dining room, it was also the ballroom. The massive space had a towering ceiling and beautiful parquet flooring.
“Holden just sent a plane across the estate trailing a banner,” she said, figuring they’d been huddling and would’ve missed it.
“What did it say?” Tiller asked.
As much as she didn’t want to repeat it, Poppy had no choice. “I love you, Poppy Granger.”
“How do you know it was him and not your admirer from last night?” her father asked.
“Turner doesn’t need to write it in the sky,” she asserted, then realized the suggestion had offended her.
Not for one second had she considered that Turner would advertise their private business.
Being strong while he was so close was difficult. Venting to him, wrapping herself up in him, hiding them in her bedroom behind a locked door… without clothes, all tempting options.
Love didn’t hide. Turner meant it. He loved her, she didn’t doubt it. Not anymore.
“He’s increased the bounty,” Tiller said. “He’s eager to speak to you.”
“He can’t keep doing it,” she said, crossing to them. “He’s taking over our lives. Not just our lives, but innocent lives. As long as he keeps offering rewards and doing public things like hiring planes to pull banners, it will stay in the news. As long as people are talking about it, there will be news vans parked outside and photographers hounding everyone I know.”
Like the Maddox family who were probably on edge wondering when someone would jump out on them again. With Turner there, they had even less protection than before.
“Holden is powerful, sweetheart,” her father said. “We have to be careful. We were just discussing how to progress.”
“I don’t want to be careful,” Poppy said. “I say we take it to him. Get our lawyers on it, tell him to keep the Granger name out of his mouth.”
Her father glanced around at the other men in his secret meeting.
“I suppose that tells us how she feels about pursuing a relationship with him,” Sunfield said.
Poppy got closer, focusing on Tiller. “I want the lawyers here today. I want words on paper that make it clear we will pursue further action if he persists.”
“The law is tricky,” Newell said. “Our lawyers have been—”
“I want my lawyer here,” she said, the words just spilling out on their own. “A lawyer who cares about ending Holden’s harassment.”
And not what disruption of the relationship could do to her father’s business interests. Someone who would care about what she cared about: the Maddox family.
“Preston Whitlock,” she said. “He issued the statement for Charlotte Maddox the day I came back here.”
“I know who he is,” Tiller said with a nod.
Her father was frowning. “I thought you weren’t interested in last night’s intruder.”
“This isn’t about that,” she said and set her sights on Tiller. “Can you get him here?”
“Of course.”
“He can sit with your people, Dad,” she said to reassure him. “I just need his eyes and ears in every room, on every piece of paper.”
She didn’t even know exactly what kind of law Preston practiced, it could be that he was more of a business sort or maybe it was real estate, she had no idea. But he was smart enough to know what was going on and to know when he needed to check something out.
“I will call him now,” Tiller said, getting the nod from her father. “I’ll send the jet. We’ll get him here tonight.”
“And compensate him for his time,” Poppy said. “Don’t drag him out on a Saturday night to stand in my corner for nothing. If I have to break into my trust and pay him myself…”
“Don’t be dramatic, sweetheart,” her father said. “Of course we will compensate him.” He stepped away from the others. “I have to say I’m impressed. It may make things more difficult for me and the business, but I’m proud you’re smart enough to protect yourself. You trust this Whitlock?”
“He’s a good man. Fair and honest,” she said. “I’d like him to stay here at the house.”
Rather than going in and out, possibly meeting the photographers who liked to show up every once in a while. Their security guys chased them off and wouldn’t let them linger, but inevitably they’d come around again.
“Yes, of course,” her father said.
He’d been so understanding that although it wasn’t exactly customary for them to be tactile, she went over and pulled him down to kiss his cheek.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she said, noticing his surprise before she turned to Tiller. “You’ll let me know when he’s here? I’d like