A few hours later, they silently sat at the table, eating another catered lunch. Poppy couldn't fault it; it was delicious but lacked the warmth of the other meals she had shared with Isaac and the children.

"How was your ride?" Chester asked with a smug smile. It gave Poppy pause. Perhaps Siobhan wasn't the mastermind of the family after all. Had Chester told Siobhan to give Poppy Slinger?

"It went fine," Isaac said, putting his fork down. "It appears that Slinger has chosen Poppy."

"Chosen? What does that mean?" Boyd asked with a look of concern at Poppy.

"It means that the two were fast friends, and Slinger was as docile as a kitten while Poppy rode him," Isaac said, taking his gaze off his uncle and focusing it directly on Chester. "My question is, whose idea was it to give Poppy, Slinger?"

Poppy looked from Isaac to Chester, watching the interaction. It was evident that the two men had a history that Poppy knew nothing about and that Isaac thought Chester was also the mastermind.

"I'm sure it was the stable man's decision." Chester shrugged.

"Yes, who also happens to be your nephew," Boyd pointed out, having caught on to the situation.

"He's lucky Poppy is an excellent horsewoman. Otherwise, there could have been a nasty accident." Isaac said.

"Yes, how did you learn to ride so well?" Siobhan asked with a lifted eyebrow. The way she asked was almost as if Poppy learned by nefarious means.

"I'm guessing the same way you learned, I was taught." Poppy sat her fork down and wiped her mouth with her napkin as she enjoyed watching Siobhan's face turn red. "Believe it or not, we have horses across the pond, especially in Texas."

"Do you know any cowboys?" Peter asked excitedly.

Poppy smiled at him. "My whole family!"

"You too?" he started bouncing on his seat.

"I would be a cowgirl, but yes." Poppy nodded, enjoying his excitement even as Siobhan huffed her disbelieve.

"You shouldn't lie to the boy!" Glynda said with a frown.

Poppy turned to look at her. "I'm not lying. I can ride, rope, and cut with the best of them. I even barrel raced when I was about Mary's age." She let her tone tell Glynda she wasn't happy being called a liar.

"What's cut?" Mary asked with a frown.

"It's when you use your horse to separate a calf from its mother for branding," Poppy explained.

"Branding?" Peter asked with a frown.

"That's enough. You're going to upset the boy!" Glynda's voice was high-pitched as she objected to Poppy's attempt to describe branding.

"No, she's not!" Peter objected loudly.

"Chester takes the boy hunting. I can't see how branding is more upsetting than shooting a stag." Boyd pointed out, scoring a direct hit, and they all watched Glynda turn red, the same as Siobhan had earlier.

"Well, I disagree with that, too!" Glynda insisted, shooting her husband an 'I told you so' look.

"Can I meet a real cowboy, and can we go to Texas?" Peter asked.

Poppy's feelings weren't hurt that she wouldn't do, and that he wanted to meet a cowboy. He'd probably only seen cowboys in movies and books. Cowgirls weren't as well advertised as the cowboy.

"Sure, we can stay on my family's ranch, and you can learn to rope." Poppy smiled.

"No, I don't think they will be going to Texas any time soon," Chester grumbled, shaking his head.

"We don't have joint custody, Chester. I can take the children wherever I would like to take them." Isaac warned, his voice low and intimidating.

Mary looked between them both, concerned, as Peter started to get upset. "You said you could rope, Poppy. Will you show us right now?"

"Now," Poppy looked around the room. "I don't have a rope; this isn't a safe space."

"I have a rope in the mud room," Boyd said hopefully.

"It can't be any rope. It has to be a light one." Poppy shook her head, knowing he probably had a traditional rope.

"What about repelling rope?" Isaac asked. Poppy looked at him, surprised he was on board with her showing the children.

"It might work, but the space..."

"We can use the entrance hall!" Mary exclaimed. "Please!"

Isaac stood and left as the children jumped up and raced into the great hall. They weren't going to take no for an answer. Poppy and Boyd stood slowly, sharing an amused glance as they both followed the children.

Determining that it was happening and there was nothing they could do to stop it, the Glenns followed as well, but it was after a brief whispered conversation in which Poppy swore she heard Glynda say, "We need to act now."

They only had to wait a minute in the large, cold hall before Isaac came down the massive staircase with a thin orange rope in his hand. He looked so strong and handsome, and Poppy took a minute to admire him in his jeans and sweater, which he filled out very nicely.

Poppy took the rope, measured it, and then tied the knot in the proper place.

"It's cold. Let's go back to the dining room," Glynda whined, but everyone ignored her.

"Who wants to be caught?" Poppy asked as she pulled on her knot to tighten it.

"Uncle Isaac!" Peter insisted, "He's the biggest target!"

Poppy pursed her lips. "I think that's a challenge, and I should go for the smallest target."

"Peter!" Mary said as she grabbed his arm and moved him down the hall, with Poppy calling to stop when he was far enough. She swung the rope over her head a few times, gauging the weight.

"Now, this might take me a try or two because I'm not familiar with the length or weight of the rope, she warned.

"Making excuses already?" Siobhan coldly asked.

Poppy turned to face her, swung the rope over her head, and then shot it out to Siobhan, and had the pleasure of watching it fall past her shoulder as she quickly cinched it. "How was that?" she asked smartly.

"Now me! Now me!" Peter jumped up and down.

"All right, but you have to run around!" Poppy insisted, enjoying herself. She hadn't held a rope in her hands in a very long time.

Peter started running back and forth as Poppy swung the rope over her head, landing it perfectly around his shoulders but giving him enough rope that he didn't fall. He collapsed to the floor, laughing a great belly laugh.

"Now, Uncle Isaac!" Mary called as she ran to pull the rope off Peter.

"Do you want him to run around?" Boyd asked, amused by the situation.

"No." Poppy shook her head as she gathered her rope and studied him, gauging his height. Then she took her best shot and caught him like the other two. If only it were that easy, she thought.

Isaac easily shrugged off the rope and reached down, picking it up. "Very impressive, dear." He handed her the rope and placed a kiss on her lips as he did.

A heavy knock on the door broke the moment before it could begin, and Boyd moved to answer it with a smile. "Who could it be?"

Peter and Mary were on his heels as he pulled open the door. The others couldn't hear what he was saying, but he turned to Poppy and told her it was for her.

Poppy frowned and moved to the door, expecting to see Sally or Ayleen, but she squealed, dropped the rope, and flung her arms around her Aunt Sunny.

"Thank goodness we found you!' Sunny grinned as she waved to the idling car in the drive. "Keeping your uncle under wraps is no easy thing."

Poppy saw her Uncle Eli get out of the car, and she ran across to him and leaped into his arms.

"What are you both doing here?" she demanded as she led Uncle Eli and Aunt Sunny into the castle where the others were waiting to see who it was.

"Eli is on tour, and he convinced me to come with him this time. Your parents gave us your address in the village, but you weren't there. Eli suggested that we go to the local pub and ask around. He waited in the car so he wouldn't cause a commotion."

"The local pub? I'm a bit insulted, Uncle Eli," Poppy said teasingly.

"You are your father's daughter, so I know where to find you." He kissed her head, and then they both turned to look at the others, who were openly staring at her famous uncle.

"Everyone, this is my Uncle-"

"Elias Emory, from the band Addiction!" Siobhan gushed.

Siobhan was a fan. It was not what Poppy expected, and she watched as Siobhan charged him, grabbed his hand, and started pumping it. "What are you doing here?" she asked, flustered. "I mean, I know, I heard, but... In this house, Elias Emory!"

"Everyone," Poppy started again, "this is my Uncle Elias and Aunt Sunny Emory."

There was an awkward silence where they all watched Siobhan fangirling.

"Who's everyone?" Eli asked with a charming grin. That made Siobahn sigh. The man was almost seventy years old but could still charm the ladies.

"Ummm," Poppy looked at Isaac, and she didn't have a choice but to introduce him as her husband. She knew it would look odd if he and Sunny acted surprised about her marriage. If she and Isaac were really in love, she would have told her family.

"Oh, that's right." Poppy pointedly looked at Sunny and Eli, hoping she was getting the message across, and Eli titled his head in question. "You haven't met my husband, Isaac, yet." She pleaded to her uncle and aunt with her eyes, and they remained blessedly passive and quiet.

Then she introduced everyone else and gave their relationship to her and Issac.

"It's nice to meet you all." Eli shook his head. "Isaac, Poppy, can we see you alone for a moment?" Eli asked with an edge to his voice as he eyed Isaac.

"Ummm, sure," Poppy agreed, licking her lips nervously as he looked at Isaac, who was at least holding true and not giving anything away.

Isaac led the way to a room at the back of the hall, which was his study, and Poppy followed him slowly.

She was in for it now. Her uncle was very displeased.