by Clay, Verna
Collin became silent.
Dottie said quietly, "That's incredible. What happened to the letters?"
"My father and the property owner donated them to the local historical society in the town they were discovered in, Marshall, Texas, but later they were acquired by The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Sometimes when I'm in Harrisburg, I visit the museum just to stare at them and relive the day we found them. I think that's the day I decided I wanted to devote my life to searching the entire world for treasure."
"Well, from what I've seen on television and read, you're very successful at it."
"I've had my fair share of luck. And believe me; much of treasure hunting is just plain luck."
Dottie enjoyed the remainder of the drive while Collin talked about his most interesting finds and related sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing experiences. Inwardly, she sighed and wondered what such a life of adventure would be like. Would she enjoy it, or was she a homebody who never wanted to venture far from safety?
During the drive, Lucy called to get an update from her mother and laughed when Dottie related their clandestine escape. Since the plane crash, Lucy had called everyday for updates and to offer words of wisdom. Dottie was beginning to wonder if their roles had reversed, with her daughter taking on the role of protective mother. That thought made her smile.
Just outside of Oasis, Dottie pointed and said, "That's Desert Princess Trailer and RV Park. There are several old-timers living there, although I don't think any of them have ancestors who settled the town."
Collin replied, "That's okay. Even if they can't shed light on the heist, I love hearing their memories."
She pointed again. "And up ahead is Kade's Garage. He's our local secret."
Collin raised his eyebrows in a questioning look.
She laughed. "About a year and a half ago he was headed for the big time as a supermodel, but he hated the profession. His one and only layout appeared in Vogue, and since that time he's been dodging people who recognize him. Everyone in town denies he's the model, trying to protect his privacy. What's funny though is that he's married to the photographer who made him famous in the first place. They now have a five month old daughter and from all accounts, have no second thoughts about letting fame go."
At Kade's Garage, Dottie turned onto a side street. Kade was standing outside one of the bays talking to Bubba, the town comedian and owner of Porky's Pizza Parlor. Both men waved as she drove past. She made a mental note to call them later and clue them in about Collin. She knew they would respect Collin's privacy and send prying people in the wrong direction.
Before entering her neighborhood, Dottie called her closest neighbor to make sure the coast was clear. Minerva informed her that reporters had camped out on their dead end street for a few days, but must have given up because they hadn't shown up today.
Dottie turned onto her street and then the long drive on her property leading to her garage. Thankfully, the opener was still working and the garage door squeaked upward. She pulled inside and quickly punched the fob to lower the door. She rushed around the car to retrieve Collin's crutches stowed in the backseat. Slowly, and wincing with pain, he grasped the top of the door and pulled himself upward. Reaching for the crutches, he shuffled to the side door that Dottie held open. She led the way through the breezeway to the kitchen entrance and unlocked that door. Collin's coloring had paled and she moved closer, assisting as best she could. Painstakingly, they made it into the kitchen and he immediately plopped onto a chair she pulled from the table. Sweat beaded his forehead. Dottie knelt in front of him. "I should have had someone meet us here with a wheelchair. I'm so sorry."
Collin reached to touch her cheek. "No. We can manage just fine. The less awareness of my presence, the longer I can remain a secret."
Dottie's face burned from his touch and the sensation spread like wildfire throughout her body. She stood and said, "When you're ready, I'll help you to the couch or my guest bedroom. I don't think you should stay in the guesthouse just yet. You're still too weak."
Collin's gaze met hers and she could see pain behind his eyes. He said quietly, "Maybe I should rest in the bedroom for awhile."
Chapter 9: Spaghetti And Apple Pie
Because Collin was so weak, Dottie was able to talk him into staying in her extra bedroom rather than the guesthouse. He had reluctantly agreed, saying it was just until he was stronger. It had been three days now and she was glad he hadn't broached the subject of the guesthouse again.
Rather than return to work, she had called Vera Hightower, a resident of Desert Princess Trailer Park, to open and run the dime store for at least a week. Vera had a no nonsense personality and wouldn't put up with nosy reporters. She could be trusted to keep Dottie and Collin's return to Oasis a secret.
After Vera's first day on the job, she'd called Dottie to report that only one journalist had come into the store looking for the owner and asking questions about the crash. Vera chuckled and said, "I told him information wasn't part of the store's inventory, but even if it was, it wasn’t for sale. I told him I didn't know a damn thing; I was just earning money while the owner was out of town. Don't think he believed me, but he didn't badger me after that. Lilac called about an hour later and said she saw one of those strange looking news vans with all the antennae pass the trailer park, headed for the highway."
Dottie said, "I sure appreciate all your help. By way of thank you, I want you to pick out–"
Vera interrupted. "I don't need any thanks. I'm just happy to lend a hand. How's that treasure-hunting man doing?"
"He's weak and sleeps a lot, which is probably partly due to his pain pills, but I'm seeing gradual improvement. He just needs time–"
Vera interrupted, "And privacy away from people who should mind their own business."
Dottie grinned. "Exactly." Before hanging up, she answered Vera's questions about a newly arrived shipment of baseball cards that Willie, son of Pilar Rutherford and stepson of Max Rutherford, couldn't wait to be unpacked.
Dottie grinned and said, "I keep a supply on hand because that boy loves baseball! I have no doubt that someday he'll make the majors."
Vera's voice held a smile when she responded, "I agree!"
Dottie glanced at the clock—three. She decided she had enough time to prepare spaghetti and French bread for supper. When the meal was ready she lightly knocked on Collin's door.
"Please come in," he called.
Dottie opened the door to see him lifting off the bed with his crutches. She rushed to his side. "Here, let me help you." Holding one of the crutches steady, she watched him gingerly rise up and stand on his good leg. "Are you sure you don't want me to borrow a wheelchair?"
Collin adjusted his arms on the crutch pads. "No, honey, I think I've almost got this down." His gaze met hers and something flickered.
Dottie quickly glanced away and refused to dwell on the term of endearment he'd used—or ponder the spark in his eyes. Goodness, the man was famous, rich, traveled, worldly; everything Dottie wasn't. There was no way he could be interested in her.
Collin said, "I've been basking in the aroma of something wonderful for the past hour and I knew I had to get my ass out of bed."
"It's spaghetti and meatballs with homemade sourdough French bread."
"You made the bread?"
"I did. I usually make several loaves and freeze them. This was the last one in my freezer."
Collin grinned. "You don't know how happy that makes me." He patted his stomach. "I think I've lost a few pounds during this ordeal. Time to get out of bed and put them back on."
Dottie smiled. Collin Banks was one handsome package, with or without the extra pounds. She asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to bring a tray to your room?"
"Positive."
After he was seated in the dining room, Dottie filled their plates in the kitchen and carried them to the table. She blushed with happiness when her guest liberally praised her after his
first bite.
For an hour they ate and conversed and Dottie realized how much she missed sharing meals and conversation with a man. When she mentioned apple pie and vanilla ice cream, she giggled because Collin pretended swooning. She suggested they retire to the couch when he appeared uncomfortable in his chair. He nodded and thanked her.
After she dished their desserts, she carried the bowls on a tray to the living room. Collin was holding one of her framed photos that she kept on the coffee table. He asked, "Is this your father and mother and you?"
"Yes. I was about five. My only sibling, a brother, was born when I was six."
He set the picture down and lifted another one. It was a wedding photo snapped by a friend. Dottie's hair hung past her waist and she looked radiant standing beside the man she'd loved with all her heart. The picture always put a lump in her throat.
Collin glanced up. "You look beautiful. And you both look so happy."
She said past the lump, "We were very happy. Daniel—Danny—was from San Diego and I moved there with him. It's where our daughter Lucy was born. He died in a construction accident when she was five. That's when I moved back here. Lucy grew up in this house with me and her grandparents. My mother died when she was fifteen, followed two years later by my father. The house and the business passed to my brother and I in equal measures, but he was never interested in either and signed his portion over to me."
Collin pointed to another picture. "And that's your daughter, Lucy?"
"Yes. Was it the red hair that gave her away?" she joked.
Collin chuckled. "It was the beautiful hair and sweet face." He said softly, "I was once married, but it ended in divorce. Sometimes I regret not having children, especially when I see photos like these."
Dottie held his gaze and then glanced away.
He said, "So, you named your daughter Lucy Arnez. Does that have anything to do with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez?"
Dottie's mood brightened. "Busted. My all time favorite shows are any that have Lucille Ball in them. I don't care if she's young or old; she makes me laugh so hard I can't catch my breath, and with my last name being Arnez, I couldn't resist naming my daughter Lucy, like Lucille Ball named her daughter. The spelling is a little different, but it sounds the same.
Collin laughed. "So if you'd had a son, he would have been named Desi?"
Dottie joined Collin's laughter. "I probably wouldn't have gone that far. Besides, we already have a Desi in Oasis. He's one of the old-timers at the trailer park."
"What did your husband think about naming your daughter Lucy?"
"Oh, he was a great sport. He said I could name our children anything I wanted, as long as I stayed away from hippy names like Poppy or Flower or Sunshine." Dottie glanced at their dessert. "Goodness, the ice cream is starting to melt."
After his first bite, Collin again praised her liberally and even accepted a second helping. It appeared his appetite had returned.
Chapter 10: Digging Into The Past
The next night, Collin patted his stomach after dinner. "You're an excellent cook, Dottie. Maybe you should give the local eateries some competition."
Dottie laughed. "I don't think I could best Desert Princess Diner or Porky's Pizza Parlor."
"From what I've gleaned, this town has some colorful characters and uniquely named businesses. How did the trailer park and diner get their names?"
Dottie finished her last bite of pecan pie and lifted her coffee cup. "They're both owned by a woman named Belle Starr Thatcher Rutherford. She likes to joke that some people call her BS, but I've only heard her called Princess."
Collin asked, "Did she ever tell you how she got that name?"
Dottie grinned. "It's a romantic tale."
Collin forgot about the low grade pain in his body. Dottie was about to confide something to him. He leaned closer. "I love romantic tales. Haven't experienced any in my own life, so I live them vicariously through others." He said the words jokingly, but there was truth in them.
Dottie replied, "Well, Belle—Princess—came clean about her past a year or so ago after she finally married her longtime estranged love. They're both up in years, in their eighties or close to it, but healthy and active. Princess told us that when she was a young woman her uncle died and left her the trailer park. She said she came to Oasis planning to sell the park, but fell in love with the area and its history."
Dottie sipped her coffee and smiled conspiratorially. "She also fell in love with a young man who rented space for his trailer for a short time. They had an affair and then he left." Her smile vanished. "He was a married man. Anyway, Princess ended up pregnant and believed the father of her child could raise him better than she could. She also knew that his wife had longed for a baby for years, so she made the decision to give the child to his father."
Collin puffed a breath. "Wow! That's some story."
Dottie tapped her cheek. "But I was telling you how Belle became Princess. Her lover called her that. She changed the name of the trailer park to Desert Princess and later opened the diner. She said it was her way of keeping memories of the man she loved close."
Collin studied Dottie's eyes. "Is there more to the story? You're looking like the cat who found the cream."
Dottie giggled. "Boy howdy, I'll say there's more to the story."
Collin's eyes widened. "From your response, I get the feeling I should prepare myself to hear this."
Dottie nodded. "About two years ago, this fella, maybe in his mid to late thirties, shows up driving an expensive RV, and I mean really expensive, and he settles into the trailer park. Seems he's the new manager so Princess can do some traveling. Well, it's obvious from the get-go that he'd rather be anywhere but smack in the middle of the desert. But then he meets Pilar Armstrong, his neighbor, and sparks fly, but not in a good way. They can't stand each other. Let me rephrase that, they can't stand each other at first, but later they fall in love. So, one day, Max, that's the name of the manager, comes home from the diner to see his fabulous RV replaced with an older model Bounder RV. He was furious."
Collin could relate. He owned an expensive RV and appreciated the comfort afforded when traveling the country. He lifted his eyebrows. "That had to be a shock. Was it stolen?"
Dottie placed a hand over her heart and took a deep breath. "No. It was replaced by Max's stepbrother at the behest of their grandfather. Come to find out, Max was the grandson of the man Princess had fallen in love with years earlier."
Collin almost lifted off the couch. "What! He was Princess's grandson?"
"Yes!"
"Did either of them know they were related?"
"Princess knew about him, but he didn't know about her. It wasn't until later that the senior Mr. Rutherford showed up and disclosed the secret to Max. The grandfather had been a widower for years and finally contacted Princess to see if she wanted to meet her grandson. Sadly, her son had passed away years earlier. Max, Sr. and Princess connived a scheme that landed Max, Jr. in the desert managing the park. Princess only met him briefly before leaving on vacation. She said she wasn't sure she would reveal her relationship, so she had to leave to keep him from seeing the truth in her eyes."
Collin found himself leaning forward. "What was the outcome?"
"It was a wonderful outcome. Max and Pilar married and even Max's sister, who is Princess's granddaughter, and an accomplished photographer, fell in love with a local. He was the guy I told you about that almost became a famous model. Both couples married and both recently gave birth. Max and Pilar have a son and Kade and Skylar have a daughter." Dottie sighed. "Just think, after all those years, Belle Starr Thatcher and Maximilian Rutherford I, found each other again."
Collin raised a palm into the air. "Wait! You're not talking about Maximilian Rutherford of Rutherford Acquisitions, are you?"
"The very same."
"And he's living in Oasis?"
"Yes. But we keep his identity secret so he isn't bothered." She looked alarmed. "You won't t
ell anyone will you?"
Collin reached his hand to touch hers. "Rest assured. The secret is safe with me. I know what it's like to want to remain anonymous."
Dottie released a sigh and Collin wrapped his fingers around hers for an instant before drawing his hand back. He said, "So, tell me what you know about the founding of the town of Oasis."
Dottie lifted her cup. "Coffee's cold, would you like a refill?"
Collin handed his cup to her. The way he figured it, if she wanted to refill their cups, she would keep talking, and more than learning about the town, he enjoyed listening to her. He liked the way her face lit when she smiled and the tiny creases at the corners of her eyes.
Dottie returned with fresh cups, settled back in her place, and said, "I've heard different versions since I was a little girl, but the gist of it is that a man named Manfred Schneider worked the goldmines in a town named Goldfield down by Apache Junction and that's were he got the idea to start his own gold mining operation. He scouted this area, discovered a vein, and proclaimed his goldmine to be an Oasis in the Desert. Although there's a natural spring not far from the mine, it's certainly not an Oasis, and folks that packed up everything and moved here got up-in-arms about his false advertising until the mine hit a big pocket of gold. It produced well for a couple of years and that's when the robbery happened. After that, the gold played out and most folks left. The ones staying on voted to change the name of the town from Schneider to Oasis." She giggled. "I'm glad I don't have to tell people I'm from Schneider, Arizona. Doesn't have the same mystique as Oasis."