Page 10 of Charmed and Dangerous

He pulled back and smiled. “Ready for a picnic?”

When they pulled up to an imposing twelve-foot high wrought-iron gate, Maeve gasped. “Saul, we can’t go in here. This is Cornelius Digby’s Botanical Gardens. He doesn’t let anyone in here.”

Saul shot her a smug look. “He’ll let us in.”

She tugged at his sleeve. “You don’t understand. He hates people interrupting his work. I know that because my father is just like him. Never interrupt a genius when they’re working.”

Saul held up a finger, ignoring her. He waited at the gate, with the driver’s window rolled down. A crow flew down and landed on the tangle of vines and cawed at him, flapping its wings rather aggressively. Saul remained calm, one hand draped over the steering wheel and the other hanging out the window. The crow flew away toward the historic old mansion in the distance.

“Saul, we can just go to the park in town. It’s fine.”

Though she’d always wanted to see Cornelius Digby’s gardens, not that she’d ever be invited. No one was invited to the Digby Gardens. Never. Her mother mentioned seeing them once, years before when she was studying in the academy, but he’d become a recluse shortly after that. Maeve didn’t think she’d ever even met the man, though she’d read his first volume of medicinal plants and herbs cover to cover multiple times. In fact, she needed a new copy. Hers was falling apart.

Suddenly, the gate creaked open. Saul’s truck rumbled up the driveway to the historic, imposing mansion. He put it in park and said, “Wait here. Be right back.”

He got out and grabbed a large, covered tray from the back seat. He walked up the front steps to the dark wood door. The door opened just a little and Maeve strained to see who was on the other side, but it was too dark to tell who or what was standing there. A pair of hands reached out, the arms encased in brown tweed, and took the tray. The height of the person was notaller than Maeve and seemed tiny compared to Saul. The door slammed shut, but it didn’t seem to bother Saul. He ambled back to the truck and got in, heading around the back of the house.

“Where are you going?”

He shot her an amused look. “I told you. We’re having a picnic. Cornelius Digby said we could have it here, and that you were welcome to explore his gardens all day, if you’d like.”

Hope blossomed inside of her, along with a healthy dose of skepticism. “Cornelius Digby doesn’t let anyone in. Why would he do this?”

“Because he owes me.” At her look, he sighed. “Cornelius has several bee hives with some of the most delicious honey from bees from all around the world. He’s created their own ecosystem so he could enjoy their honey. They’re delicious.”

Saul’s voice had taken on a dreamy quality, and Maeve rolled her eyes. “Bears and their honey.”

He grinned at her. “Honey badgers too.” She gasped. “Yup. Cornelius is a honey badger, like Hazel. One night, he showed up at my bakery, really late. He asked if I could use his honey for some special treats for him. Honey rolls, honey cakes, honey apple bars, biscuits, cookies. You name it, he wanted it. And I got to keep some of the honey for myself. Maeve, the honey was so good I could weep. The African honey alone…”

“You’re drifting again, Saul,” she said sharply.

He grinned sheepishly. “Sorry. But it was really good honey. Anyway, I’ve never made him baklava, thinking I would save that for a special occasion. Ta-da!”

“You used a favor on me?” There went that tingly feeling again.

He turned off the truck and faced her, a puzzled look on his face. “Well, who better to use it on?”

Maeve felt her face burn, and she looked out over the acres of greenhouses and habitats. Her eyes widened at the wonderland in front of her and her jaw dropped. “We could be here all day.”

“All week probably. Where would you like to start? I’ve been told the only area off-limits are the hives, because apparently I can’t be trusted as a bear.” Saul growled the last words, but it was good-natured.

Maeve was overwhelmed. She had no idea where to begin and sat in the truck, paralyzed. She didn’t know how long she sat there when she realized Saul was next to her, and the passenger door was open. “Let’s just start walking, okay?”

She nodded and let him lift her out of the truck. “You really should have a stool for this thing.”

“And miss the joy of touching you? Not a chance.”

She rolled her eyes again but had to admit, deep inside, she liked the feeling of his hand circling her waist, especially when he brought her against his body before setting her down. Without letting go of her hand, he grabbed a large picnic basket in the back that could have easily fed a family of eight and said, “Lead on, mouse.”

She scowled at him, but decided to let the nickname go in favor of exploration. Each section of the garden was labeled including fruits, seeds, herbs, poisons, and other categories. She veered directly for the herbs, almost dragging Saul behind her since he refused to let go of her hand. She stood in front of the fenced-in area, waiting for someone to yell at her. Saul reached in front of her and gently opened the gate. She stepped inside and paused, but when nothing happened, she went in further and became lost in the plants.

Chapter

Five

Saul followed behind Maeve, utterly charmed by her sheer love for plants. She had lost all fear of him, instead chattering away about every single herb, plant or whatever caught her fancy, talking about what it could be used for and the care of it. She darted from plant to plant, exclaiming over varieties found here, and he figured he’d scored major mate points with this date.

“Saul, look at this. It’s Devil’s Thimbleberry. My mom’s notebook mentions this as a key ingredient in an all-purpose antidote for poisons, but it’s insanely difficult to get or grow. She tried, but could never get it to survive.”

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