by Sara Orwig
“That’s true, but then look here.” She pointed farther up on the screen. “Here’s where I thought it looked most like the electronic copy of the map you sent me. There are rocks, the creek curves just slightly around a sandbar, but in all these years the creek could have swallowed up the sandbar. You see what I mean?” She looked around to catch him studying her so intently she forgot the map momentarily. He drew a deep breath and turned back to the map.
“That’s a possibility.” He let out a heavy breath. “I never expected this to be easy. People have been hunting for that treasure all my life and probably since the late nineteenth century.”
“Maybe you should sit and study these maps while I get dinner on the table. After all, this is the first time you’ve seen these photos of the Double M Ranch.”
“Sure you don’t want kitchen help?”
“I’m sure,” she said, leaving Jake looking at the computer screen, pausing at the door to look back at him. Light shone on him, giving midnight glints to his black hair. Was she going to be able to work with him without rekindling feelings she didn’t want? Some feelings had already ignited. And that’s what scared her.
While she got drinks and dinner on the table, her thoughts stayed on Jake.
When she returned to call him for dinner he shook his head as he stood. “I’ve found four likely places so far. We’ll both look after dinner. I have the feeling the longer we look, the more places we’ll find,” he said, walking beside her to the kitchen.
“That does smell good,” he said and she smiled.
“A simple dinner—baked tilapia on angel-hair pasta with artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. I have a sauce for the fish or lemons.”
They entered the kitchen, which had glass-fronted cabinets built in the late 1900s when the original part of the house was constructed.
“Nice kitchen,” he said, looking around.
“All the equipment is about three years old, which was the last remodeling. It is a nice kitchen. I’ve grown up in it and I love it, high ceilings and all.”
He held her chair and she was acutely conscious of every brush of his hands, every look he gave her. What did she still feel for Jake? She didn’t want to answer her own question. A week ago, she would have told herself that she had no feelings for him, but after being around him, responding to him in startling ways, she had to admit that she was still attracted to him.
“We have some fancy homemade garlic bread.”
“Did you do all this?” he asked and she shook her head.
“I’d like to say yes, but I didn’t. Jessie Lou cooks for me now and Harriet cooks for the men. Dad deeded this ranch to me. He and Mom don’t care to stay here at all any longer. I inherited the staff, too, so Ethel still cleans three days a week and her daughter comes once a week to help. Ethel and Jessie Lou still live here on the ranch and Ethel’s husband still works, too.”
“I don’t know about the cleaning, but you have the best cook possible.”
“I think so. Jessie Lou isn’t here tonight, but she was here until five. She and Harriet are still both wonderful cooks. Some things don’t change.”
“I remember some great picnics we had where you brought something Jessie Lou made.”
She smiled. “Remember her chocolate cake that got ants all over it? You said you weren’t giving your slice up to a bunch of ants and juggled the cake around to let some of the ants run off and then ate it, ants and all.”
She laughed while he grinned and shrugged. “And you were so afraid I had ants in my mouth that you wouldn’t let me kiss you that afternoon or that night.”
As she laughed, his grin widened and her heart turned over. Desire flared to life, a hot torment that made her want him badly. She should never have opened the door on memories of fun times with him. She looked down at her plate. Her appetite had fled and she tried to think about something besides Jake.
“We had fun,” he said quietly and there was silence that stretched between them. She didn’t want to look up and meet his probing dark eyes because he always saw too much of her. He could hide his feelings better than she could.
“I guess we should each pick the places we want to look and list them,” he said briskly to her a few moments later. They were back in the present and she tamped down the memories that threatened her heart.
He sipped his iced tea. “Did you get over your fear of snakes?”
“No, I did not. I still won’t swim in Rocky Creek.”
“How are you going to go traipsing around out there? You know we have an abundant snake population.”
“You said you’re bringing some men. I’ll have two, plus you and me. We ought to make enough noise to scare the rattlers away. And if we don’t, I also figured that one of you will have a pistol.”
“One of us will. I keep one in the pickup.”
“There,” she said, smiling at him. “You can kill a snake if we encounter one.”
Through dinner they discussed the search and when they had finished, they sat sipping more tea, talking about the treasure. “We better look at the maps,” Jake said. “I’ll help you with the dishes.”
“No need. I’ll just put the leftovers in the fridge and rinse our dishes for the dishwasher. You go back and keep looking.”
“I’ll do the cleaning and you go look,” he countered. “You’ve never had this chance with the actual old map and it is clearer than the copy. I insist,” he said, taking dishes from her and blocking her path.
“So I see you are as stubborn as you used to be,” she said.
He smiled. “Just as stubborn as you. Some things don’t change.”
She realized they were getting back where she didn’t want to go. Her smile vanished as she returned to the table to push in her chair. “Let me put up the leftovers,” she said, picking up the pasta bowl. He took it from her, his hands closing over hers. Startled, she looked up at him and drew a deep breath.
“It’s all yours,” she said and left quickly. Desire ignited each time they made contact. Sometimes when they were close she caught him looking at her with a gaze that clearly conveyed he wanted her.
She hurried out of the kitchen, feeling him watching her walk away. How would she get through being together with him every day for the next week or two? This wasn’t working out the way she had imagined.
Four
She pored over the maps swiftly and stuck by the list she already had. She wanted to finish and get him out of the house.
When he joined her, she showed him her list, pointing out each place and waiting while he looked. Jake got a legal pad from his briefcase, turning to look at her while he held both of their lists.
“We have three places that are the same, so those will go to the top of the list. Your first choice is my second, so we’ll put yours first because you know your ranch better than I do.”
She marked the three locations on each map. “Look at our other choices so we can decide and get them listed.”
She pulled her chair close to his, far more aware of him beside her than the map in front of her. “I think my number four should be next.”
It took another hour to get everything listed and finally he stood and put away the original old map in its glass box and then into his briefcase.
“Jake, I hope we find something,” she said, walking him to the door. “I don’t care about the money so much, but if the treasure exists, it’s a tie to the past. I’m sure it’s true that there was a gunfight and both families had members killed. We do need to give those bones a burial place.” She stepped out onto the porch with him. The September night was cool, the black sky dotted with twinkling stars. “Thanks again for letting me see the original map. I’m fascinated by it.”
“You’re a romantic,” he said in a deep voice. He stood only inches from her and hi
s dark eyes were shadowed. She had an urge to step into his arms and raise her face for a kiss, but she fought it and moved back.
“Can you be here about six in the morning? We can get started early and get out on the ranch by the time the sun rises.”
“Sure. We’ll be here. Want me to get lunch packed?”
“No, Jessie will do it each day. See you in the morning.”
“Thanks for dinner, Madison.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, thinking how polite they were being with each other. Better that than the flashes of scalding longing to be in his arms and make love again. She stepped back and watched him walk away. As soon as he drove out of sight, she went in and closed up, setting the alarm on the grounds around the house.
The next morning she was on the driveway with her two men and a nearby pickup packed with gear and food. The outside lights were on because it was still dark, without even a hint of the dawn to come.
It had taken her an hour to dress this morning. She had tried to avoid thinking about Jake, but whatever she selected, she thought about wearing for him. She finally decided on a long-sleeved blue Western shirt, jeans, boots and a brown wide-brimmed hat. Her hair was in a thick braid down her back. A tingle of excitement made her edgy. She couldn’t wait to get going and start the search. It wasn’t about the gold. Honestly, if he had said he wanted half, she would have agreed instantly. It was about the tie to the past and the Milans who had lived generations ago. It would mean the legend was a true accounting of events of the past, which she hoped it was.
She spotted headlights coming up the ranch road. When they drove into the light she saw two pickups. Jake drove his big black pickup with someone seated beside him and two in the backseat. Another red pickup followed with two men.
Jake stopped and climbed out, slamming the door and striding toward her. His black Western hat sat squarely on his head and his tight jeans emphasized his small waist and long legs. He wore a navy-and-red-plaid Western shirt and looked filled with energy because of the spring in his step.
“Good morning.”
“Morning, Jake,” she replied. “This is Darren Hopkinson and Stoney Rassmussen. Darren and Stoney, meet Jake Calhoun.”
The men shook hands. “We’re ready,” she said.
“It’s your ranch, so you lead the way and we’ll follow,” Jake suggested.
“Sure. Let’s go,” she replied and they parted to get into their trucks.
She turned down a dirt path that ran past houses, outbuildings, the ranch office, corrals, barns, sheds. Finally they left the graveled road and took a dirt road in the opposite direction, bumping over rocks and dips in the road, running over weeds that grew in the center between the ruts.
She knew where she was going and could have driven it with her eyes closed. She had learned to drive on these ranch roads. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Jake’s black pickup behind her, the third pickup coming last. From the list they had selected, they had mapped out a plan to start on the north side of the creek and search eastward. They both agreed that the map looked as if the treasure had been buried along Rocky Creek.
By dawn, they had reached the trees and in a short time approached the only bridge over Rocky Creek on the Double M Ranch. Trees lining the creek bank blocked the sunlight so the vehicles still had on headlights. Madison reached the creek first.
“Miss Milan,” Stoney said beside her. “Wait. Look at the bridge.”
She stopped the truck, her headlights illuminating the far end of the bridge. One of the tall cottonwoods lining the creek had fallen on the end of the bridge, preventing any vehicle from crossing.
“Nobody’s said anything about a tree falling on the bridge,” she said, turning to look at Darren and Stoney, who both shook their heads. Switching off the motor, she stepped out while Stoney and Darren followed her. Jake stepped out of his truck.
“We can get that tree moved out of the way. It’ll just slow us down, but it’s not going to stop us,” Jake said. “All the men come with me and we’ll move it.”
“We’ll cut it up later and get it out of here,” she said, looking around. “What could have caused that tree to fall? It looks healthy and there hasn’t been a storm recently. That tree hasn’t been down long,” she said more to herself than anyone else.
She waited in the truck and in minutes the men all returned. Stoney and Darren climbed into the truck while Jake stopped beside it. “Someone cut that tree down so it would fall on the bridge. There’s someone who doesn’t want us hunting for this legendary treasure.”
Startled, she stared into his dark eyes. “That’s foolishness. That was a temporary setback and it won’t stop any of us. Who would do that anyway?”
“Not my family,” he answered. “We have too much to gain. Just be careful. That may merely be a warning.”
She shivered and looked at the tree that had been pulled away from the bridge.
“We’ll go ahead as we planned,” she said.
“Why don’t you let me drive around you and cross the bridge first? No one will drown if the bridge collapses, but it won’t be fun to go into the creek in one of these trucks. Let me see if anyone tampered with the bridge.”
“Very well, but I’m not scared to go first.”
“I’ll go.” He left and climbed back into his truck. He drove around her and she followed, letting him get completely across before she followed.
Within ten minutes he switched off the engine and parked. She pulled up beside him and the last pickup stopped. Men climbed out while Jake joined her.
“This is our first stop. Now you call the shots. What do you think? Look here or start walking?” she said.
He studied his map. Bits of sunlight slipped between leaves and branches, highlighting his raven hair. “Gather round,” he said to the others.
The day was warming and because of rains farther north, the narrow stream gurgled and splashed over rocks nearby.
“Before we start, I want to talk to all of you,” Jake said. He pushed his hat to the back of his head and the broad Western brim framed his face.
“Myth or truth, we’re going to try to find the legendary treasure. If we find any gold or even just bones that are remains from a gunfight, everyone will get a bonus of five thousand dollars—Milan hands and Calhoun hands alike—from me.”
Jake paused as the men grinned and applauded.
“You’ll have earned it. This will be tedious work. If we find nothing, you’ll get a thousand dollars above your regular salary just for volunteering for this.”
Again the cheers and applause caused Jake to wait. “Okay. Madison and I have been over the maps and this is the area we picked to start. We’re just going to spread out and start digging along Rocky Creek this morning. Good luck and let’s dig.”
Jake was a take-charge person—she had known that back in high school when she’d watched him on the football field as quarterback. They had both been in the math club and he had been president, taking control of the meetings and being decisive when problems arose. She had been vice president and she could remember some clashes they’d had, too.
Jake turned to her. “You might as well do what you want—look on or sit it out, but if you sit, watch out for snakes.”
“Sure, Jake,” she said, pulling out her map. She began to move up the creek, but after a few feet saw a likely spot. She sat on a rock and studied her surroundings, the mesquite, cactus, small plants and, at the water’s edge, grasses and weeds.
Jake walked up and sat beside her. “What do you think?”
“Now, I’m not so sure.”
“It’s a start. You can stay right here.”
“I’m getting my sketch pad.” She stood to follow him but slipped on loose rocks. Instantly his strong hands closed around her waist and held her. She grasped h
is arms to steady herself and then looked up into his brown eyes, her breath shortening as his gaze lowered to her mouth and her lips parted.
She stood there, immobile, aware of his hands on her, of hers holding him, and of how close they stood. Would he kiss her? Her eyes widened before she stepped away quickly. “Thanks for keeping me from going into the creek,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say to him.
He nodded, but didn’t respond.
Shaken more by Jake’s hands on her than by almost falling, she moved away, walking a few yards upstream before she stopped. He stood watching her.
Maybe coming along hadn’t been a good idea, after all, she thought. Yet she knew she was the only one who could deter Jake if he wanted to do something that none of the people with Milan interests thought he should.
Moments ago her body had blazed with desire. She had wanted his kiss. That’s what had shocked her the most. Over eight or nine years ago, she had thought she was completely over him, no longer feeling a vestige of attraction or love for him. She had thought she’d put him away with childhood memories, boxed up and stored as a keepsake of a long-ago phase of her life. She’d thought she’d blocked him out of her mind. Well, she had been wrong. Obviously. In one moment with his hands locked around her waist, she had wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, step close and kiss him.
She couldn’t trust Jake. She would never trust him. Right now, he could be up to something. He could have offered to let her have the treasure so she couldn’t see that he had any hidden agenda or ulterior motive.
It would take a long while and lots of time together for him to win back her trust. If he ever could.
She got out her pad and sketched for about two hours, but then laid aside her pencils.
Feeling a need to stretch her legs, she started moving away the rocks that would have to be relocated before anyone could dig in this area. She hadn’t moved more than half a dozen rocks when Jake’s hand closed on her wrist.