Whispers of Danger and Love by Janis Lane Page B

ever going to get away with treating her like a brainless minion. Her father had never been guilty of that obnoxious male trait and darned if she’d put up with it from a contemporary—no matter how sexy. He’d treat her with respect or . . .
    She stared solemnly at her reflection in the mirror. “Definitely too much sun. Here come the freckles. Big as quarters. No doubt I’ll hear about this from a lot of people.”
    She shook her head regretfully and stepped into her shower. With the hot water streaming over her shoulders and wet head, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts slip wherever they would. Soft brown eyes, sultry voice, hot kisses raining down on her face. She used her washcloth to slowly suds herself. The grime from her work was sliding off along with the worries of the day. Flashes of herself in the garden with David raced through her mind hot with passion and temptation.
    Then she laughed. The sound of his surprise when he fell over the statue Pan was too good. The splashing around in the goldfish pool wasn’t bad either.
    David was going to learn he couldn’t indulge his every whim where she was concerned. She was determined to teach him to respect her and her work. Not to mention her person which he seemed to think he could touch, fondle, and kiss whenever the notion stuck him. Never mind that she’d loved every minute of it. That wasn’t the point. Or maybe it was.

Chapter 7
    Bugs, Salad Greens, and Fun in the Garden
    By Cheryl
    Everyone should by now be aware of the danger of the careless use of chemicals in the garden. My humble opinion is that heavy pesticides are best left to the farmers who are trained to control the critters who invade our food source. For instance, it’s fairly easy to capture those shiny black Japanese beetles without using a single obnoxious pesticide. Go into the garden in the evening just as the sun is setting.
    For some reason the beetles are asleep or have fallen into a stupor. Use a coffee can with a bit of water in the bottom and a plastic lid to clap on. Hold the can underneath the largest wad of bugs and tap the plant gently. They’ll fall right into your can. Close with the lid and slushy around until they are wet. Keep doing this over and over in the evenings. Not this year, but perhaps by the next or the next, you’ll start to see less and less of the annoying critters with nary a pesticide in sight.
    Alternately, there are commercial organic preparations to apply to your lawn which disturbs the life cycle of the beetles. If you insist on using the plastic lures, place them in the way back corner of your garden—preferably in your neighbor’s backyard, even better, down the street in the vacant lot where your kids play sand lot softball.
    Some of you are wondering how to enjoy those crisp greens, which are so easy to grow in your own garden.
    Cheryl tapped her foot impatiently. The volleyball game was on again next door and the grunts and shouts of triumph were distracting. She expected the ball to fly over the hedge any minute now. She was ahead on her column and the job at Toledo’s was coming along nicely. What could go wrong?
    Something for sure. Her experience was that with David Larkin in the vicinity, anything at all could explode into confusion, mayhem, or kissing. Or all three. Cheryl wasn’t certain which was worse. Or more wonderful. She hunched her back, feeling as if both grandmothers were looking over her shoulder.
    Sitting in her garden enjoying the last of the sun, she reviewed in her head the next steps to take in the elaborate plans for a two-acre landscaping design. She wanted to go over the list of perennials with Francine. Her plan was to give the client choices, but safe ones. Success in the completion of a beautiful garden was the goal, but she wanted satisfied clients in the process.
    She was pleased with the hillside planting. It looked as if it had always been there with the carefully placed boulders and trees. Since money was