Fragile Hearts (Poplar Falls Book 4) Read online

  Fragile Hearts

  Copyright © 2020 by Amber Kelly

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative Covers

  Cover Image: Michaela Mangum, Michaela Mangum Photography

  Editor: Jovana Shirley, Unforeseen Editing, www.unforeseenediting.com

  Proofreader: Judy Zweifel, Judy’s Proofreading

  Formatter: Champagne Book Design

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Other Books

  About the Author

  To my real-life Sonia, who has always deserved more.

  Bellamy

  Twelve Years Old

  “Come on. Pick up the pace, you guys. It will be dark soon, and we’re going to be in trouble,” I yell back to my two best friends, Sonia and Elle, as we race our bikes down the gravel road.

  “If I pedal any faster, my legs are going to fly off,” Elle pants from the back of the line.

  We’re on our way back to my house from an afternoon of swimming down at Balsam Cove, and we lost track of time. Momma’s going to be fit to be tied by the time we make it to the ranch.

  “Bells, we’re going to have to stop for a minute. I can’t breathe,” Sonia huffs, and I look back to see they are both off their bikes and walking.

  I slow my pace and pull over to the side of the road. I hop off and wait for them to catch up to me.

  “I’m so out of shape,” Sonia whines as they finally make it to me.

  “Me too. My side hurts,” Elle agrees.

  “Y’all need to try out for the middle school cheerleading squad with me this year. I promise, Mrs. McGraw would have you two whipped into shape in no time,” I encourage them.

  “I’m not coordinated enough for cheerleading. Besides, you’re the only girl on that squad that I can stand to be around. They’re all so snotty,” Elle protests.

  “Yeah, I’d rather be fat than have to spend every afternoon with the mean girls,” Sonia agrees.

  “I know they can be uppity, but I wouldn’t let anyone treat you guys badly. You know that. And for the record, neither of you are fat. You’re a perfect athletic build. That’s why I think you should try out. You two would put those girls to shame,” I insist.

  As we walk along, pushing our bikes, the sound of not-too-distant thunder rumbles beyond the woods.

  “Uh-oh, did you guys hear that?” I ask.

  We look up and see the rapidly moving black clouds blowing in on the evening breeze. Then, suddenly, lightning strikes across the top of the tree.

  We all let out a scream as huge, cold raindrops begin to pound down on us. We drop our bikes in the grass and flee in search of cover. I reach a heavy iron gate at the end of Mashstomp Road and force it open. They follow me as I make my way up the overgrown path that leads to a huge white house that was obviously abandoned long ago. We run to the covered front porch and climb the four steps to huddle under the shelter.

  “What is this place?” Sonia asks as she peers into one of the floor-to-ceiling windows that frame each side of the doors.

  “It’s the Sugarman Homestead. A mansion built by one of the founders of Poplar Falls,” I tell her.

  “Really? I didn’t even know anything was back here.”

  “That’s what Pop told me.”

  “Does anyone live here?” Elle asks as she joins Sonia at the window.

  “I don’t think so. Not anymore,” I answer as I come up behind them and take a look inside.

  “Wow, it’s huge! Like, three times the size of our house,” Elle says.

  “The whole town could live in there,” Sonia agrees.

  It’s not that big, but it is impressive and reminds me of an old Southern plantation, like Tara from Gone with the Wind.

  “Let’s look around back,” Sonia suggests and hops off the left side of the porch.

  “What about the rain?” I complain.

  I’m not a fan of storms. Lightning scares the devil out of me; it has ever since I was little and saw it strike one of the scarecrows in my grandma’s garden. He went up in flames and caught her entire field on fire. It happened so fast there was nothing Grandpa could do to stop it.

  “Oh, come on. It’s just a little rain now. You won’t melt. We have our bathing suits on under our shorts,” she calls from the side, where she is now climbing the fence.

  “What if we get into trouble? The sign says, No trespassing,” Elle whispers as we make it to the fence and watch as Sonia hops over it and drops to the other side.

  “Like the sheriff is going to be out in this weather,” she says as she rolls her eyes.

  She walks off into the yard at the back of the house. Elle and I are still standing in indecision when she calls to us, “Guys, you have to see this!”

  Curiosity finally gets the best of us, and we climb to join her.

  Once we make it inside, we follow her path and walk straight into the most beautiful garden we’ve ever seen. Rose bushes of every color, taller than we are, line a stone pathway that winds through a rainbow of brilliant, fragrant flowers. They go on and on, as far as the eye can see. In the center is a bone-dry stone fountain with three carved cherub angels embracing and laughing.

  We take off running through the flower beds, and Elle picks a handful of blooms.

  “This place is like the Land of Oz,” Sonia muses.

  “We need jobs,” I declare.

  “Jobs? What for?” Elle asks.

  “Yes, jobs. If we all get one and start saving our money now, we will have enough saved up to buy this house together when we are, like, twenty years old. We can get
married in a three-way ceremony in this garden,” I explain.

  “Oh, we should marry brothers. That way, we could be real sisters, and our babies will be cousins,” Sonia adds.

  “Yep, they can be best friends forever, just like us, and we will all live here together, happily ever after!” I agree.

  “Let’s do it! I bet Gram has chores I can do,” Elle exclaims.

  “Bellamy!” My brother, Myer’s voice comes booming from off in the distance.

  We hurry back to the fence and climb over as quickly as we can. Then, we run back toward the gate just as he and his friend Payne Henderson appear.

  “Thank goodness,” Myer says as he catches sight of us. “Momma got worried about you girls when the storm hit, and she sent us to look for you. We’ve been searching everywhere. Come on. We already loaded your bikes on the truck. Let’s get you girls home,” he says as he leads us back to the road.

  I look back at the house one more time. What a treasure. I hope no one else finds it and we save enough money to buy it one day.

  Bellamy

  College Graduation Day

  “I hate that I can’t be there, sis.”

  I press the Speaker button and place the phone on my bed as I continue to dress for the convocation ceremony. I’m finally graduating from the University of Chicago with a double major in environmental and animal sciences, and I can’t wait to get out of here. Don’t get me wrong; Chicago is an amazing city, but the winters are brutal, and I’m homesick.

  It’s funny; when I graduated high school, I couldn’t wait to get out of Colorado, but I miss my friends, and now that my brother and his new wife, Dallas, are making me an auntie, there is nowhere I’d rather be at the moment than in Poplar Falls with my family.

  “It’s okay, Myer. I understand. I’m just hoping my niece or nephew waits at least a few more days before making their grand entrance into the world, so I can be there too,” I reassure him.

  “Yeah, I’m torn. Momma commanded that he or she stay put as she kissed Dallas’s stomach at the airport because she doesn’t want to miss the birth of her second grandchild, but Dallas has reached that miserable state of pregnancy, where she can’t get comfortable and isn’t sleeping at all. She wants to have this baby—like, yesterday—and Beau is about to burst at the seams,” he says, and I can hear the chuckle in his voice.

  Beau is the cutest seven-year-old boy on the planet. He is Dallas’s son from her first marriage, but Myer adopted him last year, and he is very much ours. All of ours.

  “Well, that’s three of us—if you count Pop—against two. So, hopefully, that little rascal will hold on for us,” I say as I pull my long blonde locks into a low ponytail and place my cap on my head.

  A loud knock comes at the door.

  “Speaking of, I think that’s Momma and Pop now, coming to pick me and Derrick up to take us to the main quad. Elle and Sonia are meeting us there,” I inform him as I scoop the phone up and grab my purse and keys.

  Derrick Chilton is a grad student that I have been seeing on and off for the past couple years. Elowyn “Elle” Young and Sonia Pickens are my best friends. We have known each other our entire lives, and they are like my sisters. They came up with my parents from Poplar Falls for graduation. We have never missed a single important moment in each other’s lives. Elle and I were bridesmaids when Sonia married her husband, Ricky, at the end of last year, and both Sonia and I will be bridesmaids when Elle and her fiancé, Walker Reid, get married next year.

  “Okay, congratulations, Bells. I’m so proud of you,” Myer chokes out.

  “Thank you, big brother. Take care of Dallas, and I’ll see you guys soon. I love you.”

  I press the button to disconnect the call and drop the phone in my bag and toss it over my shoulder. I take one last look at myself in the mirror and open the door.

  Derrick is standing with my parents, looking dapper in his charcoal-gray suit.

  He was a teaching assistant in my biochemistry class. We met my second year at the university and have been dating casually ever since. However, things began to get more serious between us the last few months. He will complete his master’s this summer, and he has accepted the position of urban planner at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, near his family’s home in Powell, Ohio. He has been trying relentlessly to talk me into applying at Columbus as well, but I’m not at all excited by the thought of moving that far from home. Besides, the only available position there is an intern in the planner’s office, and the last thing I want is to be working for my boyfriend even if the job is guaranteed and would look good on my résumé. That sounds like trouble waiting to happen.

  I did, however, apply for an animal nutritionist position at the Denver Zoo, which is opening at the end of August, and I am anxiously awaiting word back from the department head.

  Momma bursts into tears when her eyes hit me in my robe and cap as I wrap my honor cords around my neck.

  “Oh, Beverly, don’t start blubbering already.” Pop rolls his eyes at me and lets out an exasperated sigh before he leans in and kisses my cheek.

  “Hush, Winston. It’s not like our baby girl graduates from college every day,” she says as she swats him out of her way and wraps me in a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” she whispers into my ear, and a shiver of pride slides down my spine as she releases me and wipes gently at her eyes.

  “Don’t make me cry and mess up my makeup, Momma. There are going to be a lot of pictures taken today,” I grumble as I close and lock the door to my apartment.

  Derrick takes my bag from my shoulder and offers me his arm. I take it, and the four of us head down to Pop’s rental car to drive us to campus and into my future.

  After the ceremony, the six of us head to the Reliance Building in downtown Chicago where we rented the Burnham Room at Atwood with a few other graduates and their families to celebrate. Tonight, Derrick and I are taking Elle and Sonia to see Navy Pier and out on the town. Then, tomorrow, we’ll head back to Poplar Falls while Derrick stays on to finish up his program. If all goes according to plan, he will meet me in Denver at the end of the summer and spend a few weeks with me before he heads to his new job. I’m not exactly sure where we will go from there, but we’ll figure it out.

  “So, what’s the plan?” Sonia asks once we order and our cocktails are set in front of us.

  “The plan?” I ask.

  “Yeah, are you coming home to stay just for the summer, or what?”

  I look around at their expectant faces. I haven’t had the opportunity to tell them about the move to Denver yet.

  “For the summer—for now anyway. I applied for a job at the Denver Zoo, and I’m waiting to hear back from them. It starts at the end of August. I really hope I get it. It’s in my field of study, and I would get to work up close and personal with the animals. The pay is good, and I’ll only be a day’s ride from all of you guys,” I tell them.

  “I spoke with Dr. Singh there this morning,” Derrick interrupts.

  I turn to him. “You did?”

  This is great news. I put both my biochemistry professor and Derrick down as references on my application. It must mean that they are seriously considering me.

  “I did. He said that they have narrowed the selection down to four applicants, and you’re still in the running,” he assures me.

  “Oh, Bellamy, that’s wonderful! I’ll say an extra prayer that you get the job,” Momma squeals.

  She definitely prefers that I land in Denver rather than all the way in Ohio. Built-in job or not.

  “I sure hope you talked me up, mister,” I tease him as I lay a kiss on his lips.

  “I did my best,” he says on a smile.

  “A toast!” Elle announces as she taps her fork against her glass and then hoists it in the air.

  “To our bestie, Bellamy’s future and one heck of a summer of celebration ahead of us before she runs off to her big-girl job in the city and leaves us all behind again!”

  “
As if I would ever leave you guys behind. You’re stuck with me forever, bitches,” I exclaim.

  I slide my eyes to my mother as she gives me a stern look.

  “Sorry, Momma,” I apologize.

  “To Bellamy!” Sonia singsongs, and we all clink our glasses.

  I’m so happy in this moment. Everything I have dreamed of and worked for is within my grasp.

  Once we finish eating and we get my parents settled in at my apartment for the night, the four of us head out to paint the town red.

  We start at Navy Pier and work our way back into the city, down the Magnificent Mile, and Derrick ushers us into a horse-drawn-carriage ride.

  “Look at you, a lucky man with three beautiful dates this evening,” our coachman, Lewis, boasts as he helps us up into our seat.

  “Yes, sir, I sure am,” Derrick agrees as he settles in beside me and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

  Elle and Sonia sit opposite us, and Lewis takes us on a lovely ride while giving us a detailed history behind every building in downtown Chicago.

  “Come on. Get in here, so I can take our picture with Coco.”

  The three of us lean in, so Elle can snap a selfie of us with the horse while Derrick tips Lewis.

  She shoots the photo off to Walker via text, and he sends back one of himself and Silas—another employee on Elle’s family’s ranch—out in their barn with a large black stallion.

  His text reads, That’s not a horse, woman. This is a horse.

  “That’s Huckleberry. He’s a mean ole thing,” Elle tells Derrick as she shows off the photo.

  We end our evening in a martini bar on State Street with a few of my and Derrick’s friends from school.

  “Hello?” Sonia is holding her finger in one ear and trying to hear her husband over the phone.

  “It’s no use,” I say as I pop the olive from my glass into my mouth. “You’re never going to hear him in here.”

  “Hold on, baby,” she yells into the phone. Then, she points to the door that leads out onto the street and mouths, I’ll be right back.

  She stumbles that direction, and Derrick stands.

  “I’m going to follow her. I don’t feel good about her wandering off alone,” he says before kissing me and following Sonia.