I stare at the screen, unsure how to respond. Finally, I type: “Anytime. You okay?”
The reply comes quickly: “Better now. I’m sorry I ran out.”
“You didn’t run,” I write back. “You just needed space. I get it.”
Three dots appear, disappear, then appear again. Finally: “Can we talk tomorrow? After we tell Jake everything?”
My pulse quickens. “Of course. Dinner?”
Another pause. “Dinner sounds good.”
I slip the phone back into my pocket, a strange lightness in my chest despite everything. Tomorrow will bring complications—Jake’s reaction to the treasure, decisions about the mineral rights, Margret’s claims, and legal issues. But somehow, the prospect of dinner with Lana outweighs all of that.
I make one final check of the barn, securing the lock behind me. As I climb back into my truck, I catch a flash of movement in the tree line—probably just a deer, but after everything that’s happened, I can’t help feeling watched.
The sensation follows me as I drive back to Ella’s house, where the lights glow warm and inviting against the gathering dusk. Jake is waiting on the porch, two beers in hand.
“Thought you might need this,” he says, handing me one as I climb the steps.
I accept it gratefully, easing myself into one of the rocking chairs. “Thanks.”
“So,” he says after a moment, “you gonna tell me what’s really going on? Or do I have to wait until tomorrow like everyone else?”
I take a long pull of my beer, considering how much to reveal. “It’s complicated,” I finally say.
“It always is with you,” he replies, but there’s no judgment in his tone—just the wry observation of a brother who knows me too well.
I laugh despite myself. “True enough.”
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching as the last light fades from the sky. Snow still blankets the ground, pristine and peaceful, giving no hint of the secrets buried beneath.
“Is it bad?” Jake asks eventually.
I think about Thomas Wolf’s journal, about Margret and Danny, about mineral rights worth billions and a century-old legacy waiting to be claimed.
“Not bad,” I say carefully. “Just... big.”
He nods, accepting this for now. “And Lana? What’s the story there?”
I keep my eyes on the darkening horizon. “Also complicated.”
Jake chuckles softly. “You never did like the easy path, did you?”
“Where would the fun be in that?” I reply, but my smile fades as I think about Lana’s nightmare, the raw fear in her voice, the way she curled against me seeking safety. “By the way, are you coming back to your house tonight or staying here with Ella?”
Jake smiles. “I’ll let her decide. Don’t wait up for me.”
Chapter 15
Lana
The drive back to the lodge is exactly what I need—twenty minutes of solitude with nothing but my thoughts and the snowy landscape. My mind keeps drifting back to Caleb, to last night, to the feeling of waking up with my head on his shoulder and his arm around me. The memory sends a flush of heat through me that has nothing to do with the warm air blowing out of the car’s vents.
When I pull up to the lodge, it looks empty. Like no one is home, but I know otherwise. I grab my bag and head inside, stomping snow from my boots at the entrance.
“Hello?” I call out, dropping my keys in the ceramic bowl by the door. “Anyone home?”
“In here!” Kori’s voice calls out from the direction of the kitchen.
