Heart Of Gold (37 page)

“That's
why they call the mouth a pie hole. I was just following the owner's
manual.” He got to his feet. “We're running low on just about
everything. I was thinking I would go. Ellie and Cort can stay up here with
you.”

Carter
frowned. “I don't need them as babysitters. I have a cut on my hand, not a
neurological deficiency.”

Buddy's
brows rose at her sharp tone so she took a deep breath and tried to smile.
“So how was the night up here? Quiet?”

“No,”
he said with a grin, “and courtesy of the interruption, I'm stuck figuring
out how to tell Cort I'm dating his uncle.”

“Excuse
me?”

“Last
night, the big man and I shared a tent. Your tent.”

She felt
her jaw open. “Nick?”

"Yup.”

“He
was up here? With you?”

“Yeah,
and he snores like a wounded badger. Did you know that?”

She
started to shake her head in disbelief. “But why did he come up
here?”

“Why
do you think? Too much scotch, not enough of you. He was all ready to give a
big speech. You should have caught the look on his face when he saw me.”
Her friend chuckled.

“You're
not serious.”

“The
hell I'm not.”

“I
can't believe it,” she murmured while sitting down.

Buddy
sighed theatrically. “He even stayed for a cup of coffee this morning.
Such a gentleman.”

“Why
didn't he tell me?”

“When?”

“This
morning. He made me think he was out with . . .” She shook her head.
“I guess it doesn't matter.”

Buddy
took a seat next to her. “Aw, come on, a billionaire stumbles up a
mountain, in the middle of the night, wearing a tuxedo, just to find you. I
think that means something.”

“Yeah,”
she grumbled, trying not to be pleased. “That he's nuts.”

“Right.”

Carter
shot her friend a long look and then cracked a smile. “Buddy, don't tell
me the car is a lemon when you're trying to sell it.”

“I'm
nuts and you've put up with me.”

“I'm
not in love with you,” she countered evenly.

Buddy's
face assumed a hopeful cast. “Does that mean—”

“No,
I'm not in love with him either. And don't give me that look.”

“What
look?”

She
rolled her eyes. “Shouldn't we talk about getting back to work instead of
my nonexistent love life?”

Buddy put
his arm around her shoulders, his expression serious. “You should go talk
to him.”

She shook
her head. “There's nothing more to say.”

“I
think you're scared.”

“Damn
right I am.”

“You're
crazy about him and, after last night, I'd bet the farm that he feels the same
way,” her friend said gently.

“Buddy,
you live in university housing in Cambridge. You don't have a farm to bet. And
let me get this straight. You think it's wrong to stay away from a ruthless man
who has a reputation for treating women like disposable napkins?”

“That
goes a little far, don't you think?”

“Come
on, he's the poster child for 'use once and discard.' ”

“Don't
be absurd. And anyway, you're different.” The conviction in Buddy's voice
tore at her, reminding her of all she wanted to believe in. “You aren't
one of those dime a dozen socialites who exists on a liquid diet of Chardonnay
and has her palm out for clothes money all the time. You're a real woman.”

Carter
stood up, trying to find the resolve she needed to let the subject drop, to let
Nick go. “I'm not convinced the problem is with the women he picks. Now
can we stop talking about this? It was old days ago when I lost my illusions
about him.”

Buddy
reached out and took her hand. “Carter, how long have we known each
other?”

“Jeez,
I don't know. Six years? Something like that.”

“And
have I ever given you a piece of bad advice?”

She had
an urge to send back a flippant response, but she saw that his eyes were grave.
She shook her head. What he said next surprised her.

“I
know he hurt you. Badly. But you know what? The course of love is never
painless and people do stupid things. They make mistakes. And trust me. I know
a man in love when I see him because I've been one. What showed up in your tent
last night was a guy who was missing his woman. It wasn't a slick operator
intent on getting laid. He loves you. I just know it. So think about giving him
a chance, okay?”

“But
what if he hurts me again?”

Her
friend's smile was full of wisdom. “He will. And you'll hurt him. And the
two of you will make up. That's how it works.”

She
snorted. “There should be a better way.”

“If
you find one, let me know. But I'll tell you this.” His eyes were full of
reminiscence and love. “Jo-Jo and I have battled and made up for almost twenty
years and I wouldn't trade one moment of it.”

Her friend
stood up. “So I've said my piece. Let's go see how the site is.”

As they
went over to the circle of stones, she had a lot to think about.

When they
got there, they assessed the soil drainage, which had been much better than
expected, and decided they could start working again. Still thinking of Nick,
Carter settled down in the last square she'd been working in. She found it
harder to dig with only one hand but managed as best she could. Using her
trowel awkwardly, she was surprised when she hit something in the earth a
little while later. It felt like bone.

“I
think we've got another one,” she called out.

Buddy
came over and helped her uncover what turned out to be a set of ribs. Among the
bones, they found a few metal buttons that were characteristic of the meager
colonial army.

“Looks
like it may be another revolutionary.” Carter sat back on her heels,
pleased with the new find. “So we've got two of them and two Brits.”

“This
one's only a few feet away from the redcoat we just dug up. Someone may have
buried them where they fell after the fighting.”

“Assuming
this one is another minuteman,” she hazarded, “then part of what's in
Farnsworth's journal is likely correct. He was taken, through the mountains by
two militiamen and he was met by a pair of his own men who should have had
Nathaniel Walker with them.”

“But
didn't because they were going to ambush the party.”

“A
fight ensues.”

“Red
Hawk kills them all except for Farnsworth.”

“And
then disappears with the gold,” she finished. ”So where's the reverend?"

The two
looked over at the remaining, undisturbed ground.

Together,
she and Buddy worked fast over the skeleton and, by the time Ellie and Cort
arrived just before lunch, they'd freed much of the upper torso.

“You
got another one!” Cort exclaimed. “Do you think it could be
Winship?”

“I
doubt it,” Carter said, getting up for a stretch. “He was known for
not wearing a uniform. The buttons here would indicate the man was a soldier on
the colonial side.”

“So
where is the reverend?” the girl prompted.

“And
where's the gold?” Cort chimed in.

“I
don't have an answer for either of those.” Carter ran an eye over the
whole site. “But I don't think the gold is here. If someone took time to
bury these bodies, I find it hard to believe that they wouldn't have taken it
with them when they left.”

For the
next few hours, the group made a concerted effort to unearth the skeleton.
Enough progress was made so that Carter was confident they could have the bones
and ancillary artifacts photographed, out of the ground, and safely stored
within a day. Just as the sun was taking a downward turn, Buddy uncoiled
himself with a groan, stood up, and announced he was heading into town.

“I'll
go with you,” Ellie said. “Cort, you want to come with?”

“Naw.
I think I'm gonna stay.”

Ellie
looked momentarily disconcerted but then lifted her chin and followed her
father.

When they
were alone, the kid spoke up in a soft voice. “Are you doing okay?”

Carter
was concentrating on the arm bones of the skeleton. “Of course. It's
awkward with only one hand but—”

“I
was thinking about your dad.”

She
looked over at Cort. His eyes were firmly trained on where he was digging. He
was working intently, as if he hadn't said anything at all, but there was a
watchfulness about him.

She
smiled, touched by his awkward concern. “Yeah, I'm fine. It was good to
see him.”

“Cool.”

“And
thanks for asking.”

They'd
been working steadily when they heard something rustling through the trees,
coming from the back trail.

Carter
tensed as Cort looked up. It couldn't be Buddy, she thought. That left
possibilities she didn't like to consider. Nick. Lyst.

“It's
probably just a deer,” she murmured.

“That
doesn't sound like Bambi.”

“Maybe
it's a tourist poking around. Or maybe it's Ivan.”

“Naw.
You can't hear him coming through the woods at all. Even if it's fall and the
leaves are down.” Cort went back to work.

The
sounds grew louder. As a premonition of danger swelled in her chest, Carter got
to her feet.

At that
moment, Conrad Lyst walked into the circle of stones. Her breath caught.

“Don't
stop on my account, Carter,” Lyst said in a mocking way. “So who's
your new digging partner?”

Before
she could head him off, the kid leapt up. “I'm Cort Farrell. Hey, I know
you. You're the guy Ivan chased off from here before.”

“Ah,
the master's son,” Lyst muttered as he leaned back against one of the
larger stones. His eyes focused on Cort as if he were memorizing what the kid
looked like.

“I'm
his nephew.”

“Indeed.”

Cort
puffed up his chest and demanded, “What are you doing here?”

Lyst’s
gaze slid over to Carter, caressing her in a way that made her feel stained.
“I just couldn't stay away from my ... friend over there.”

“Maybe
you should have made more of an effort,” she said in a low voice as Cort
looked at her with confusion. She was worried about him and trying to think of
a way to get him the hell off the mountain.

Lyst
began to smile.

“I've
missed you deeply, Carter.” There was a lover's tone to the words.
“I've just hated being away.”

Cort's
eyes narrowed and Carter could only imagine the conclusion he was jumping to.
She couldn't figure out what Lyst was doing. He seemed hell-bent on creating
some kind of fiction about the two of them. Or maybe he actually was attracted
to her.

She
thought of the many times she'd bathed naked in the stream and felt ill at the
idea he might have been watching her.

“So
I see you've found another skeleton. You're up to four now, is it?”

“I
think you should go,” she said evenly. “Mr. Farrell's made it clear
you're not welcome on his property and we're expecting him soon.”

It was a
total lie and she hoped Cort wouldn't refute it as he looked over at her
sharply. In her mind, she was madly calculating when Buddy was due back. It
would be another hour, at least.

“I
should like to see Farrell again,” Lyst murmured and then surveyed the
site. “You've been busy here. Not much further to go.”

There was
a tense pause and then he pegged Cort with an insincere smile. “Would you
mind my having a minute alone with my friend? We have some things to discuss
that are ... personal.”

Cort
hesitated.

“It's
okay,” she told him quickly. “Why don't you go and tell Gertie I'll
be down for dinner soon?”

Her eyes
were shooting a command at him and she prayed he wasn't going to argue.
Cort opened his mouth as if he might but then rushed out of the circle of
stones. She felt a measure of relief.

“What
an attractive young man,” Lyst said, stepping closer to her. “He
seemed confused about the nature of our relationship, however.”

“What
are you talking about?” she hissed, trying not to show her fear as she
took a step backward.

Lyst
frowned. “I've watched you with Farrell, you know. I've seen the way you
look at him. If I were another kind of man, I'd take it as a betrayal.”

Carter
looked down at the trowel she'd left in the dirt. She decided if he lunged at
her, she was going to grab for it. It was the only thing around she could turn
into a weapon.

“And
what have you done to your hand? I leave you unattended for a couple of days
and there you go, injuring yourself. Good thing you bandaged it all up. It's
really important to take care of things that bleed like that.”

Behind
her mask of composure, it occurred to her that, by assuming Lyst was merely
unethical, she might have vastly underestimated him.

“Not
much more room to find my gold,” he said, moving closer to her.

She
wasn't about to argue over the pronoun. “I don't think it's up here.”

“No?
Well, I do, and I'm rarely wrong about these things. It's here,
somewhere.” His eyes traveled down her body. “I can smell it. Maybe
not in this place but somewhere else on this mountain. Where will you dig
next?”

“This
is it. After we're done here, I'm leaving.”

“Are
you sure about that? I'm depending on you to do the work that Farrell has
prevented me from accomplishing.”

“I'm
not doing anything for you.”

"No?
I should think you'd be more motivated. You've got a lot to lose. That barn in Burlington you've spent so much time working on, for instance. Fires frequently occur in
the home, you know. Or what about that lovely young man. It would be terrible if
something happened to him.

Some kind
of accident, maybe a fall in the woods? Teenagers can be so careless."

A cold
sweat came out over her skin. “Don't you dare go near him.”

“God,
you're so protective. It's positively maternal.” Lyst took another step closer.
“But the one who really strikes my fancy is that young girl. Such
beautiful red hair and pale skin. The things I could teach her.”