Walking out the back door onto a patio leading to the garden was like stepping into a storybook. If fairies and elves existed, they would surely be found somewhere hidden in the ivy of the honeysuckle, or under the leaves of the strawberry plants all lined up in neat little rows. Hand-crafted pots filled up empty corner spaces of the porch and patio, all of which overflowed with red poppies, blue violas, and white daisies. The patio awning they stood under had wisteria woven throughout the wooden rungs, with drooping purple flowers hanging in bundles above their heads. The patio furniture was a collection of mismatched, multi-colored pieces. Old farm chairs were painted turquoise, magenta, canary yellow, and other vibrant colors of the rainbow. In the middle of the chairs stood a magnificent, old Spanish table with intricate mosaic tiles, reminding Adira of a sunset after an evening rain storm. Nothing matched, and yet everything looked like it perfectly belonged. There was enough seating to host a large family dinner, and Adira could easily see herself sitting with the Steeles, sipping wine out of oversized glasses while the crickets chirped under the night’s stars. Wind chimes cast delicate melodies in the air, mixing with the sound of the trickling water of a nearby fountain adorned with ceramic trolls—chipped and worn from the Texas elements—all around it. But the best part of this whimsical patio that led to Jennie’s garden was the woman who stood with sunlight flowing through her gray locks and a crooked smile so full of pride.

“Jennie,” Adira gasped. “This is so beautiful!”

Adira took a few more steps so she could fully see the garden. A multitude of green plants of all different varieties were lined up in rows, all surrounded by fencing painted with bright colors. A scarecrow rested against a post in the center that was dressed up in reggae attire, including dreadlocks made of straw, bright red, green and yellow clothing, and a knit hat.

“That’s Rastaman,” Jennie said as she walked up behind Adira, taking notice of what she was staring at. “He keeps the critters off my cabbage and carrots.” She huffed. “Or the lazy soul tries his best to.”

Adira smiled and shook her head. Jennie truly was a character.

“Come on.” Jennie motioned with her hand. “Let me show you the hives.”

Adira followed the woman with her flowing skirt and bright pink peasant shirt that hung off one shoulder. Her thin frame still had curves that swayed with every step. Staring at Jennie’s back and her long curly hair, Adira could see how lovely a woman she really was, even at her age. Her years of healthy living had treated her body well.

They walked by a pond with a small waterfall and four large koi fish swimming beneath the lily pads. Bird feeders were placed all around, adding the fluttering and chirping of robins and blue jays to the beauty of Jennie’s oasis. It truly was like walking in the garden of Eden… with a few little psychedelic splashes added for extra flavor.

“Over there are the hives.” Jennie pointed as she led Adira to a small shed. “I already collected the honey, so we won’t be doing that today. But that doesn’t mean we can’t pay them a visit.” Opening up the shed, she pulled out two beekeeper suits, something Adira had only seen on television or movies. “Put this on. It will keep the bees from stinging. Although, if you move real slow and respect their space, they won’t sting you even without the protection.” She laughed. “I used to do that until Drake threated to whip me raw if I ever did something again so ‘Jennie’ as he likes to call it.” Rolling her eyes at the memory, she reached for two large hats that had screen protection for the face and neck.

Looking over at the four wooden structures a hundred yards away with swarms of buzzing bees all around, Adira said, “I… uh… we don’t have to—”

“Oh but we do,” Jennie interrupted. “There are simple experiences in life that all humans should encounter. Dancing with the bees is one of them.”

Adira swallowed back her fear, nodded with a weak smile, and pulled the outer garment on over her clothes, trying not to freak out that she was going to walk toward thousands of bees with a woman who clearly did things the “Jennie” way.

Jennie helped her with the hat, and then handed Adira gloves to put on as she got into her own get up to shield her from the potential sting of the thousands. Where was Maddox? Would he allow this? Did he ever “dance with the bees” all to live life to the fullest? A sinking sensation in her belly warned her that the answer was most likely no, but as Jennie tugged on her arm, Adira took the first step to go tango with adventure.

“So just like with anything in life,” Jennie said as they approached the wooden structure until they were a few inches away, “you have to be cautious, yet willing to feel pain if necessary, but with an open heart and soul to fully feel alive.” She extended her arms with her palms up as wide as they would go and looked up at the sky. “When you have difficult decisions to make or questions in your life that need answers, you should always turn to nature. Focus on what you want answered. Listen for Mother Nature to speak to you.”

Adira remained motionless, frozen with fear. The loud buzzing all around fueled her anxiety and it suddenly became difficult to breathe in the heavy hat and bulky outerwear. She loved Jennie, but this woman had lost her mind. This was taking “being one with nature” a little too far. Bees landed on her screen mask and were so close that she could see their little legs, and the veins that flowed within their wings. Their weird little eyes stared at her, intimidating her with their threat to do harm with their tiny little stingers.

Wanting to run, she glanced at Jennie who was literally dancing with the bees. Jennie seemed to be just fine as she spun in circles, with a blur of yellow and black swarming all around her. She hummed softly, combining her inner sound with the sound of the bees.

“Relax, Adira. Close your eyes and listen to the hum. Take a minute to step away from reality and exist with nature completely. Relax. This is the time to think about Maddox. To think about you. I can see that something happened that forever changed the course for you two last night. A lot has happened in a short time, and surely you are confused, happy, scared, and want to be able to allow yourself to love. But on the other hand, there is a part of you that wants to resist. Take this time to be with your thoughts. Allow the song of the bees to tune everything else out so you can only focus on what is important.”

Jennie was right. There were a million emotions running through her, and Adira hadn’t even had a moment to really process and break down her feelings. The trained psychologist in her understood how to do so, recognized it was important to heal and move on, and knew she needed a moment of peace to really ask herself the hard questions. Years of schooling had provided her the tools to help others, but she wasn’t utilizing them to help herself.

How did she feel about Maddox?

How did she feel about the fact that she lost her virginity in the most delicious and sinful of ways?

Why did she like pain, to submit, and to be dominated?

What did this all mean?

What would happen from here?

Taking a deep breath, Adira did as Jennie suggested. She closed her eyes and slowly extended her arms as Jennie had done. Tilting her head back to face the sun, she focused on the crescendo of the pulsating purring of the honey bees. And as her pulse slowed down, and her courage regained its rightful place, she began to ease her way into an easy twirl, one step at a time. Smiling wide, she felt like every fear, every ounce of sadness, every insecurity she had felt earlier was swallowed up by the buzzing of the swirling bees around her. Jennie was right. Dancing with the bees captured everything dark, sweeping it away and replacing it with something as bright, brilliant and as sweet as the honey they produced. And in all that light, she saw one face.

Maddox.

And with that face, she felt one thing.

Love.

Spinning and swaying, Adira could have danced among the bees for hours, and was slightly disappointed when Jennie reached for her hand, snapping her out of her euphoric haze.

“Did you get your answers?” she asked.

Adira nodded in response, feeling as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

“Come on then,” Jennie said from behind her screened hat. “I think the bees have shared their space with us enough for one day.”

They walked back to the shed side by side as the buzz of the bees faded to a light resonance that blended with all the other sounds of the ranch. One by one, the bees lifted off the face shield and her arms and hands, returning to their hives, but Adira knew she’d return to dance with them again. They removed their suits and hats and returned them to the shed in silence, both allowing the calm wave the bees had washed over them to continue to sink in. Closing the door to the shed, Jennie led them back toward the house, turning down a little dirt path that led to a large patch of twisted vines at least six feet high. As they got nearer, Adira could see they were blackberry vines that towered in massive greenery.

“I think it’s time we take a little break, but before we go sit on the patio and relax, I thought we’d visit the blackberry farm.”

Adira raised her eyebrows. “If we are going to pick blackberries, shouldn’t we go get a pail or something to carry them back with?”

She chuckled. “No blackberry picking today, dear.” Jennie motioned for Adira to follow her as she twisted and turned her way into the heart of all the vines. It wasn’t exactly easy to work their way in, but once they got to the center, there was a small clearing so they could stand without vines stabbing at their clothing. There, in the middle of the encompassing berry plants stood several completely different kinds of plants. “I use the blackberry plants to keep these little beauties nice and safe.” Jennie walked over to the plant and began to pick off tiny bundles of moss-looking clusters, sticking them in her pocket.

“What is that?” Adira asked, stepping in closer, inspecting further. “Is that a marijuana plant?” She stood up in disbelief when she realized it was. Smack in the center of all these innocent berries stood several healthy and full marijuana plants—and Jennie was plucking away.

“You can’t get anything more organic and fresh than this,” Jennie said with a smile and a wink as she led the way back out of the patch. “And I feel like the berries add a special undertone to the pot flavor. It’s a win in my book.”

Once again speechless, which Adira had a sneaking feeling would happen often when she hung around this free-spirited soul, she followed the woman back to the magical patio. Taking a seat, Adira watched Jennie’s wrinkled and sun-kissed hands as she pulled out the clusters of green buds and then reached for a nearby troll and removed its ceramic head. She then pulled out a lighter with a unicorn’s head on it, and a glass pipe that had swirling colors of red and orange throughout it.

Jennie pinched off some of the marijuana and stuffed it into the bowl of the pipe. She then handed it to Adira with the lighter. “Guests first.” The way that Jennie looked at Adira made it obvious that Jennie just assumed she had smoked pot before… which she hadn’t.

Not wanting to overthink, and still feeling like she was in that tango with adventure, Adira took the pipe and placed it to her mouth.

“The carb is on the right,” Jennie said, pointing to a little hole on the side of the bowl. “Hold that in while you light it, then release it, then inhale.”

With slightly shaky hands, Adira followed her instructions, and knew she had succeeded when she was inhaling a cloud of earthy smoke into her throat. It burned all the way down and sizzled inside her lungs. Her body’s natural reaction was to start coughing right away. She coughed so hard that she had to struggle to catch her breath between the wracking of her body.

“Careful there. A little bit will do you. It’s right out of the blackberry farm and stronger than any of that crap you have probably had in the past,” Jennie said as she took the pipe and took a long inhale with all the finesse of an expert.

Once her violent cough subsided, it was replaced with the sudden need to giggle, but Adira held it in. She didn’t want to seem like an amateur. But as her head felt funny, and her senses seemed off in an odd way, she confessed her secret. “I’ve never smoked before.”

Jennie let out her puff of smoke in a rush as her eyes widened and shock blanketed her face. “What? Shit!” She stood up and ran into the house. “Oh shit!”

Adira looked over her shoulder—it felt like her neck was moving through molasses. “Jennie?” Her voice sounded funny when she said it, and she couldn’t hold back the giggle this time. “Bee dancer?” Oh, she thought she was hilarious on this one, and laughed as loudly as she could, hoping the bees could hear her.

Jennie came rushing out with two mugs of steaming coffee. “Okay, no more bud for you! I didn’t know you hadn’t ever been high before, and shit! Maddox is going to have my ass if he finds you stoned for the first time with me.” She handed the mug to Adira and waited for her to take a sip before taking her own seat. “I blame those bees. They make me do crazy things.” She winked and giggled as she drank her own coffee. Nodding toward Adira’s mug, she said, “Go on. Drink up and take deep calming breaths. You just took in too much all at once. It will pass.”

Taking a moment to drink the coffee, really enjoying the taste, Adira could feel her head clear just a tad.

“You just had one hit, so everything you feel should go away really fast,” Jennie said. “But don’t worry. We’ll do this another time when the boys are on one of their missions. It will be our little secret.” Jennie stuffed the paraphernalia back inside the troll.

“I love you, Jennie,” Adira admitted in a gush as the fog lifted even more, clearly being countered by the coffee. She looked at the woman from across the table and felt like she could tell her anything. “I lost my mother when I was a little girl. She died during childbirth with what would have been my little sister. I’ve never had an older woman in my life to be close to. I’ve never been close to anyone really—unless you count my family. I lived a very sheltered and protected life.” She took a deep breath as the familiar feeling of almost sobriety took hold again. “It feels really nice to have you as my friend.”

“Oh, I love you too. I think you are just what this family needed around here right now. I see a sparkle in Maddox’s eye that just fills my soul.”

“You do?”

Jennie nodded. “I’ve known those boys most of their lives. I love them like they are my own.”

“I don’t want to pry, but I’m curious. Why do all the brothers look different? Maddox has dark hair like Stryder, but Stryder has a darker complexion and looks like he has Latin blood in him. And Anson has light hair and light skin.”

“Drake adopted Stryder and Anson when they were small. That man has a heart of gold, and he will rescue any stray dog that comes his way.” Jennie put up her hands in defense. “Not that I am calling the boys dogs…” She paused. “Well, sometimes they are dogs, but I digress.” She laughed at her own joke before continuing. “Drake just kept showing up in my kitchen with more mouths to feed.” She chuckled and had a far off look as if she could see them now. “Those boys needed a safe home, and Maddox and Drake needed love to fill a hole that had left them empty.”

“A hole?”

Jennie nodded. “Drake lost his wife and daughter in an awful fire.” She smiled warmly and tipped her mug toward Adira. “It was actually your grandfather who saved Drake’s and Maddox’s lives.”

“What? He did? How?” This was all news to Adira. She had no idea that her grandfather had prior connections with the Steeles.

“Drake told me that your grandfather had heard of the plans to set the house where they were staying on fire as they slept. The minute he did, he called Drake, warning him of the threat. According to Drake, he’d barely hung up the phone when an explosion went off in the house. Drake and his wife Melissa both shot out of bed. Drake told Melissa to go get Samantha, the baby, and he would go get Maddox. But by the time he got to Maddox, the entire house was engulfed in flames. Drake had no choice but to break through the bedroom window and escape with his son. Melissa and the baby never made it.”

“That’s awful!” Tears welled up in Adira’s eyes.

Jennie nodded. “Yes, but it could have been Drake and Maddox as well, had Drake not had those couple of extra moments Hadi gave him to make that rescue. Maddox wasn’t quite a teen at the time and their lives had just been destroyed.” She took a long swig of her coffee as if trying to swallow away the awful tale. “The tragedy set this family on the path they continue on to this day. It wasn’t long after that time that Drake rescued me.”

Adira leaned in, fascinated with all the backstory of the Steeles… as heartbreaking as it was. It seemed to make them more human and not simply the tough men who went out and played super hero for a living. “He rescued you too?”

“He did.” Jennie released a heavy sigh. “It seems like a lifetime ago. I was really young and really dumb. I wanted so badly to believe the good in people and that there was a way to change the world. Peace, love, and all that came with it… although for me, everything that came with that was evil and darkness.”

Adira remained silent, scared that if she said a word, Jennie would change her mind and not tell her the story.

“I fell in love with a very powerful man who I truly believed could and would make a difference. Others believed the same thing. It started as a hippie commune and ended in a terrifying cult.” Jennie looked at Adira and gave a weak smile. “The things we gals will do for love. I was willing to give my life. So was everyone else. If it wasn’t for my father paying to have Drake sneak in and kidnap me from the depths of hell, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

“Drake kidnapped you?”

“Oh yes! I didn’t want to go and there was a lot of kicking, screaming, biting, and hellcat behavior. I had been brainwashed to believe that I was meant to die. It was the way.” A visible shiver shook Jennie’s shoulders. “If it wasn’t for Drake and his stubborn ass forcing me to live on this ranch, well…”

“But you stayed.”

Jennie smiled. “Yes, I stayed. Not that it was easy. That poor man.” She laughed lightly at her own memories that she didn’t share, but Adira could see that they made her very happy. “I definitely stayed.”

“Are you and Drake—”

“Oh no! Well… not like you think. Drake and I have a connection and a bond that will forever be strong. I love him. He loves me. Our relationship is very evolved and well… interesting.” She winked. “Well, enough about me. I have been gabbing your ear off.” She leaned in and examined Adira’s eyes. “Are you stoned? Maddox will be looking for you soon, and I sure as heck don’t want to see his reaction if he thinks I poisoned his pure little well.”

Adira laughed. “I wouldn’t exactly say I am clear headed. But I’m fine. Better than fine, actually. I have had such a wonderful time with you. I needed this. I really, really did.” She looked around the garden and leaned back in her chair, taking in more of the sounds of the trickling water and the fragrance of the flowers. “I could stay at this beautiful ranch forever.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Maddox’s deep voice said from behind her.