Chapter Twelve
When Neil walked up to the small crowd that had gathered in front of the general store around Poppy, Sophie, and Finn, he immediately knew that something nefarious was going on there. Too many onlookers, Finn’s voice loudly proclaiming something or another, and his wife at the center of it.
However, he had heard the exact moment when Poppy put Finn to shame by telling everybody the truth about the poisonous plants they had found in the paddock. She truly did a great job in defending Neil and his reputation, and he couldn’t deny the pride he had felt in that moment.
Regardless, he was also a little angry that she had spoken to him at all. He thought that after their last encounter at the train station, Poppy had understood what kind of a man Finn was and that they weren’t friends at all.
Finn definitely seemed flustered at her speech, which clearly dismantled whatever lies he had been spewing before Neil got there.
It didn’t matter.
What did matter was the fact that Finn knew about the sick horses. Neil handed Sophie back to Poppy, who immediately stepped to the side. As soon as Neil stood in front of Finn, towering over the man and demanding an explanation as to how he knew, Finn started to squirm like a worm on a hook.
“Oh, well...” Finn started. He tried to gain height by pulling back his shoulders. “It’s common knowledge that something bad has happened at your ranch.”
Neil noticed the reaction of the people in the crowd. Some shook their heads, others pulled faces that clearly questioned what Finn was saying.
“How so?” Neil knew without a doubt in his mind that none of his men had left the ranch those last few days, because all of them had been working on saving the sick horses, including him and Paul.
All of his workers knew Neil liked to keep things private, and he knew they wouldn’t break his trust. There was no way that anybody could possibly know about what happened.
“How do you know about this?” Neil asked again, stepping closer to Finn, which forced his opponent to step backward.
“People know that your horse business is failing,” Finn exclaimed as he wildly waved his arms, nearly hitting people behind him with his cane. But when he looked around, there was no support from the bystanders.
Then he pushed out his chest and pointed the brass head of the cane directly at Neil’s face. “The town folk aren’t imbeciles!” he said. “They see how bad your horses are, and this sickness spell just proves how bad you run your—”
There was loud mumbling among the people, and Neil could clearly hear that they didn’t agree with what he was saying.
Finn changed his demeanor as quickly as the wind changes direction.
“But let’s not dwell on that,” he said with a fake wide smile. “I hear you took care of the situation, so I’m glad that they all recovered.”
Neil didn’t bother to correct the man. In fact, he had to fight hard to keep his fury in check. If he didn’t, he’d do something to that man he may regret.
“Just leave,” Neil said through gritted teeth, barely able to keep calm. Something about the way Finn acted confirmed Neil’s suspicion that he had something to do with his horses being poisoned. He just couldn’t prove it, which angered him more than he could say.
Surprisingly, Finn did as he was told, defiantly raising his chin as he walked straight past Neil and Poppy without saying another word. As soon as he stepped off the walkway to go to his waiting horse, the chatter began, and people started to talk about the incident.
Neil couldn’t wait to get out of there. He took Sophie from Poppy’s arms, grabbed Poppy’s hand, and walked with long strides around the building of the general store toward the back, where the wagon was being loaded with supplies and all the goods they had ordered.
Today had been the first day that Neil made good on his promise to take Poppy into town to get all the things she needed.
After they had visited the post office so she could drop off a letter to a good friend of hers, they had gone straight to the general store.
He had told her to pick out anything she wanted, but much to his surprise, she had struggled with that part, acting all shy and hesitant to choose anything for herself.
Neil was perplexed about that. In his experience, women almost had to be reined in, or they would go overboard with their spending. Not Poppy. In the end, he had asked the store owner’s wife to help her choose some fabrics so she could sew some new dresses for herself and Sophie.
Helping Poppy onto the wagon, Neil noticed the frown on his wife’s face.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, while he made sure that she and Sophie were comfortable in their seats. Poppy just shook her head, not saying anything.
“If you don’t tell me what bothers you, then I can’t help you,” Neil tried again, holding back his frustration at the whole situation with Finn, but Poppy just sighed.
“It’s nothing,” she said, as Neil climbed onto the seat next to her. Sophie whimpered quietly, so Poppy hugged her closely to her side, looking the other way. The young worker in the back of the wagon knocked his hand against the side to signal that they were good to go.
“All loaded up, sir!” he called to Neil.
“Thanks! Have a great day!” Neil called back, tipping his hat at him.
With a gentle flick of the reins, the wagon jolted once, twice, then started rolling.
He steered it toward the main road, then back out of town, all the while waving and nodding toward the town folk who recognized him.
Neil was a private person, but he was also very well-liked.
His story was one of hard work and success, and people were always drawn to that.
“I wanted to thank you for speaking up for me,” he finally said once they left the last building behind them.
It had been a long day, and Neil couldn’t wait to get back home to his ranch.
He liked short trips into town, but he didn’t like all the attention, and he preferred the peace and quiet of his place above all else.
Poppy looked up at him and smiled shyly.
Neil appreciated it, but he couldn’t shake the anger over Finn talking to his wife.
Why would she even talk to him? He hadn’t heard all of the conversation.
What if Poppy had told Finn things that were none of his business?
Neil wanted to protect his privacy as much as he could, particularly against his archnemesis.
“But I don’t want you to ever speak to him again,” he finally added. His hands gripped the reins even tighter as he ground his teeth. “That man is not to be trusted, and you don’t know enough about me and him to get involved.”
Neil tried to sound calm, but when he saw Poppy’s immediate reaction, he knew that it hadn’t worked. She turned toward him with a scowl on her face and glared at him.
“I didn’t get involved!” she said defensively. “At least not on purpose. He approached me when I walked out of the general store. I had no plans to talk to that man. He forced me.”
Neil could feel the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up when he heard that.
“He forced you?” he asked, bewildered.
“Yes!” she exclaimed. “I tried to ignore him while I was waiting for you, but he started yelling so loudly, talking about all these bad things about you, and more and more people came to listen. When he confronted me for not speaking up, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
Neil exhaled slowly. He could tell that Poppy was getting upset. Unfortunately, he was just as mad, and it was increasingly harder for him to stay calm.
“What did he say to you? What bad things did he say?” Neil asked, trying to gain a better understanding of what had transpired before he got there.
“He was trying to make you out to be a bad horse breeder,” Poppy supplied, turning away from him in a huff. “He questioned my manners, why I wouldn’t answer all his questions about the sick horses.”
“Wait! So you didn’t tell him about the horses being sick?” Neil asked, which caused Poppy to snap back around to him. She seemed outraged.
“I didn’t tell him anything!” Poppy said. She defensively crossed her arms in front of her chest and turned the other way. “I can’t believe you’d think that. I’m not a liar.”
“I didn’t—” Neil started to say, but then he stopped himself. He wasn’t sure about anything at that point, but he hated the cold claws of doubt grappling for his sanity. I’m not a liar. The phrase sent a wave of panic through him. She had said the same thing, all while lying and stealing from him.
Poppy isn’t her.
“He mentioned the sick horses first,” Poppy exclaimed angrily. “He was asking how the mares and foals were doing because it would be devastating if something happened to them, that it could ruin your operation or something to that effect.”
Neil’s nostrils flared. That confirmed his suspicion even more. Finn had to be behind it. Neil just didn’t know how he could prove it. His rage rose to dangerous levels. He had half a mind to turn that wagon around and chase after that blasted man to confront him directly.
“I didn’t know what to do! I was surrounded by all those people,” Poppy lamented, “and he was spewing lies about you, so I told the truth.”
Neil was mad, but at the same time, he knew that he shouldn’t be mad at Poppy. Finn was a cunning man, and he knew how to play his games.
“But what choice do I have when you never tell me about things on the ranch?” she continued. Her outburst shocked Neil. Was she really turning the conversation back on him? “How am I supposed to know what to say or what not? You don’t talk to me!”
Neil’s head spun around to her, and for a moment, he looked at her with his mouth open.
She was complaining about him? Had she not been there those last few days and seen what Neil had had to deal with the entire time?
He’d barely gotten any sleep, horses had suffered, some had died because they’d been poisoned, and she was complaining that he hadn’t chitchatted with her more?
For a moment, he was utterly speechless.
Dealing with Finn was one thing. He had done that for many years now, so he had grown accustomed to it.
However, being attacked by this woman he barely knew—whom he had given a roof over her head, food in her belly, and for whom he had just bought a boatload of fabrics and lace and ribbons for—that was not something Neil was willing to take.
He was all too aware of the fact that he had spoken to her unkindly before, which must have been confusing and upsetting for her. But her sudden accusation finally blew the lid off, and his anger started to boil over.