by B. J Daniels
“So your theory is that he killed Big Jack so he could take over the company?” Will said. “Where does Lexi fit into this theory?”
“The shy, timid, nonthreatening woman?” Dorothea asked with a smile. “She was like the wallpaper that no one noticed. Because of that I’ll bet she knew all of their secrets and once someone realized that...”
“Interesting, your take on the guests,” Poppy said. Will agreed.
She noticed that he seemed subdued. Was he sorry about what had almost happened in his apartment earlier? Maybe he was like her. He’d had time to realize what was at risk if it went any further. But it was a risk that Poppy feared she was willing to take.
For a few moments, all that could be heard was the wind in the eaves outside and the soft popping of the logs in the fireplace. Poppy thought about the scrawled words on the scrap of paper she’d seen in the basket on the coffee table. She told herself that maybe she should mention it to Will, but didn’t want to in front of Dorothea.
“Thank you, Dorothea. That was wonderfully enlightening,” Will said, getting to his feet. He glanced at Poppy, but quickly looked away. “I have some things I need to take care of. I have Huck and Slim patrolling the area. I’m going to be relieving them during the night. In the meantime, if either of you need me, ring the bell.”
With that he grabbed his coat and left on a gust of cold wind and snow that blew across the floor.
“I need to do some prep work for breakfast,” Poppy said, standing, as well. Dorothea had been watching the two of them closely, she realized with a silent groan. Poppy was in no mood for more recriminations from the woman.
But all she got from Dorothea seemed to be a sympathetic look as if the woman had seen how cool Will had been with Poppy. Did she think Will had dodged a bullet?
Going into the kitchen, Poppy was surprised to realize that she was in no mood to cook. She’d always turned to cooking when she was upset. But who wouldn’t be upset? There’d been two murders. The barn and one of the cabins had been torched. And they still had twenty-four hours at least before help would arrive.
But she knew that what had her despondent was Will and the feeling that the connection between them had been cut. They’d come so close to making love. If the barn hadn’t exploded they would have been curled up in his bed upstairs.
Instead, he was out patrolling the ranch while she was standing in the kitchen feeling like crying. She felt off balance and her heart was aching. All she’d done was make things worse. She’d thought that coming here, tempting Will and seducing him to give him some of his own medicine would let her finally forget him. Instead, she was standing in the ranch kitchen, knowing there was nothing she could cook that would make her feel better and feeling foolishly close to tears.
“You only have yourself to blame,” Dorothea said as she came into the kitchen.
Poppy groaned inwardly. True as her words were, she couldn’t bear this right now. “Dorothea—”
“Let me guess. You got caught in your own spell.” Surprisingly, the woman didn’t sound that happy about it. “You ended up falling in love with him all over again, didn’t you?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
POPPY WOKE WITH a start after a restless night. Most of the night she’d listened for the sound of Will’s boot heels out in the hall. But she had finally fallen asleep, her heart aching.
Now she listened, not sure what she might have heard that had awakened her. Not Will. That was just it. She heard nothing. No wind ripping at the eaves. No storm howling late into the night. No icy snowflakes tapping at the window.
She threw back the covers and moved to the window. The storm had stopped as quickly as it had begun. The sun had come out as the blizzard passed, turning the fallen snow into a blanket of crystals. She stared out at it, awestruck. The wind and snow had turned the landscape into a sculpture that was both blinding and beautiful. It was so pure and white that it was hard to believe it could be so deadly.
Help would be coming. The landline could already be working. She felt a wave of relief, followed quickly by a sharp pain of sadness. It was over. The plows would be out opening the roads. Will would be able to contact the sheriff. Soon the sun would begin melting the snow and the freezing water would run like a raging river along ditches and creeks. Flooding would be the next big problem, but by then she would be back in Whitefish getting ready for the upcoming luncheon on her schedule.
That world seemed a faint memory. So much had happened. She no longer felt like that Poppy Carmichael and wondered if she ever would again.
That deep well of sadness also filled her with concern. Everyone would be questioned, but there would be little that the sheriff could do. As hard as Will had tried to contain the crime scenes, the killer had destroyed both. No one had thought the person would go to that extreme.
Once they were all questioned, everyone would be free to leave. The sheriff couldn’t keep them here without evidence against them, could he? And any evidence had been destroyed. The killer had seen to that.
Life would go back to the way it was just a few short days ago. She thought about Will and felt sick at heart. She’d come here for retribution and instead she was the one who’d gotten caught in her own deceitful web, just as Dorothea had said.
“That’s what you get,” she told herself as she headed for the shower. For now, she still had a job. Everyone would still need to be fed while they waited for the sheriff. After showering, she was getting dressed when she heard the sound of Will’s boots in the hallway. She froze as she heard him slow. He was just outside her door.
Poppy waited for him to knock, willing it to happen. But after a moment, he continued on down the hall until she could no longer hear him. Her heart dropped. She’d wanted desperately for him to knock on her door.
She stood for a moment listening, hoping he’d come back. When he didn’t, she feared there had been more trouble. Will had lost more than a barn and one of the cabins. Worse, two people had died violent deaths here at the guest ranch. Her heart went out to him. She could walk away, but he would be living here with the memory.
But could she walk away? Heartbroken again? She let out a bitter laugh. This time she wasn’t twelve. And this time she only had herself to blame. Will had warned her, but she hadn’t listened. She told herself that she was lucky they hadn’t ended up in that big log bed of his. But that was a lie.
Downstairs, she realized that she was alone. She spotted the basket just inside the office’s open doorway and frowned. With everything that had happened, she’d forgotten about the extra note she’d found at the bottom. Moving to the basket, she quickly dug through. Not finding it the first time, she took out all the notes and went through them only to realize the scrap of paper that warned there were two killers was gone.
* * *
LAMAR WOKE TO find his brother’s bedroom empty. He swore as he got up to look out the window. To his shock, the storm had quit. He looked down at the porch and the steps and saw his brother’s tracks partially filled with snow. So Mick had left last night, no doubt after Lamar had dozed off.
“I need to know what’s going on with you, Mick,” he’d pressed when they’d returned to their cabin after the meeting at the lodge yesterday evening.
His brother hadn’t been hungry, but he was definitely morose as he’d collapsed on the bed. “Nothing’s going on. Cut me some slack. My father just died.”
“Died? He was murdered.”
“Your point?”
Lamar didn’t believe that was all that was bothering his brother. “What is going on with you and Allison and don’t tell me nothing.”
Mick had shaken his head. “Maybe I’m interested in her. Maybe it’s more than that.”
“What does that mean?”
His brother had sat up angrily. “What if I was in love with her and your stupid no-dating employee rule was ruining my
life?”
Lamar had been tempted to point out that the rule had been established by their father. But Lamar had enforced it after their father had spent less and less time at the company. “If you really love her...”
“Why do you say it like that?” Mick had demanded. “Do you think I’m incapable of loving someone? You think I’m the one who was most like Dad.” He’d let out a huff of a laugh. “You’re exactly like him. You just don’t have as much fun as Dad always did. When was the last time you even had a date?”
He’d said nothing, knowing that if he let his brother goad him into it, he’d set his brother straight on a lot of things, especially Allison Landon. “I’m just worried about you.”
“Well, stop, because I’m not a kid anymore,” Mick had said. “I can take care of myself, big brother. Butt out.” He had lain back down in his bedroom to stare up at the ceiling. “Anyway, Allison was just stringing me along. She’s a tease, comes on hot, turns ice cold and pushes you away.” He’d seen the anger in his brother’s expression. “I love her but I hate her, something I doubt you could ever understand.”
“You might be surprised.” He’d thought of his father and pushed that thought away. As for Allison... He couldn’t help thinking about the other night in the barn and what Allison had told him. If true to her word, she would be leaving town as soon as they returned. He thought it was the best thing, especially for his brother, but like a lot of things, he would keep that to himself.
“What do you think about Ruby?” Mick had asked.
The question took Lamar by surprise. “She seems to be good enough at her job, why?”
“Just curious.” With that his brother had rolled over and, closing his eyes, went to sleep.
Or at least Lamar had thought he’d gone to sleep. So where was Mick?
He raked a hand through his hair and caught his reflection in the mirror on the wall. It seemed to mock him. Why hadn’t he told his brother about what he’d discovered, the confirmation on his father’s phone that there was a lot more going on at this retreat than any of them had suspected?
* * *
WILL CAME IN from outside to find Poppy doing what she did so well, cooking in the guest ranch’s large sunny kitchen. She had the radio on and must not have heard him approach. He took advantage of that to watch her unnoticed for a few moments. Last night during his watch over the ranch, he’d had plenty of time to think about everything, but especially what had almost happened yesterday in his apartment.
Just the thought made him ache. He’d promised himself that he would keep her at arm’s length, because he couldn’t trust himself not to hurt her again. He’d warned Poppy. He knew how he was with women. A few dates and he got bored. It’s why he really had thought he was a confirmed bachelor. No woman had ever made him want to make that walk down the aisle.
But then he’d never met the now-all-grown-up Poppy Carmichael. She made him crazy. That’s why he’d backed off after what had almost happened yesterday. He didn’t know how to deal with his feelings. If he had made love to her...
With a curse, he realized he’d done the one thing he’d promised himself he wouldn’t. He’d hurt her again. He’d seen it in her expression. He wanted to rip out his heart at the pain he’d seen in her eyes last night when he’d turned away from her.
He’d told himself there was no other way. Had he gone to her last night after his patrol shift, if he’d kissed her again, nothing could have stopped him from making love to her. And once that happened...
She turned as if sensing him and started to smile, but then sobered. “What’s wrong?”
“We need to talk.” He’d barely gotten the words out when the landline rang. They both started at the sound. He turned and rushed to it. He’d tried it in the middle of last night and the first thing this morning, but there still hadn’t been a dial tone.
Snatching up the receiver, he said, “Hello?”
The line crackled with static. “Will?”
He’d never been so glad to hear his brother Garrett’s voice even though the connection was terrible. Afraid he might lose him and the line might go dead again, he said, “Call the sheriff. We’ve had two murders up here.” He waited for Garrett to say something, but all he heard was static. “Garrett, are you there? Did you hear me?” Nothing.
After a few moments, he disconnected and tried to place a call to his brother, but he couldn’t get a dial tone. With a curse of frustration, he put the receiver back in the cradle and turned to find Poppy standing behind him.
“Did Garrett get the message?” she asked hopefully.
Will shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“There’s something I need to tell you.”
He listened while she told him about the scrap of paper she found in the basket. “Two killers?” He shook his head. “And now the note is gone?”
“It might have been someone’s idea of a joke,” she said.
Will also questioned whether it meant anything at this point. “Poppy—” Dorothea came down the stairs as the timer went off on the oven. “Can we talk later?”
She nodded and turned back to breakfast. “We can eat in about fifteen minutes,” she told him over her shoulder.
Will started to go out to ring the breakfast bell, but Dorothea stopped him. “I need to talk to you.” He groaned. Everyone needed to talk this morning, but this was one conversation he could do without.
“Dorothea—”
“It can’t wait a minute longer,” she insisted and pointed toward his office.
He realized it was probably best to get it over with, anyway, and let her lead the way.
“I’ve never been one to offer advice...” Dorothea began the moment the door was closed behind them.
He pretended to choke on her words and remained standing, wanting this over as quickly as possible.
She ignored the gibe and continued. “But this time, I have to say something. I’ve watched you boys grow up. All three of you were raised like wild horses that had to be broken by your father. I know he was hard on you boys, hardest on you.”
“Dorothea, are you going to dig up ancient history? Because I have to call everyone in to breakfast.”
She was not deterred. “I remember only too well that year when Poppy was hanging around and you were being...fifteen and so full of yourself. That girl was crazy about you—”
“This is what you want to talk about? Dorothea! Where are you going with this? I was there, remember? I know.”
“You don’t know squat!” she snapped. “What the devil is wrong with you?”
He raked a hand through his already messy hair. “I’m not sure how to answer that or even where to begin.”
“Will, you’re crazy about her, she’s crazy about you—”
He started to argue, but she cut him off.
“Oh, don’t even bother to deny it. You think I haven’t seen the way you look at her? The way she looks at you? Even when you were fifteen and she was twelve, when it was just the two of you, you were best friends. It was when some of those snooty girl guests started flitting around that you threw her over as if you were embarrassed by her.”
He groaned, remembering what a heartless fool he’d been. “I can’t change the past.”
“What about your future? It’s as clear as the nose on your face. So what is holding you back?”
“I don’t want to hurt her again,” he blurted out. “I promised myself I’d keep my distance and I haven’t. You were right. She’s definitely put a spell on me. But it’s one I have to break because you know how I am with women.”
Dorothea made a disgusted sound and pointed her finger in his face. “Keep telling yourself that. I’ve never thought of you as a coward. Maybe Poppy will break your heart and you’ll just have to tough it out if that is the case. But I say she’s fallen in love with you all over agai
n and she isn’t happy about it because she thinks you don’t feel the same way. Now here you are crazy about her but afraid to take a chance.” She shook her head. “If you let her get away, you will never forgive yourself—and neither will I. Can you look me in the face and tell me that you aren’t crazy about her?”
He shook his head. He couldn’t deny it and clearly she knew it. “I can’t promise her marriage, a family, anything.”
“Why?”
Glancing around the office as if the answer was there, he said, “Because I live in an apartment upstairs. I run a guest ranch. That was the deal I made with my brothers. I thought once my father wasn’t micromanaging everything I did... But look how one first guest stay without him has gone.”
“Are you serious? None of this is your fault. You think your father could have handled it any better?”
He shook his head. He didn’t know. Worse, he didn’t know what he wanted anymore. Since Poppy, he realized. “Now after this latest fiasco with two guests murdered? I’m not sure I can do this. I doubt either Garrett or Shade want the job, either. Which means I have no idea what will happen to the guest ranch. But you’re right. I want more. Poppy has made me realize I definitely want more.”
“Have you told your brothers?”
He shook his head. He hadn’t even admitted it to himself until this moment.
“Well, figure it out and soon. So help me if you let that woman get away...”
He stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. “Wait a minute. You were the one who warned me about her. You said she was a kitchen witch and she was whipping up potions that were going to make me fall for her so she could break my heart. What makes you think that isn’t exactly what she still plans to do?”
Dorothea narrowed her dark eyes at him. “Maybe that is exactly what she will do. Laugh in your face and walk away. But you’ll never know if you let her leave here without telling her how you feel. Mark my words, let Poppy get away and you will regret it to your dying day. Take a chance, Will Sterling. Poppy did.”
