Poppy: Bride of Alaska (American Mail-Order Bride 49) by Cassie Hayes Page B

snuggling in bed took root in her head. Taking a deep breath, she willed the image away and calmed herself.
    “At least you’re talking to me. Now what’s got you so worked up? Maybe I can help. We’re in this together, remember. And the sooner you finish your business, the sooner you can go back to Boston. Isn’t that what you want?”
    It’s not what you want , a voice in her head whispered. It was the same part of her that turned to jelly whenever Matthew smiled. It was also an idiot that didn’t know what was good for it.
    “Of course.”  
    Was that a hesitation? No, couldn’t be. All he wanted was to finish what he set out to do, and all she wanted was to find out what that was and be rid of him once and for all.
    “So tell me. By now you should know that your secret will be safe with me.”
    Grey light filtered through the lace, speckling his drawn face. Poppy dug her fingers into the homey quilt that covered the soft bed, resisting the urge to go to him, to smooth the frown lines from his brow, to kiss his spasming jawline until it eased.
    “Fine,” he sighed, settling himself into a hardback chair next to the window. A pang of disappointment that he didn’t sit next to her on the bed drew a small frown to Poppy’s lips for a moment before she willed it away.  
    “My family was once one of the most prominent among Boston’s elite. But a few months ago, my father’s old business associate, a man named Vladimir Vinchenko, ran off with all our money. We were left destitute and humiliated. At last word, he called Sitka home. That’s why I’m here.”
    The thudding of her heart echoed in Poppy’s ears. Where she came from, if a man had done such a thing, the victim would hunt him down like a rat and, almost certainly, that would be the last anyone ever heard from the scoundrel. Had she unknowingly married a murderer? Or a future murderer?  
    “W-what will you do when you find him?”  
    She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer, but she had to hear it from his own mouth. Fear pulsed through her as his lips pulled back from his teeth in a grim sneer.
      “Oh, I’ve already found him. And you know what I’m going to do?”
    His gaze grew distant, as if he was envisioning himself chopping the man to bits and pieces. What have I done?! She should have known better. Wasn’t she the one who vowed to never marry, to never put her life in the hands of a man? What a fool!  
    “What, Matthew? What are you going to do?”
    His gaze shifted to her, flashing dark. Goosebumps pricked the hairs on her arms and neck at the terrible scowl twisting his normally handsome features. Knots roiled around in her tummy and she couldn’t stop herself from gnawing on her lower lip.
    “I’m going to sue him!”
    * ~ * ~ *
    It felt so good to tell someone about what Vinchenko had done. No, he had to be honest with himself. It felt good to tell Poppy . After all the lies, a weight lifted off his shoulders as soon as the words left his lips. There were no more secrets between them, and no more need to lie. What a relief!
    So her bray of laughter hit him like a punch to the gut.  
    “What are you laughing at?” he demanded, pouring all his fury into a scowl. She only laughed harder, doubling over until she nearly fell off the bed. Then she had the audacity to point at him.
    “Y-you!” she giggled, unable to breathe properly. “I thought…but you… sue !”  
    A fresh bout of guffaws filled the room. Well, he didn’t have to sit there and be laughed at. He’d had more than his fill back home when all his friends found out about the family’s situation. With one long stride, he launched himself at Poppy, looming over her like Mt. Edgecumbe about to blow.
    “Stop laughing right this minute!”
    But she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by him. His command only caused her to dissolve into another fit of laughter, which only fueled the flames of his anger. There was only one way to shut her up.
    In one