Poppy's Present (Poppy's Place)

by Beck, Stephanie

  “You girls finish up. Mom and I are going to start loading.”

  Poppy hefted the second flat of jars, the weight familiar since she’d taken up canning the previous fall. “I know I say it every time, but I really feel this is a Cody sort of job.”

  Her mother-in-law laughed. “I’m with you there, girl, but it seems those husbands of yours are always on the move. I remember those years too well sometimes. Three husbands—yet somehow I managed to be home alone with three little boys often. That’s been on my mind lately. You feel free to tell me no or to mind my own beeswax, but how would you feel if the grandpas and I took the girls on a little vacation?”

  Mary held the basement door open. Poppy’s heart beat faster as she stepped into the summer sun and headed toward the garage. The mix of dread over being away from the girls, and excitement for them having fun warred in her mind even without details.

  “Oh? Where are you thinking?”

  “To a certain theme park where we may run into princesses and a mouse.” Mary walked beside her. “I waited. You guys took them last year. I know how some things are milestones with kids and I respected you’d want to take them first, but now I really, really—and I can’t stress this enough—really want to go. The boys were such stinkers about theme parks. I’d take them, but all they ever wanted to do was go on the fastest, scariest rides or drive go-carts. I didn’t mind, and I won’t forbid the girls from going on those if they want to when they’re bigger, but they’ll also want to get makeovers and explore castles.”

  Poppy’s initial dread evaporated. She couldn’t deny Mary something like this. She joined them often when they traveled—Grandma Nanny Service, she called it—and every time something feminine and sweet came up, she jumped in with both feet, soaking up nearly as much as the girls. She couldn’t deny Mary her grandmotherly right to spoil them and live out a few of her own dreams in the process.

  “When did you have in mind?” Poppy asked.

  Mary kicked under the back of the fancy new SUV Trevor brought home, the tailgate lifting slowly. “I got an email from my favorite travel agent yesterday with a huge deal for a week...if we go tomorrow. I know, I know—Trevor is getting home, and he won’t be happy to miss them, so I can plan it another time. But this way, too, I thought, maybe you and Trev would have a little alone time. You might be able to wrangle Michael into spending a day away from his books, and I will tell Paul to order Cody to take a break from the ranch.”

  Poppy set her box in the back and covered it with a blanket. “Is it showing?”

  Mary frowned. “What do you mean?”

  She shrugged. “It’s been a hard spring. I mean, things are absolutely fine, but...”

  “Fine is exhausting,” Mary finished. “You need to be exhausted in the fun sort of way. And no, it does not show. I put the pieces together from experience, the email came...it’s Kismet, if it is all right with you and the dads.”

  Trevor wouldn’t like having the girls gone when he arrived, but he’d get over it if they were off with the grandparents. She considered all the factors and pulled the car door shut. Wiping the dust off her hands, she turned to Mary. “What do you need me to pack?”

  Poppy waved as the SUV carrying the girls and grandpas, driven by Grandma Mary, pulled out of the driveway. They’d have so much fun. After she made a quick round of texts to Michael, Trevor, and Cody, they’d all signed off on the vacation. A week felt like forever, but as Poppy strolled into the house, completely devoid of life except for the dog lying in a pool of sunshine on the living room floor, she figured she’d make the most of it.

  She headed for the girls’ bedroom and backtracked for a laundry basket. The twins hated giving up their too-small or out of season clothes. She’d get a chore done and do it without battling anyone.

  She stepped over a teddy bear and pulled open Da’s dresser drawer. At five, her eldest knew what she liked and shoved the best things in the top drawer where Lola couldn’t snag them. A green jumper two sizes too small. Mismatched socks that fit her dolls better, but were the perfect shade of purple. They all landed in the basket to be tucked away in the magical hand-me-down closet where Lola shopped every season.

  The doorbell rang, the deep gong echoing. She set the basket aside and hurried to the door, anticipating one of the grandpas sent for a last minute addition to the packing. Poppy backpedaled for the teddy bear she’d stepped over. Lola had probably remembered it last minute and couldn’t be consoled...and knew the grandpas would return for it.

  She opened the door, ready to make a clean handoff, and froze.

  “Poppy. Hello. I was hoping you’d answer. The GPS gave me such vague directions, I asked a local if this was Paraby Ranch.” Rose Staten, eldest of the Stevens daughters, stood on the steps, somewhere Poppy had never expected to see her sister.

  “Okay. Um.” Her mind ran in circles—joy, confusion, anger all working at random.

  After their mother’s death when Poppy was an infant, Rose had raised her, though not always graciously. She loved her older sister’s family, but after she took up with the Parabys, everyone cut her off. Though she kept up sporadically with her nieces and nephews, no real contact had happened since she’d left San Antonio for the last time nearly six year earlier.

  Rose shifted on her high heels.

  “Would you like to come in?” Poppy asked.

  Rose smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “That would be great.”

  Poppy led the way through the entryway and living area, her sister’s shoes clicking loudly against the hardwood and stone floors.

  “You have a lovely home,” Rose said. “Spacious.”

  “Thanks. This is the newer wing. Mary and her husbands live on the other end.”

  Poppy stopped at the kitchen counter and started a new pot of coffee. She immediately thought of all the things she would have cleaned and tidied had she known her fastidious sister would show up at her doorstep, but took comfort that Michael had at least washed up after breakfast.

  “The mountains are so close. It’s different from Texas,” Rose said, standing at the end of the island with her arms folded.

  “Take a seat.” Poppy poured two cups of coffee, not bothering to let the whole pot drip. Trevor would wince if he were there, but she needed the distraction. “How are the twins?”

  Rose sat and accepted the black mug, taking a sip before setting it on the counter, hands cupped around it. “Fine, as far as I know. They chose to move with their father to the East Coast after the divorce. He promised to get them into the schools they wanted, so that’s something.”

  “Oh, Rose, I’m so sorry.” Too much time had passed for her to reach across the marble and offer comfort, but she understood her sister’s pain. Rose had put everything into the life she wanted and she loved her sons. Poppy couldn’t imagine a broken home separating her from her daughters.

  “Their choice. We talk often. Their new stepmother can’t cook, so I send treats sometimes. They seem to like that.”

  Poppy nodded, hoping to be supportive of a situation Rose was making the best of. The possible reasons for her sister’s visit opened wide with the news of divorce. Poppy waited, her stomach in a knot, for the other shoe to drop.

  “I won’t bore you with small talk. I’m here because Father had a stroke a few weeks ago. He can no longer live at his house and needs to be placed in an assisted living facility.”

  “He’s okay?”

  Rose scowled. “He’s well on his way to recovery, maybe too well, which is why this is such a challenge. He specifically asked I not tell our other sisters about his stroke, especially since the doctors agree he’ll be back to himself by Christmas.”

  Poppy considered the announcement, relieved he would do well, but not seeing her place in the revelation.

  “Which is why I’m here,” Rose said. “I can’t ask Crissy or Violet to help, and since Father didn’t mention your name, this isn’t a betrayal.”

  “Betrayal” smacked
harder than Rose probably intended. She worried about betraying their father’s trust when the whole family had stabbed Poppy in the back more times than she could count. They’d led her astray with her career, with men, with life, and when those things failed, they continued to push. At one time she’d gone along with what they wanted because she’d thought they’d accept her if only she’d conform. It never happened. The only family who’d ever truly loved her was the Parabys.

  “I need you to come with me and convince him to sell the house and move into assisted living.”

  Poppy shook her head. “He won’t listen to me.”

  “He doesn’t have to. Your presence will throw him for enough of a loop, he’ll listen to me. You have to do it.”

  Poppy laughed, the harsh rasp out before she could consider Rose’s feelings. Humiliation was her sister’s game, and if the demand hadn’t been so damn ridiculous, Poppy would have been able to control her reaction.

  “You can’t be serious,” she said when Rose looked on with eyebrows raised.

  “I am. I need him an assisted living facility where he is safe and has the help he needs.”

  “Why can’t he move in with you? You were a nurse. You’d know how to help him.”

  Rose’s jaw tightened, the skin there no longer the firm perfection Poppy remembered.

  “Things have changed since the divorce. I don’t have time to flit around taking care of an old man. I need you to do the right thing. Father needs a release plan by tomorrow night to satisfy his insurance and continue getting therapy.”

  “So you think I have nothing more important to do? You think I can stop what I’m doing to visit a man who made it abundantly clear he doesn’t want to see me at the request of a woman who told me outright I had no place in the family?”

  “You’ve always been better than any of us, Poppy. Don’t tell me you’re not going to prove it now.”

  In some ways, Rose was right—she had a way of always being right—but that didn’t mean Poppy had to bend. During her first year away, she’d pictured a reunion, thought of what she’d say, every other day. She’d let that go after Lola’s birth.

  “I need you there tomorrow.” Rose stood, leaving her barely-touched cup on the counter. “There’s a flight to San Antonio with plenty of room on it, and if you’re with Trevor Paraby, you have money.”

  “You expect me to just go.”

  Rose’s lips turned down. “Frankly? Yes. If you don’t come, you’re letting everyone down. Aren’t you a little tired of that story line?”

  She stalked out of the kitchen. Poppy slammed her cup down and chased her. She grabbed Rose by the shoulder and spun her around. Rose pulled back and winced, as if she expected a slap.

  The show of fear cooled some of Poppy’s temper. “I understand the only way you know how to deal with me is with insults. They make you feel stronger. If I do choose to go, though, I hope you get that it is strength in my character and absolutely nothing about you.”

  Rose smirked. “Nothing?”

  Poppy released Rose’s arm and spun on her heel toward the kitchen. “Take a look around at my life—and know the best part isn’t here right now—but glance at the pictures on your way out. And then compare it to what you’re going home to before you try to put me down.”

  She’d aimed low on her reply, but didn’t regret it. She strode into the kitchen and leaned her head against the cool metal of the stainless steel refrigerator. The front door opened and closed, but Poppy kept her place. She’d hoped for a time to reconnect with her men and to remind each of their explosive history, but hadn’t foreseen going this far in the past. Their first months together had been spent wallowing in her family issues. She glanced at the oven clock. The next few days would be a repeat, but this time she was stronger.

  Chapter Five

  Cody wiped a line of sweat from his brow and cursed the heat as he hustled to the house. He should have grabbed the four-wheeler, but the first message from Poppy hadn’t seemed so urgent. Something about wanting roses. Only a minute ago, Michael’s SOS about Poppy’s sister dropping in with a bomb pulled the pieces together. He passed the shed and turned for the house, going straight through the kitchen door.

  Trevor and Michael sat at the island, but Poppy in her jeans, purple top, and red-rimmed eyes demanded his attention. He tried to steady his breath, the long run harder than it would have been if he’d stuck with his exercise program. Poppy smiled and fetched a glass of water from the sink. She passed it to him, but instead of taking the glass, he pulled her close.

  “You all right, darlin’? I misunderstood the text, otherwise I would have been right up.”

  She wrapped her arms around his back and held tight a long moment. “I’m okay. It was just so unexpected, you know?”

  Unexpected and unwelcome. The last time he’d seen Rose or any of the siblings, he’d given them hell. They pissed him off with their callousness. As unsure of herself as she had been back then, Poppy still had the biggest heart, and those women had hurt her as often as they could. He’d anticipated a day of reconciliation, but he’d expected a phone call first.

  “Her dad had a stroke, and Rose wants Poppy to go down to get him moved to an assisted living complex,” Michael said, breaking him out of his thoughts of the past.

  “Your dad going to be okay?” Cody asked.

  Poppy pulled away and picked up her glass of tea. “Yes, as far as I know.”

  “I tried a hospital call, but the operators are less chatty these days.” Trevor flicked a piece of paper across the countertop. “I can book seats on the next flight to San Antonio, or we can say fuck them all and go to Mexico. I’m happy either way, Poppy. Fuck that. I’ll be happier in Mexico, eating enchiladas and you.”

  Poppy choked on a sip of tea and set the cup down, still coughing. Cody scowled at his middle brother, but had expected the suggestive talk. Trevor had been gone for a week, and this was supposed to be his day home with Poppy. They’d all had a wrench thrown in their plans, but Cody was ready to be what she needed. After receiving her text about the girls going away for a few days, he’d hoped to take a few days off himself and spoil Poppy a little.. If they had to spend the impromptu grownup time supporting their wife instead of drinking Mexican beer, he’d be thankful to be at the woman’s side.

  “Well, that’s very sweet,” Poppy said slowly, but ruined her cautious tone with a smirk. “Yeah, really damn sweet, Middle Man. As much as I want to flip them the bird, I think I have to go. You three...I want to say you don’t have to come, but I hope you will. We haven’t been to San Antonio since we left, and I can face them all alone if I have to. I’m stronger now, but I would rather have you with me.”

  Cody looked over Poppy’s head to Michael. With law school kicking his ass daily, if anyone would put a kink in their plans, it was him. They were all glad he was nearly through.

  “I can be there.” Michael ran his fingers through his hair. “I’ll call my professor. I haven’t missed a day, and I’m ahead on everything. I’ll catch up next week, if I have to.”

  “I’ll quiz you on your lessons.” Poppy smiled, but without much real pleasure. “I appreciate this. Trevor, do you mind setting up tickets?”

  He pulled out his phone. “No problem. Can we at least take a day and cross the border? We can finish up the family stuff, and then I want to see you in a bikini on the beach with a drink in your hand. You were supposed to be happy. I want you happy.”

  Cody agreed immediately, wishing he could take more time off and tag along, but he’d plan a long weekend anyway. They hadn’t traveled together since they went to Ireland the summer before Lola’s birth. He ran his hand over his head, the hair thinner than ever, but still holding on. Time flew by, but he’d slow things down and give her a vacation. Soon.

  “Tickets are booked,” Trevor said. “Good thing I’m still packed. We need to leave now.”

  Poppy nodded and rinsed out her cup. She looked at each of them, her face a little pale
and lips pulled tight. “I wish we were going for fun, but we’ll make the best of it.”

  Chapter Six

  The last time she’d been in San Antonio, worry over her nephew’s cancer burdened her, she’d introduced the three Paraby men as hers, and her former fiancé had attempted to abduct her. Standing near the exit of the airport, her palms sweated and heart beat too quickly. Six years hadn’t been enough to put it all behind her.

  Trevor stopped beside her with his suitcase. “So, I made reservations at the hotel we stayed in last time, but then I couldn’t figure out if that was romantic or creepy.”

  “Oh.” Memories of the posh hotel, mostly of the nights and early mornings spent tangled in the sheets, made her heart race for the right reasons “That’s so romantic. Thank you.”

  She kissed his cheek and snuggled to his side when he wrapped his arm around her. Unlike her other men who relied on aftershave and soap, Trevor wore cologne, even had it specially made with her as chief sniffer. The light mix of bitter apple and hay along with other magical ingredients the perfume maker added topped the list for best scents.

  “Cody, grab the bags, will ya?” Trevor called.

  The youngest Paraby took the suitcases and led the way toward the rental. The town car glistened in the early afternoon sunlight. Cody stepped in front of them, his tight jeans cupping his butt. Michael leaned forward in the driver’s seat, his dark sunglasses shadowing part of his face, but leaving his strong lips clear—and smiling. Even if they weren’t here under the best circumstances, they were together. Poppy squeezed to Trevor’s side. Together was where she’d longed to be. The past needed to stay distant.

  “Where to first?” Trevor asked.

  She settled between him and Cody in the car, considering what she needed to do and what she wanted.

  “Let’s go for a long lunch down by the River Walk.” She squeezed Cody’s knee. “We can do some shopping, flirting, ass grabbing.”