Found (Lost & Found Book 2) Read online

  “Well, come on!” Grammie exclaimed. “Fifteen hours? We want to hear it!”

  His smile grew as he switched his attention over her head. “Marigold Granger… It’s an honor to meet Poppy’s Grammie.”

  “I didn’t think anyone knew who she was,” Primrose whispered in the background.

  Turner’s smiling eyes landed on Poppy’s. “We’re not done. Baby, we didn’t get started. My shot with you can’t be… what we had. You deserve a guy with class, a guy with money, a guy who can give you anything you ask for…” He raised a shoulder in a half-shrug. “I can’t be that guy. You know what I am. Damnit, you know it better than I did… I told you that I couldn’t handle you being out in the world vulnerable, needing me, and not stepping up. You don’t love this Abernathy guy, I know what the media’s saying is crap.”

  “In your statement—”

  “Charley and Preston came up with that last part. What was I supposed to say? That I’d known all along who you were and what was going on and hadn’t told them?” Curving a hand around the back of his neck, he rubbed at what had to be his niggling guilt. “It doesn’t matter what they know.” His arm dropped to his side. “It’s supposed to hurt…” He smiled while grazing the back of his finger down her jaw. “You’re right. It is.”

  “Turner—”

  “I can provide for you better than I did at the Venture. You’ve gotta give me a chance to try. I didn’t know we were finite, that you’d just take off like you did. I’ll do better. Somehow…” For a moment, he glanced around at the grandeur of the dining room like maybe he was trying to work out how to build an estate to give her. “You’re in my head every minute… You walked away from me, Candy-Cane… And I let you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything,” she said, intercepting his hand when he tried to touch her face again. “I know what you are, how deep your decency goes. You have such an incredible amount of respect for women. Accepting how we ended has probably played on your conscience.” She smiled, linking her fingers in his. “But it’s okay. I’m okay… I made us what we were. I did that. Me. You have nothing to feel guilty about. I told you I’d never regret us and I don’t. Even now, I don’t.”

  But Turner was shaking his head. “You don’t get it, Popkat.”

  “I do,” she said, stepping closer. “You imagine how you would feel if one of your sisters was in a relationship like ours and you feel bad about it. But you don’t have to. I made my choice. I pushed you. Just like you said. I pushed. We were what I wanted us to be. You don’t have to rush in and apologize.”

  “I’m not here to apologize,” he said. “I’m here because there’s something inside me I can’t ignore or resist.” A prickle of dread chilled her spine. “You said you never fit until you found me. And I didn’t know it, but there was a piece of me missing until you showed up. You fit with me because you belong with me… You are that missing piece. My missing piece… It’s important that I don’t lie to you, not anymore. I mean, I didn’t intentionally lie to you, I was lying to myself.”

  “Turner, please. You don’t have to do this.”

  He wasn’t dissuaded. “I feel everything with you. I want to be someone you can rely on, just like I said, but to hell with the distance.” Flattening her hand on his chest, he pressed her palm against him. “Being with you was the happiest time in my life.” Poppy swallowed; that’s what her grandmother said about her grandfather. Turner remembered. “All very dramatic… I don’t regret it.” He had made quite the entrance. As she breathed in, her heart swelled. “I’ve left everything behind and I won’t go back without you. You did it to me from a thousand miles away, Candy-Cane. You’re still doing it to me. I’m the one guy who will take you any damn way, every damn way and never walk away… I won’t walk away, Poppy Granger and I won’t let you walk away from me ever again.”

  They considered each other for close to a minute. Although he was all she could see, her whole world, the weight of expectation in the rest of the room was heavy with anticipation.

  “You came all this way,” she murmured.

  “It’s something real,” he said, showing her another smile. “I know it now. It took me a minute, but I got my head out my ass.”

  A brief laugh escaped her. “Your mom told you to come.”

  “My mom didn’t get why I ever let you leave, and she was right. I couldn’t let you pass me by, Popkat. I can’t. You’re not better off without me. Let me prove that to you. Give me a chance to do this the right way. No secrets. No sneaking. Truth. Honesty. Us.”

  “We can’t.”

  But when she tried to pull away, he snatched her back. “Every moment we’re apart is a slow, agonizing death,” he said, vehement in his conviction. “Nothing compares to this, Pop. We can’t ignore that. What I want is right in front of me… don’t tell me I can’t have it.”

  It was what he’d done to her. So much of what he was saying mirrored their past conversations. Like all of it made sense to him now. Poppy had figured out that what she felt for him was real long before she’d ever thought about leaving.

  “Why?” she asked. “How do I know this isn’t just the chase? That you don’t only want me because I’ve been taken away?”

  “I don’t even know how…” He inhaled through his nose, taking the time to moisten his lips. “This is no game. This is real. Us. It’s real. All the time you were trying to support me, trying to be what no one else would be: simple. All you gave me was acceptance. Complete acceptance. One hundred percent of the time. You were my beacon of hope, my security, the only one I could rely on to never want anything but me. That was all you wanted, all along. You never needed me. Not for one second. But I need you. I can’t do it without you. Can’t go on another second without knowing you’re with me. We belong together, Candy-Cane. I feel it now, that thing inside me you talked about, the physical presence. It’s you and me. We are coded to each other, baby… You’re in my DNA.”

  A long lingering silence stretched. Poppy didn’t know what to do or what to say.

  Her grandmother didn’t miss the chance to move things along. “You haven’t said you love her,” Grammie said.

  Turner smiled, that slow, predatory, carnal smile that she’d only seen him use on her. “I don’t have to say it,” he said, combing his fingers into her hair. “She already knows it… Just like I know she loves me… She’s been showing me all along and I was too dumb to accept it. You’re the first and only woman I have ever truly loved, Poppy Granger, and I’m ready… for whatever comes next. As long as we do it together, I’m ready.”

  Except she wasn’t. Poppy couldn’t take him away from his life. From his family. From his work. Putting an end to their relationship was the hardest thing that she’d ever had to do. Every minute since walking away from him, she’d ached to be near him again.

  But true love was a pesky thing. Feeling for him the way she did, it was impossible for Poppy to put her own needs in front of his. Even if it meant hurting him or him hating her, she’d endure anything to see that what he valued was prioritized first.

  Sliding her hand free from his grasp, Poppy took a step back. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice deeper than usual. She couldn’t even meet his eye. “I feel terrible that you came all this way.”

  His optimism faltered. “Candy-Cane…”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, forcing herself to look at him even though it shattered her heart. “You should go home, there’s nothing for you here.” Poppy started past him, but he grabbed her wrist to halt her. The searching hurt in his gaze sought something she daren’t let him see. “I’m sorry, Turner. Honestly, I am. But you need to go.”

  Walking away from him seemed to take hours. There couldn’t have been more than a dozen feet between her and the door, still the distance stretched for miles.

  Letting him go once was torture, a second time just seemed like unnecessary hell. He couldn’t love a life on the estate with her. He wouldn’t want to attend parties or schmooze soci
ety any more than she did. Poppy couldn’t save herself from it, but she could ensure he never had to live such a false existence.

  Poppy had known from the moment she left him in the Venture that happiness wasn’t her destiny. Because she’d never have him. Never be his. Coming to terms with that reality was taking her some time. His arrival didn’t change anything. They were from different worlds and had different expectations of life. Hers would be whatever her family dictated. Once, Turner had called himself her freedom. The least she could do was give him his freedom in return.

  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 nipples were happy to see him and the sheer satin of her baby doll didn’t leave much to the imagination. “You’ve seen me naked, 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 wo
rth 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.

  THREE

  For no other reason than it made good sense, Poppy did go to her bedroom to get dressed before heading to Grammie’s suite. She tried to hold onto her anger but was fighting a losing battle. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to be mad at her eccentric grandmother. With the woman recently surviving a heart attack, being mad at her was even harder than usual.

  Poppy knocked on Grammie’s bedroom door, expecting to hear a shout granting entry from inside. Instead, the door burst open, startling her.

  Grammie came striding out, almost bowling her granddaughter over. “Let’s go for a walk,” Marigold declared, seizing Poppy’s arm to direct them along the hallway.

  “Grammie,” Poppy said, going with her, though it wasn’t like she had a choice. “You’re meddling.”

  Her grandmother didn’t sound angry. In fact, the air of delight was obvious in her tone. “And you lied to me,” the woman said, guiding them down the stairs. “You said there was no stud.”

  “Grammie,” Poppy said again. “Turner isn’t a stud.”