CHAPTER 10
Jake
Jake couldn’t stand still. He kept replaying the awful moment Poppy had shown up at church this morning and reclaimed him as her betrothed as if nothing had happened. She’d offered no explanation about why she’d left him, and when he’d tried to ask her, she’d simply said that she had other things to do.
He’d been unable to escape her clutches at the picnic. When he’d tried to tell the friends they were eating with that he and Poppy were no longer betrothed, she’d sweetly shut him down and then privately whispered that he wouldn’t want his secrets getting around town.
He’d recognized the threat for what it was and had stayed silent, but inside, he was churning with anger. He wanted to shout at her and tell her to go back to where she came from, but he knew that would only make things much worse. And he still didn’t know how to handle the situation without the life he’d worked so hard for cascading down around his ears.
Everyone had secrets out here. But he was sure that few people had left behind the trouble that he had. And it would be the most scandalous gossip anyone had heard in years. Poppy wielded a lot of power with the information she held and she knew it. How had the infernal woman even found him?
His thoughts flew to Rowena. Dear, sweet Rowena whose world had crumbled to bitter ashes as he watched. His heart smote him as he thought of seeing the confusion on her face, followed by devastation as she realized that he belonged to someone else. She’d been so happy; they both had. He was looking forward to sharing his future with her when the time was right, and now that had been stolen from him. Rage surged through his heart at the thought. How dare that conniving little minx reappear and upset his world after breaking his heart when she disappeared? She had no right to steal his future or his happiness, and Rowena had done nothing to deserve the grief Poppy had inflicted. She was nothing but trouble and he bitterly regretted the day he’d ever laid eyes on her.
He thought he loved her once. She was pretty and vivacious and good company. But that was before he’d known she was also treacherous, willing to betray a heart on a whim. It had taken him a long time to be ready to open his heart again to love, and just when he’d found it, the past had arrived to snatch it away. He couldn’t think of anything more unfair.
Unable to settle, he made his way over to Charlie’s in the dying light of evening. Charlie appeared at his knock and motioned to the chair on the porch. The evening was cool, but Robert was inside, and neither of them wanted to disturb the sick man.
“How’s Robert?” Jake asked.
Charlie shook his head. “Not so good. He’s sick and weak. I can’t see him lasting for long.”
Jake sighed. “I’m sorry it’s worked out this way.”
Charlie’s shoulders slumped. “So many wasted years,” he murmured. “I wish he’d come sooner.”
“He was so afraid of you,” Jake said quietly. “Things didn’t end well between you, he said.”
“That’s true.” Charlie stared off into the distance. “We were both young and had hot tempers. We fought over a girl and neither of us ended up wed to her. We just ended up losing one another. It’s my deepest regret.”
“At least you’ve reconciled now before it’s too late.” Jake pulled out his whittling knife and a stick of wood from his pocket. He needed something to keep his hands busy.
“You didn’t come here to talk about Robert, did you?” Charlie’s voice was quiet. Somewhere in the distance a bird called as the pink and mauve sunset painted the sky. The mountains in the distance turned pink too, and it struck Jake again how beautiful this land was. He would be sorry to leave it and move on, but did he have a choice?
“No,” he said at last, flicking a sliver of wood off the porch.
“I heard.” Charlie didn’t need to explain. “She’s back and wants to take up where she left off.”
“Why, Charlie?” Jake burst out, giving the knife a vicious twist in his frustration. “Why does she have to come back and destroy everything I’ve worked for here?”
Charlie shook his head, his long gray beard swaying with the motion. “Some people are selfish, Jake. They only think about how other people and situations can benefit themselves.”
“She has no right.” Jake’s tone was bitter. “And she threatened me. Threatened me. Can you believe it?”
“I’m afraid I can.” Charlie was silent for a moment. “What did she threaten you with?”
“The reasons I left town.” Jake knew Charlie would understand what he was talking about. “She holds an incredible amount of power and she knows it. She can destroy my life here with a few words and she’s using that as a weapon.” He gave a bitter laugh. “She’s already destroyed what I had with Rowena.”
Charlie looked at him sharply. “How do you know?”
“Because I watched Rowena die inside right before my eyes. She was so happy, Charlie. And then Poppy arrived and Rowena went through this instant change from joy to grief. I could see it in her eyes. And there was nothing I could do about it.” He fell silent. “I still don’t know what to do. If I tell Poppy to stay out of my life, she’s going to utterly destroy me around town. And that will reflect badly on Rowena, too. I want to spare her from that pain.”
“You’re stuck in a hard place,” Charlie agreed. “Either way, you lose.”
“At least if I stay quiet, Rowena might not get hurt any worse than she already has been.”
“Have you thought about telling her?” Charlie asked.
“I have, but I was waiting for the right time. If I say anything now, it’s going to look mighty suspicious if Poppy starts rumors around town. I have always intended to be honest with her.” Jake stared at the stick in his hand. “It’s important to lay a foundation of honesty if you want a good future.”
“Telling her sooner rather than later might have been better,” Charlie observed.
“How was I to know that a nightmare from the past would show up on my doorstep?” Jake kicked at a wood shaving and watched it fly off the porch.
“We always make the best decisions with hindsight,” Charlie said. “If only we could know these things at the time.”
“I wanted Rowena to get to know me a little before I told her,” Jake replied. “She matters to me, Charlie. I didn’t want to get this wrong.”
“I know. I can see that. And if it’s any comfort to you, I think she’d make a fine wife. She’s still learning how to live out here, but she has determination and spirit, and those are important qualities for living successfully in this place.”
Jake sighed. “I can’t imagine a future without Rowena in it,” he said, feeling broken. “But perhaps it’s not meant to be. I don’t want to leave the life I’ve built here, but do I have a choice?”
Charlie opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, their attention was arrested by a lone horseback rider approaching along the trail.
Charlie squinted in the fading daylight. “It’s a woman!” he exclaimed. “Why would a woman be riding out here alone?”
“Oh, no.” Jake groaned as the rider came close enough to recognize her. “It’s Poppy. Why is she coming here?”
Charlie stared at her in silence, a perplexed frown settling on his brow. “I guess we’re about to find out,” he said.
Poppy rode up and dismounted. “Good evening, gentlemen,” she greeted, tying her horse to the post beside the porch. “I’ve come to stay.”
Charlie gaped at her in shock. “Stay? What are you doing here?”
Poppy’s features took on a hard look. “Don’t you recognize me, Uncle Charlie? I’m Poppy, all grown up.”
Charlie gasped. “I had no idea. How did you find me?” He sucked in a deep breath. “And look at you. You’re nothing like the little girl I remember.”
Poppy’s posture said she would not take no for an answer. “I went looking for my dear old father,” she drawled. “I tracked him down to Butte, Montana. But I got there a few days too late. Someone who knew him said he was headed here. So I followed.”
“On your own?” Charlie was horrified.
Poppy waved the question away. “Oh, no. I had help along the way. I traveled with different people going to different places. I’m used to it.”
Jake wondered why she would be accustomed to travelling all over the countryside with strangers.
“Well, are you going to invite me in to see my father?” she demanded.
“Certainly,” Charlie stuttered. “He’s in the bedroom but he’s not doing well.”
“I heard,” Poppy returned. She swept past them and pushed the door open, closing it with a bang behind her.
Jake and Charlie looked at one another in shock.
“I had no idea that Poppy was your niece,” Jake said. “Did you know her while she was growing up?”
Charlie shook his head. “I met her once when her mother stopped by to ask for money. She was traveling with a group of entertainers that visited the frontier towns. They were a bawdy lot. I can imagine Poppy saw some sights growing up. She was quite young then. Apparently, Robert abandoned them and Poppy’s mother hoped I could tell her where he was. And she wanted money.”
Jake still couldn’t believe the wild tale that was unfolding before his eyes. “Why did you never say you had a niece named Poppy?” he asked.
“To be honest, I didn’t think of her,” Charlie replied. “As I said, I only met them once when Poppy was young. I never made the connection that the one you were betrothed to was the same girl. My niece just didn’t enter my mind at all.”
Jake felt as if his mind was in a spin. “How does this even happen?” he murmured, almost lost for words.
“How did you meet Poppy?” Charlie asked.
“She was living in Butte and working in the hardware store. She was charming and good company, and I believed her when she said she had no family and was making her own way in the world. She seemed to have good morals and manners, and well, there aren’t too many single women around these parts. So I was happy when she agreed to wed me. All of us have a past, and I was satisfied with the way she explained hers. I had no reason to disbelieve her.”
Charlie sighed. “What a tangled mess.” He tugged at his beard. “One thing is certain. This young lady won’t accept anyone telling her no. I pity anyone who gets in her way.”
“Now do you understand what I was saying before?” Jake asked.
Charlie nodded. “I can. And I have no doubt that she would do whatever it takes to get her own way, without any regrets for whomever she hurts in the process. You’re in a pickle, Jake.”
“Thanks for the encouragement,” Jake said grimly. “I don’t know what to do right now, but I will do whatever it takes to protect Rowena. She doesn’t deserve to have this mess destroy her life.”
A noise from inside the cabin caught their attention and they fell silent. A moment later, Poppy swept onto the porch.
“Was Robert awake?” Charlie asked. “He’s been sleeping a lot lately.”
Poppy gave an impatient gesture. “Yes, my father spoke to me. He said he’s glad he came so he could make things right before he leaves this world.” She gave a bitter laugh. “But nothing can make up for the way he abandoned me as a child. He wasn’t around to protect me or provide for me. I had to learn to do those things for myself.”
“Why did you tell me you were an orphan?” Jake demanded.
Poppy gave a mocking laugh. “Oh, do you really think you’d have been interested in a person of ill-breeding like me? I’m the illegitimate daughter of a showgirl and a drifter. Who would ever want me and give me a respectable life knowing that?”
“I was prepared to give you a respectable life,” Jake said hotly. “But you left without even saying goodbye and you took my heart with you. Why?”
Poppy shook her head. “It’s in the past now. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.” Jake heard the stubbornness in his voice but he didn’t care. “You owe me an explanation.”
Poppy fixed him with a piercing, green-eyed stare. “No, I don’t. But you’re going to give me that respectable life you promised me. Finding you here was a stroke of luck that I never dreamed of. It’s time Poppy Hartman had a new start.” She continued to stare at him. “Or you know what will happen …” The threat was soft and menacing. “No one in this town will want you to stay here after I’m done with you. They’ll run you out of town … just like they did before.”
Jake’s heart smote him and he gave an inward shudder as the memories flooded back, as sharp and horrifying as they had been in the beginning. He couldn’t imagine facing the same thing a second time.
“Let’s not be hasty,” Charlie spoke up. “Let’s just take our time and see what happens.”
Poppy turned on him. “No one can tell me what to do, Uncle Charlie. I will get the fresh start in life that I deserve and no one is going to stop me. Stay out of my business.” She stood straight and tall, her back ramrod-stiff. “Now, I’ll be staying here, so I’d like some help getting my bag down.” She gestured to the carpet bag that was tied to the back of her saddle. “And someone can care for my horse.” She paused for a moment. “Do you know if my father has any assets?” she asked casually. “I heard that he struck it rich on the gold fields.”
Charlie just shook his head as he and Jake stared at one another in shocked dismay. In the space of half an hour, Poppy Hartman had turned both of their lives upside down and neither of them knew what to do about it.