Page 18 of The Sweetest Thing
Tansy turned her windshield wipers to high and edged into the right lane so the sports car coming up behind her could speed by. It did, without slowing a bit.
“Dumbass,” Dane mumbled. “That’s how you get into an accident.”
Tansy didn’t argue. First, she one hundred percent agreed with him—something she’d never admit to. Second, the rain was making it hard to see five feet in front of her. And lastly, she was too tense to say anything. By the time the rain slowed and they reached the sign that read “Welcome to Honey, the Sweetest Place in Texas,” Tansy was all raw nerves and knots.
She’d never been so happy to drive under the ostentatious Texas Viking Honey archway. Now that the clouds had parted, the smooth white limestone and clay walls of the Knudson homestead stood out, almost glowing, in the light of the low-hanging full moon. The homestead was fashioned after some ancient Knudson kin’s manor house in Denmark. Poppa Tom had admired the original Knudson settlers’ efforts, often mentioning the true craftmanship and exacting attention to tradition they’d put into their new home.
With its long dark windows peering out of the stark white facade, the large structure looked...sad.Probably disappointed in the current Knudsons. She was grinning when she pulled to a stop.
“Where are we?” Astrid asked around a yawn.
“Dropping off the Knudson brothers.” Tansy managed to keep her tone neutral.
“I don’t even remember falling asleep.” Nicole’s arm stretched forward between her and Astrid’s seats. “Did we miss anything?”
Tansy shook her head.
“It was quite a ride.” Dane sounded very pleased with himself. “Very eventful.”
“It rained,” Tansy offered up as explanation.
“It was a...a bonding experience.” He was smiling, she could hear it in his voice.
Did he think he was funny?What does that even mean?Tansy didn’t take the bait. She ignored the questioning look of her sister—and the feeling that Nicole, sitting directly behind her, was staring at the back of her head wearing a similarly curious expression—and turned on the dome light overhead.
“Hey, Leif,” Dane said softly.
She had no plans to acknowledge Dane’s existencebutthat was before he’d sounded likethat. Loving and gentle. It was so unexpected, so lacking in his normal condescending tone, that Tansy found herself glancing into the rearview mirror.
“We’re home,” Dane murmured, giving his brother a little pat—and wearing the sweetest smile.
Tansy had seen that smile before but, this time, there was no doubting his sincerity. Dane was a self-absorbed, holier-than-thou ass but he did love his brother.So, he had one redeeming quality.One. And it was pretty big. Dane—being patient was heartwarming... She tore her gaze away. While it was tempting to honk and wake up the younger Knudson so she could end this whole ordeal that much quicker, she couldn’t. Leif was a kid. A grumpy kid, but a kid. She had no quarrel with him. Waking him up like that would be mean and, no matter what Dane thought, she wasn’t mean.
Dane chuckled at his bleery-eyed and groggy brother “Pretty sure you’re too big for me to carry inside now.”
Tansy did not linger over the adorable image his words conjured. Dane, all big and strong and full of muscles, carrying his gawky teen brother inside like a sleeping baby. Why was she thinking about his muscles? When had the wordadorableever applied to Dane? Since high school anyway? And that was before he’d broken her heart with his public sham of a prom proposal. She sighed.Enough.No thoughts of Dane’s muscles or smiles or adorableness or...or anything. She sighed again, her grip tightening on the steering wheel.
“Come on, Leif.” Dane was sounding far more Dane-like now. “Tansy’s getting impatient—she might end up booting us out and backing over us if we don’t get a move on.”
She glared at his smiling reflection.
“I’m awake,” Leif grumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning. “I’m up.”
“Then we should let these ladies get home.” Dane leaned forward, opened the van door and stepped out.
“Thanks for the ride.” Leif climbed out, yawning and stretching as he headed straight for the door—without a backward glance.
“Yes, thanks for getting us a ride, Astrid.” Dane ran a hand over his hair, his shirt pulling tight across his chest. “Pretty sure Leif and I would have been stranded if you hadn’t pleaded our case.”
“Tansy would have stopped.” Astrid, good sister that she was, was quick to defend her.
I might have offered Leif a ride.
Dane chuckled, shooting Tansy an openly incredulous look.
“You’re welcome.” Tansy used a saccharine sweet tone of voice. “Go ahead and close the door now, Nicole.”
“Um...” Nicole hesitated.
