Like a Bee to Honey Read Online Free PDF Page B

were quite put out that Rose had interrupted her nap. Leonard Nimoy’s wide, trusting eyes seemed to be asking what all the fuss was about.
    Her head throbbed with the force of her pulse.
    Dear Heavenly Father, please don’t let him hurt me or Farrah Fawcett or Leonard Nimoy. Make him go away. Please make him go away.
    She jumped clear to the ceiling and left her skin behind when someone knocked softly on the honey house door. Was she going to die? If she screamed loud enough, would Aunt Bitsy hear her in the house?
    Another knock. “Rose? Bitsy told me you were out here. Can I come in?”
    â€œJosiah?” she called, too breathless to make much of a sound at all.
    He opened the door, took a step inside, and caught sight of Rose plastered against the far wall. In an instant, his expression went from untroubled calm to cold tension. “Rose, are you all right?”
    She felt so shaky, she thought she might faint. “I . . . I don’t know.”
    Before she could draw breath, he was at her side, wrapping his hands around her arms. His touch felt warm and comfortable, like a weather-worn pair of canvas gloves. His voice was like a caress against her cheek. “What happened? Can I help?”
    She felt a tear trickle down her face. “I saw someone outside. I think he was the one who set fire to the honey house.”
    Josiah glanced out the window to his left. “Just now?”
    She nodded.
    â€œWhich way did he go?”
    â€œOut behind, I think.”
    He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Leonard Nimoy climbed up his arm and tried to hitch a ride on his shoulder. He gently pried Leonard Nimoy off and handed the kitten back to Rose. “Should I have a look around, or do you want me to stay here?”
    She almost begged him to stay, but if the stranger was going to burn down the honey house, it would be better if at least one of them got out. “I . . . you can go. But you’ve got to be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
    His shocking blue eyes pierced through her skull. “It’s okay, Rose. I won’t let anyone harm you.” He kept his gaze on her as he backed away. “Lock the door behind me, okay?”
    She nodded.
    Farrah Fawcett wriggled out of Rose’s arms and jumped to the floor. Rose kept a tight hold of Leonard Nimoy as she tiptoed to the door and turned the lock on the doorknob.
    Not daring to move, she rubbed Leonard Nimoy’s soft head while she listened for any sound outside. She thought about throwing the door open and making a run for the house, but she was too frightened to go out by herself with just two cats for protection. Farrah Fawcett had wasted no time in curling up on her pillow and closing her eyes.
    One cat. She only had one cat for protection, and Leonard Nimoy was just a kitten. Of course, her little kitten had given Josiah a big scratch only yesterday. Rose wasn’t completely defenseless. Her heart seemed to tumble over itself. She was worse than defenseless. She’d never risk Leonard Nimoy to save herself.
    She stood in silence, hardly daring to breathe in case someone heard her. Tears trickled down her cheeks as the anxiety grew more and more unbearable with every passing second. She should never have let Josiah risk danger for her. How could she have been so selfish? Guilt pressed on her as if she were buried under a pile of rocks. Hadn’t she learned her lesson with her parents?
    Every muscle in her body pulled taut as she heard the sound of low voices coming her way. Trying to keep herself from collapsing into a heap, she grasped the knob with her free hand, closed her eyes, and rested her forehead against the door.
    Please, Heavenly Father, let it be Josiah. Let him be okay.
    The knock on the door startled her even though it was as soft as a whisper. “Rose, it’s Josiah. Will you let me in?”
    She unlocked the door and opened it. Josiah stood there with a soft smile on his