Chapter Twenty-Seven
Albright Ranch
Neil woke up, and he immediately knew that something wasn’t right. He just couldn’t immediately figure out what it was.
He sat up, wiped his tired eyes, blinked rapidly, and then listened into the stillness of the early morning. It was quiet, which wasn’t unusual. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, got up, and stretched his stiff body before walking over to the window to open the curtains.
The sun hadn’t yet fully risen over the horizon, but it painted the dotted clouds in the sky in pink and purple hues, and the birds were chirping like they always did. Everything was as it should be, but something was off.
He followed his usual morning routine—washing up, getting dressed, combing through his hair—and stepped out of his room.
That’s when he realized the house was different.
It was too quiet, too cold, and it had Neil instantly on edge.
The next thing he noticed was the smell. There wasn’t any.
Usually, there was the scent of brewing coffee, frying bacon, and something baking in the oven wafting from the kitchen all through the house. There’d be noises like clattering utensils, pots, and pans, but there were none.
He marched with long strides toward the kitchen, and even before he reached it, he saw there was no golden glow of a fire. Not even an ember. The hearth was dark and cold, matching the rest of the unused kitchen.
Neil’s heart started racing, and his breath came in short bursts.
He spun around, running back through the dining room and down the hallway to Poppy’s bedroom.
The door was ajar, and when he pushed it open, the room was deserted.
Empty drawers were pulled half open, and everything that belonged to Poppy and Sophie was gone.
His breath caught in his throat when realization hit.
They were gone.
His blood ran cold. Neil shook his head in denial. This couldn’t be real. He was probably still sleeping and only dreaming that he’d gotten up...
He pinched his arm. It hurt. He wasn’t dreaming.
Panic set in. A dozen thoughts stumbled over each other trying to catch hold.
Had they been kidnapped?
No, because they wouldn’t have had time to pack all of their stuff.
Had they left on their own?
No, because Neil couldn’t think of a single reason why Poppy would do that.
There had to be another reason.
He searched the dining room, living room, and every nook and cranny for a possible note or sign explaining what had happened. He even searched his own bedroom.
Nothing.
“Neil?” Paul’s voice boomed from the kitchen before he appeared in the doorway. “Storm is missing!”
Neil’s eyes widened, and he pushed both of his hands through his hair. “What is going on here?” he exclaimed, anxiously.
“Where is Poppy?” Paul asked, innocently looking around, but then he finally caught on. “Did Poppy take Storm?”
“I have no idea! Did she?” Neil replied, confused. “Did she take a saddle?”
Paul shrugged, then seemed to think about it, as his eyes darted in random directions without a clear aim.
“I didn’t see one missing...” Paul said quietly. “Where would she go?”
Neil couldn’t think straight. He shook his head, not knowing what to say.
“I don’t know,” he said. He was at a loss. He had no idea where she’d go. He didn’t know why she would go. He wasn’t even sure that she had actually left.
Taking Storm? Would Poppy do such a reckless thing? Especially with Sophie? He hadn’t had time to teach her how to ride yet.
Regardless, all signs pointed toward her having taken that risk.
“Did anything happen last night?” Paul asked, and his voice had taken on a much more serious tone.
“I didn’t speak to her last night,” Neil replied. “We were in the barn helping that foal stand up, remember? By the time I got back to the house, she had already gone to bed.”
“When was the last time you spoke to her?” Paul asked, and Neil scratched his head again. He realized that it had been a while. A couple of days.
“Has anything unusual happened?” Paul tried again, pulling off his hat. He had a worried look on his face. “Anything at all?”
Neil’s eyes shot up to Paul’s when he suddenly realized how long it had truly been since he had last spoken to Poppy. The day she had come running across the field to find him when he was mending fences.
“The last time I spoke to Poppy was the day Lucy showed up at the ranch,” Neil said quietly, racking his brain to think of another time since then, but he couldn’t. “That day when we were out there repairing the fence line.” Paul’s eyebrows shot up.
“The day you sent her to wait in the barn while you talked with Lucy?” he exclaimed.
“That was days ago!” His face was one of bewilderment.
“Please tell me you didn’t just leave the poor girl in the dark about your conversation with your ex-fiancée the entire time until now!
” Neil’s eyes were wide with shock as he traced back where he’d been in his mind.
“Shortly after Lucy left, I rode into town for that business meeting, and I stayed late,” he recalled, stepping further into the room.
“By the time I got back, everybody was already sleeping. And the morning after, I had an early appointment with the bank to get the loan, which was followed by the appointment with the land manager to buy the plot of land.”
“All right. And then?” Paul prompted him.
“Then I bumped into Lucy again,” Neil said, cringing.
“And?” Paul asked, visibly holding his breath. He seemed agitated.
“And I brought her back here,” Neil explained. Hearing himself saying all those things, he suddenly realized how bad it all came across. Paul stared at him with an open mouth.
“You brought Lucy back to the ranch again? Why?” Paul exclaimed, shocked.
“Lucy wanted to talk with Poppy and have tea with her,” Neil said a little too defensively.
Paul stared at him with a deadpan expression. Then he inhaled sharply, held up his hand, and shook his head.
“Hang on!” he said. “So you spoke with your former fiancée several times, but you haven’t taken the time to inform your current wife about the situation? You’ve left her oblivious in all of this?” Paul scoffed and held up both hands now. He seemed more than agitated.
Neil knew instantly that he had messed up, but before he could respond, Paul kept going.
“Do you even know what that does to a person?” he exclaimed, sounding angry.
“That poor woman didn’t know what was going on while you pranced around talking to your ex-fiancée—here at Poppy’s home!
You didn’t even acknowledge the fact that you have a wife who should be informed about everything that’s going on here first and foremost!
” Paul had let out the entire tirade without breathing, and now his face was beet red. “Poor Poppy! No wonder she left!”
Everything Paul said made total sense.
“I made her leave,” Neil said with sinking shoulders. He felt awful.
“I’ll be in the kitchen,” Paul said, exasperated.
He rolled up his sleeves, but before he turned to leave, he stopped.
“I love you like a brother, Neil. And I love Poppy like a sister. We all love her. That girl has worked harder than most men we’ve seen, and she has a heart of gold.
She’s one of the good ones, and she didn’t deserve any of this.
And Sophie? That little girl has such a gift with horses.
It’s pure magic! So don’t even get me started about her, unless you want to see a grown man cry! ”
Neil swallowed against the lump forming in his throat. Paul put his hand on Neil’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly.
“I’ll make sure the men are fed, and things go smoothly here on the ranch,” Paul said as he looked Neil straight in the eyes. “But you better do everything you can to get Poppy and little Sophie back!”
The men exchanged knowing glances as Neil put his hand on Paul’s other shoulder, then they both turned in opposite directions and went their separate ways.
Neil decided that the first place he’d have to go to find answers was the one place he had vowed never to go to—Finn’s estate. He had no other choice. That’s where Lucy resided, and as far as he knew, Lucy had been the last person to speak with Poppy.
Neil rushed back to his bedroom, grabbing his gun holster, checking that his revolver was fully loaded.
He had no plans on letting things get violently out of hand, but he wanted to be prepared. Neil was about to enter the lion’s den after all, and confronting Finn would most certainly not be a pleasant affair.
Grabbing both of his rifles, he ran to the barn and readied the fastest horse in the stables—a feisty young stallion that hadn’t been fully broken in yet. Neil needed speed over obedience, so he jumped into the saddle with a second thought.
The stallion didn’t disappoint.
Finn’s large estate was west of Springfield, so it would take him almost an hour to get there. But the stallion was a wild beast, and its large hooves traversed the miles as if its life depended on it.
As if to match Neil's mood, dark gray clouds rolled in from the northeast, and the wind picked up significantly. The brewing storm looked ominous, but Neil didn’t pay much attention to it. His sole focus was Poppy. He needed to get his wife and Sophie back home. Nothing else mattered.
Riding up to Finn’s sprawling estate, Neil followed the seemingly endless road leading up to the two-story villa nestled at the back of the wide valley. It was lined on both sides by solid oak and maple trees, which provided a natural canopy for anybody approaching the imposing home.
All Neil could see were rows and rows of immaculate fencing, multiple outbuildings scattered amongst holding pens for some of the most exotic horses, and in the far distance, even larger paddocks with even more grazing horses. It was every horse breeder’s dream.
There were people everywhere. Ranch hands looked after the animals, and landscapers took care of dainty flower bushes and interestingly shaped topiaries.
Finn clearly spared no expense to make his estate look like the royal homes of European kings and queens.
As impressive as it was, Neil couldn’t relate. At all.
Despite all the workers, nobody tried to stop Neil as he barreled down the road straight toward the house. It surprised him, seeing as he was fully armed.
Reaching the grand stairs leading up to the front door, Neil jumped off the stallion, loosely tied him to a post, and ran up the marble steps. Neil didn’t bother to knock. He didn’t come for friendly conversation. He pushed one of the double doors open and entered the oversized foyer of the villa.
“Lucy!” he yelled as a butler came running from the side.
“Sir?” a slightly older man with white hair and an immaculate black uniform exclaimed. His bushy eyebrows were raised in alarm, and he held up both hands to stop Neil from advancing further into the house. Neil ignored him.
“Lucy!” he yelled again. He walked around the butler toward the grand staircase, ready to run up there if she didn’t show her face immediately. He hated being here. “Lucy!” he called even louder, and his voice echoed off the walls, pillars, and alcoves.
He heard her before he saw her. The fabric of her dress rustled loudly when she approached upstairs. She leaned over the balustrade and waved at him with a beaming smile.
“What are you doing here?” she called down cheerfully, as if Neil were Romeo and she were Juliette.
Neil began to scale the steps when Finn appeared in the foyer from the other side. Two of his men flanked him on either side, clearly a precaution toward the unexpected visitor.
“What a great pleasure to see you here, Neil!” Finn exclaimed, his words dripping with sarcasm. “I just don’t remember inviting you to my home.”
“I want to speak to Lucy,” Neil said through gritted teeth. He had no time for games.
“I’m right here! Speak to me!” Lucy called down, still leaning precariously over the balustrade, although she made no attempt to actually walk down the stairs. Finn shot her a side glance, which immediately wiped the bright smile off her face.
Neil noticed how she slowly stepped away from the balustrade. He couldn’t let her leave.
“Poppy is missing!” he yelled up to her, and he didn’t like the desperation that creeped into his voice. “You were the last one who spoke to her! What did you talk about? Do you know where she is?”
“I think it’s time for you to leave, Neil,” Finn interjected. He hooked his thumbs behind his suspenders while he bounced on the balls of his feet, making himself look overly important. “You weren’t invited.”
“Lucy, please!” Neil pleaded, which he hated. He saw the way Lucy’s lips lifted into a smug grin, but he had no other choice. “I need you to help me, Lucy! Do you know where she is? Has she said anything to you?”
Lucy raised her chin seemingly defiantly at Finn, then she looked back down to Neil and shook her head.
“Sorry, no,” was all she said as she daintily lifted her shoulders.
“No?” Neil was getting frustrated. “Help me find her, Lucy! If you know anything... I’ll do anything to get her back!” His voice broke, which he hated even more. He didn’t want to look weak in front of Finn.
“Oh, my!” Finn chimed in as he pressed his hand against his chest. “How dramatic! I had no idea you had it in you, Neil!” He scoffed dismissively. “But now you need to leave my house! I won’t ask you again.”
“Lucy!” Neil called out to her, but Lucy just pouted. She put her elbows on top of the balustrade and rested her chin in the palm of one hand. “Tell me what you know!”
“You were never this passionate about me, Neil,” she complained, yet she was still smiling down at him. Her glance jumped to where Finn stood, and her smile vanished.
“Clean up the mess,” Finn said, his voice full of disdain.
Neil turned just in time to see Finn nod toward his men. Four large men approached him with urgency.
Neil had no time to pull any of his weapons when strong hands grabbed both of his arms, even pulled up his legs, and all four of the men carried him toward the front door. The butler opened the second double door for them as they carried Neil down the stairs and hurled him into the dirt