Chapter Twenty
The last few hours had been the most stressful of his entire life.
Having to gather all their horses and making sure that all of them got out safely was one thing.
Watching all of those people turn their backs on him, spewing lies and calling him names in front of his wife and his crew was another.
The humiliation seeped deep into his bones.
There had been no time to set the record straight, to defend himself and dispute the blatant mendacity Finn had created.
They had to scramble to get out of there because tensions had flared to a point where Neil could have lost his best horses if only one of the other ranchers had taken it further and finished what the first one had started.
It would have cost Neil nearly everything.
Fortunately, they had made it out of there—mostly because his ranch hands were true champs, really pulling their weight to make it all happen in such a short time.
Even his amazing wife had stepped in, bravely brandishing a rifle he knew for a fact she didn’t know how to handle.
When her friend Helena joined her, holding two pistols just to keep the crowd in check, he and Paul were able to get everything ready to leave.
Now their small convoy was finally on its way home, and Neil felt utterly defeated. He hadn’t said a single word since they had left because his mind hadn’t given him a break yet. Too many thoughts whirled relentlessly around in his head, giving him a headache.
One of them was the blow Finn had dealt him at that auction. He wouldn’t let him get away with it.
The other one was the hurt he’d felt when he’d seen her.
Lucy Hawthorne.
He knew she was with Finn. He was well aware that she was living the high life as his partner now, but it had shocked him how painful it was to see her. It was completely unexpected because he thought that he was done with it.
He had a new wife—one Lucy couldn’t hold a candle to because she had never been this loyal and good. Neil never thought that Lucy could get to him like that ever again, but seeing her today... she had. It enraged him. She didn’t deserve it. She didn’t even deserve his anger over it.
“Are you all right?” Poppy asked softly. She had just turned around to check on Sophie, who was asleep right behind them on a soft stack of hay. All that chaos earlier, and then the swaying motion of the slow-moving wagon had put her right to sleep.
He finally looked at her, not knowing how to fully answer that. Poppy looked so pretty in her light green dress, which she had especially made for the event, yet he had ruined that for her completely. There was more worry in her eyes than sadness.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. Guilt reared its ugly head because of Lucy, but there was also embarrassment and disbelief all rolled into it as well. When he looked back at Poppy again, she shook her head and took his hand in between both of hers. It felt good.
“Don’t be,” she said softly. “None of that was your fault.” Neil searched in her eyes, and he saw nothing but sincerity. “I always had a bad feeling about that man, but today he’s shown his true colors,” she added with conviction. It was endearing, the way she seemed to fight in his corner.
“Not just today,” Neil said with a big sigh. He looked up ahead as he tried to figure out the best way to tell Poppy about Lucy without sounding disrespectful.
Paul was leading the way with five of the workers following him in line.
Every one of those men had two of the auction horses tethered to their saddles on each side, while Neil was driving the wagon containing all their supplies, with the three remaining auction horses tied to the back of it.
He also had four of his fully armed men riding behind them, just in case they were followed.
Finn had definitely upped his antics, and after that debacle, one could never be too careful. Who knew what else he might try?
“That woman,” Poppy said quietly, pulling Neil back to their conversation. “Is that Finn’s wife?” Neil had to clear his throat when he heard her say it like that. “I noticed the way you reacted to her...”
When he looked at Poppy, he noticed that she was blushing. Was she jealous?
It didn’t matter. What did matter was him telling his wife the truth. He had demanded it from her, so now he needed to come clean. He also didn’t want her to misunderstand the situation.
Neil shook his head. Then he took a deep breath.
“That woman is Lucy Hawthorne,” he said, and he struggled to keep the hatred out of his voice.
“Several years ago, she and I were engaged.” Poppy’s head swung around, and she stared at him with an open mouth.
Then she caught herself, snapped her mouth shut, and looked straight ahead.
She gently put her hands away, releasing the grip she had had on his, and Neil wished nothing more than to take it and his words back.
He noticed how her fingers were shaking a little before she balled them into dainty fists.
“Do you still love her?” she asked, seemingly struggling to say the words. Neil scoffed and shook his head.
“No,” he said firmly. “It’s been many years since we went our separate ways. We were young. I thought we were in love. But then she met Finn, and I couldn’t compete with his wealth.”
Poppy released a shuddering breath. Her reaction surprised him a little, because their marriage wasn’t based on love. They had wed out of convenience. He didn’t know how to feel as he watched the tension in her body dissipate slightly.
“She left me for his money,” he continued. Now that he had started, he wanted to get it all out so Poppy would understand everything. “But she also stole from me when she did.” Poppy gasped, and she looked at him again, but this time her reaction was clearly no longer about him.
“She helped Finn to steal business deals from me,” he explained.
“It’s too complicated to explain all of it in detail, but she was caught stealing money as well as important documents from me, which gave Finn the upper hand in certain negotiations.
He was always after my land, so he thought he could get the banker to forfeit my contract with the bank by making me look bad. ”
Poppy gasped. Her eyes were full of worry, and she grabbed his hand again. As small as the gesture was, Neil appreciated it very much.
“I was fortunate that the banker I was working with had his own problems with Finn,” he continued.
“He actually helped me devise a plan to foil Finn’s attempt to buy out my ranch from under me when he offered double the amount to settle my debt, which would have given him the title to my land.
However, he could only do that with Lucy’s help.
She was the one that gave him all the background information while we were still engaged. ”
Neil swallowed hard when he remembered everything. It was still hard to accept this level of betrayal.
“Oh, my goodness! I can’t believe the lengths that people would go to,” Poppy exclaimed. She almost sounded angry. Neil appreciated that, too.
“I almost went under because of her,” he finally said. “So no. I am no longer in love with her.” He took one of her hands, holding his, and intertwined their fingers. Her eyes went wide, but when he looked directly at her, she didn’t look away.
“I’m a married man now, and although we didn’t wed based on love, I respect you much more than you’ll ever know,” he declared almost solemnly. “And today, you’ve really shown me what a good wife is.”
Poppy blushed heavily at that. She closed her eyes for a second, and he could tell that she needed to gather herself for a moment. When she opened her eyes again, she smiled at him.
“There is a passage in the Bible,” she said tentatively. “Jesus himself says, ‘It’s more blessed to give than to receive.’. Even though I fail a lot and make a lot of mistakes, I strive to be a good person—more for others than for myself. I find strength in that.”
“Acts 20:35,” Neil said, and Poppy’s jaw dropped.
“I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive,” he said.
Poppy blinked several times, staring at him in utter disbelief. Neil chuckled.
“My father and mother were both great believers,” Neil explained with a warm smile.
Remembering those days always filled him with nostalgia.
“They read the Bible to us children every day. My father was particularly fond of this very verse and told it to us every chance he got. He was a great believer of helping others before all else.”
Poppy’s eyes welled up a little, and he could see a great sadness in them.
“My mother read to us every night from the Bible, too,” she whispered.
“She died a year ago, and I still miss her so very much.” Neil watched as a single tear escaped out of the corner of her eye.
He gently untangled their fingers, cupped her cheek with his large hand, and wiped the tear away with his thumb.
She smiled at him gratefully. Then he put his hand right back where it was before, entangling their fingers again.
“What about your father?” he asked tentatively. Poppy shook her head.
“I never knew him,” she said. “The same goes for Sophie. We weren’t very lucky in that regard.
” Poppy sighed deeply. It was clearly a heavy subject, so Neil didn’t ask any further questions.
He knew that she would open up and tell him more when she felt safe enough to do so.
He didn’t want to pry, but he felt the need to lighten the mood just a little.
“So I take it you’re a great shot then?” he asked spontaneously. Poppy looked at him with a blank expression.
“What?” she asked, seemingly oblivious.
“The way you were waving around that rifle back there,” Neil explained, trying not to grin as he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, “I assume you know how to shoot very well.” Poppy’s eyes grew wide. She pulled her lips into a thin line and shook her head.
“I’ve never shot a gun before,” she admitted so quietly Neil almost couldn’t hear her.
“You haven’t?” he asked in mock shock. “Could have fooled me!” he joked. Poppy stared at him, then she burst out laughing. It rapidly became Neil’s favorite sound. It was even powerful enough to dissipate the heaviness surrounding them a little.
They traveled for a while without talking, but the silence felt comfortable, and Poppy leaned gently against his arm as they held hands.
***
It wasn’t long before their little convoy finally reached the entrance to Neil’s ranch, which was perfect timing, since the sun had dipped behind the horizon, and the light was fading fast.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he finally said, once again looking at her. “Do you have any questions? I don’t want you to feel betrayed or unsure of anything.”
Poppy looked back at him with a soft smile. She shook her head.
“I don’t have any questions,” she said confidently. “I trust you. We’re all sinners. Every one of us has dark things in their past, but we can’t dwell on them. I do believe that we’re stronger together, so as long as we can count on each other, nothing can hurt us.”
Neil stopped the wagon in front of the house and looked her in the eyes. After everything he’d been through today alone, her sincerity was intoxicating. He craved honesty, and Poppy seemed so genuine. She was also incredibly beautiful, brave, and hardworking.
And she was his wife.
He only noticed how close he had leaned into her when their noses almost touched.
Poppy didn’t pull away. Her lips parted as she lifted her face toward his.
Neil’s heart raced when he realized that he wanted to kiss her more than he’d ever wanted to kiss any other woman before. He tilted his head ever so slightly...
A small hand grabbed his face from behind, and a cheeky giggle burst into the night.
Sophie was awake.