Found

TWO

TWO

Morning was slowly sliding toward afternoon. That was the theory anyway; Poppy wasn’t entirely sure of the specific time. Not that it mattered. Nothing mattered except him.

All night she’d lay awake obsessing about the distance stretching between them. Why did she tell him to leave? Because she believed it was best for him. Reminding herself over and over didn’t help. The last thing she’d intended to do was force Turner’s hand. Leaving him hadn’t been an ultimatum. Poppy’s intention was to keep him safe, him and his family.

They’d never be safe with her. Sure, the media would give up on the Holden thing eventually, but if she moved to the Venture full-time, the paparazzi would know where to find her in the event of future scandal. How many heiresses shunned their birthright for love? It was a fairytale in reverse.

Violet’s routine involved getting up in the morning and lounging in her hot tub for an hour or two before preparing for the day. By contrast, Primrose, the middle Granger sister, enjoyed sleeping and stayed in bed until lunchtime if she didn’t have an earlier appointment.

That morning, Poppy chose a mixture of all the Granger Girl routines. Because she had trouble sleeping, she got up early and went for her usual workout, as was her routine. Exercise didn’t tire her out, so she sat in her tub for a couple of hours trying to distract herself. With nothing else to do, and the house still silent, she’d returned to bed.

Sleep didn’t join her.

After a few hours of just lying there letting her thoughts run wild, Poppy couldn’t take the speculation anymore. Part of her usual routine involved visiting Grammie before lunch. Considering what had gone down the previous night, even that rendezvous wasn’t safe or simple. Grammie would have questions and Poppy didn’t know if she had the strength to answer them without breaking down.

Turner.

He’d driven for fifteen hours to get to her. She hoped that he’d rested before going back. Thirty hours on the road with only a pause for heartbreak wasn’t a recipe for success.

Leaving her phone in the Venture was deliberate. The point was to give everyone involved a clean break. Except since sending Turner away from the estate, Poppy had been wishing she’d memorized some of the phone numbers in that device. She wanted to let his sisters know he was on the road back.

The Maddox family would likely never forgive her for breaking his heart, but she’d take their condemnation just for some assurance they’d look after him. Whatever the Maddoxes wanted to dish out, Poppy deserved it.

Rolling out of bed, Poppy took a half-hearted shot at making it. It didn’t have to be perfect; it wasn’t like anyone was going to be in her room for any reason.

Dizzy with the melancholy, she decided fresh air would be a good remedy, some sunlight too. Maybe both would offer a little perspective.

Her drapes were heavy, so she used both hands to push one back and then the other. To welcome the light, Poppy pulled the cord to draw open the thin gauze curtains as well. The sun was bright. The sight of the sea gave her a hearty dose of optimism. The blue beckoned from half a mile away, beyond the green of the grounds. Wonderful nature.

Life was good. That was what she had to tell herself. And Turner’s would be better after he got home too. He’d hate her for a while. Then, in time, he’d forget and she wouldn’t feature in his thoughts anymore.

Using all her strength to open the central sash window, Poppy smiled when the salt air cascaded in. With her hands on the sill, she stuck her upper body out to soak up the new day. Hoping it would clear out the sorrow, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A new day. A new start. That was what they both needed.

Telling herself she was cleansed, Poppy opened her eyes ready to face the world. The last thing she expected to see was Turner walking down the sheet-wood path that had been put in place for the construction guys working on the guest house her father was building. He was carrying a massive beam of wood on one shoulder, going about his business like he had every right to be there.

“First,” she said without thinking.

Obviously, her volume had been high enough for the air to carry the word to his ears because he paused and turned around to look up at her.

“Baby,” he called. “How’d you sleep?”

“How did I… What are you doing here?”

“Working,” he said, still holding the hefty beam on his shoulder. “Got hired today.”

“You got… Wait there, don’t move.”

Ducking back into the room, Poppy pushed down the window before fleeing her bedroom. She didn’t even know what to say to him. She just wanted to know how, why, what was going on.

Running down the stairs and doubling back to go out onto the stone terrace, she hurried around the library to discover he was exactly where she’d left him.

“You didn’t want to put on shoes?” he asked, checking her out.

Like that mattered. She thrust her fists to her hips. “First, what are you doing here? How did you even…” When she figured it out, Poppy sighed. “Grammie.” His perusal hadn’t managed to rise higher than her chest. Although he was definitely a fan of her breasts, he’d never been a letch and she didn’t think it was the time for him to devolve into a caveman. “Turner!”

Sucking in a breath, his gaze jumped to hers. “Sorry, I was thinking I forgot to hang up my jacket.”

“What are you—” Her attention flicked down to see that, yeah okay, her n*****s were happy to see him and the sheer satin of her baby doll didn’t leave much to the imagination. “You’ve seen me n***d, Turner. Can you be mature?”

“Hope the boss doesn’t catch me checking out the heiress.”

“Turner,” she said, stepping closer, avoiding the wood on his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”

“Working,” he said, clearly aware that he’d said that already. “Figured it might be tough to get an apartment, but I knew it wouldn’t be tough to find work. I have skills, Candy.”

“I know you have… I don’t mean here, I mean in the state. What are you still doing here? I thought you were going home.”

“I am home, sweetheart,” he said, snagging a tendril of her hair on his finger to twirl it around. “You’re beautiful when you wake up.”

“I didn’t wake up. I didn’t sleep. I was worried about you driving back overnight.”

“I didn’t drive anywhere.”

“Grammie told you to stay,” she said, figuring out what must have happened. “You know what she’s like, Turner. You listened when I talked about her. You shouldn’t encourage her.”

“I knew the minute I hit the road that I wasn’t going back without you. If you want us to live here, this is where we’ll live. I’ll find somewhere to stay, get a regular job. A steady nine to five gives us more time together. That’s something.”

Flabbergasted, Poppy wasn’t sure who she was talking to. “You’re moving here?”

“I told you that last night.”

“And I told you to go home.”

“Do you know there’s a construction site on your land?” he asked like she hadn’t spoken. “Grammie hooked me up with the foreman: Aitken. He’s a good guy. She said I can stay in the house, but I’ll find something in town as soon as I can.”

“What about the Venture? Your buildings?”

“Ritchie’s taking care of emergencies. I have to figure out what the Venture will get on the market as it is before I decide whether it’s worth paying someone to finish the rest of the renovations.”

Her mouth dried. Poppy didn’t like it. Didn’t like the suggestion, the idea that he’d sell the Venture or that anyone other than Turner would work on the place.

“Why are you talking like this? You can’t abandon your family.”

“I’m not abandoning them; I’ll always do whatever I can to support them. I just live here now… You’re my family too, Popkat.” Still balancing the wood on his shoulder, he ducked to kiss her cheek, then rose enough to murmur in her hair at the front of her ear. “Go upstairs and put on some clothes. Don’t need the guys drooling on my girl.”

She wasn’t his girl; that was what she’d been trying to tell him. He wasn’t getting it. Poppy didn’t understand what she was doing wrong.

He backed off before returning to his path with the beam. Living in her house, working on her land… Poppy had to talk to her grandmother before any more damage was done.