Burton tried to remain calm, but with Tansy so upset he felt like there was a storm gathering inside him.

They had hiked up the hillside just after dawn to see if the bees were at work.

Instead they had found the crate gone and only a handful of bees buzzing in the trees.

“Stolen,” Tansy breathed.

Burton’s heart sank and he placed a tentative hand on her shoulder in sympathy as he mentally searched his limited experience with human problem-solving for a way to help.

They returned to the farmhouse in silence.

“How did we not see this coming?” Sage stormed when Tansy broke the news about the bees. “The Petersons’ bees were stolen.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Tansy said. “We have to focus on how to fix this. We’ll get more bees, and this time we’ll protect them.”

“We don’t have the money to rent more bees,” Sage said. “We certainly don’t have the money to reimburse Bee Our Guest for the hive we lost. It’s over, Tansy. We’re done.”

Tansy’s face went white with a rage so fierce even Burton was a little frightened of what she might be about to say.

But before she could speak there was a loud rap on the door and Sage dashed to answer it.

A small woman with snowy white hair stood on the other side.

“Oh you poor dears,” she exclaimed. “I heard you’ve been having some troubles.”

“Hi, Mrs. Strickland,” Sage said politely.

“You know better than that,” the woman said with a smile. “Call me Dolly. Oh my, who’s this?”

Dolly was looking at Burton.

He realized his brothers had the good sense to leave the room before Sage had opened the door.

“He’s a farm hand,” Tansy said quickly.

“Dolores Strickland, call me Dolly,” the woman said offering him her tiny hand.

“Burton,” he replied, taking it. “Call me Burton.”

“Aren’t you a charmer?” she giggled.

Burton was nonplused but he smiled back at her.

“And this is Arden,” Sage said, indicating Arden, who stood between the sisters.

“Nice to meet you, dear,” Dolly said, patting Arden’s arm. “So what’s your plan, girls?” she asked, turning back to Sage with a more serious expression on her face. “And how can I help?”

“Please have a seat,” Tansy said, indicating the sofa. “Can we offer you something to drink?”

“Oh, no thank you,” Dolly said, plopping herself down on the couch. “So tell me everything.”

The others sat too.

“We’re in a pickle,” Tansy admitted. “You don’t keep bees, do you?”

“Oh no, dear,” Dolly said. “I haven’t ever kept them. We always borrowed from the Petersons. But I heard his went missing.”

“Ours too,” Tansy said, her brow furrowed. “We’ll think of something.”

“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?” Dolly asked kindly. “When my dad died I thought I’d never pull the farm together.”

“But you did,” Tansy said.

“I sure did,” Dolly agreed. “I’ve always loved this place. It’s home to me.”

“I love it too,” Tansy murmured.

“It’s harder these days though,” Dolly said quietly. “There’s online grocery delivery, and farmer’s markets in town to keep up with or lose business to. And with Martin’s Bounty being a tourist farm you’re competing with television and Atari games to boot.”

“I’m having a hard time seeing how the numbers can crunch,” Sage admitted.

Tansy bit her lip.

“I would love nothing more than to see more women farmers succeed in Stargazer,” Dolly said carefully. “Your grandmother and I were always allies and I’d love to have you girls stay on. But if this is too much for you, you do have options.”

“No,” Tansy said.

“What options?” Sage asked at the same time.

Dolly buttoned her lips and dug around in her handbag. After a moment she pulled something out.

It was a document of some kind. She unfurled it to show it to Sage.

Burton noticed a round stamp mark and a set of signatures at the bottom.

“Right after your grandfather died, your grandmother had two dry seasons in a row,” Dolly said. “Things were bad for her, really bad, and I was afraid she would sell the place.”

“What is this?” Tansy asked.

“It’s a right-of-first refusal,” Dolly said. “I knew your grandmother was too proud to accept my help. And I didn’t want her to sell this beautiful farm. I offered to buy a right-of-first-refusal from her.”

“What’s a right-of-first-refusal?” Tansy asked.

“It’s this document right here,” Dolly explained. “It states that if the farm is ever sold, I have the first right to buy it.”

Sage read it over Dolly’s shoulder.

“I paid her enough for this to wipe out her debt and keep the place going another season,” Dolly said. “She managed to hold onto the farm, which I know brought her joy. And it has been peace of mind for me ever since to know that if the place were ever sold I’d be first in line to buy it.”

“How much would you pay?” Sage asked.

“Oh, that’s this figure here,” Dolly replied, tapping a spot on the page. “It would be that figure plus average appreciation for the county in the years that have passed, as determined by a professional appraiser - in this case the one over at the Stargazer Town Bank.”

Sage’s eyebrows went up slightly. She seemed impressed. Tansy, not so much.

“It’s a bit more than market value in this economy, but this was never about business for me,” Dolly said. “It was about holding onto the land. I could have those funds ready for you today if you girls wanted to sell.”

“The farm isn’t for sale,” Tansy said matter-of-factly.

Tansy had paid no attention to the paper or to Sage’s questions.

“You’re a girl after my own heart,” Dolly chuckled, hoisting herself off the sofa and stuffing the paper back into her handbag. “You let me know if you change your minds, and of course if there’s anything else I can do to help.”

“Thank you, Dolly,” Tansy replied. “Let me walk you home.”

The two exited the farmhouse.

Burton watched after them, wondering what the interaction he’d just witnessed meant for his mate and her sister. The older woman had offered them what she framed as peace of mind, but Tansy’s mind had seemed anything but peaceful.