shrugged. "Probably one of the hives."
"The hives?" Karen echoed. "I don't remember seeing any hives here."
"They're here," Kevin said. "All the farms have hives-we have to have bees to pollinate the crops. But when a hive gets too full, they produce a new queen, and the old one takes off with about a third of the bees. That's how they start new colonies. We'll take 'em back to the hives and set up a new one for them."
"Where are they?" Molly demanded, curiosity washing away the last of her fear. "How come you haven't shown them to me?"
'Because they're way over on the other side of the far pasture, as far away from the house as you can get," Kevin told her. "And they're out there because little kids like you should stay away from them."
"I'm not a little kid," Molly shot back. "I'm almost ten."
"In ten more months," Julie interjected.
"I still want to see the bees," Molly insisted, glaring at her sister.
"That's enough, Molly," Karen told her. "Kevin and Mr. Owen can take care of the bees, and you can stay here with me."
Outside, Otto had finished loading the cardboard box into the back of the pickup truck and was beckoning to Kevin.
"Want to go along?" Kevin asked Julie, his face reddening slightly and his eyes avoiding hers with such bashfulness that Karen, watching from the table, had to hide a smile.
Julie stared at Kevin. "Tell me you're kidding," she said. "You want me to get in that truck, with millions of bees in the back?"
Kevin's blush deepened. "It's not dangerous," he said.
"The top can't come off."
"Isn't it dangerous when you put them in the hive?" Karen asked. "You have to open the box then, don't you?"
Kevin nodded. "But Julie won't be anywhere near it.
She can even stay in the truck, and keep the windows closed if she wants to," he explained, his eyes fastening on Karen's in a mute appeal.
"Why don't you go, Julie?" Karen said, giving in to Kevin's puppy-dog look. "I'm sure Kevin and Otto know exactly what they're doing."
"Mother," Julie groaned. "Come on. Why would I want to-,, But this @, Karen didn't let her finish. "I think you ought to go," she said. "If I didn't have so much to do, I'd go myself. It sounds interesting." Before Julie had a chance to say anything more, Karen turned to Kevin. "Go tell your grandfather to wait a minute, will you? Julie will be right there."
Kevin, sensing that something was about to happen between Julie and her mother, hesitated. "If she doesn't really want to," he began, but Karen quickly interrupted him.
"She'll be down in a minute," she insisted. "Just tell Otto to wait." As Kevin left through the back door, Karen turned to her daughter, who was glaring at her angrily.
"Mother, I don't want to go!" Julie began. "I mean, like, beehives? Who cares about beehives? I don't see why?" Karen held up her hands Against Julie's torrent of words.
"Will you please listen to me? All I want you to do is go with them. Can't you see how important it is to Kevin that you go? Please, Julie. You can stay in the truck and look the other way if you want to. But we're going to be living on this farm, and we all have to get along together. Even with Otto Owen. And I might remind you that he got Molly out of the barn, and helped Kevin get the swarm out of the tree while we were hiding in the house. No wonder he doesn't think much of us-we acted like a bunch of cowards! So just go with them, and thank Otto for taking care of the swarm. All right?"
Julie took a deep breath, about to argue some more, but then saw the expression her mother always got when she'd decided there wasn't going to be any more discussion.
"Oh, all right," she sighed. "I'll go. But I won't get out of the car-I hate bees!"
"Really?" Karen asked, her brows arching and her eyes sparkling with mischief. "But they've always spoken so well of you!"
Julie stared at her mother in exasperation, then turned and started across the kitchen. Maybe seeing the hives wouldn't be so bad after all, she decided. In
"The hives?" Karen echoed. "I don't remember seeing any hives here."
"They're here," Kevin said. "All the farms have hives-we have to have bees to pollinate the crops. But when a hive gets too full, they produce a new queen, and the old one takes off with about a third of the bees. That's how they start new colonies. We'll take 'em back to the hives and set up a new one for them."
"Where are they?" Molly demanded, curiosity washing away the last of her fear. "How come you haven't shown them to me?"
'Because they're way over on the other side of the far pasture, as far away from the house as you can get," Kevin told her. "And they're out there because little kids like you should stay away from them."
"I'm not a little kid," Molly shot back. "I'm almost ten."
"In ten more months," Julie interjected.
"I still want to see the bees," Molly insisted, glaring at her sister.
"That's enough, Molly," Karen told her. "Kevin and Mr. Owen can take care of the bees, and you can stay here with me."
Outside, Otto had finished loading the cardboard box into the back of the pickup truck and was beckoning to Kevin.
"Want to go along?" Kevin asked Julie, his face reddening slightly and his eyes avoiding hers with such bashfulness that Karen, watching from the table, had to hide a smile.
Julie stared at Kevin. "Tell me you're kidding," she said. "You want me to get in that truck, with millions of bees in the back?"
Kevin's blush deepened. "It's not dangerous," he said.
"The top can't come off."
"Isn't it dangerous when you put them in the hive?" Karen asked. "You have to open the box then, don't you?"
Kevin nodded. "But Julie won't be anywhere near it.
She can even stay in the truck, and keep the windows closed if she wants to," he explained, his eyes fastening on Karen's in a mute appeal.
"Why don't you go, Julie?" Karen said, giving in to Kevin's puppy-dog look. "I'm sure Kevin and Otto know exactly what they're doing."
"Mother," Julie groaned. "Come on. Why would I want to-,, But this @, Karen didn't let her finish. "I think you ought to go," she said. "If I didn't have so much to do, I'd go myself. It sounds interesting." Before Julie had a chance to say anything more, Karen turned to Kevin. "Go tell your grandfather to wait a minute, will you? Julie will be right there."
Kevin, sensing that something was about to happen between Julie and her mother, hesitated. "If she doesn't really want to," he began, but Karen quickly interrupted him.
"She'll be down in a minute," she insisted. "Just tell Otto to wait." As Kevin left through the back door, Karen turned to her daughter, who was glaring at her angrily.
"Mother, I don't want to go!" Julie began. "I mean, like, beehives? Who cares about beehives? I don't see why?" Karen held up her hands Against Julie's torrent of words.
"Will you please listen to me? All I want you to do is go with them. Can't you see how important it is to Kevin that you go? Please, Julie. You can stay in the truck and look the other way if you want to. But we're going to be living on this farm, and we all have to get along together. Even with Otto Owen. And I might remind you that he got Molly out of the barn, and helped Kevin get the swarm out of the tree while we were hiding in the house. No wonder he doesn't think much of us-we acted like a bunch of cowards! So just go with them, and thank Otto for taking care of the swarm. All right?"
Julie took a deep breath, about to argue some more, but then saw the expression her mother always got when she'd decided there wasn't going to be any more discussion.
"Oh, all right," she sighed. "I'll go. But I won't get out of the car-I hate bees!"
"Really?" Karen asked, her brows arching and her eyes sparkling with mischief. "But they've always spoken so well of you!"
Julie stared at her mother in exasperation, then turned and started across the kitchen. Maybe seeing the hives wouldn't be so bad after all, she decided. In
Similar Books
Hold on Tight
Deborah Smith
The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams
Lawrence Block
Framed in Cornwall
Janie Bolitho
Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Nonfiction
Lex Williford, Michael Martone
Walking the Sleep
Mark McGhee
Jilting the Duke
Rachael Miles
Between Slavery and Freedom
Julie Winch
The Fourth Wall
Barbara Paul
Seducing an Heiress
Judy Teel