Chapter Fifteen
Last night had been a very eye-opening experience.
To say that she had learned a lot was an understatement.
First, she had learned about a whole new side of Neil—a much kinder and gentler side she immediately felt drawn to.
Poppy simply couldn’t shake the tingles in her belly whenever she looked at him.
Sometimes it seemed as if a thousand butterflies were fluttering around in there.
Then she had fallen in love with her little sister all over again when Sophie turned out to be quite the horse whisperer. Neil later told her it was a known fact that horses and children had a special connection, so now Poppy was curious to see what this could mean for Sophie.
For the first time since her arrival at the ranch, Poppy felt real excitement about what the future could hold.
She couldn’t stop smiling during breakfast, and she had been so excited that she had even attempted a new recipe for muffins.
According to Maeve’s notes, those were Neil’s favorites, so Poppy wanted to try.
Apparently, she did a good job, because Neil couldn’t stop smiling at her. It was almost embarrassing.
They were halfway through breakfast when one of the workers walked in through the front door.
Walking past everybody over to Neil, he was holding some paperwork in his hand, but Poppy didn’t pay much attention.
However, just as the young man handed Neil the stack of letters and papers, he pulled a single one out and smiled at Poppy.
“This is for you, Mrs. Albright,” he said as he offered it to her. Poppy’s eyebrows shot up.
“For me? A letter?” she asked in utter disbelief. She hadn’t expected anything yet. Looking down at it, Poppy recognized Helena’s handwriting instantly. She screamed excitedly. Neil jumped, Sophie jumped, and Paul snorted, then laughed.
“I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized to all of them.
“I just didn’t expect her to write to me so quickly!
Helena is my best friend from Springfield!
Oh, I’m so excited! I can’t wait to read it.
” She pressed the folded piece of paper against her chest and almost hugged it.
Neil watched her with a single raised eyebrow.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d assume you’re happy to hear from her,” he said with a smile. “I hope she’s not trying to convince you to leave me and the ranch and go back to her,” he jested, but he did shoot her a pointed look. Poppy burst out laughing.
“She would never do that,” Poppy said with a huge smile. “She’s the one that sent me to you!” Neil took that with a pleased nod.
“Helena, you said? Remind me to thank her for it,” he replied, and Poppy promptly blushed profusely. This new Neil knew how to be oh-so-charming, and she couldn’t deny it—she liked it very much indeed.
“Smart woman,” Paul commented as he shoved a big spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. “These eggs are delicious. I’d like to thank her, too. She’s sent us a great cook.” Some of the other men nodded and made agreeing noises.
Poppy was so very happy at that moment, she almost feared she would burst. She let her head fall back and looked at the imaginary sky beyond the ceiling.
“Thank you, God!” she exclaimed. A hearty laugh bubbled up inside of her. Some of the men joined in. She stuffed Helena’s letter into the pocket of the new dress she had just finished last night. Neil seemed to like it because he kept staring at her, and he hadn’t stopped smiling.
As soon as breakfast was finished and all the men had left, Poppy rushed to clear the table, but washing the dishes could wait. She couldn’t wait to read Helena’s letter.
My dearest Poppy,
I hope you and Sophie have arrived at your new home and are happy and well.
I miss both of you greatly. It’s been too quiet and boring without you here, but I’m glad that you left this wretched place.
Madam Marveau lost it when she found out that you were gone.
She had a special customer lined up to “spend time” with you! Can you believe that?
Just so you know, my dearest Poppy, you seem to have started a new movement.
Since you’ve left, other girls have felt encouraged to follow your lead, seeking other employment.
Betty and Isabelle have already left, and some of the others are thinking about it, too.
Getting out of here is very tempting indeed.
I really do miss you more and more each day.
You didn’t know how much our talks mean to me.
Anyway, I am certain that God protected you and got you and Sophie out of here to save your beautiful souls. And if you keep putting your faith in God, everything will work out for you.
Now tell me about your husband and the ranch!
What does he look like? Is he handsome? Tall or short?
What color is his hair and his eyes? How does he treat you?
How is he with Sophie? I can’t wait to hear all about it.
Are there animals? What kind? How are the people there?
Are there mountains? Forests? Lakes? You need to write to me quickly, or I’ll burst with curiosity.
Love,
Helena
Poppy held her breath the entire time she read the letter. She read it three times, then she wiped a tear from the corner of her eyes. She missed Helena so much, but she was glad to know that her decision had been the right one.
“I’ll never ever go back there,” she whispered as if she needed to hear the affirmation for herself.
As she was cleaning the dishes, she worried about Helena. Was she all right? Was there anything she could do to help her? Writing letters was great, but not seeing her friend and what really was going on with her was unsettling.
As her mind wandered, she realized that her life truly had turned around for the better.
Things may have been a little rocky at the start, but today everything was calm, and the atmosphere even seemed cheerful—particularly with Neil after last night.
Work was still physically hard. Her days were filled with chores and tasks, but everybody around here worked just as much as she did, so it felt more like doing her part to have this ranch running smoothly.
Mentally, her mind was free and much lighter.
Even Sophie seemed so much happier here. Everything had improved greatly.
So why did it feel as if something were missing?
At first, Poppy couldn’t really put her finger on it, because she had more than she had before.
By the time lunch rolled around and she and Sophie had set the table for all the men, it suddenly struck her.
She was the only woman here. As nice as all the men treated her, reading Helena’s letter reminded her how different it was to talk among women.
Suddenly, the loneliness of not having any female company felt like a heavy weight on her shoulders.
She pondered how she could remedy that, still thinking about Helena’s words, and she realized that visiting church on Sundays could be a way of meeting other women in this town and maybe even build some new friendships.
The problem was Neil didn’t seem to like religion. She still hadn’t been able to find out exactly what his thoughts were about God, but maybe he would at least let her and Sophie go. Since Paul was a religious man, maybe he could accompany them, too.
As soon as everybody sat down around the table and the food had been blessed, Poppy leaned over to Neil to ask him about it.
“Husband,” she began quietly, which was enough to garner his attention. He smiled at her and even leaned a little closer.
“Yes, dear?” he asked, as he shoved a juicy piece of meat into his mouth.
“I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but I am the only woman here,” Poppy said tentatively. Neil stopped chewing for a couple of seconds, seemed to think about it, and then nodded slowly and kept on chewing. So far so good.
“Is that a problem?” he finally asked, looking genuinely concerned. Poppy smiled at him.
“It’s not a problem exactly,” she reassured him. “I just... I have nobody to talk to.”
“You can talk to all of us,” Neil offered, looking a little surprised.
“I know,” Poppy said with a bright smile. “I do. Every day. But I’d like to converse with like-minded people, such as other women,” Poppy continued. “I’d actually like to go to church and maybe find women of faith so we can talk about... womanly things.”
Neil’s eyebrows shot up, then he frowned, and Poppy wondered if that was because of her mentioning the church and faith.
“She feels lonely,” Paul supplied helpfully. “Just like men need to talk among men, women need to be around other women, especially when it’s about faith and religion.” He shoved a big spoonful of boiled carrots into his mouth.
“Religion is useless,” Neil said, shaking his head. He didn’t sound angry, just a little dismissive. “It never gets you anywhere. When our parents died, my sister and I had no help from anybody, especially not God.”
Poppy and Paul exchanged a quick glance.
“I understand that you wouldn’t come with us,” Poppy said carefully, “but maybe I can take Sophie and go to visit the church in town? We could go tomorrow just to have a look. I’d also like to go there regularly on Sundays.”
Neil sighed and leaned back in his chair. He didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of doing any of those things.
“You don’t have to come with us—” Poppy continued, but Neil interrupted her.
“Of course I’d go with you,” he exclaimed.
“I can’t let you or Sophie go out alone!
A single woman and a small child on their own?
That’s not safe!” Poppy’s heart almost flowed over with gratitude when she heard him say that.
She got so excited, but then she saw his face change a little. He hadn’t actually said yes.
“So will you take us?” Poppy hedged. Neil sat there, quietly thinking for a minute. At some point, Poppy thought that he’d never answer, but then he looked straight at her and shrugged apologetically.
“How about we put that aside for a little while,” he suggested. “Just until things here at the ranch have calmed down.” Poppy's excitement evaporated like smoke in the wind.
Paul leaned back in his chair, wiping his mouth with a napkin. He looked at Neil with a strange expression on his face, but whatever he was thinking about, he didn’t tell.
“Paul could accompany us. Right, Paul?” Poppy tried again as she stared imploringly at Neil’s foreman, willing him to help her out and say yes. Instead, Paul lifted both of his hands and looked the other way.
“I’m not getting involved in marital disputes,” he said. She had hoped that he’d help her out—especially with something like going to church—but he seemed to have his own reasons for not saying anything. She didn’t want to judge, but she couldn’t help feeling slightly disappointed.
“We’ll talk about it later, all right?” Neil said with a soft smile.
Poppy nodded, but she didn’t smile back.
She suddenly felt angry that her concerns weren’t taken seriously.
Even Paul, who seemed to understand her better than Neil had, didn’t have her back.
This was the exact reason why Poppy needed female company.
She needed real friends she could talk to because they might actually understand her.
Well, if Neil could be stubborn, so could she.
While she didn’t show it on the outside, a plan formed in her mind, spurred on by her growing anger.
She was capable of doing things on her own, regardless of what Neil said.
What’s the worst that could happen to her?
She’d seen the road to and from town. She even knew where the church was.
The tall building sat right at the end of Main Street.
It was one of the first things she noticed when she had arrived here.
The more she thought about it, the more determined she was, and by the time she was done with the dishes from lunch, she knew what she was going to do.