So far there’d been no direct assault. At this point, that could only mean one thing. Their adversaries no longer wanted the map.
They wanted the gold.
As Gage’s small band neared their destination, the threat became even greater.
It was late afternoon when Gage spotted Mateo coming back down the trail. He was smiling broadly, his steps lighter than they’d been since the journey began.
“That saddle near the top of the mountain?” The flat spot on King’s map. “It is just over the ridge.” Mateo was clearly eager to get there, and so was Gage.
“All right, let’s go.”
Mateo led them farther up a steep trail running along the east side of Bluff Spring Mountain to a wide flat that matched the description in King’s notes. As Gage paused to look at the map, Abby came up beside him.
“You think this is it?” she asked.
“Longitude and latitude are right.” He read from King’s notes. “Cross the ridge, go down past a large, pointed, isolated hill on the left-hand side, then up the first right-hand canyon, out onto a flat. Don’t mistake the canyon for the trail. The trail leads up the first long draw, then down into a canyon filled with sycamore trees.”
“I spotted a line of sycamores as we came up this last leg,” Kyle said.
“So we’re here.” Abby’s gaze ran over the barren landscape. “This is the place King found the Devil’s Gold.”
“I guess we’ll see.” The flat was near the top of the mountain, yet protected by jagged bluffs on one side and vertical canyon walls on the other.
“I saw human signs,” Mateo said, his black eyes following Gage’s. “Very old. I think this place was used by people many years ago.”
Gage nodded. “There’s evidence the Mexicans kept horses and mules somewhere in the mountains to transport the gold they took out of the mine. The animals needed to be guarded, so there were men stationed here.”
According to King’s notes, there was a spring near the cottonwoods that could be used to water the animals in times of drought, and if the weather turned bad, the animals could be sheltered in the steep surrounding canyons.
Abby glanced around. “The mountains here form a natural stronghold.”
Gage followed her gaze. “With guards posted on the top, it would be the perfect place to defend against the Apaches.”
“Sí,” Mateo agreed. “I found old charcoal beds nearby.”
Abby turned to Gage. “They could have had a smelter up here,” she said, excitement in her voice.
“If this is where the Peralta mine was located,” Gage said, “they could have melted the gold into ingots before they were transported out of the mountains.”
“We need to go over King’s notes again,” Abby said.
Gage nodded. “Let’s get camp set up, study the maps, and go over the notes. We can take a quick look around before it gets dark, then start searching first thing in the morning.”
Abby grinned. “It’s here. I know it.”
Gage smiled, her enthusiasm contagious. And the way she looked at him, as if he were some kind of hero for bringing her here . . . Gage felt a tightness in his chest.
He thought about what had happened at the pool. The next time they were together, he’d make sure it wasn’t some hurried affair. Abby deserved better, and he wanted to give it to her.
Even more, he wanted to give her the Devil’s Gold.
* * *
As the hours passed, all Abby could think about was her grandfather and finding the treasure—proving King Farrell right, restoring his reputation as one of the world’s great explorers.
As soon as Kyle and Mateo had the camp set up, she and Gage walked the area. Gage wanted to get a feel for the terrain before they began to unravel the specific clues King had written in his notes. But dark came early in these mountains. They barely had time to complete the circle, to assess what they would be facing in the morning.
Lying in her sleeping bag, Abby stared up at the diamond spray of stars overhead. It was well after midnight, and she was still wide awake. Though neither she nor Gage had mentioned what had happened at the pool, her thoughts had returned there a dozen different times.
She was still surprised she’d had the courage to pursue him, though having spectacular sex with Gage was no surprise at all. He was everything she’d imagined and more.
Passionate, virile, and a skillful lover with an incredible body. Though Abby didn’t like to think of the women Gage had slept with, or would in the future, for now he was hers, and she believed he would keep his side of the bargain, unlike Ben.
Since their arrival that afternoon, she had done her best to keep him out of her thoughts. They were there to find the treasure. She needed to be completely focused on that goal.
But as she lay on her bedroll, she felt his presence less than a foot away, sleeping lightly, seemingly alert for any sign of trouble. His Winchester rifle lay on the other side of his bedroll within easy reach, his semiautomatic pistol on the ground above his head.
With a sigh, Abby finally gave up on sleep and quietly eased out of her bag. The dying embers of the campfire glowed red in the night, beckoning her in that direction. Seating herself on the rock she had sat on during supper—a meal of freeze-dried chicken and dumplings that tasted more like feathers—she found herself smiling.
Tomorrow, Mateo promised, they would be eating roast rabbit. Apparently, he had spotted a few of them and set a box trap made of branches to catch them. Mateo was an interesting man, extremely intelligent and insightful. An old soul, some would say. Abby had come to appreciate his unusual skills.
She was staring into the glowing coals when she spotted him in the darkness, moving toward her as quietly as a shadow. He crouched beside her, able to sit comfortably that way for surprising lengths of time.
“You do not sleep,” he said.
“I’m nervous about tomorrow—and excited at the same time.” She looked up at him, drawn by something that encouraged her trust. “It isn’t just the money.”
He nodded, loosening strands of black hair from the leather strip at the nape of his neck. “Gage told me about your grandfather. He said King Farrell was a very great man.”
“He was a great explorer. I want this for him as much as for me.”
“And Gage? Do you also want it for him?”
The words hit on something inside her. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but yes. I do. Gage is a man like my grandfather. He’s brave and determined. And trustworthy, I think. My grandfather talked about him once. He said Gage Logan was someone who could contribute great things to the world.”
They sat in silence for a while, watching the red glow of the fire slowly fading. A coyote howled in the distance, followed by two more. She liked the way they called out to each other, as if they were part of a family.
She thought of her grandfather and how much she missed him. She thought of Gage and how much she had come to care for him. Abby could no longer convince herself that what she felt for Gage was purely sexual attraction. In her heart, she knew it was far more than that.
She picked up a stick and stirred the coals. “Were you there when . . . umm . . . Cassandra was killed?”
Mateo’s head came up. His eyes found hers in the darkness. “Yes.”