Page 32 of Riches Beyond Measure (Golden State Treasure #3)
Twenty-Three
They rode into the ranch yard at the end of a long day. Annie was barely clinging to her horse. For a time, she’d dozed in the saddle, but she’d hung on and they’d finally arrived home. Ellie and Brody had lagged behind for a while in the wagon but were now catching up fast.
Annie strode straight for the house and Caroline while the men unloaded the chests, carrying them into the laboratory. Caroline was happily playing on the floor as Mayhew looked on fondly, a book open in his lap.
Annie hugged Caroline and held on tightly, until at last the girl wiggled free and went back to her playing.
Annie was happy her daughter wasn’t upset, but chagrined to realize how well Caroline had gotten along without her ma.
Overcome by fatigue, she sank onto a chair near Mayhew and told him all that had happened on their journey.
“There were wagon tracks not far from the place they were camping,” Annie added. “They unloaded the travois and filled up the wagon, then hitched their two horses to the wagon and headed out. They left the other horses behind, and we found them.”
“Can I see what you found, Annie?” Mayhew asked. He looked as eager as the MacKenzie boys.
Annie brought Caroline and Mayhew—who’d insisted she call him Grandpa as Caroline now did—out to the laboratory to show them what they’d found. Michelle and Zane were already in the laboratory, looking over the items they’d brought back.
Annie said to Mayhew, “Cord told me you have excellent security guards at the bank. He wired them to be on the lookout for Hardy in Sacramento.” She turned to Michelle. “And Josh wired Marshal Trey Irving, who helped when we had that trouble with Horace and Jarvis Benteen.”
Michelle shuddered visibly and stepped closer to Zane.
“Did you also send a wire to Dorada Rio from Cornerstone?” Zane asked.
“To the train station there,” Annie replied, “plus two more down the line. And to Sheriff Stockton. We stopped and talked with the sheriff in Dorada Rio, but just for a few minutes. It was getting late. He said he’d wired you an update.”
“That’s true,” Zane said. “Hardy and Rombauer were spotted loading cargo onto the train two days ago. They’ll be past Sacramento by now. But Stockton said he’d pass the word on down the line, hoping they’d catch them before too long.”
Annie frowned. “That’s mighty bold of Hardy to ride right into our town and board a train. No doubt he was seen and recognized by folks we know. We should find him fast.”
Once the group had eaten a hearty supper and drank their fill of water, they all stood outside Michelle’s laboratory, trying to figure out what to do next—especially concerning the ship they’d discovered.
They decided the right answer was probably to rest up a bit and then ride back there to see what more they could find in the ship and surrounding area.
Annie didn’t want to leave Caroline again anytime soon. At the same time, she felt almost desperate to head back to the shipwreck. Yet all she had to do was think of that awful cellar to convince herself to stay home on the ranch with her daughter.
Night was rapidly falling.
Annie wondered if Hardy and Rombauer had plans to ride all the way across the country to the Atlantic Ocean and then board the first ship to Spain.
Or maybe they would head to the California coast, San Francisco most likely, a port that wasn’t far away by train.
Where would they sail to from there, though?
Mayhew held Caroline’s hand as he listened to the others share all that they’d gone through in the wilderness.
When they got to the part where they escaped from the root cellar, he let go of the little girl and hugged Cord and then Annie.
“I’m so glad you got out of there. I’d say God arranged for that earthquake to hit then and there to save you. ”
Cord clapped his grandpa on the back and gave him a second hug.
Though Mayhew had attended church with the family while he was here, Annie knew Cord was worried for the man’s soul.
Mayhew talking about God sending his grandson a miracle was a sign he was turning to a prayerful and faithful life.
She was sure that lifted a burden from Cord’s heart.
She decided it was a good thing to have a grandpa around the place.
“What should we do about that shipwreck?” Cord asked.
That was the question they kept going back to. The folks at the Two Harts Ranch had spent too much time and faced danger too often over MacKenzie’s Treasure.
“I’m disgusted with that Professor Hardy,” Michelle broke in.
“He should’ve treated what he found out there with more reverence, more respect.
For him to steal those artifacts and run off is downright shocking.
I’m tempted to send for another archeologist to take Hardy’s place, but can we trust anyone else after all that’s happened? ”
There had been several archeologists interested in assisting them on the treasure hunt, but not one of them was as determined and outspoken as Hardy, not to mention arrogant and stubborn.
Michelle drew a deep breath, then blew it out. “Honestly, I feel like we may have lured Professor Hardy down the path of destruction. We did that by setting before him a temptation he couldn’t resist.” She looked at Tilda. “Are the things Hardy stole really that valuable?”
Tilda gave a little shrug. “I wouldn’t have said so, no.
The logbooks in that chest, however ...
well, they might truly add to what we know about history and the conquistadors.
But it’s not like Hardy came upon a stash of gold doubloons—as far as we know anyway.
I think he cares more about fame than about amassing a fortune for himself.
He wants his name attached to a significant discovery.
” She paused, shaking her head. “That man has ruined his reputation forever. He’s ruined his career, and it seemed as though it was a successful one.
Well, it’s all over now. Once the law catches up with him and Rombauer, both men are looking at jail time. ”
The sun disappeared into the horizon as the group filled everyone in and tried to decide when to return to the shipwreck and whether they dared to trust anyone else to help them catalog the discovery. They were still going around in circles when Brody herded Ellie and his brothers off to bed.
Annie was so far beyond exhausted that she wasn’t thinking straight. She really needed some sleep.
“While you were away, Annie,” Josh said, “we got the guesthouse far enough along to be slept in. Tilda and I are staying there. You, Cord, and Caroline can have the housekeeper’s rooms.” Josh and Tilda headed for a new building Annie hadn’t noticed, which was tucked behind the row of cabins.
Cord swept Caroline up into his arms. “Would you like your own bedroom, sweetie?”
Caroline giggled. “Uncle Josh and Auntie Tilda have been letting me sleep in there all week. It’s my room now, they said. Except now my ma and pa will be sleeping in the other room.”
Pa. The word wasn’t lost on Annie or Cord as Caroline threw her arms around his neck. Cord held her tight, his face buried in her dark curls, his eyes closed.
Collecting himself, he looked up at Annie, his eyes shining with love for their little girl.
Annie had wondered if she should urge Caroline to start calling Cord “Pa.” They didn’t talk much about Todd anymore, and she doubted her daughter remembered her father.
Sad as that was, Annie didn’t want to push her girl to do anything that would hurt her further.
Now Caroline had made the decision on her own.
Annie beamed, unable to take her eyes off Cord and Caroline together. He came over and slid his arm across Annie’s back, and they went inside, everyone following along.
“Let’s go to bed, Ma.”
Annie nodded and felt her own throat clog with tears.
On the way in, Cord said, “It seems like every time we think we’re finally getting to the end of this treasure hunt, it gets more complicated.”
“I suppose finding something unexpected that’s been hidden for hundreds of years is always going to be a complicated business.”
As they moved to their new rooms, all Annie could think about was letting herself collapse onto her bed, where she’d slumber away the hours till the sun came up again.