Her Dakota Man (Book 1 - Dakota Hearts)

by Lisa Mondello

  “I was talking about your mother's house.”

  “My…my mother?”

  She chuckled, shaking her head. “Don't look so shocked. I always got along with your family just fine. I've known Kate McKinnon since I was able to walk across the floor of her restaurant. When I stopped in town at the diner earlier today, she offered to put me up if you turned me away.”

  “You talked to my mother about staying here?”

  She laughed and looked up at the sky. “Men. Am I speaking a foreign language? I don't know what you're having such a hard time with, Logan. It’s not like we haven’t slept under the same roof before. Your mom thought maybe you could use some help with Keith while you cleaned up since she's going to be too busy feeding people doing cleanup to keep an eye on him.”

  His mom had told Logan as much earlier in the day. Keith loved spending time with his mom at the diner, but too many other people were in need right now for him to monopolize her time or any of his relations. His brothers would be coming to help when they had spare time, but in truth, Hawk was too busy at the clinic, dealing with injuries and Ethan, his twin brother, was working down at the police station coordinating search and rescue efforts. His military training was too much of an asset to those in need for Logan to expect him to rush over here. Word had it Sam was on his way home from Colorado at some point, but he wasn’t sure when. And Wade… After four years missing, the notion of his older brother showing up in Rudolph was just a wish, not a likely reality.

  And Keith was his responsibility alone. Truth be known, Logan didn't want Keith anywhere but with him after hearing stories of flash flooding that swept people right out of the arms of loved ones. It had been scary enough worrying about Keith with all that water coming in around them during that long night of heavy rains and river swells. The fact that the house was still standing the next morning was enough to put his brothers’ minds at ease for the time being.

  And yet, here was Poppy. She’d come all the way here from New York City like she’d appeared out of a dream. Damn her. He didn’t want to think about Poppy as a dream at all. He’d let that go years ago.

  Poppy reached up and slammed the trunk closed.

  “So what's it going to be? Am I moving into your old bed at your mom's house or my old room here?”

  “You can't.”

  Poppy's shoulders sagged as she nodded slowly.

  “Keith has that room now. I moved him in there after Kelly died so he'd be closer to my bedroom. You can take the room down the end of the hall. It's bigger anyway.”

  She picked up her bag and walked slowly toward him, a crooked smile playing on her lips, one that made him feel like smooth velvet rubbing against his skin.

  “You afraid of what your mom would have said if you turned me away?” she said, quietly goading him. “Or are you afraid of people talking.”

  People were talking already if Poppy Ericksen rolled into town and stopped by the diner. Rudolph was a small town and everyone knew everyone.

  He rolled his eyes, then glanced down at her. She was incredibly close. And she smelled damned good. She always had, he remembered. She’d never been one to wear heavy perfume or makeup. And today wasn’t any different. It was just Poppy. He hated that he was reminded of that. He didn't want those memories, so he pushed them back where they belonged. In the past. He was only allowing Poppy to stay for one reason.

  “As you pointed out, I could use help with Keith while I do some cleanup here. If you could do that for me...it'd be good.”

  She smiled then and her eyes lit up. He'd forgotten just how much they twinkled when she smiled. Something deep in his gut tightened.

  “Good.” She started walking away, then turned back. “I'll just bring these upstairs and get changed. Be back in a minute.”

  Logan took a moment to steady himself while checking on Keith's progress. The little guy had managed to transfer all the wood, one stick at a time, to a pile about ten yards away from the one he'd made in the driveway. Logan smiled at his son's tenacity. “Great job, little man!”

  Keith beamed with pride. Logan heard the screen door creak and saw Poppy standing on the porch holding the door open, one foot on the threshold and the other on the porch. Her wide smile was genuine as she gazed over at Keith. The look she gave him was one of pure affection and admiration.

  “Awesome job, Keith,” she called out before walking inside.

  He wanted to stay angry at Poppy. Deep down it was easier that way than dealing with the feelings stirring inside of him from seeing her again.

  #

  CHAPTER TWO

  A symphony played so loudly in Poppy's chest that she thought her heart would burst. She placed her hand on her chest to steady herself. All she’d done was walk into the house and it felt as if she'd just run a marathon.

  Logan hadn't turned her away. Maybe everything Kelly had said was true.

  Poppy had questioned her best friend's confession on her deathbed over a year ago. Surely Kelly was delirious. She couldn’t know what she was saying. But it had been important to Kelly that Poppy listen to her final words and so she did. Every one of them. She'd sat next to her best friend and held her hand, wanting to do so much more for her in the little time they had left together.

  That was a year ago and it had taken all this time for Poppy to muster up the courage to make due on the one promise she’d made to Kelly that day.

  She picked up her suitcase and made her way to the stairs like she had so many times in her childhood. The house smelled the same. Poppy had always loved the smell of the air blowing through the windows on a hot summer day or a cool autumn night. Or the scent of burning wood from the wood stove in the basement. Logan had the stove burning and she could smell smoldering wood. It was early spring and the windows were closed tight against the Dakota cold. The house hadn't been lived in by her family in years. But there was still a hint of something that brought Poppy’s memories back to her childhood as she climbed the narrow staircase to the second floor.

  She didn't peek into the first bedroom at the top of the stairs, or her old room, which as Logan pointed out was now Keith's room. Instead, she walked straight down the hall to the front bedroom that used to be her grandmother's before she'd died. The door was open. Poppy walked inside and dropped her suitcase on the floor at the foot of the bed, then turned around to look at everything.

  It all looked the same. The chenille bedspread had been changed out for a fresh country quilt, something Kelly had always loved. But the style of eyelet curtains was the same as Poppy remembered. Touching the fabric, she was instantly transformed back to her childhood.

  She gazed out the bedroom window to the front yard where Logan and Keith were now building a fire surround with rocks. Logan was carrying over large stones, and Keith took small pebbles and dropped them in the ring that Logan had started.

  “What the hell am I doing here?” She sighed.

  Pulling herself away from the window, Poppy quickly stripped out of the clothes she'd traveled in and slipped into something more comfortable and practical for running around with a four year old on a muddy ranch.

  She skipped down the stairs and then paused at the front door, staying inside so Logan wouldn't see her. He was exactly the man she remembered from when they were kids. He'd been a young man then. Tragedy and hard work had changed him some over the years, but he was still the same Logan. As angry as she knew he was with her, she still noticed how the light in his eyes blazed when he looked her. Oh, he'd tried to hide it. But it was there. It gave her hope.

  Poppy had known all these years she’d been in New York that her childhood best friend had loved Logan McKinnon. And there was no denying Logan had loved Kelly. Probably still did. Maybe he always would. But their love had always been a quiet love, something that had built over time.

  She recalled the tear-filled confession Kelly had made in the hospital. Would all their lives be different if Poppy had known the truth? If Logan had known? Would that lit
tle boy laughing out in the yard be her son instead of Kelly’s? There was no way to know that now. No way to undo what had been done. And as much as her heart twisted with the words of truth that Kelly had spoken, it was still heavy with the burden of uncertainty Kelly had carried all these years because of it.

  Nerves raced inside her as she reached for the doorknob. It had taken a while for Kelly’s words to sink in. Poppy had spent a year revisiting that conversation in the hospital, running the gamut of emotions that came with knowing the truth. But would Logan believe her when he learned the truth? Would he hate her for even bringing it up? Would he even care?

  “Oh, Kel. I’m here, just like you wanted. Now what?” Poppy mumbled as she pushed through the door.

  * * *

  Logan turned as Poppy stepped out onto the porch. His body and mind fought an internal battle just looking at her standing there like she had the day he’d pulled up in his dad’s pickup truck and found out her parents were selling the ranch and moving to New York. Taking Poppy away from him.

  She’d been crying that day and she’d run to him just as broken as a little bird with wings that had been bruised. Poppy wasn’t crying now. Instead she looked around at all the damage, smiling as if she didn’t even see the destruction that had Logan’s heart heavy with distress.

  Now that she'd changed into a simple pair of jeans and boots, she looked as if she'd never left South Dakota. Her auburn hair glowed in the bright sunshine, just as it had when she was a young girl. It amazed him how 10 years just melted away like they’d never happened. But they had, and Logan fought hard to remember all that had transpired since that last day he’d seen her on the porch, just to keep himself grounded in the here and now, and not sink back into memories that he’d let go of long ago.

  Guilt ate at him just a bit, recalling how he’d treated her earlier and how she’d walked into the house, shoulders sagging with defeat from his ungraciousness. His mother would have been plenty irate about his lack of manners in not offering to help her with that heavy suitcase. Never mind that he was a grown man. But it wasn't until Poppy had closed the door behind her that Logan had let out a slow sigh of relief.

  What the hell was he going to do with Poppy Ericksen here? Poppy had always had a way of frazzling him. Today was no different. Logan had only just gotten to the point with Keith where their lives were moving at a steady pace again after Kelly's death. Now with Poppy here, it was a reminder of everything they'd lost, bringing unsettling heartache back to the surface.

  The sight of Poppy navigating all the debris in the driveway, maneuvering around sticks, mud puddles and such proved to be more enjoyable than Logan wanted to admit. Which only got under his skin further. She did it without stumbling or even complaining once. Every step she made was one of determination.

  She glanced up at him only once and then turned her eyes to the path ahead. He almost expected her to be mumbling under her breath about what a colossal jerk he'd been earlier. But Poppy wouldn't say a word or give him the satisfaction of showing he’d ticked her off.

  Same old Poppy. And if he weren’t so irritated by his body’s immediate reaction to seeing her, he'd be admiring her for it.

  Keith ran up to Logan as Poppy approached.

  “This is your...Auntie Poppy. You remember talking on the phone with her when you're at Grandma's?”

  Keith shyly nodded, clutching Logan's denim clad thigh.

  “She's here to help us clean up the big mess around the house today. Would you like to help her?”

  Poppy crouched down in front of Keith. “How are you doing, little man? That pile you started over there is pretty cool. Can I help you work on it?”

  Keith nodded and smiled, obviously proud all his hard work had been noticed.

  “We've got a lot of work to do so let's get to it, okay?”

  Poppy glanced up at Logan with wide green eyes that were filled with moisture as she took Keith by the hand. “He's in good hands, you know.”

  Logan nodded without a word, then turned away toward the bigger problems he had to deal with. Somehow those were easier than looking into Poppy’s eyes.

  After everything Keith had been through over the past year, and then the past few weeks, Logan had been guarded about each step he took. Keith had been through enough. But his son took Poppy's hand without hesitation and skipped alongside her as they made their way to the pile of sticks he'd already collected as if Keith had known her all his young life. He paused just briefly to bend down and pick up a small stick along the way to add to the pile.

  The way Keith was so open to Poppy had Logan wondering just why Poppy had been calling his mom all this time. And why his mother never bothered to tell him that Keith had a phone friend in Poppy. That was a conversation he’d have with her later.

  A dull ache formed in the pit of his stomach as he turned away and headed in the opposite direction toward the barn in order to assess the damage. How the hell could he explain Poppy to Keith?

  He didn’t want her here. He couldn’t exactly throw her out though. At least not tonight. The last thing he wanted was to lie and bed and think about Poppy Ericksen at his mom’s while he was out here. She’d chosen to turn her back on what was important a long time ago and they’d all lived with her decision. Surely there’d be a flight to New York leaving tomorrow some time from Rapid City. She could stay the night and then he’d just tell her in the morning she had to be on one of them.

  He kicked the ground and a chunk of mud lifted from the driveway and flew in the direction of the barn, leaving an angry hole he’d have to fill along with all the other ruts and holes in the driveway.

  The sound of tires spitting up wet dirt and gravel on his driveway pulled Logan out of his thoughts. He glanced up and saw his brother Hawk's Jeep easing down the driveway. Hawk waved to Keith and Poppy as he drove by, but being too deep into their stick pile project, neither of them noticed. He then parked next to Poppy’s rental car before climbing out of the Jeep and walking over to him.

  “It doesn't look like a total loss,” Hawk said, pointing to the barn.

  “The water receded fast.”

  “Honestly, I’d expected worse. We can probably just replace those boards on that one side of the barn and then dry out the floor if the damage inside isn’t too bad.”

  “There wasn't. It’s already drying. I’m just grateful we don’t have heat right now to create mold or all that hay in the loft would have to go. The rest should be an easy fix, but an extra hand will go a long way toward getting it done faster. “

  “Looks like you already have extra help,” Hawk said, glancing in the direction of where Poppy and Keith were hard at work, talking up a storm to each other.

  Logan stared at Poppy with a little fingernail of jealousy scraping the back of his neck that his son was having such a good time without him. With Poppy. He suddenly longed to know what stories they were trading back and forth that was causing all that laughter floating back to him. She'd come running back here from New York City just to check on a house that wasn't even her home anymore. A place she'd abandoned years ago along with the people in her life.

  Logan dragged his gaze away, looking instead at the house that Kelly had insisted they'd find a way to buy when it came on the market. She always said the house was a home they'd both loved as kids, so when the house came up on the market eight years after Poppy's parents sold it, Kelly was adamant they had to have it. She wanted to raise a family there.

  “I'm just glad the house was spared. Kelly loved this house.”

  “Poppy, too. I remember her crying her heart out in mom’s arms down at the restaurant when her parents sold it. She moved away that year after high school.”

  Logan didn't respond. “All things considered we got lucky. I heard John and Beth Talbert's property is still under water.”

  Hawk nodded with the stark reality of the truth. “I saw what I could of it earlier today. Beth came into the clinic with the boys. I've got them staying at m
y house until the water recedes and they can get a trailer put on their place.”

  “That's kind of you,” Logan said, a sense of pride at his brother's generosity reminding him he needed to be more grateful for the people in his life. It only punctuated the fact that there was really nowhere for Poppy to go but here. He could hardly turn her away, at least for tonight.

  “Where else could they go? The house is too big for one,” Hawk said with a shrug. “It doesn’t seem right to have empty bedrooms when people are in need.”

  “What made you come out?” he finally asked. “I thought you were strung out at the clinic.”

  “We had some doctors come in from out of town. Mom is helping with meals at the shelter in town, but she thought you might need a hand with Keith. I know the area so I thought I’d go out with Ethan to check down the river on some of the folks who haven’t check in yet. Honestly, I’m afraid of what we’re going to find.”

  Their younger brother, Ethan, a retired Navy Seal, was now in law enforcement in Rudolph.

  “Uncle Keith!” Keith squealed when he finally caught a glimpse of Hawk standing with Logan. There was a special bond between Hawk and Keith that went beyond sharing the same name. No one in the family, except for little Keith and his mom, called Hawk by his given name.

  “Hey, buddy!” Hawk opened his arms and Keith ran to him, launching himself the last few feet. Hawk scooped him up into his arms and lifted him high, planting a big kiss on his cheek. “Who's that pretty girl you're with over there?” he said as Poppy walked over, smiling. “Are you gonna introduce me?”

  “That's Auntie Poppy! We're making a campfire!”

  Hawk placed Keith on the ground. “I can see that.”

  “Hi, Hawk,” Poppy said, running over to him. Hawk opened his arms and Poppy slipped right into them, giving Hawk a big hug.

  “It's been too long, Lady. Good to see you.”