Sweet as Honey Read Online Free PDF

reminding her. Dan Kanagy could go jump in the lake and live with the smelly fish where he belonged. And no, she’d never tell him to his face. He could figure it out for himself.
    Lily stomped into the house and seriously considered not coming out for the rest of the day. Let him sweep and weed and grin until he got the hint that she never wanted to lay eyes on him again.
    By the time she climbed the stairs to the room she shared with her sisters, she had changed her mind. She should be ashamed of herself for wishing he would go jump in the lake. What an unkind thought to have so early in the morning.
    She sighed, knowing it was best to get rid of him soon. If he hung around all day, she’d be miserable, and there was no doubt in her mind that he’d hang around all day. He had already proven himself the persistent type.
    If only he weren’t also the very rude type.
    She put on her yellow dress, just to annoy him, removed the scarf from around her hair, and donned her kapp, determined to get rid of Dan Kanagy in thirty seconds flat.
    Take the present and dash back into the house before he had time to think of another cruel nickname.
    Rose and Aunt B were in the back room putting their veils and gloves away when Lily came down the stairs. “I’ll be back soon,” she called. In thirty seconds, to be precise.
    Rose leaned her head out of the back-room doorway. “Give him one of those cookies you made.”
    Aunt B chimed in her two cents. “Don’t give him a cookie. Boys are like stray cats. If you feed them, they’ll keep showing up on your porch.”
    Lily cracked a smile. She agreed with Aunt B. No feeding Dan Kanagy.
    Dan sat on the bottom porch step and had to sort of unfold himself to stand up. With his grin firmly in place, he gazed at her, his eyes dancing in amusement. Probably thinking of how funny she looked in yellow. Like a baby chicken. “ Ach du lieva . You look so pretty, Amtrak.”
    Lily felt her face get warm. Only Dan could put you look so pretty and Amtrak together in the same sentence. Should she be insulted or flattered? She cleared her throat. It would take too much time to decide, and her precious thirty seconds were ticking away.
    â€œI’ve got chores I need to get to,” she said.
    Dan seemed to snap to attention. He scrambled up the porch steps and handed her a gift wrapped in brown paper and tied with a piece of twine. She fingered the tight knot. It would take more than thirty seconds to loosen it. She’d have to go back in the house and open it after he left. “ Denki,” she said, stepping back and grabbing the door handle, a definite signal that she was finished with him. “It’s very kind of you.”
    He didn’t take the hint. “Here,” he said, fishing in his pocket. “I’ve got a pocketknife.”
    He retrieved his knife and quickly slit the twine. Even though she resisted, the excitement in his eyes was contagious. Maybe she could spare an extra fifteen seconds to open it.
    She pulled back the paper to reveal a hardbound book with a beautiful illustration of a boy and his two dogs on the cover. Her heart swelled inside her chest, and she lost complete track of time.
    He tilted his head so he could meet her eyes. “Do you like it?”
    â€œOh my,” was all she could think to say.
    â€œMy mammi said it’s one of your favorite books. After all you did for her, I wanted to get you something special.”
    Lily felt about ten degrees warmer than she had a minute ago. “Dan, this is too much. I already told you that reading to your mammi was my pleasure. It’s so expensive.”
    He winked at her. “Worth every penny to see your eyes light up like that.”
    She lowered her gaze self-consciously. Did her eyes really light up? Did he never stop teasing?
    â€œI bought one for me too,” he said. “I’ve never read it.”
    Her mouth fell open in mock