. “Not by myself.”

“We can come with you,” Colt says, not looking over at me.

“I’d like that,” I rasp.

It’s Rhett who lifts me out of the side-by-side this time.

“I can walk,” I murmur.

“You’ve walked enough for tonight,” he replies.

Inside the cabin, we all look at the items on the bed. It isn’t until Rhett sets me on my feet that I realize Trent is carrying my sewing machine back over to the table. He sets it gently on top.

“Thank you for picking that up,” I whisper sheepishly. What had I been thinking running off in the middle of the night? These men wouldn’t kill me. I’d panicked and. . . I’m an idiot.

We all just stand around for a few minutes. I’m unsure what to do, what to say, so I just look down, afraid to meet any of their eyes.

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