Page 6 of Honey Be Mine
It was a Monday, so Delaney’s wasn’t too crowded. The fact that it was the first day of school might have played a part, too. Which reminded him. “How are you doing? Your little brother’s senior year and all. Is Leif excited?” He glanced at his friend.
Sure enough, Dane’s jaw clenched tight. “Oh, he’s excited, all right. That’s all that matters. I’d be happy if he spent as much time on his studies as he does courting Kerrielynn, but it is what it is.”
Everett laughed. “Young love.”
“Can hurt like hell.” Dane shot him a long look. “You’d know all about that.”
He ran a hand over his face.
Dane grinned.
“It’s too early to start drinking, so how about we change the subject andnottalk about Rosebud anymore?”
“Sure.” Dane nodded. “Let’s give that a try.” But he shook his head.
Once they were seated and their orders were in, Everett told Dane about Lorna resigning and the paintball vandalism in Alpine Springs.
“Damn.” Dane sat back, his brows high. “I bet making that second round of phone calls was...fun.” He chuckled. “That Dennis Hobart is something else. I don’t think that man has ever had a good day—at least, he’s never acted like it.”
“At least his bad mood is warranted today.” Everett took a sip of his iced tea. “I’d be pissed off if my brand-new park equipment had been trashed like that.”
“Any idea who’d do this?” Dane leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table.
“The sheriff’s going to do some digging—that’s his jurisdiction, not mine. But if I were to guess, I’d say it’s a bunch of kids pulling some end-of-summer stunt. Like we used to do.” He grinned at Dane. Summers got long in small towns with limited things to do.
“Not that we ever destroyed property like that.” Dane frowned. “If we had and we got caught, my dad would have tanned my hide. Then yours.”
Everett nodded. It was one thing to pull a harmless prank. It was something else entirely to deface public property at the taxpayers’ expense. “Do me a favor, though. If you hear something, let me know?”
Dane nodded. “Now, what are you going to do about Lorna? It’s not a surprise, but still, she was good at her job.”
“Don’t I know it.” He shrugged. “Of course Lorna said she’d help train her replacement—that helps. But it’s not going to be easy to find someone that’s good with people, knows all the festivals and the area, and gets excited about educational programming.”
“A needle in a haystack if you ask me.” Dane nodded. “Maybe you should offer Lorna more money to stay.”
Everett chuckled. Lorna leaving had nothing to do with money and everything to do with her growing family. He respected that. It was time to find a replacement. And the sooner he got the job posted, the sooner that would happen.
“I hate to bring this up, but Tansy’s convinced your secretary is after you. Considering we’re talking about Libby Owens-Baldwin, I can see where she’s coming from.” Dane gave him a long assessing look.
“I appreciate the concern and all, but it’s not going to happen.” He chuckled. “Libby’s doing a good job, but I won’t date an employee or a coworker. You can pass that along to Tansy. And my mother. And my sister. And Gramma Dot.” He paused. “Should I be offended that all the women in my life seem to think I need protecting? Or flattered?”
Dane laughed. “Flattered, I think. It means they care.”
“So they’re not implying that I’m incapable of making good choices when it comes to my personal life?” He sighed.
“I’d buckle up, because thanks to that article this morning, your personal life is now everyone’s business.” Dane was laughing harder then.
There it is.Everett sighed. He’d been careful not to date many women from Honey because he didn’t want the whole town planning his wedding before there was a second date. That was not the way it worked. He’d grown up watching his parents live their vows every single day—working through the good and the bad times, giving unconditional love, and truly being a partner in all things. That was what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to settle. Until then, he needed to be prepared for the hell he was going to catch over that damn newspaper headline.
CHAPTER TWO
THETAGGERTPLACEwas a working goat farm. Meaning herds of red and brown and black and white goats dotted the hillside, and a whole host of baas and bleats filled the air, along with the occasional tinkling of a bell.
Rosemary had learned the difference between milk goats and Angora goats when she was very young. The Taggerts took their goats to a lot of the same festivals her family’s Honey Hill Farms would attend. While the Hills sold their honey and beeswax goods, the Taggerts offered goat-milking demonstrations and how to weave Angora hair into thread. Many a time, she had lent a hand at their booth when she was younger.
“Rosemary.” Violet Taggert, Everett’s mom, poured her another cup of tea. “I’m glad you stopped by. We didn’t really get a chance to talk at Camellia’s wedding.” She pushed the plate of cookies closer to her. “I want to hear all about California and what you’ve been up to.”
“There’s not much to tell.” Not much she wanted to share anyway. “Work. It’s not exactly the way I imagined it would be—but it keeps me busy.”
