Read Like a Bee to Honey for Free Online

face, his eyes alight with something deep and gentle. Next to him stood a boy who couldn’t have been more than sixteen, five or six inches shorter than Josiah, wearing a blue baseball cap and a white T-shirt.
    Josiah reached out and took her hand as if to keep her from falling. Instead of resisting, she held on tight, just in case her knees gave out. “Rose,” he said. “This is Jack Willis. He was cutting through your farm on his way home.”
    Jack Willis’ sticky-outy ears seemed to be holding up his baseball cap, and his shaggy black hair stuck out in all directions from beneath it. “I’m really sorry. We moved here three months ago, and I figured out it was faster to catch the bus by shortcutting through your property. I should have asked first, but I didn’t know if you Amish were allowed to talk to people.” He jabbed his thumb in Josiah’s direction. “Joe says you’re allowed.”
    Rose’s heart was still going a mile a minute. “Oh,” she said, patting the moisture from her face with the edge of her apron. She didn’t know why she bothered. Jack and Josiah had already seen the tears. “You . . . you startled me. That’s all.”
    Jack had dark eyes and a friendly smile and didn’t seem to think less of her for being so foolish. “I’m sorry about that. My mom tells me I’m kind of sneaky that way. Me and my folks should have introduced ourselves when we first moved in. We’ve met our nearest neighbors, but there are a few pastures between us and you.”
    Still holding Rose’s hand, Josiah stepped into the honey house and tugged her to the stool. “ Cum sit down. You’re still a little shaken up.”
    Rose sat, and Josiah immediately let go. She felt as if he’d withdrawn his strength, but it also gave her a chance to gather some of her wits.
    He didn’t move far from her side. “Somebody has been playing tricks on Rose’s property. Last week they set fire to this building. The three sisters are a little wary of strangers.”
    Jack shook his head. “I’m real sorry for cutting through without asking.”
    Rose tried to smile. “You didn’t mean any harm.” She wouldn’t for the world want him to feel bad about it. She was the one who had behaved like a baby.
    Jack sniffed the air. “Our house caught fire once ’cause my dad put up too many Christmas lights. I had to stand in the snow for an hour in my pajamas until the fire department let us back in. It got one wall of the garage. My mom was pretty scared. She kept hugging me and my sister.” He cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. “I guess I better go. Mom’s expecting me home.”
    Rose bit her bottom lip. “It’s okay if you take the shortcut.”
    Josiah studied Rose’s face and nodded. “I’ll warn Rose’s aunt Bitsy so she doesn’t come after you with her shotgun.”
    Jack looked impressed. “Okay. Sick.”
    Josiah left Rose’s side long enough to see Jack to the door. “If you ever see anything suspicious going on over here, will you let us know?”
    â€œSure.” Jack scrunched his lips together. “But what do you consider suspicious?”
    â€œAnything that doesn’t look Amish enough.”
    Jack shrugged. “I don’t really know what you mean, but I’ll keep my eyes open.”
    â€œThank you,” Josiah said.
    â€œOkay,” Jack said, giving the door a solid tug. “See ya.”
    Josiah was back at Rose’s side in an instant. He knelt on one knee next to her stool and pulled a white, expertly pressed handkerchief from his pocket. “Do you want me to walk you back to the house?”
    Rose dabbed at her face with Josiah’s handkerchief. It smelled like laundry fresh from the line. She’d humiliated herself with her irrational fears, and Josiah felt obligated to help