That evening, Tansy headed down the hill from the peach orchard, tired but happy.

They had prepared the orchard for the arrival of the rented hives, now all they had to do was wait for the trucks to arrive.

“Are you worried that they’re not here yet?” Sage asked for the third time.

“They’re not supposed to be here yet,” Tansy said. “They won’t come until after dark.”

“Why not?” Burton asked.

“The bees go into their hives to sleep,” Tansy explained. “That’s when they can be transported. Luckily, Bee Our Guest is just two hours away, so they’ll get here late tonight.”

“Arden,” someone called out softly from the hillside just above them.

Tansy nearly jumped out of her shoes.

The only thing on the other side of the hill was the rhododendron hedge that separated them from the lab and observatory on Dr. Bhimani’s property. And no one ever crossed that hedge line.

Well, no one before or since Arden and the men had escaped the lab.

Arden was already heading up the hillside, a smile on her face.

The owner of the voice was heading down the hill at a commanding pace. She was young and beautiful, with stick straight strawberry blonde hair in a ponytail that screamed soccer mom. She was also deeply pregnant.

“Georgia,” Arden said happily.

“I can’t stay,” Georgia said quietly. “I just had to tell you guys that we got Magnum to sit for an interview today and it was pretty funny. If you have time to watch, it should be on Channel 3 in about ten minutes.”

Arden covered her mouth as if to stifle a giggle.

Tansy seemed to remember Magnum as the biggest and most serious of the original three aliens. Though she had seen him in pictures and video, she had never realized she hadn’t heard him speak before.

“How are you guys doing?” Georgia asked, her blue eyes scanning the group for clues. “Dr. Bhimani is worried about you.”

“We are very comfortable,” Burton assured her at once.

Georgia nodded, and looked over at Drago, whose hand was twined in Arden’s again. She broke into a grin.

“Are you mated?” she asked them.

“Yes,” he told her proudly.

Arden’s face went pale, as if she were afraid Georgia would think she had done something wrong.

“Good,” Georgia said in a businesslike way. “One down, two to go.”

She gave Tansy a pointed look.

Tansy gaped at her.

Georgia arched a delicate eyebrow, then turned on her heel.

“Channel 3 in ten minutes, don’t miss it,” she called out as she headed back up the hillside toward the hedge.

Arden ran after her.

Georgia stopped and listened, but Arden spoke so softly Tansy couldn’t hear them.

At last Georgia shook her head and Arden nodded, looking very relieved.

Then Georgia headed back up the hill and Arden jogged down to rejoin the group.

“What was that about?” Sage asked.

“Oh, I, um, just wanted to make sure the other men were okay,” Arden said too quickly.

Sage nodded, letting her off the hook.

Tansy was glad to see it. Sage had never had a lot of friends, her tendency was to steamroll, but with Arden, Tansy could see Sage being more caring.

“What are you smiling about?” Burton asked.

“I’m glad we have an excuse to sit and watch TV after all these farm chores,” Tansy teased. “I’m going to make some popcorn when we get back if we have time.”

“Popcorn can be made?” Riggs asked, sounding mystified.

As Sage began a lesson on the properties of corn and its varied means of being prepared and eaten, Tansy breathed in the last of the summer night.

Crickets were already chirping even though it was still light out. Overhead, the small dark silhouettes of bats fluttered across the sky.

In the valley below, the white stucco farmhouse was so sweet and picturesque it nearly brought tears to Tansy’s eyes. She could still see Grandma Helen sitting in her rocker on the porch, a big mug of tea cradled in her work-hardened hands, looking out over the fields.

This was all Tansy had ever wanted - the simple joy of this life, and maybe someone to share it with.

She stole a glance at Burton who was listening, rapt, as Sage explained how the Native Americans had taught the pilgrims to plant corn.

He treated her sister with such respect. And he had such curiosity about the farm and how it worked.

The seed of an idea began to take root in her mind.

They were heading up the stairs into the house. She looked at the porch again, this time picturing two rockers, one for her, one for…

“Burton,” Sage said. “Why don’t you help Tansy make popcorn while we see if we can get Grandma Helen’s TV working?”

“Yes,” Burton said. “I would be glad to help you, Tansy.”

His deep voice sent a shiver down her spine and she nodded without looking up.

They headed into the kitchen and she busied herself, banging around in the cupboards until she found a box of microwave popcorn.

She removed an envelope and pulled it out of the plastic sleeve.

“Where is the corn?” Burton asked.

“It’s in the bag,” Arden explained.

“How will you cook it?” he asked.

“In the microwave,” she said. “It’s faster and easier that way.”

She went to the machine, placed the bag inside and pressed the popcorn button.

“Now what?” Burton asked.

“We wait,” Tansy said.

He nodded and then smiled.

“What?” she asked.

“You cook like you’re from Aerie,” he told her.

“Did you cook on Aerie?” she asked, mystified. She’d been under the impression they soaked in starlight for energy.

“Not until we had human bodies,” he said. “Once we did, we prepared our meals in a heat box, like this one.”

“What did it taste like?” Tansy asked, wondering how they had gotten an idea of what foods should taste like just from watching ‘80s movies.

“It was nearly tasteless,” Burton said. “We had no idea what a pleasure food could be until we arrived here.”

“Did you eat well at the lab?” Tansy asked.

“Dr. Bhimani cooks like a scientist with a lot of experimenting and small fires,” Burton said, looking a little troubled. “Is this bad manners to say?”

“Not to me, but you wouldn’t want to say it to Dr. Bhimani,” Tansy said, trying not to laugh. Manners were super important on Aerie. Arden had explained that the poor men were in constant fear of breaking rules of etiquette here on Earth.

“I see,” Burton said. “Thank you for explaining. So, I will not share with others that Dr. Bhimani cooks with science. And your sister, Sage, cooks with love.”

Wow. Sage did cook with love. Tansy was thunderstruck for a moment.

“Is that not right?” Burton asked.

“No, it’s right,” Tansy said. “I just never thought of it that way. But Sage does cook with love.”

She tried not to think about how much better Sage’s cooking had gotten since the men’s arrival.

“And you,” Burton said. “You cook like an alien.”

His brown eyes were twinkling and she went up on her toes to give him a playful smack.

Before she could do it, he caught her wrist in his hand.

A shiver of awareness passed between them.

Tansy lost her balance and caught herself with her hand against his warm chest. She could feel the planes of his muscles beneath his t-shirt.

“Tansy,” he breathed.

The kitchen, the farmhouse, the whole world seemed to fade away until there was nothing but his hand on her wrist and the hunger in his dark eyes.

The unexpected pop of the first kernel startled her out of her daze.

“What was that?” Burton demanded, effortlessly lifting her and placing her behind him, sheltering her body with his as he spun to assess the threat.

“It’s the popcorn,” Tansy said softly.

He turned to her.

She began to laugh in spite of herself.

“What’s going on in here?” Sage asked on her way to the refrigerator.

“The popping corn startled me,” Burton said. “But now I have a greater understanding of its name.”

“Guys, it’s starting,” Arden yelled from the other room.

Sage put the pitcher of lemonade on the counter and headed back to the living room.

Tansy shrugged at Burton and they followed.

In the living room Riggs was fussing with Grandma Helen’s TV. It was a tiny thing and old fashioned, but it seemed to be working.

She took a seat on the floor and Burton settled down next to her, his body just close enough to excite her senses.

“Thank you so much for joining us today,” the interviewer on the screen said to the three couples seated on a sofa beside her.

Tansy recognized the couples immediately - anyone who had recently passed the magazine aisle at a check-out counter would have no problem identifying the men from beyond the stars and their mates.

On one end of the sofa sat Georgia, the woman Tansy had met today, beside her mate, Rocky. Georgia was leaned against him at an angle, as if her pregnant belly were making it hard for her to sit comfortably.

In the middle were Posey and her mate, Bond. Posey was cradling an adorable baby in her arms.

That was little Estrella Grace, a baby so famous she might as well have been royalty. As the first child born of the union between Earth and Aerie, all eyes would always be on her. Tansy did not envy the small family the loss of their privacy.

On the other end of the sofa the enormous Magnum held his mate’s hand. Rima smiled up at him, seemingly content. Her belly was conspicuously flat and her arms conspicuously empty. Tansy wondered why Rima and Magnum were not obeying Aerie’s command that the men produce young with their new mates.

“We’re glad to be here,” Georgia said brightly.

“I think I’ve been given a tremendous honor here,” the interviewer said. “You’ve never all agreed to be interviewed together.”

Georgia nodded in assent as the camera panned to Magnum.

He seemed to notice all the attention being paid to him and his jaw clenched.

Beside him, Rima patted his thigh.

He drew a protective arm around her.

“Are you looking forward to your speaking tour?” the interviewer asked Magnum.

He blinked at her twice as if he couldn’t decide whether to answer or run away.

Rima patted his thigh again and he appeared to relax.

“I am a man of few words,” he pointed out.

“That will make your tour a challenge, won’t it?” the interviewer asked, trying to hide her smile.

“I am looking forward to the jokes,” he allowed.

“The jokes?” the interviewer echoed.

Magnum leaned forward conspiratorially. His pleasure at being able to share knowledge with someone else was clear on his face.

“Rima has explained that public speakers are permitted to ease the audience into a sense of comfort and familiarity by telling jokes,” he said. “I am very fond of Earth jokes. As a matter of fact, one of the techs at the lab told me a magnificent joke this morning. It involves a door-to-door salesperson and the daughter of a local farmer—”

“—Not that joke,” Rima said swiftly, gripping his leg like it was a life raft.

“Is that joke about you, Tansy,” Burton asked, dragging her attention away from the screen.

“No, no, farmer’s daughter jokes are kind of a thing,” she explained. “But they’re usually dirty.”

“How can a joke be dirty?” Burton asked. “It’s just words.”

“Shh,” Sage hissed.

They turned their attention back to the screen.

“…a burden to travel when you are just starting your families?” the interviewer was asking Posey.

Posey looked directly into the camera to reply.

“Although touring the globe to speak about our families isn’t exactly how any of us pictured our lives a year ago, we feel it is our privilege, and more than that, our duty to open our lives to the public. If we want Earth and Aerie to enjoy intergalactic harmony, those of us who are lucky enough to be mated must take on the role of ambassadors,” Posey said. “Personally, I look forward to meeting so many new people, and I’m so happy that Estrella will have the chance to grow up learning about different cultures from all over the world.”

Tansy felt her heart drop to her stomach.

She could hear the truth in what Posey was saying. Marrying a man from Aerie did mean a life of public service to interplanetary peace.

Tansy could see the importance of that mission, and feel the weight of it on her conscience.

But all she had ever wanted was a quiet life on her grandmother’s farm. And now that Grandma Helen wasn’t around, there was no one else to care for the crops and the animals.

She glanced over at Burton. He was gazing at the screen with sparkling eyes.

He must long for that spotlight. And who could blame him? He was stunningly gorgeous - built for the limelight. In spite of his sweet and laid-back nature, Tansy could see him gracing television screens and stages all over the world, bringing the planets closer by his mere presence, far, far away from her life on the farm.

I won’t fall in love with him, she told herself firmly. I just won’t.