Sweeter Than Honey Read Online Free PDF Page A

Daisy’s soft, rounded body, Honey drank in the scent of lilacs and homemade bread. The woman was only slightly older than her, but Honey had recognized her motherly nature from their first meeting. Never having known her own, she’d been unable to resist the other woman’s kindness. Everything about her, but especially her sweet scent, smelled like home—or what Honey had always imagined home might smell like.
    She pulled away and glanced up, reading compassion in Daisy’s strained smile.
    “Tea,” Daisy said the word with a firmness that brooked no argument. “You’re coming home with me.”
    “I need to get packed,” Honey said, her chin wobbling.
    Daisy squeezed her shoulder but didn’t let go as she walked her toward the door. “If you like, the ladies and I will help you pack later.”
    “He said that to you?” Letty Handy said in her gruff voice. Her brows drew into a single fierce line across her forehead. “Amos said Curly told him you and the sheriff were in the jail an awful long time.”
    Seated in a delicate chair in the rectory parlor, Honey felt a guilty flush heat her cheeks.
    Something about her expression seemed to fascinate Letty and Daisy, who sat on a loveseat across from her. Their eyes widened.
    “Did he take advantage of you, my dear?” Daisy asked, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
    Unable to hold their gazes, Honey nodded. “He kissed me.” Could she lie by omission in the parson’s house? What the hell? “Oh, Daisy, I melted into a gooey puddle. I let him touch me under my skirts. I couldn’t help myself.”
    Daisy blushed scarlet all the way to the roots of her ashy blonde hair. “I’m sure we have all been carried away by the attentions of a handsome man.”
    “Speak for yourself,” Letty murmured. “What happened next?”
    Honey sniffed into Daisy’s freshly starched handkerchief. “After…you know…he touched me, he said he was only doing me…a-a favor ,” she wailed.
    “The scoundrel,” Daisy exclaimed, a hand going to her breast. “The man thinks too highly of himself.”
    “He is a handsome one,” Letty said, shrugging when Daisy aimed a sharp glance her way. “I may be married, but I ain’t dead. The man only has to breathe and he fair takes a woman’s breath away.”
    “Here, my dear,” Daisy said, “drink this. It will fortify you.”
    Honey wiped her nose and accepted a small glass of port. She stared at it for a second and then downed it in a single gulp. She didn’t miss the raised eyebrows from the ladies gathered in Daisy’s parlor. Well, it wasn’t like she had a reputation to uphold any longer.
    Daisy and Letty raised their glasses and each downed hers in a single gulp.
    “Oh my, that does warm a body up,” Daisy said, staring into the bottom of her now-empty glass.
    “Come, Daisy,” Letty said, giving Daisy a nudge of her elbow. “This is not the time for temperance.”
    A slow, mischievous smile stretched across Daisy’s face, reminding Honey of a child sneaking an extra licorice from the candy jar. She poured another glass for herself and topped off Letty’s and Honey’s. “Well, you simply must stand your ground, Honey.”
    Honey sniffed. “I don’t want to anymore. He humiliated me.”
    “Nonsense,” Daisy said firmly but with kindness in her blue eyes. “I think what you’re feeling has nothing whatsoever to do with embarrassment. My dear, he hurt your feelings.”
    “He used you and discarded you like day-old milk,” Letty said, her tone flat. “That man needs to be taught a lesson.”
    Daisy rolled her eyes. “However crudely put, Letty is right.” She reached for Honey’s hands and leaned toward her. “You’ve taught us we don’t have to accept our lots in life. We can go out there and grab for our dreams.”
    “All I did was sell you a poker potion,” Honey muttered.
    Daisy’s lips formed a prim line. “My dear, your Elixir of Love placed power squarely in our hands. We rule our