Page 30 of Whispers of Fortune (Golden State Treasure Book #1)
T HIRTY
Ellie read for as long as the light held out. They’d split the packet of papers between them all.
The papers were old, as dated as the journal, and much of them were written in Spanish. Though she could understand the language a little, there was a lot she didn’t understand. She did notice the word cabrillo in a number of places.
Lock had found one letter written in Graham MacKenzie’s hand, or they all assumed it was his. It included a second reference to the deal he’d made with Mayhew Westbrook that needed to be honored. And vague references to a treasure. Deliberately vague, Ellie was sure of it.
Josh picked up his rifle as Thayne and Lock moved with their blankets away from the fire.
“What’s wrong?” Brody asked.
All of the MacKenzie brothers turned to look at Josh.
“I think I’ll stand watch,” Josh answered quietly. “I don’t like the feel of the night.”
“What do you mean by that?” Brody shoved aside his blanket.
Josh looked away from the firelight. “If you stare into the fire, your night vision is no good.” Josh grinned. “Just a little hint from someone who’s used to camping out in the wilderness.”
Ellie figured she’d done more camping than all of the MacKenzies. “I haven’t noticed anything unusual.” Then, after thinking on it further, she realized she had noticed something. She’d been on edge and had blamed it on the skeleton in the cave. But it was more than that. Ellie looked around where they’d set up camp. “Listen. There are no night sounds. No owls or crickets, no frogs chirping. It’s too quiet. Sometimes when the wilderness sounds go quiet, it means there’s something or someone scaring them back into their nests and holes.”
Brody peered into the night in a direction that was opposite of where Josh was watching.
“We’re on a treasure hunt,” said Josh. “A thirty-year-old treasure hunt, but still ... there’s no reason really to think we won’t face any trouble.”
“I’ll stand watch, too,” Brody said, reaching for his boots.
Though he sounded calm and sensible, Ellie knew Brody lacked the temperament needed to stand sentry for the night.
Josh shook his head. “No need. Go on and get some rest. I’m going to take a look around. If I’m satisfied it’s safe, I’ll sleep. Trust my horse to warn me of trouble.”
“Your horse?” Brody stared at the animals grazing nearby.
“Yep. There’s lots I can teach all of you.” Josh stepped to the edge of their camp, almost out of the light. Over his shoulder he said, “I reckon there’s plenty you could teach me, too. We can all spend some time learning when we get home.”
Ellie settled by the fire, looking right square into it. She wasn’t quite ready to sleep.
Thayne and Lock pulled their blankets up to their chins and were soon snoring. The two brothers lay at the edge of the small clearing. Josh was keeping watch, although she couldn’t see him at the moment. Brody had turned away from the fire. She hadn’t given much thought to danger, and if she felt any uneasiness, she put it down to being around a skeleton in a dark cave. That was enough to make anyone nervous.
She knew she’d need a few minutes to think and pray before trying to sleep.
Brody, staring into the woods, glanced over at her. She had her back pressed up to a rock wall. The campfire had warmed the rock’s surface, which helped to soothe her sore muscles. The day had been fine, but they’d been climbing, and up this high, even in summer, it turned cool at night.
Brody stood and came to sit beside her. He was facing the fire, but he wasn’t looking at it. He was looking right at her.
“Do you...?” he began, then swallowed hard.
Her heart lifted. Up until now they’d shared very few moments alone together. Now here they were ... not exactly alone, but close. The night was starlit, the air savory with the scent of woodsmoke and pine. The fire crackled in a way that could almost be described as romantic.
“Do you,” he started again, “think we should—”
“Should what?” Oh, she had a few things she thought they should do.
“...should take my grandpa’s body back to your ranch?”
Ellie let her head fall back, and if it rapped a bit hard against the rock behind her, it was what she deserved for hoping Brody would seize this private moment to speak of better things than old bones. Honestly, did she have to do all the work?
It would seem that she did.
With a sigh, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Brody pulled away, sat up straight, gave her a wide-eyed look, then got the notion fast enough. The second kiss was all his idea.
The moment stretched on as the fire warmed her. The kiss helped warm her as well.
Brody straightened away again and studied her carefully. “Ellie, finding my brothers was all I had on my mind for so long. And when I found them, I found you. It’s almost impossible to believe such a beautiful woman could have come into my life.” He stopped talking and kissed her again.
It was her turn to talk. “Since the day you arrived, Brody, it’s been one thing after another all the time—reuniting with your brothers, searching for treasure, doctoring.”
“And don’t forget, I have to leave.”
She couldn’t forget that if she tried. “But in the midst of all that, well, I found you, too.”
Another kiss. When it finally ended, Brody eased away and slid an arm around her, pulling her close to his side. Side by side, they sat there watching the blazing fire.
“We need to talk about the future, Ellie. I would like a future that included us being together forever. Would you consider coming with me to Boston?”
Ellie felt an odd turmoil stirring within her. Forever was something that had never felt real to her. Her parents had died suddenly. Her fiancé had betrayed her when she thought she’d found a man she’d spend forever with. Annie’s husband had been shot and killed. She had little trust in forever . But with Brody, she very much wanted it to be true. And she wanted it to be true because, she realized with a sharp twist to her heart, she loved him.
“Brody, I—”
The crack of a cocking gun turned Ellie and Brody toward the darkened forest. Something moved among the shadows.
No, not something. Someone.