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Dwayne smiled. “Thanks, man.”
What he was looking for was the key to the secret of Winters Lot.
BRINGINGHOMETHEcompass had worked to reunite the family. Anna’s mother and aunt were so surprised and remorseful that they’d never believed her all these years, and they were happily making up for lost time on a girls’ weekend in the Bahamas. They’d invited Anna to come along, but her thoughts were preoccupied with the treasure.
And, more annoyingly, Dwayne.
It wasn’t new for her to meet that kind of skepticism and disbelief. She was more than used to it by now, but she’d foolishly thought for a second that Dwayne was different.
But he’d turned out to hold the same narrow-minded opinions as every other guy she’d ever met. Growing up, she’d always seen treasure hunting as exciting, exotic... She’d never looked at the career from the viewpoint of others until she’d gotten older and her story was often met with snickers or whispers behind her back. She’d never let their taunting hurt her. Anna knew who she was.
She squared her shoulders.
She’d never allowed anyone’s opinions about her and her career bother her before and she wouldn’t start now.
If only there hadn’t been that connection...
“Miss Anna, there’s someone here to see you.” Pedro, the family’s gardener, popped his head in through the open office window.
“Oh, thanks. I didn’t hear the door.” Occupational hazard of being engrossed in her maps and old documents. Her grandfather’s journals from the weeks between his injury and his death were hard to decipher. In one story, he talked about finding the treasure in the caves and the next he was rambling on about some cutaway ledges in the side of a valley. Which valley, she had no idea. She hadn’t seen one from the air...
Reluctantly leaving all the documents on the desk, she stood and headed toward the front door, just as it opened. Her mouth gaped, seeing Dwayne enter her family home behind Pedro. The older man shot her a wink as he left them alone.
“Dwayne? What are you doing here?” She hadn’t heard from him since she’d left Port Serenity. Not that she’d expected to. They’d had one day together. One kiss. One shared experience that had changed the course of her life...
“I was thinking about what your grandfather said...about moving the treasure.”
She sighed, hands on her hips. “And it wouldn’t be physically possible in his injured state. Yes, you’ve expressed your opinions.” He wouldn’t be the first man to feel a need to explain. Some people just couldn’t let it go.
But Dwayne shook his head. “Actually, I’d like to take back my earlier assessment.”
Her eyes widened, but she folded her arms across her chest as he continued. He might have a different opinion, but she wouldn’t get her hopes up quite yet.
“He could have moved the treasure...if he hadn’t had to go far.”
Okay, he’d succeeded. She was definitely intrigued. “What do you mean? When we flew over the area, there was nowhere he could have hidden so much loot.”
Dwayne’s smile was wide as he took a step toward her. “Except in the river.”
“There’s no river on the map.”
“But there is one now...and my research into the geographical records shows it would have been there twenty years ago. The start of one, anyway. A river that would have been crossable and that would have held ledges...”
Her eyes widened. “And Gramps knew the river levels would only rise over time...”
“Making the treasure that much more hidden.”
Her heart raced as she nodded, excitement flowing through her at the lead and its source... Then her eyes narrowed. “I thought you didn’t believe in all of this?”
Dwayne took a step toward her and reached for her hands. She reluctantly unfolded her arms and allowed him to hold them. “I was wrong. I never should have shot down the idea, and the more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.”
Anna swallowed hard as he stepped even closer, his gaze gentle and full of remorse.
“And thinking about you...and that kiss, made me even more desperate to figure out where the treasure could be, so that I could add value to the search.”
Her heart pounded in her chest and she swallowed hard. “You want to help?”
“I put in a leave of absence with the coast guard. Do you still need a helicopter pilot?”
