Page 55 of No One But You
He continued to rock into me with aborted thrusts through the aftershocks, and then he affectionately nuzzled the spot where my neck joined my shoulder.“You’re amazing, and I love you,” he said again.
“I love you too,” I told him, running my hands down the smooth expanse of his back.“More than anything.”
I floated in a sea of bliss, enjoying his weight on me and the rhythmic thud of his heart against mine.
I never thought I’d get this.
I’d yearned for Max for longer than could possibly be healthy, always believing I’d have to be content to love him from a distance.There had never been anyone for me other than him.And now, I got to have him.
I planned to keep him forever.
EPILOGUE
BAILEY
“Are you sure it’s around here somewhere?”I asked Corie Smith, the great-something descendant of Pearl McIntyre and Charles Smith.She was a super cute twentysomething rocking the hot-librarian look, with blond hair tucked into a bun, adorable glasses, and an upturned nose.
“My family kept the letter Pearl’s father wrote to her,” Corie said, scanning the area around the waterfall through squinted eyes.“It isn’t in the best condition, but I went over it with Arthur from the Heritage Museum, and we’re pretty sure that he hid her inheritance in the place where she married.”
“But why?”I was under the impression that he’d been furious she’d run away with a miner and married him, even if he’d come to regret driving her away later in life.
She shrugged.“The spot became sentimental to him, and he knew that if he didn’t hide her inheritance well, her siblings and cousins would try to find it before she got the chance to return.”
There was a high-pitched beep, and Toby waved his arm excitedly.
“Over here!”he called, patting a rock to the right of the waterfall, well out of the way of the water.
We hurried over and gathered around the rock face.There was quite a turnout.When Corie had announced that she was coming to town to either find the treasure or debunk the myth, the entire population of Destiny Falls had become invested in her search—especially given the notoriety brought to the case by her violent cousins.
Toby tried to dislodge the rock, but it didn’t budge.One of his friends grabbed the other side, and together they managed to pry it free.Behind the rock was a dark hollow.Toby started to reach inside, but Connor appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his arm.
“Don’t,” he said gruffly.“Let me.I’m the park ranger.I know what might be living in there.”
Toby pulled a face but backed away as Connor extracted what looked like a pair of gardening gloves from his pocket and put them on.He shone a flashlight inside and then, carefully, reached in.
I held my breath, excited by the prospect of what he might find but also trying to remain calm because we’d had a few false alerts already—mostly lost watches and rings.
“I feel something,” Connor said, moving closer to the rock face and thrusting his arm fully inside so that only his shoulder was visible.He scowled, concentrating hard, and then began to wiggle back and forth.
Bit by bit, he dragged out a rusted metal box covered with ornate decorations that must have been beautiful once.When it came free, he placed it carefully on the ground, then lifted the rock and pushed it back into the hollow, leaving hardly any sign the spot had ever been disturbed.
Corie’s eyes were wide and shining, her hand pressed to her lips as she walked over and dropped to her knees in front of the box.“Is it really…?”
Connor knelt.“One way to find out.”He tried the latch, but it was rusted shut, so he grabbed a hammer from the tool kit.“Mind if I break the lock?”
She shook her head.“Go for it.I want to know what’s inside.Just try not to damage the box.”
Connor handled the box with surprising care for someone with such large, rough hands.He positioned it at an angle and struck the lock until it broke off.He lifted the lid, exposing what looked like a bundle of fabric.
“Is it the treasure?”Grace asked from where she hovered nearby.She wanted answers almost as much as Corie, since she’d done so much research on the family for her book.
With shaking hands, Corie lifted the fabric.Beneath it was a large leather pouch.She opened it and reached inside, then froze, her eyebrows flying up.
My heart raced, and I dug my fingertips into my palms so I wouldn’t demand that she get on with it and show us what was inside.Enquiring minds wanted to know, but this was her big moment, so I wouldn’t rush it.
She pulled the bag open wider and angled it so that those of us gathered around could see.
It was full of gold and jewels.
