Page 36 of Honey Be Mine
But she didn’t laugh or smile—she stared at him.
Yep, big mistake.He flexed his hands and took a deep breath.Dammit all.
He turned his attention out the window, scanning the fence line for any sign of his sister or grandmother. The silence seemed to grow and grow until he was gripping the steering wheel with both hands.
“There she is.” There was panic in Rosebud’s voice.
Because his Gramma Dot was sitting in the lower branches of the large Spanish oak in the pasture closest to the house.
How did she get up there?He stopped, put the truck into Park, and jumped down. Things had gone from bad to worse. Hopefully, he’d get Gramma Dot down safe and sound, and this entire morning wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
CHAPTER SEVEN
ROSEMARYCOULDHEARher pulse in her ears. Thumping. Loud and fast and strong.
I was so in love with you.
Everett? Everett had been in love with her? When? How?
Now that her chest had collapsed in on itself, she was having a hard time catching her breath. Not that the sensation was unpleasant. More like the opposite. She was warm and tingly and surprisingly giddy. Until what else he said played through her mind.
I got over you.
If Gramma Dot hadn’t started yelling, Rosemary would probably have remained frozen in place. But Gramma Dot was yelling, and Everett was jogging to the tree where the old woman was perched. High. Too high—especially for someone pushing eighty years old. Beneath the tree, Jenny Taggert was white-faced and pacing.
Rosemary was out of the truck and running after Everett.
“Albie.” Gramma Dot leaned forward, peering down at Everett. “Albie, is that you?”
“No, Gramma Dot, it’s Everett.” Everett stopped beneath the tree.
“Albie...” Gramma Dot let go of one of the branches she was holding on to and tipped forward.
“Gramma, hold on to those branches.” Jenny gripped the tree trunk and stared up at Gramma Dot. “Hold on.”
There was no sign that the old woman heard her granddaughter. “There you are. I’ve been looking for you, Albie. Where have you been?”
Rosemary’s heart hurt then. Albie Taggert was Dot’s husband. The two had been inseparable since they’d met in grade school. His death had been hard on Gramma Dot—and Everett. Albie Taggert hadn’t just been Everett’s granddad, he’d been Everett’s hero and idol.
“She’s really confused, Everett.” Jenny glanced from him to her grandmother. “And she’s starting to get tired.”
Seeing Gramma Dot so out of sorts tore Rosemary’s heart out. Not just for poor Dot, but for Everett and Jenny, too.
“It’s going to be okay.” Everett nodded. “I’m going to get the ladder.”
“I was trying to get you some apples, Albie. You love my apple pie.” Gramma Dot glanced up into the branches of the tree. “But this isn’t an apple tree.” Her forehead creased. “Albie? Albie, where are you going?”
Rosemary saw the muscle working in Everett’s jaw and put a hand on his back.
Everett glanced her way, then back at his grandmother. “I’m going to get the ladder. I’ll be right back.”
“No.” Gramma Dot shook her head. “Don’t leave me, Albie. Please stay. Just stay.”
The last thing they needed was for Gramma Dot to get agitated and fall. “You stay put, Everett. We’ll get the ladder.” Rosemary grabbed Jenny’s hand, and together, they ran to the barn.
“It’s inside.” Jenny pulled open the door and ran in with Rosemary on her heels. “There.”
They tilted the wooden ladder forward, each took an end, and hurried from the barn back to the tree. Everett propped it against the tree, made sure it was steady, and climbed up.
