The sun was just starting to rise when Isaac woke up Poppy by sitting on the edge of her bed with a steaming mug of tea.

"Can you be ready to go soon?" he asked as his gaze lingered on her face, which was rosy with sleep.

"Yes," she said groggily as she struggled into the sitting position and took the mug of tea from him. The tie at the neck of her thin cotton nightgown had come undone, and as she sat up, one of the sleeves slid off her shoulder, revealing the top curve of her breast. Poppy noted how his eyes dropped immediately to the exposed skin, and what she saw reflected there made her heart stop.

She was tempted to shrug her shoulder and let the gown drop all the way to her waist. A month ago, she would have done that very thing to test him, but now, with the hungry look he was giving her, it was different, and she was shy.

When Isaac reached up with his hand and let it trace her cheek, the hollow of her throat, and then outward to the top curve of her breast, she caught her breath and closed her eyes. She knew his touch would be divine, but she had no clue how it would make her tremble.

"What's changed?" she whispered, and she immediately regretted the question when he removed his hand and cleared his throat.

"You've won, Poppy," he smiled gently to let her know he was pleased she had. Then he stood up suddenly. "But I have a plan, and this is not it. We'll recreate this scene tomorrow," he promised as he looked at her once more. She could see a battle raging in his eyes.

"What does that mean?" she threw the covers off, determined to follow him and get her answers.

"Meet me in the stables in twenty minutes, and I'll tell you exactly what it means."

Poppy knew she had lost the moment and wanted to get it back. She wanted his touch back, so she shrugged her shoulder, inviting him back with her actions.

Isaac gave a shaky breath as his eyes devoured her. "You're always going to push me, aren't you?"

Always, she liked the sound of that.

"Twenty minutes, Poppy!" he gave her one more look, then left her alone to dress.

"Wuss!" she said in a hushed shout, but it didn't stop him.

Poppy dressed in record time, wanting to hear what Isaac had to say, hoping she had understood him correctly when he said she had won.

He had the horses saddled and ready to go when she reached the stable. Without a word, he helped her mount Slinger, and they set off. Poppy wanted to ask where they were going, but it didn't take her long to figure it out.

He was leading her to the folly.

Isaac rode ahead of her, and Poppy admired how he sat his horse. Poppy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the mare because of Isaac's size.

As the woods opened and the folly came into view, she caught her breath. It looked so different. The bush had been cleared away from it, the windows and door had been replaced, and the brickwork had been repaired.

"Isaac," she said in a hushed whisper.

"I wanted it to be your Christmas present, but they finished early. I thought this was the best place to talk since this is where it all started." He dismounted and tied off his horse, then walked over to a stunned Poppy, holding his arms up to help her dismount, too.

Poppy looked down at him with all her love reflected on her face. She was so glad she didn't have to hide it from him anymore. She let herself slowly slide down into his arms, allowing her entire body to brush his as she did.

Isaac's response was to hold her tighter. "When you look at me like that, it takes my breath away and makes me wonder what I did to deserve it." He traced her face before leaning down and kissing her again. He spun her around and pressed her against a tree as he buried his hands in her loose curls, deepening the kiss.

Poppy couldn't get close enough to him, and she whimpered in frustration.

The sound made him stop and pull back, resting his forehead against hers, and they caught their breath. "We have to talk first, Poppy."

He tied up Slinger, took her hand, and led her toward the folly.

"We can go in!" she asked excitedly as she stumbled on shaky knees.

"Yes, it's for you. There's no electricity or water, but I had them install a fireplace for cold days." Isaac pulled out the key, unlocked the door, and handed it to Poppy. As soon as his hand was free, he reached for her, scooping her up and carrying her over the threshold and into the folly.

Poppy noted that the décor was minimal as Isaac placed her back on her feet. There was a stone floor with a rug scattered with pillows and blankets, a table against one wall, and two chairs. Some battery-operated lanterns were hanging strategically, which Isaac turned on before lighting the fire.

"This looks suspiciously like a seduction scene, Isaac Harrison!" Poppy said as she sunk onto the rug and pillows.

"It is. It's my first one, as a matter of fact. How did I do?" He looked over his shoulder at her, and her breath caught at the smile she saw there. Was this what Isaac looked like when he was happy?

"You've made me weak in the knees," Poppy grinned back.

The connection between them was tangible. She had never felt anything like it. They were on the same wavelength, and she wanted him in her arms.

"Soon, I promise," Isaac said before looking away to tend the fire.

"Here?" she asked, looking around, thinking it was the most beautiful building she had ever seen.

"I had thought so, if you're alright with that?" he asked with a frown.

Poppy started crying as she nodded.

Isaac looked at her, horrified. "Why are you crying?" he almost shouted.

"Because I love you, and I'm happy!" she did shout back.

"I love you, too, Poppy," he said softly, and she cried harder.

Darn it! She was not supposed to cry when the man she loved told her he loved her too!

Isaac sat next to her and pulled her into his arms, rocking her.

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were a friend of Mary's. You looked so small and young, but as I approached, I noticed you were very much a woman, and I was instantly drawn to you in a way I had never felt. It made me so angry!"

"Why!" Poppy object through soft tears.

"Because I had gone my entire life and never felt such a thing, and suddenly there you were. I couldn't help but think that it was the worst time. I was raising two kids, living with my uncle, jobless, and surrounded by family drama." He took a deep breath. "Bonnie always teased me that when I fell, I would fall instantly and hard, and I did, but you were so young, and I had so much baggage. When Uncle Boyd devised the plan to ask you to marry me, I swear he saw through me."

"Thank goodness he did," Poppy sniffed, and she could feel Isaac's smile.

"I wasn't pleased about it then," Isaac admitted. "I thought the last thing I wanted was for you to marry me out of pity or for the children, but the more I thought about it, the more I figured having you any way I could get you was better than not having you. But I promised myself I wouldn't touch you. I was already using you and wouldn't use you that way, too." 

"I didn't think you liked me much," Poppy frowned at the memory, "but I liked you and the children, and I wanted to help, and most importantly, it felt right. It felt like I was doing what I was intended to do. I was attracted to you almost from the beginning, and I wanted to make you feel something for me, even if it was just frustration. I wanted you more than anything."

Isaac pulled her closer. "You succeeded on the frustration part," he laughed. "Watching you flaunt your lovely little body made me feel so many things. I had to remember some of my worst memories to keep my hands off of you in those moments."

"I don't like that!" Poppy leaned back and looked at him, and he looked down at her, brushing her hair from her face.

"Never again. I promise."

Poppy nodded. "And Bonnie?"

"She was like a sister. We knew each other's secrets. The moment she told me she was pregnant, I knew what had happened. When she died," he shook his head. "I had to leave, or else I would have killed her stepfather, so I joined the army. Uncle Boyd knew and sent me away before the funeral. The fact that I wasn't there is what started the rumors. I never denied them for her sake." Isaac looked sad and far away.

"Would she have liked me, do you think?" Poppy asked, wanting to connect herself with Bonnie as a friend somehow.

"She would have loved you. Her sister does." Isaac smiled.

They were momentarily silent as Isaac remembered, and Poppy thought about everything he had told her.

"Isaac," she asked tentatively, still nervous that he would dismiss her questions with his old hostility. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Anything," he assured her.

"What were the secrets that you shared with Bonnie?" Poppy played with the zipper on his light jacket.

"Mostly regualr teenage stuff, but the truth about my parents was the biggest." He took a deep breath. "We lived in Perth, and my mother left me, my sister, and my father. We were all devastated, but it broke my father, and he shot himself." Isaac pulled her close. "Uncle Boyd tracked down my mother, but she wanted nothing to do with us, so he told everyone she was dead."

"Why did she leave? She's still living?" Poppy asked with a frown.

Isaac shrugged. "She left because she was an addict and she could be violent. My father would have to fend her off and a lot of people thought he was hurting her. I have no way of knowing of she's a live or not, but I doubt it, and I don't care much. That door closed a long time ago."

"You do believe me about Morgan Brown? Right?" Poppy sat up and looked at him urgently.

"Yes, love." The endearment made Poppy smile.

"When Boyd sent me the text with photos of you and Brown without explanation, I knew something was up. Boyd wouldn't have told me that way, but if he had, he would have at least followed it up with an explanation. A part of me knew that you were doing all the giving, and I was doing all the taking, which could mean that you might be finished with me, and if that was the case, I couldn't fight you on it. When I got here and saw you broken and hurt," he shook his head. "I was glad Brown was out of reach, or I would have had to join the army again."

This made Poppy laugh.

"What he did to you is not funny, Poppy!"

"No, it's not, but it's nice to know you would kill for me." She raised up and kissed him.

"Poppy, can I make love to you now?" he asked softly.

"Yes, please."

Isaac took his time telling her how beautiful she was. The moment he realized she had truly given all of herself to him, he closed her eyes and held her close. "I don't deserve you," he choked.

Sometime later, when they were banking the fire and cleaning up the folly, Isaac stopped and pulled her close. "Thank you for taking a chance on me. For your patience and forgiveness. You have brought life and sunshine into our lives, and I don't think any of us could live without you. If I hadn't already married you, this would be where I would ask."

"And this would be the part where I would say yes," Poppy went up on her toes and kissed him. "I'm hungry. Let's go get breakfast. I bet everyone is wondering where we are."

Isaac nodded and took the key from Poppy, locking the door to the folly behind them, then he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked to where the horses were waiting.

"Can we have lots of babies?" Poppy asked, and Isaac stopped and looked down at her with so much love. If all the words spoken that morning had never happened, his look at that moment would have convinced her of his love.

"As many as you like," he said, laughing a deep, hearty laugh of joy as he picked her up and spun her around.

Poppy nodded. Life was going to be very, very good!

When they arrived back at the house and entered the kitchen, it was full of action. Her mother and father were dancing the shag to a song on the radio. Peter was standing on a chair, swaying back and forth as he watched them, Boyd was cooking, and Mary was setting the table.

"Where have you two been?" Boyd asked when they entered.

"We took a ride to the folly," Poppy asked as she snagged a piece of bacon. Her father grabbed and swirled her around as her mother reached for Peter.

"The folly?" her father asked.

"Yes, it's where we met." Poppy looked lovingly at Isaac over her father's shoulder. "Isaac has restored it for me as a gift."

"I'm glad that's in the open. We were all sworn to secrecy, and it was a hard secret to keep. We all prayed you wouldn't get a bee in your bonnet to visit it." Boyd said as she started putting the food on the table. "Everyone wash their hands."

Poppy sat down at the table with the people she loved most and realized she had found the life she had hoped for since she was a girl.

She couldn't wait to spend the rest of her lifewith the man she loved in the castle of her ancestors.