Born of Treasure (Treasure Chronicles Book 2) Page 3

  Unlikely, given the popularity and notoriety of the Treasure name.

  “If you do care about our personal lives, the newspapers in the East enjoy writing about my daughter,” Garth said.

  Jeremiah clenched his teeth to avoid chuckling. Garth would scowl at those tabloids—the only time he did scowl—and throw them into the hearth to burn. Jeremiah had never dared to ask if his father believed the things written about Amethyst’s wild ways.

  “Newspapers like to prey on the wealthy,” Garth had said once. “We fascinate them somehow. They don’t care what they write so long as readers eat it up.”

  “Zachariah sure is an asset to our country,” Captain Greenwood continued. Jeremiah doubted Zachariah did more than spurt facts and follow his superiors around playing the puppy. “What about this other son? Clark, you said? Would he want to join the army?”

  “It is an option for him, but like Jeremiah, Clark prefers a different lifestyle.” Garth opened the front door. “Won’t you come in? The day is still heating and lemonade might be more cheerful in the parlor.”

  “Clark Treasure, would that be?”

  Jeremiah caught himself before snorting. The captain must’ve heard about how Garth had claimed a Tarnished Silver’s boy as his own. He didn’t have to rub it in.

  Garth shut the door, his eyebrows knit. Anyone who knew him would tell his nerves had been agitated, but his voice remained calm. “Captain Greenwood, Clark Treasure is the newest addition to my family. In my youth, I dallied with a Tarnished Silver and begot a son. I do not shy from my mistakes and we have welcomed Clark. He will have every advantage as my legitimate children.”

  “This will not tarnish our name,” Georgette added. “We are all happy to have Clark with us.”

  Captain Greenwood tapped one foot and cracked his knuckles, the grin finally real. Did he have a bastard somewhere that he’d claimed, and was glad to see someone else do it? Why would Clark fascinate him so much?

  “He grew up here?” Captain Greenwood asked. “You saw him every day in town?”

  “We don’t go to town every day,” Jeremiah snapped. “It’s too far away for that. We have work here.”

  “Your tone.” Alyssa brushed her fingertips over his elbow.

  “Clark grew up elsewhere before the mine in his town ran dry,” Garth said.

  “His mother lives here too?”

  “Alas, she’s passed away.” Georgette clenched her hands across her stomach.

  Jeremiah wanted to punch the captain—his questions bordered on rude when he should be thankful the Treasures had accepted his request to visit. His mother deserved respect, not to have Clark’s parentage thrown in her face.

  Captain Greenwood smiled broader. “Clark must miss Tangled Wire.”

  “We are all adapting to the new setting as well as can be.” Garth opened the door again. “Captain, to the parlor. Our Bromi is waiting to serve us.”

  “Relax,” Alyssa whispered as the others filed into the house. “He may be gruff, but he’s used to the army where men don’t hold to manners.”

  Jeremiah narrowed his eyes. No one had mentioned Clark grew up in Tangled Wire. They hadn’t told anyone, ever.

  ather.” Jeremiah leaned across the desk. “Ask him how he knew which mining town Clark lived in.”

  Garth sighed, massaging his temple. “Jere, I know the captain is trying. He isn’t like our usual guests.”

  “How did he know?”

  “Clark must’ve mentioned it to someone. News about us does spread.”

  Jeremiah clenched his fists. “He acted as if he didn’t know anything about Clark.”

  Garth turned in his chair to stare at the twilight outside the office window. “Jere, you’ve been sheltered here.”

  “I’ve been to auctions.”

  “In Hedlund. You’ve never left the state. People are used to you here. You’re not an oddity. Bloody gears, most of the people here are trying hard to survive each day. In other places, like in cities, people crave celebrities. They’re fascinated by them, look up to them. I’m one of the richest men in the country. Everything I do is interesting to them, so everything you do is just as amazing. Amethyst dealt with that every day.”

  “It doesn’t feel right.” Jeremiah needed a glass of rum to keep himself from exploding. His father couldn’t pretend the captain was just gruff.

  “Son.” Garth laid his hand on the stack of papers on his desk. “Alyssa has been here for five weeks now. You spend every moment you aren’t working at her side, and she hasn’t made a move to return to her home.”

  “She’s grieving.” The conversation didn’t have to do with Alyssa. The captain took priority.

  “If you have intentions toward her, make them clear. Nothing will change.” Garth closed his eyes. “Take a trip around Hedlund. See things you’ve never looked at.”

  “You want us to travel with Clark and Amethyst?” The last thing he wanted was to stop at every store while Amethyst fawned over the newest style of gloves. Clark had to be a prince to put up with her.

  “Take your own trip. Take Alyssa to the east. Neither of you have been there.”

  “I’ve never wanted to go east. Father, I have work to do here.”

  Garth laughed. “You think I don’t know how to run my own ranch?”

  “Bloody gears!” Jeremiah slammed his fist into the desk. “What about Captain Greenwood?”

  The office door opened and the captain barreled inside, as if he’d been eavesdropping for an opportunity.

  He should’ve knocked. Jeremiah folded his arms to keep from punching the idiot.

  “Captain Greenwood.” Garth folded his hands on his desk. “I thought you were in the parlor with Zachariah and the ladies. Alyssa loves charades.”

  “What are you doing for Hedlund Day?” the captain asked, as if no question had been posed.

  “Hedlund Day is two weekends away,” Jeremiah growled. “That shouldn’t have to do with charades.” He pictured Alyssa’s hurt face when the captain didn’t want to play her game, and he wanted to punch him anew. Jeremiah usually got the Bromis to play late into the night, until Alyssa was tired enough to seek her bed.

  “Hedlund Day celebrates the founding of the territory,” Captain Greenwood exclaimed. “It’s a national holiday.”

  “Only in Hedlund.” Garth cleared his throat. “We do the same each year. Families enjoy a picnic in town, and at night, each ranch shoots fireworks. Those who can’t afford their own, or live in town, visit a ranch for the night.”

  “We’ll have a celebration here.” Captain Greenwood had that grin again that made Jeremiah grind his teeth. “It will be a huge party. Your wife will love organizing it. Women adore that sort of thing. Invite Clark.”

  Garth stared without an expression. Would his father agree?

  “You have no right telling us what to do. You’re a guest,” Jeremiah said.

  “A party will be perfect,” the captain raved. “I’ll invite other army men. Zachariah will love mingling with his superiors and he may make connections to further his career in the army.”

  Could that be a bribe?

  “Clark will feel more at home,” the captain continued. “You can afford it, Treasure.”

  Another breech of manners—money should never be discussed except in private by family members.

  “Make sure Clark comes,” Captain Greenwood said. “I’d love to meet the newest Treasure.”

  Thunder rumbled outside.

  “How nice that it will rain.” Alyssa leaned against the second-floor wrap-around porch of the ranch house. Wind arose, tugging at her chignon. Amethyst would’ve pulled out her hair pins and shook her head to make curls bounce everywhere. Jeremiah grinned. Alyssa knew how to be a proper ranch lady.

  Jeremiah dropped his leather traveling bag onto his bed and popped the brass latch open. “When it rains here, it pours. There will be flooding.”

  “That’s the same as at home in Eastern Hedlund.” She cupped her h
and and held it out to catch the first droplets that fell from the night sky. “I love to sleep with the sound of rain on the roof.”

  I’d love to sleep with you. Jeremiah coughed. “You can pack fast, right?”

  She leaned her back against the railing to face him through the door leading from the balcony into his bedroom. “Yes. I haven’t purchased anything since arriving. I’ve kept the few things your mother loaned me separate in the wardrobe.”

  “We can leave on the train tomorrow. There should be tickets available. Do you care if we don’t take much? We shouldn’t be more than a week.”

  “With the rain, we should stay here. Some roads can become quite hazardous.”

  Jeremiah wiped his hand over his mouth. The Treasure Ranch had never been as much fun as with Alyssa present. She brought a glow to the everyday activities. Normally, he rose, worked, enjoyed a quiet evening, and went to bed. With Alyssa, he couldn’t wait to join her for lunch or to take her for an afternoon ride while he checked the grounds. “Do you want to stay here?”

  She stepped to the doorway. Thunder vibrated across the plains, stretching across the flatness. “I’m only here because of you.”

  Jeremiah froze. The light from the gas lamps on his dresser danced across her freckled face. She didn’t smile, didn’t frown, her lips parted and eyes seemed to glisten. His father’s words exploded back.

  “Do you”—his voice cracked—“want to… be a… couple?”

  Amethyst would’ve said, “Couple of what?”

  Blast her; she needed to get out of his thoughts. If his sister didn’t want to be a part of the family, he wouldn’t consider her.

  “Do you mind if I court you?” His throat tightened. The time she’d spent with him had felt like that, when he’d dated a few girls in town. They hadn’t known enough about manners. Proper ladies always wore shoes and they didn’t climb trees, didn’t shoot. His mother had drilled propriety into them even if they lived in the untamed west.

  If Alyssa said no, he wouldn’t know how to act around her. Their time together would slip away.

  “You will have to ask my father.” Alyssa smiled. “I will be very happy if he gives his permission.”

  Lightness lifted off Jeremiah with a whoosh. He sank onto the edge of his bed with a smile so broad it made his lips sting. “I’ll do that on this trip. I’ll check a map, see where to stop first.”

  Alyssa glanced down the porch before stepping into his room. He almost laughed. She’d refused to enter before, claiming it wouldn’t be seemingly since his parents were kind enough to shelter her.

  “Captain Greenwood might be gruff,” she said, “but what will you learn by going to his post? That his other men are just as unseemly? They don’t take only noblemen to be officers. Most soldiers are those who can’t make a living doing anything else. They’re also the hard working who want to give back to the country that protects them, the poor who yearn to survive.”

  Her words painted pictures as if her life were a novel. “I have a feeling. Something isn’t right with him. It’s not just gruffness, I swear.” He crossed to hold her hands. “Trust me. It’s how we ranchers get by. We have to trust our feelings.”

  “Are you sure he’s in Bromi Grove? That sounds terrifying.”

  “They only call it that because it was the first town cleared of Bromis. It’ll be safe. From what he told Zachariah, he was one of them to kill off those nasty Bromis and he’s had his post there ever since.”

  “You think he tells your brother the truth?”

  “Why not? Zachariah worships him. It’ll help the captain think he’s safe here. There’s something else going on, though, and I won’t let it hurt my family.” He opened his wardrobe and rifled through the shirts to find his fanciest. It would help his parents think he was just taking Alyssa on a trip. Asking her father for permission made the perfect reason.

  “He really wants Clark,” Alyssa whispered.

  Ice crept over Jeremiah’s skin. It had to be from the wind and rain blowing through the door. “My family’s affairs aren’t for everyone’s pleasure.”

  She shook her head. “It’s more than that. He was too eager. Do you think he deserted?”

  It would explain Clark’s aversion to the army. Jeremiah stiffened. A Treasure didn’t desert anything. However, if he had, that was for the family to deal with. They didn’t need Captain Greenwood airing that. His mother would want to hear Clark’s side of the story before thinking ill of him.

  Clark had known the suffering of Alyssa’s sister when no one else had other than her diary. Another secret of Clark’s. Treasures didn’t need secrets kept from each other. They were honest and hard-working. Next time Clark came home, Jeremiah wouldn’t stop until they were all open.

  From what I gather, this newfound son is the man we seek. His background and looks, as described to me by the father, match. He is traveling, but the father has called him home for Hedlund Day. They will host a celebration. We need adequate backup to apprehend.

  Captain Greenwood signed his name to the bottom of the letter, folded the paper, and stuck it into the envelope. He dripped wax onto the back and pressed his signet ring into it to create the image of the interlacing C and G.

  Leaving his bedroom, he discovered a Bromi slave scrubbing the kitchen table. The Treasures had retired to their beds, so Captain Greenwood pulled three coppers from his jacket pocket.

  “Take this into town for it to be mailed by morning.” Captain Greenwood thrust the letter against the Bromi’s chest. “If an express is offered, see it used. Here are funds to pay for that. See that they aren’t stolen or you will be executed. There are others to take your place.”

  The man blinked his black eyes. Stupid Bromi. They couldn’t do a simple job. “Do you understand my language?”

  “Yes, sir. The express won’t run none in this weather.”

  “See that it does. I have extra coins. I’ll check next time I’m in town to see it was done.”

  “It isn’t safe to travel at night in rain. The floods come fast these parts.”

  “That’s why I’m sending you.” The man was stupider than a child. He didn’t even dress proper, with the front of his shirt undone to his belly button. He should be wearing the cravat required by all Bromis in civilized company to hide that ridiculous tribal tattoo they all sported on their necks below their right ears.

  Captain Greewood ripped the belt off his waist and brought it across the Bromi’s face. “Get going, slave! See that it goes out as soon as possible.”

  His skin tingled and breath rasped in his lungs. Clark Treasure had never been so close to his clutches. The fool wouldn’t escape again. He and his condition belonged to the government.

  hat’s the book.” Eric pointed to the center of the top shelf. “See that black streak at the bottom of the spine? That’s supposed to be a nine. It was my ninth journal.”

  Clark grasped the top and angled it toward him, pulling the book from the shelf. The leather had been worn smooth in the corners, unmarked apart from the smear that had once been a number. He glanced to make sure no one except for them dwelled in the back of the bookstore. “Why didn’t Senator Horan want your diaries?”

  “He didn’t care about a man’s ramblings. He wanted my texts, my figure journals. Those had all my calculations.” Eric snorted. “Got them too, except for two Donald has and one I left at Garth’s.”

  Clark lifted his eyebrows. When his father had said to retrieve his diary, he’d expected confidential and incriminating information. “Does this list everything you had for breakfast?”

  “Yes. A good diary keeps a daily list.”

  “We traveled twenty miles to know how many eggs you had on a Monday.” Only a professor would think that kind of account worth something. “Sometimes, I was happy if I got a chicken’s egg to boil once a month.”

  He winced. It wasn’t Eric’s fault he’d had to live in poverty.

  “It’s my diary. It belongs with family,” Eric
whispered.

  “Brass glass,” Clark muttered. “I’m glad… to have it.” The book in hand, he headed toward the front of the bookshop. Amethyst browsed fashion magazines in a stand beside the counter.

  She flashed him a smile as thunder grumbled outside. “Find what you wanted, love?”

  He held up the journal. “This should be just the thing.” He pecked her lips before setting the book on the counter.

  The salesclerk stopped writing in a ledger to poke the leather cover with his pencil. “Didn’t think that one would ever go. You into ramblings?”

  “Don’t tell him why you want it,” Eric said. “Horan might track you down.”

  Would there ever be a time when someone didn’t track him? Clark brushed a curl behind Amethyst’s cheek, her smile making his heartbeat race. He’d found the girl who made him want to be something more than a mine worker. They deserved a life together where he could let her do what she wanted with their house, and they could go to her club. He could ride steamcycles through fields and find ways to help the Bromis.

  “University project,” Clark said. That should cover it. Last season, he wouldn’t have imagined himself in a bookstore with a girl who didn’t care if he kept her up all night making her squeal. Winters depended on him finding a ranch to work at so he could have shelter. They hired the most in the warm weather. Sometimes, he had to retreat to the Bromis.

  “Fifty cents.” The clerk wrote the purchase in his ledger. Clark handed him the coins and he tucked them under the desk. “Stay safe in the rain.”

  “Ranchers will be happy.” Clark tipped his hat, tucked the journal under his jacket, and escorted Amethyst through the door. Rain pelted from the sky like beads of ice. He turned his head down to use the brim of his hat for shelter, and tucked his wife under his arm. Mud swelled in the deep ruts of the road. She squealed when her foot splashed into one.

  “It never rains like this in New Addison City,” she shouted over a rumble of thunder.

  “The torrents always come like this in the summer.” It ruined the paths for steamcycles, trapping him where he’d been until Hedlund began to dry. It wouldn’t last longer than a week, but it made it hard if he didn’t have enough food.