Chapter Nineteen
The entire service had been fantastic, and Poppy could honestly say that she had never enjoyed one that much before.
Back in Springfield, the church had always been packed, but it had never felt as if she had been personally spoken to.
Pastor Nickelson was amazing, seemingly addressing every single church member directly. Helena would have loved it.
The pastor had preached on loving your neighbor, and it had filled her soul to the brim. She had sung every hymn with abandon and had opened her heart to the collective worship of every human being in that church—and she had never felt closer to God than she did there. It was beautiful.
But despite all of that, her gratitude belonged to the one man who had made it possible: her husband, who had grudgingly agreed to join her and Sophie in their celebration of God. And even though Poppy had to cancel her tea date with the other ladies, she felt more fulfilled than she ever had.
Poppy looked over to Neil, who was driving the buggy back to the ranch, and she just couldn’t stop smiling.
She couldn’t be certain, but she noticed a change in him.
As much as he had refused to go at first, once he had walked into the church, something shifted in his whole demeanor.
It was as if the tension in his body had released, and the weight on his shoulders dissipated.
She couldn’t put a finger on it, but his steps seemed lighter, and he seemed to walk taller.
Most obviously, the corners of his mouth pointed upward, not down.
Whatever it was, it made Poppy so very happy, as if she might burst at the seams.
“Have I said thank you yet?” she asked for the fifth time.
“Not sure. Have you?” Neil said as he glanced over at her with a chuckle.
“I just want to make sure that you know how thankful I am,” she explained again. “Especially for today.”
Neil smiled warmly. Then he reached across Sophie and put his hand over Poppy’s to squeeze it. “My pleasure,” he said as he pulled his hand back. Poppy almost missed its warmth. She sighed happily, and they drove in comfortable silence.
“I’d like to ask you something,” Neil said after a short while.
When Poppy looked at him, he seemed nervous. He even pulled off his Stetson and scratched his temple awkwardly before setting it back on his head.
“I have to go to the horse auction in a few days,” he continued. “It’s very important that I go there. It’s the largest one northeast of Springfield. People from all over the state go there. It will be good for my business, showing some of my best horses, to further connections and sales.”
“Of course,” she replied. “Will you be gone for long?”
“Well, I was hoping you’d come with me,” he finally said with a quick glance in her direction. Poppy’s eyes grew wide. He wanted her to be there?
“It would be great to have your company,” he added shyly, staring back at the road. “You’d get to be out of the house, seeing some new things—”
“Yes!” Poppy exclaimed excitedly, interrupting him. “I’d love to come with you!” She couldn’t believe that he would actually take her. And he wanted to spend time with her? She didn’t know why that part of it made her extra happy.
Neil looked back at her, and when he saw her bright smile, he nodded.
“Good. I think you’ll like it. It’s very exciting,” he told her. “Obviously, there will be lots of horses, and I’ll be very busy, but I can show you around and maybe teach you a few things.”
Poppy grinned when she remembered her impromptu horse riding lesson and how patient he had been with her. One thing was certain: Neil was a great teacher, so she was definitely up for that.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she replied.
She leaned back against the cabin wall of the buggy and sighed happily.
Things seemed to fall into place, and she finally felt that her decision to come here was the best she had ever made.
She couldn’t wait to get home and write to Helena to tell her all about today.
***
The Twin Lakes Horse Auction was buzzing with people, horses, and activity, and Poppy didn’t know where to look first. Sophie seemed just as mesmerized.
She had seen bustling streets in Springfield, but this was a different kind of bustle.
There were no dirty scoundrels running around, trying to steal your last penny from you, and nobody slammed into you without apologizing.
There were no crummy streets, no yelling, and no fighting.
The people at this auction were nice.
Poppy's eyes were so big, they almost fell out of her head when she saw all the posh women dressed in the most fashionable dresses—some of them in styles she hadn’t yet seen.
The way they swayed their hips when they walked, how they moved their heads, shoulders, and hands, all of it was so elegant that Poppy caught herself trying to imitate it.
She felt a little silly, but at the same time, she wanted to be like them.
Most of the men were just as impressive in their tailored suits and jackets, even though they seemed slightly arrogant and haughty in comparison to those that looked more like Neil, a true rancher wearing his chaps and Stetson.
Neil explained to Poppy that most often the cowboys were the workers who brought their horses to sell, while those finer-dressed people were the ones who bought them.
“With this kind of crowd, we’ll be able to make good money,” he told her excitedly. Poppy felt a sudden pride wash over her, seeing her husband in this new light.
Then there were the booths, which were dotted around the grounds, offering foods and drinks Poppy had never even heard of, and the different smells wafting around the various areas were mouthwatering.
Neil bought a small paper bag of roasted peanuts in some sugary coating, which were so hard to resist Poppy and Sophie almost ate all of them in one sitting.
Then they tried ice cream for the first time. It was a never-ending adventure.
As exciting and mesmerizing as everything was, Poppy was just as fascinated by her husband and how Neil and Paul handled everything.
The men were clearly in their element, and Poppy loved watching Neil talk to several other ranchers, exchanging seemingly important information and sharing their expertise.
She couldn’t deny it. Poppy liked it especially when he introduced her as his wife, which filled her with so much pride.
Neil had his very own stall right near the front, where he had brought several of his best horses to show.
His last name was clearly marked at the top of it.
Albright Ranch, it read, and the interest in his animals was huge.
His stall was always busy, with many buyers enquiring about things Poppy couldn’t even fathom.
While the men conversed about business things, she and Sophie spent time with the horses, which was clearly Sophie’s favorite thing to do. It was always so interesting to see the way her little sister interacted with them.
Suddenly, she heard someone call her name.
“Poppy! Poppy!”
Helena’s head appeared in the crowd as she was jumping up, waving at her.
“Helena!” Poppy’s eyes filled with tears when she saw her friend bumping her way through all the people to get to her. They flew into each other’s arms and hugged each other so tightly, they almost toppled over. Sophie jumped up at Helena and wanted a hug, too.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” Poppy exclaimed as she pulled back to look at her friend.
Helena’s thick brunette hair was pulled back and hidden beneath a huge hat that didn’t really match the long dress she was wearing, but her bright green eyes shimmered with uninhibited love for her. Although she did look tired.
“Of course I’m here!” Helena burst out laughing. “You sent me the telegram!” Sophie jumped up at her, so Helena picked her up and pulled her against her chest. “Oh, how much I’ve missed you both!” she exclaimed, pulling Poppy into a group hug.
“How did you manage to get away from... there?” Poppy asked, careful not to mention any names in front of everybody to protect her friend. Helena shrugged.
“I just left,” Helena said quietly with a cheeky grin. “She’ll be mad when I get back, I’m sure, but I’ll deal with it then. I needed to see you! I’ve missed you so much!” They hugged again and remained standing like that for another few seconds.
“Let me introduce you to my husband, Neil,” Poppy finally said.
She was eager to show Helena around. They walked arm in arm to where the men were still talking with two very wealthy-looking individuals.
Poppy realized that she couldn’t interrupt them, so she steered Helena around the men toward the stall instead.
“I’ll show you the horses first. Don’t want to interrupt important business,” she said to Helena, who nodded understandingly.
Neil and Paul both watched them stroll past.
Poppy spoke with great pride when she told Helena about the ranch and most of what went on there, and Helena listened with great interest. Poppy showed her the different horses, although she didn’t really know that much about them, but Sophie pointed toward a large black stallion with a long, wavy mane and an even longer tail.
Helena hesitated to walk too closely toward it, but Sophie pushed herself off of her and promptly ran toward the massive animal.
Helena stared at both of them with wide eyes.
“Aren’t you scared that she could get hurt?” she asked, clearly shocked. Poppy smiled at her as she remembered what Neil had told her once.
“Apparently, certain horses and children have a magical bond,” Poppy explained. “At first, I didn’t want to believe it, but I’ve since learned that Sophie has a very special connection to them. And this one is her newest best friend.” Helena stared at her with an open mouth.