almost like it was cast away. Kelly had always kept it by her bed, but that was when they’d been teenagers. They’d lie on the bed and look at the little notes they’d passed to each other in class and talk about boys and their future.
She couldn’t take her eyes off the box for fear of what was in there now. Were there love letters from Logan? Had Kelly kept the angry letters that Poppy had sent her after she’d learned the truth? She reached up, put her hands on the box and then paused.
Regrets were a hard thing to live with. Kelly had died with regrets. Poppy only hoped that during their last meeting, when Kelly was too sick to even pick up a pencil, that Poppy had been able to ease some of her friend’s regrets with forgiveness.
She pulled her hands away from the box. It wasn’t her place to rummage through Kelly’s past without first talking with Logan about her true reason for coming back to Rudolph. As she closed the closet door she played that conversation, as she had done many times, over again in her mind. Maybe unpacking hadn’t been such a good idea.
Twenty minutes later both Keith and Logan were emerging from the bathroom and Poppy was still sitting on the bed mulling over how to muster up the courage to start the conversation she knew she had to have with Logan.
“Where are you going? You know it’s time for bed,” she heard Logan say. Keith came barreling through the bedroom in his motorcycle pajamas and launched himself onto the bed.
“I want Auntie Poppy to put me to bed.”
Logan stopped short at the door.
“But we always read a story and say prayers together. Just you and me.”
“No, Auntie Poppy do it tonight!”
Poppy’s heart squeezed as she gazed on Logan’s hurt expression. He glared at her, and she knew any ground she’d covered today was now lost.
# # #
CHAPTER FOUR
“Okay, I’ll come in and give you a kiss when you’re all tucked in,” he said. Logan had never felt like an outsider with Keith since the day he was born, but tonight he had. And he didn’t like it one bit.
He wasn’t used to his son being so openly eager to spend time with someone outside the family. But then, Logan reasoned, like father like son. There had always been something about Poppy that had a hold on him. Despite the anger that had sustained him all this time since Kelly’s death, it was still true and it was a bitter pill to swallow.
He’d forgotten just what it had been like all those years ago. The memories of his quiet life with Kelly had forced those memories of laughter and wild teenage antics aside. He wasn’t that man anymore and Poppy wasn’t that woman. But at some point today it sure began to feel like it and the realization of that rattled him to the core.
There were times when they’d been kids that he’d felt the odd man out when he’d been with Poppy and Kelly. They had a sixth sense with each other, exchanging looks he couldn’t decipher. Back then, things had been different. Back then, he’d secretly been in love with Poppy. He’d never told her, of course. He’d never told anyone. Not even Kelly.
Especially not Kelly.
But Hawk knew. He had always ribbed him about Poppy, just like he had yesterday when Poppy had arrived. He could keep the truth from everyone else. But he couldn’t keep it from himself and it suddenly dawned on him that he was angry at Poppy as much for not being there for Kelly as he was for not being there for him when Kelly had gotten sick. If nothing else, he and Poppy had been best friends, something he’d mourned when she’d left. His whole world had once been wrapped up entirely in his feelings for Poppy.
He walked into the back den and sat behind his desk, deciding it was better to put his mind to work in the present than let it roam in the past. But the memories he hadn’t dared think about in years continued to flood his mind, just as they had since Poppy arrived.
But despite his own internal war, Logan couldn’t
She couldn’t take her eyes off the box for fear of what was in there now. Were there love letters from Logan? Had Kelly kept the angry letters that Poppy had sent her after she’d learned the truth? She reached up, put her hands on the box and then paused.
Regrets were a hard thing to live with. Kelly had died with regrets. Poppy only hoped that during their last meeting, when Kelly was too sick to even pick up a pencil, that Poppy had been able to ease some of her friend’s regrets with forgiveness.
She pulled her hands away from the box. It wasn’t her place to rummage through Kelly’s past without first talking with Logan about her true reason for coming back to Rudolph. As she closed the closet door she played that conversation, as she had done many times, over again in her mind. Maybe unpacking hadn’t been such a good idea.
Twenty minutes later both Keith and Logan were emerging from the bathroom and Poppy was still sitting on the bed mulling over how to muster up the courage to start the conversation she knew she had to have with Logan.
“Where are you going? You know it’s time for bed,” she heard Logan say. Keith came barreling through the bedroom in his motorcycle pajamas and launched himself onto the bed.
“I want Auntie Poppy to put me to bed.”
Logan stopped short at the door.
“But we always read a story and say prayers together. Just you and me.”
“No, Auntie Poppy do it tonight!”
Poppy’s heart squeezed as she gazed on Logan’s hurt expression. He glared at her, and she knew any ground she’d covered today was now lost.
# # #
CHAPTER FOUR
“Okay, I’ll come in and give you a kiss when you’re all tucked in,” he said. Logan had never felt like an outsider with Keith since the day he was born, but tonight he had. And he didn’t like it one bit.
He wasn’t used to his son being so openly eager to spend time with someone outside the family. But then, Logan reasoned, like father like son. There had always been something about Poppy that had a hold on him. Despite the anger that had sustained him all this time since Kelly’s death, it was still true and it was a bitter pill to swallow.
He’d forgotten just what it had been like all those years ago. The memories of his quiet life with Kelly had forced those memories of laughter and wild teenage antics aside. He wasn’t that man anymore and Poppy wasn’t that woman. But at some point today it sure began to feel like it and the realization of that rattled him to the core.
There were times when they’d been kids that he’d felt the odd man out when he’d been with Poppy and Kelly. They had a sixth sense with each other, exchanging looks he couldn’t decipher. Back then, things had been different. Back then, he’d secretly been in love with Poppy. He’d never told her, of course. He’d never told anyone. Not even Kelly.
Especially not Kelly.
But Hawk knew. He had always ribbed him about Poppy, just like he had yesterday when Poppy had arrived. He could keep the truth from everyone else. But he couldn’t keep it from himself and it suddenly dawned on him that he was angry at Poppy as much for not being there for Kelly as he was for not being there for him when Kelly had gotten sick. If nothing else, he and Poppy had been best friends, something he’d mourned when she’d left. His whole world had once been wrapped up entirely in his feelings for Poppy.
He walked into the back den and sat behind his desk, deciding it was better to put his mind to work in the present than let it roam in the past. But the memories he hadn’t dared think about in years continued to flood his mind, just as they had since Poppy arrived.
But despite his own internal war, Logan couldn’t
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