Nine
Madison heard the metallic click of Jake’s shovel striking something and looked around. She stood up from the rock and walked closer to watch, her eyes meeting Jake’s.
“Keep your fingers crossed.”
Jake turned to call two of the closest men. “Stoney, Russ, can you come here?”
Both of them came with shovels in hand.
“I’ve hit something. Help dig here so we can get to it quicker.”
They joined him, digging, and Russ struck something after the third shovelful of dirt.
She stood in silence watching them uncover what looked like a piece of battered and scratched black metal. In minutes they began to enlarge the hole. The more dirt they removed the better she could see a large metal box with handles on each side and a smaller handle in the center of the top. Excitement gripped her along with curiosity, far more to see if the legend was actually true than to expect any real treasure.
Soon dirt was dug away from the box and Jake leaned down to pick it up. The other two men bent over to help. Her excitement mounted when it was obvious that the box was heavy. Because it was below them in the ground, it was awkward to grasp, and required all their strength to lift it out unless they dug a larger hole.
Jake called over his shoulder and the other men came to see as Jake and Russ set the box on the ground. She noticed a keyhole on the front of the box. When Jake tried to open it, the lid didn’t move.
“It’s locked,” he said, looking around for a rock. “We’re not digging for a key,” he remarked. Someone handed him a rock and Jake grasped it to swing hard. After the third hit, the lid budged a fraction. Jake opened it and sunlight glinted on gold coins.
The men broke out in applause.
Madison could barely believe her eyes. “You found it!” she exclaimed.
“That legend was true,” Jake said. She could see the surprise on his face and she knew how he was feeling. He’d heard it all his life and had searched for it many times on the Calhoun ranch before trying the Milan ranch.
He picked up a coin and turned it in his hand, standing to show it to Madison while they both peered at it.
“It’s from 1849. One side is a Liberty head, and the other is an eagle,” Jake said, reading and turning the coin. It’s a five-dollar gold coin. I’ll be damned,” he said, still turning the gold coin in his hand.
“Since you said the treasure is mine,” Madison said, “I think everyone here should have ten coins.” The men grinned and cheered and told her thanks.
“And you’ll still get your bonus,” Jake added.
Madison picked up a handful of coins to pass them out. “I’ll have this appraised and find out what these are worth.”
“I’m keeping mine,” Stoney said. “Eighteen forty-nine was a long time ago.”
Others agreed as they looked over the coins, turning the gold in their hands.
“This means the remains of our ancestors may be buried in this vicinity,” Jake said, looking around. “I’ll drive the truck up here and we’ll lock this up in the truck. I don’t know anything about old coins, but these are in good shape. I have a feeling they’re worth a fortune—as long as they’re real, and I think they are.”
Jake gave orders about where to dig to search for the bones. As the men dispersed, he walked to Madison. “I’ll go get the truck and one of them can help me load the box.” He shook his head. “I’m still in shock that the legend is true.”
“Jake, when we get that back to the house, I want you to take half the treasure. We don’t know who that chest really belonged to, and some members of your family may want to keep the coins just because of the historical value. Those coins are part of the Old West, part of early-day Texas and part of our families’ histories.”
“I think you better reconsider your generous offer. Your brothers may not be happy if you give half away. I get along with Tony, but he doesn’t like Calhouns.”
“Tony doesn’t begin to compare to Lindsay’s dislike of Milans,” she added. “The family feud lives on in those two.”
“Our folks, also. And grandparents even more.”
“I don’t care who agrees and disagrees.”
“That’s generous, Maddie,” he said. “But if you want to wait to talk to your family—”
“I’ll talk them into accepting it,” she said. She looked around the site. “I hope we find the remains and I know you want the deed.”
“Yeah. See you in a few minutes.” She watched him stride away, his long legs covering the distance until he climbed into his pickup and drove toward her with the truck bouncing over the rough ground.
She couldn’t stop her thoughts from returning to a few moments ago. When he’d opened the box, her first reaction was surprise that the legend was true. The thought that immediately followed was a sinking realization that Jake might possibly walk out of her life. Again.
Everything inside her felt squeezed and hurt. The reason for his presence in her life had ended. But she wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
* * *
Over an hour later, Darren called out to Jake, “Mr. Calhoun, come look. I think I may have found some bones.”
Madison had heard Jake instruct the men that they were not to disturb any bones they uncovered, but to wait and let the medical examiner tell them what to do. To her relief, that was what Darren was doing. While Darren stood leaning on his shovel, she hurried to catch up with Jake to go down to the creek bank.
“I hope we can tell whether these are human bones or animal bones,” Jake said. “This is a grim discovery, but if it’s our ancestors’ remains it will be good to get them buried in a proper place.”
She stood beside Jake and looked at a large bone. “I don’t know much about bones, so I don’t know whether it’s from a human or not.”
“Well, we’ll find out from someone official,” Jake said, then he turned to Darren. “Just keep looking carefully and see if you can find some more bones here.”
She walked away from them, going back to get her sketch pad, but she couldn’t take her eyes off Jake. He was strong and fit, sexy. She wanted to hold him and kiss him and she wanted them to make love far more than flying to Dallas for dinner and dancing. She wondered if she could get him to change the plans.
Now they had found the gold and the bones. Her time with Jake was over. She would go back to her artwork and he would return to Dallas and his energy business that probably caused him to travel often.
She didn’t want to say goodbye to him. The mere thought of not seeing him hurt deep in her soul. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to be with him and the more she wanted him in her life. Permanently in her life. She had no idea how Jake felt and she wasn’t going to tell him because he might not feel as strongly.
She was in love with him. It went beyond the lovemaking, beyond carnal desire. She loved him. Maybe she always had and there was never anyone else and never would be.
What if Jake didn’t feel that way and walked out?
She couldn’t answer her question, and she hoped she’d never have to.
Later, as they drove to Jake’s ranch after having stopped at her house so she could pick up her things, she turned to face him. She placed her fingers lightly on his warm thigh. Instantly, his hand covered hers. “Jake, it’s getting late. Let’s just go to your ranch tonight instead of Dallas.”
“Really? I don’t want you to be disappointed if you had your heart set on Dallas, but truthfully, I’m glad to hear you say you’d rather stay here.”
“It’ll be a lot better. Frankly, I want to open the box and look at the gold. Besides, I can think of more fun ways to spend the evening than going to Dallas.”
He glanced at her and then turned his attention to the highway. “When we’re home, I’ll show you what I’ve been thinking about all day long.”
“You’ve been thinking about those gold coins,” she said, smiling at him.
“Not nearly as much as making love to you,” he said in a husky voice. “Just shower while I shower, wrap in a towel and I’ll be ready and waiting.”
“I figured we’d eat dinner, look at the coins and let our families know and then we would spend the rest of the evening in the best way possible,” she said softly, stroking his thigh.
He covered her fingers again and held her hand against his leg. “Save the caresses for when we’re home. I might wreck the truck.”
She laughed softly and started to move her hand away, but his fingers tightened, holding her hand on his leg.
“When we get home, I’ll take the box inside. Later tonight, much later, we can count the coins, but I agree we should let our families know. This is a big deal for us. That old legend was the truth—I’m still shocked. Deep down, I really didn’t think we would ever find anything. Now we’ll have to try to identify whose remains we have. We may not know all of our earliest ancestors who came to Texas.”
“I know some of mine, but I don’t know how they can specify which ones they might be.”
“They should be able to decide which are Milans and which are Calhouns from our DNA, I’d think. I’ll call tomorrow and see what to do with the remains.”
She turned herself in her seat so she could face him. “This has been a most amazing day. Wyatt will probably want to come by tomorrow and see the coins.”
“My whole family will come see them so we’re telling them too late tonight for anyone to come to the ranch. I want you to myself with no interruptions.”
“I’ll get my brothers to come get the coins and take them to the bank. I’m sure word will travel about them and we need to get them secured tomorrow.”
“I can do it for you if you’d like.”
“Thanks, but I promise you, my brothers will be happy to take mine for me.” She couldn’t contain the grin that overtook her. “This is so exciting. It isn’t the money as much as the link with the past.”
“It’s a link, but those coins may be worth a lot. It may surprise you.”
She realized that an awful lot was surprising her these days.
She turned to look out the window then as they neared Jake’s ranch. She glanced out at mesquite and cactus, an occasional acacia or a tall cottonwood. When they reached the entrance to his ranch, the gates were open. He drove across the cattle guard and headed down a graveled road.
Happiness filled her because she was with him and they would soon be alone for the evening. She studied his handsome profile, his straight nose and firm jaw, his prominent cheekbones. Always by the end of the day his black, wavy hair was in a tangle and stubble was beginning to show on his jaw.
She wanted to unbuckle her seat belt, scoot close to him and put her hands on him, but she controlled the impulse. They were almost to his ranch house. Soon she would be able to do what she wanted with him.
The road was winding and seemed long, but finally he drove to the back, parked and handed her a ring with keys. “You unlock the door and I’ll give you the alarm code so you can switch it off. I’ll carry the gold. It’ll help if you’ll hold the door.”
“Sure you don’t want me to help you?”
“No. I got it.”
He climbed out and picked up the metal box. She closed the door and rushed ahead to get the back door unlocked. The alarm beeped as she held the door for him and he hurried past her. She punched in the code before the alarm went off, then locked the back door and turned to go look for Jake.
His home was far more ranch style than her parents’ elegant house, and it looked comfortable and inviting. She found him in a spacious family room with a beamed ceiling and brown leather furniture. He had set the box on the floor, removed the lid and stood looking at the gold coins. All she could think was that it meant she would see the last of him.
He turned as she walked up. Slipping his arm around her, he pulled her close against his side. “Finding this was like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s thanks to your brothers. That location was Wyatt’s suggestion.”
“It’s great, Jake. I’m thrilled.”
He looked down at her, tilting her face up to his. “I’d say let’s shower together, but I’m really grubby. C’mon. I’ll give you a room and we can get cleaned up. I meant it when I said you don’t have to wear anything except a towel. That would suit me just fine. That would be even better than that box of gold coins.”
Smiling at him, she wanted to pull his head down and kiss him, whether they had cleaned up or not. Her smile faded because desire made her heart pound. She gazed intently into his thickly lashed brown eyes and then she looked at his mouth.
His expression changed. Stepping closer, he slipped his arm around her waist to draw her close against him. “I’m dusty and sweaty.”
“I don’t care,” she said, thinking he was appealing and sexy. With a moan, wanting him with all her being, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately. She poured her feelings into her kiss, all her longing, all her love for him that had returned full force if it had ever really gone at all.
His hand unfastened her buttons and yanked off her shirt. He had already tossed his aside.
With shaking fingers she undid his belt and jeans. Clothes and boots were tossed away. She could think only of Jake, wanting him desperately, feeling as if she might lose him again. He released her a moment to get protection and then he pulled her into his arms again.
While he kissed her, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. Holding her tightly, he let her slide down so he could enter her, fill her. She was wrapped around him, kissing him as if it were her last time with him.
He thrust deep and fast, pumping his hips. Tension built, a physical need that swept her. He groaned while he kissed her, the sound muffled deep in his throat.
She cried out with her climax. “Jake!” she gasped. “I love you.” She whispered the words, meaning them with all her heart, mindlessly lost in the moment as ecstasy and relief poured over her.
He slowed while she draped herself on him. “Jake,” she whispered. She showered kisses on his face and throat, not caring about the salty taste of him. She held him tightly with her growing fear that when she let go of him sometime soon, he would be gone forever.
She finally slipped down, placing her feet on the floor, still holding his shoulders.
“It’ll be better next time,” he said. “We’ll take a long time. You’ll see.” He leaned down to brush kisses on her mouth, her throat.
“It was perfect this time,” she whispered before turning away to gather her clothes.
His fingers closed over her wrist. “Come on. I’ll show you where a shower is.”
He took her down a hall and into a spacious bedroom with polished oak flooring, a sofa, a desk, a big-screen television and a king-size bed. There was a big wooden rocker in the room along with a full-length mirror.
“Right through there is a shower and there should be fresh towels for you. I’m just across the hall.”
She nodded and watched him as he left.
Would he disappear out of her life again soon? She intended to see that he didn’t.
She showered, washed and dried her hair, and wrapping herself in a thick, pink towel, she went to find her clothes. When she opened the door and stepped into the hall, the bag she had brought from the ranch was waiting outside the door. Smiling, with a glance at the closed door across the hall, she gathered her things and went back inside, closing the door.
Shortly she was dressed in red slacks and a red short-sleeved shirt with flip-flops on her feet. She let her hair fall freely across her shoulders.
She left to find Jake, discovering him in the kitchen. She walked into the room with a high-beamed ceiling, a copper pot rack hanging over the center island workstation, cherry cabinets and stainless-steel appliances, making for a far more up-to-date kitchen than the one on the Milan ranch.
Jake had his back to her while he placed twice-baked potato halves to warm in the oven. He turned and stopped, his gaze roaming over her appreciatively and making her want to be in his arms again.
He crossed the kitchen to her and rested his hands on her hips. “You look too composed and refreshed. We may end up right back in bed.”
“I’m not going to argue with that,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe to brush his lips with hers.
His arm tightened around her waist, pulling her tightly against him while he captured her mouth. With a pounding heart, she kissed him as if they hadn’t just made love.
Finally he released her. “I’m fascinated with the old coins,” he said.
“The coins are exciting.” She didn’t add that they weren’t as exciting to her as he was.
She could swear his eyes were almost twinkling, and he looked like a kid at Christmas when he asked, “Want to go count them now?”
Seeing his excitement, she agreed.
“There’s no way to know which family the gold belonged to,” she said, following him into the family room. Jake set his drink on a table, hunkering down to tilt the metal box to dump out the coins.
She sat on the floor across from him and gold coins spilled out, sliding and building into a stack until some came to rest on her crossed feet. She could see inside the open chest and there was a small metal box in the bottom. She reached inside to take it out. “Jake, look. Here’s something else,” she said, raising the lid to see a folded paper inside.
She picked it up.
“Maddie, let me see that,” he said, but she had already started unfolding it with great care.