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“There’s something about Carl. He says he’s a believer, and he says it with real conviction.

” Tilda dismounted. “But the way he talks to Ben ... I suppose a man who makes a fortune in New York City has to be tough and smart. He has to be excellent at bossing people around. But I don’t like the way he treats Ben.

I don’t know quite what to make of it. Oh, and he said he’s staying.

Moving permanently to California. He’s looking for a house to buy in Dorada Rio.

He aims to send Ben back to New York to run his business there. ”

“He must trust Ben to give him so much responsibility,” Brody said.

She shook her head. “At least if Ben goes back east, he’ll be far away from us. I wonder if Sheriff Stockwood has a way to check with the New York police to confirm he in fact gets to New York and that he stays there.”

“I’ll ask the sheriff about it, Tilda,” said Josh. “What Ben did was a crime, pure and simple. A serious crime. If he gets away with it, you’ll be left to live in fear that he’ll show up and do it again.”

It was now Brody and Ellie’s turn, and they told about finding the note and the new Spanish language clue. The former one about Captain Cabrillo had helped them find some of the treasure, so the new clues might be helpful.

“Let’s go examine that armor, every nook and cranny of it.” Josh looked through the door and smiled. “The boys ... that is, your brothers are beating us to any new discoveries.”

Gretel yelled out the back door that they were all invited into the house for supper.

Ellie told her they had supper going at their own home, but Gretel wanted them there and said she’d fetch the stew and see it was chilled for the MacKenzie family to eat tomorrow.

“Zane and Michelle want to know what’s going on. You’d better join us before Michelle brings the baby over there to help examine armor.”

“Thank you, Gretel. We’ll be there.”

Josh was the last one inside.

Tilda gasped. “I’ve never been here before. I only vaguely heard it called the invention shed. I had no idea it was so large and so loaded with strange equipment. What is she inventing in here?”

“I can barely keep up with what she’s working on,” Josh said. “She seems to be making improvements to trains mainly. Let’s go look over the treasure. We can talk about inventions later.”

They got to work. The armor had been cleaned since arriving at the ranch.

After Michelle sketched a diagram showing the placement of the pieces, each suit of armor had been disassembled to some extent and wiped free of dirt and debris.

There were a surprising number of pieces to a suit of armor; the whole collection of artifacts was laid out in front of them.

“Can I see the note you found?” Tilda asked.

Ellie nodded. “Do you understand Spanish?”

“Not a word, and now that I know I have Spanish heritage, that seems a shame. I’m just curious.”

Brody had copied his grandpa’s note onto a new piece of paper to protect the original note, which was very fragile from age. Tilda read what she could of it as Josh came up to look over her shoulder.

It was his turn to gasp. Josh jabbed a finger at the page. “Why did he write down latitude and longitude coordinates?”

Everyone turned to stare at him.

Brody strode straight for the paper. “Is that what that string of numbers is?”

Josh shrugged. “Sure looks like it. We used such numbers for sailing all the time. That way we knew our location.”

“So they tell us a location. An exact location...”

Ellie came to Brody’s side and looked at the numbers. “Can you tell us then where the coordinates point to?”

“You said your grandpa was a sailor just like me. It’s only natural he’d be able to figure the location. I’d need to spend a little time making calculations on a globe or a map. But yes, I think I can tell you where on the map they point to.”

“Brody, you and Ellie brought back his original mining claim, didn’t you?” Tilda stared at the paper, her brow furrowed.

“We did. I left it in the house last night. We can get it when we go in for supper.”

“With those two things combined, we ought to be able to ride right to the end of that map.” Josh smiled at Thayne and Lock, who were listening with rapt attention. “We can go snap up the rest of the treasure tomorrow if you want.”

Brody took Ellie’s hand, his expression solemn. “And then I can go back east. I have to go, Ellie.”

“I knew that when I married you. We can build a good life there, Brody. And with the train, we can come home to visit.”

Brody looked at his brothers, and Ellie held her breath. “I want you to come with me. But you’re adult men—or getting close to it. It’s your choice.”

Thayne watched with sharp eyes. Lock scowled.

“I want to be with you, Brody. I want our family to be together. I’d go with you—after we find the rest of Grandpa’s treasure—but I can’t leave Lock behind.

He needs me more than you. I’m old enough to be out in the world on my own, and I’ve known youngsters Lock’s age who were taking care of themselves.

” Thayne turned to his little brother. “Will you go east with us, Lock? Then Brody can work for his doctor until he feels his debt is repaid. Maybe I’m old enough to go to medical school myself.

I’m a little shy on education, so I don’t know how easy it’d be for me to get into college.

But I’ll do the work I have to do to get in, even if it takes a while. ”

Lock was silent.

Ellie watched the boy, because despite his protest, he was still a boy.

Lock studied his brothers, then looked at the armor.

He was close enough to a shield to run his hand over the old iron, pitted from age.

This was the one that had been hanging in a tree.

It was rusted and much worse off than the ones they’d dug out of the ground. Lock leaned closer. “What’s this?”

All of them turned toward the shield. There was a small space where the surface wasn’t ruined.

“It looks like some letters carved into the shield.” Brody leaned closer. “It says solo sigo .” Brody’s eyes met Lock’s. “Those same words are in Grandpa’s note. He must’ve copied it off this shield. It was probably readable thirty years ago.”

They all considered it quietly, and then, one by one, they smiled.

Lock slapped Brody on the back and said, “I’ll go with you, but I like it out here in the West. Can we come back like Thayne said, after your debt is repaid? We only have the three of us since Pa died, but now, with Ellie and all the Harts, we’d be surrounded by family. I like the idea of that.”

“I like the idea of that, too,” agreed Brody.

“I think Ellie’s going to miss her family a lot.

I’ll write Dr. Tibbles and tell him we’ll be there before winter settles in.

I’ll tell him I’m willing to work for him for one year.

With my help, he can spend that year finding someone else to partner with him. ”

Ellie felt unshed tears burn her eyes. She was so in love with Brody that she would willingly follow him anywhere. But only now, when they spoke of returning, could she admit to herself how much she would miss her family.

Lock stepped over to Brody and extended his hand. Brody caught hold and shook his hand thoroughly. Thayne, standing nearby, rested his hand on top of theirs. The three of them, for once in their life, in complete agreement.

Lock turned to Josh. “Can we go treasure hunting tomorrow, then? You think we can finish this up in a single day?”

Josh said, “Tilda needs to be on hand to testify at Ben’s trial. Can we wait until that’s over? We’d like to go with you. I think the trial may take place tomorrow, but if not, it should be soon.”

Brody nodded. “We’ll wait. Hopefully it’s not for too long. We’re ready to finish this and return to Boston.”

Ellie’s heart stumbled a bit as she wished for a longer delay. But she kept her mouth firmly closed. Michelle had a new baby. She wanted to watch her grow up.

“Once the trial is over,” Tilda said, “I’d prefer to get back out in the wilderness again.”

Josh smiled at her. “I’d say you’re starting to like Maddie.”

Tilda nodded. “It’s a fine thing to have an unexpected family that’s truly mine. I want to know her.”

“If Grandpa found all that gold like he said he did, I suppose there ain’t no rush.” Lock exchanged a glum look with Thayne, who dipped his chin.

Josh stepped to Tilda’s side and pressed a hand to the middle of her back. She leaned against him and sighed.

Ellie thought of how much she enjoyed leaning on Brody. And he leaned on her, too. Being married was a wondrous thing, even if you had to leave your family far behind.

“And maybe,” Lock said, “we don’t have to go out there in a mad rush and find the location on Cord’s map and Graham’s mining claim and wherever that row of numbers Josh called ‘tude’-something takes us.

Maybe we can just settle in beside the treasure, dig mighty slow, and ponder our lives for a bit. ”

Josh said quietly, “Longitude and latitude.”

“Maybe we can spend time out in the wilderness memorizing those words,” Tilda added.

“Let’s examine this armor more closely, all of us,” Ellie said. “Just in case there are more carved words somewhere or another hidden note. But be very careful—we don’t want to damage any of it.”

“And whatever we find, we’ll turn it over to the men Michelle contacted. For research.” Tilda frowned. “But they get to examine it, not take it. What we do with this treasure is a decision we make, no one else.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

No one seemed overly excited about searching for treasure now.

Ellie thought that Lock accepting the absence of more gold doubloons had taken most of the thrill out of the hunt.

One more search for the treasure should end it.

One more day for a treasure hunt—after Ben Cabril’s trial.

And after that she’d head for Boston with her husband and his brothers and leave the rest of the Hart family and the ranch far behind.

She wondered if she’d ever see her family again.

She wondered if this was how Josh had felt when he went to sea.