Chapter 11
The next morning, they set off for Cedar Ridge early. Cooper was sure that they could make the house next to the church livable for the winter. “It might not be easy to keep it warm, but it’s a small place. You’ll have to operate on a generator, or we might be able to get you some solar panels.” Cooper mused as they rode the four-wheelers into town.
After they’d toured the house, they both agreed that it wouldn’t be easy, but it would work for one winter. “I think we’ll be okay. Where is everyone else going to live?” She asked, as they headed home.
“Marissa has that handled; you’ve been so busy you probably haven’t noticed, but there are cabins popping up all over the woods. We were going to clear the debris from the old cabins, but then we realized that those were historical sites, so we’ve started fresh. For now, they’re very simply designed, but they can all be expanded to accommodate larger families.” Cooper explained, taking a quick detour out of town to where one of the cabins was almost finished.
“Wow, this is really happening, isn’t it?” she said, impressed.
“This is just the beginning. Once the water gets back to normal, we’ll start a couple of farms to supply the canyon with fresh food. The school will be up and running this fall; we’re looking at using only solar power, too.” Cooper said, clearly excited.
“I’ve got to spend some more time learning about what your plans are since it looks like I’m going to be a part of them.” She said, giving him a squeeze from behind as they rode over the bumpy trial back to Honey Hills.
Paige couldn’t believe how wonderful things had turned out in the end; only a few weeks ago her career was all but over and she was alone. Now she had a man she loved who wanted to have babies with her and soon, life had made one of those wonderful unexpected twists that made it worth living. She couldn’t wait to see Justin and convince him that they should move up here. It wasn’t that far away from her parents and she’d have to make frequent trips to the university so they could see them often.
She was glad that Cooper wasn’t pushing her to move in with him, understating that everyone needed time to adjust to their relationship. As much as she loved him, rushing things would be a sure way to destroy what they’d built. Justin would need time to get to know Cooper and Brandon, and they needed time to get to know her and Justin too.
When they got back to the farm house, they decided to make dinner for everyone as a surprise for when they got home. It was a pleasant afternoon spent cooking and talking; they even made some tentative plans for Christmas, grinning at each other as they did. By the time Paige slid the chicken in the oven to bake, the sexual tension between them was at the breaking point, they took the stairs two at a time and fell into bed lost in each other until the over timer chimed.
After a quick shower, they set the table on the back porch and sat down to wait. Paige was anxious to see Justin and hear all about his big adventure to the city. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long. Everyone was happy to see Paige back to her old self and they had a nice dinner, complete with desert, which Cooper had made himself. After dinner, the boys went to the family room to play video games, Justin going along with Cooper’s hour rule with only a shrug of his shoulders.
Once the boys were gone, they talked about the supplies they’d brought back with them for the school when Paige suddenly remembered that Clarissa was supposed to be with them. “Where’s Clarissa? I was looking forward to meeting her.”
“She’s coming up tomorrow with the moving truck, we had to have them stop and pick up the desks and electronics.” Marissa explained. “We decided that while the park is going to represent life in the 1930s, the school should be as modern as possible.”
“It was so much fun shopping for the school.” Her mother said, looking wistful. Then looked embarrassed when her phone buzzed in her pocket. “Oh, I’m sorry I thought I turned that off, but that does make me remember something Paige. I got this strange phone call the other day, the man said he was a reporter calling about the find, but then he started asking me questions about someone name Joaquin or something like that. It was strange, and when I told him I didn’t know what he was talking about, he hung up on me.”
Marissa almost spit out the bite of pie she’d just taken, “Did you say Joaquin?” She asked.
“Yes, I think that’s what he said.” Her mother nodded her head.
Marissa jumped out of her chair and ran into the house returning with a stack of papers. Joaquin Murrieta was a bandit back during the gold rush; he was sometimes called the Mexican Robin Hood and a lot of scholars think that Zorro was inspired by his life.” She said, pointing to the pages she’d thrown on the table.
“So what does that have to do with us?” Scott asked, fairly sure he knew the answers.
“Well, there are a lot of legends about him stashing his ill-gotten gains all over the mountains in this area. Some historians think that there’s millions of dollars in gold coins buried somewhere up here. One of the most retold legends is that he buried his treasure in a cave under an Indian burial ground, thinking that it would be safe there.” Marissa finished triumphantly.
“Oh my God. Do you really think it’s our cave? I mean it’s just a legend, no one has ever found any gold in these mountains even with the hundreds of legends that are out there.” Paige said, talking herself out of the crazy idea that was germinating in her mind.
“I don’t know; they always say that there’s some truth in every legend.” Cooper said, pulling out his phone. “Someone must think that there’s a chance that our cave holds more than just Indian relics and there’s only one way to find out.”
They listened while he called Calvin and told him to get himself along with a metal detector up to the dig site the next morning. “We’ll just go into the cave and sweep it with the metal detector. If there’s something there, we’ll find it.”
They all sat in silence for a long time, wondering if it was even possible. Finally, Paige’s training got the better of her and she said, “Marissa can I use your computer to do some research? I’ve got access to papers that you don’t; I might find something more.”
“Sure, no problem, make yourself at home. You know where it is.” She said, getting up to clean off the table.
“Oh, I’ll help you first.” Paige said.
“No go on. I’ve got plenty of help.” Marissa said.
Hours later, Cooper found Paige still on the computer. The boys had found their way into the room and were quietly playing a game on the floor. “Hey, it’s getting late, Marissa wants to know if we want to spend the night.” He asked, carefully.
Paige looked up thinking about the offer, she’d been trying to avoid sleeping with Cooper when Brandon was around, and now Justin was here too, but if they put the boys to bed and made sure they were up before them it should be alright she decided. But before she could speak, Justin said, “Can we stay? Brandon and I can sleep in that room with the bunk beds, Marissa said so. It will be like camp except you’ll be here in the morning.”
“Well, I can’t argue with that.” She said, “But that means that it’s bed time. It looks like we’re going on a treasure hunt tomorrow.”
The next morning, everyone was up early and eagerly awaiting Calvin’s arrival. They barely let him get out of the truck before they’d pushed him back in and they all headed up the road. Cooper’s house looked lonely sitting there all alone now that the camp had been disbanded. Paige missed the students but was glad that they didn’t have to hide what they were doing. Calvin thought they were crazy as it was, she wouldn’t want her treasure hunt to get spread all over the university.
By the time, they got the ladder up against the side of the cliff; she was so nervous her palms were sweaty. It was ridiculous, but she could just imagine the stir in the academic world if she found not only an Indian burial ground, but a buried treasure. Shrugging off the silly idea, she climbed up the ladder after Calvin, then waited for the rest of the group.
It seemed to take Calvin forever to set up the metal detector, but he finally started sweeping the cave, getting no response until he moved to the back of the cave. There in a back corner he got a response so strong the tool practically vibrated in his hands. Cooper was right behind him with a shovel and began to dig right where the signal had been the strongest.
Within minutes, his shovel struck something with a loud thwack. Cooper froze, looking around at the group, then continued to dig. It wasn’t long before he’d uncovered a chest the size of a small foot locker. When he reached in and tried to pull the chest out, it wouldn’t budge. Motioning for help, Calvin and Scott grabbed the chest and together they pulled it out of the ground.
No one spoke as Cooper broke the rusted lock on the chest and pried the lid open. There was a collective gasp when they saw the gold coins inside the chest. They had all known what was going to be inside that chest, but seeing the shimmering metal was breathtaking. It was a long time before anyone spoke, the significance and danger of what they’d just found suddenly clear to them all.
“Close it up and burry it again.” Paige said, “I remember now that the artifacts in this area seemed more jumbled and damaged than anywhere else in the cave, I bet they were moved then put back to cover the spot.”
“You want us to bury it again?” Cooper asked, confused.
“Well, if you thought those artifacts were valuable, think about what that’s worth.” Paige said, “We need to have a plan.”
That seemed to snap the rest of them out of the stupor the sight of the cold coins had put them in. Together they put the chest back, covered it back up and did their best to make the spot look like it had before. They silently went down the ladder and back to Cooper’s house, so shocked no one had anything to say, except the boys who were chatting happily about bandits and buried treasure.
As Scott was getting into his car he said, “I’ll call Donovan when we get home and get us some security. Until then, go about your business as if there’s nothing up there. We don’t discuss it with anyone, not even between ourselves.”
Paige thought that was an excellent idea. “How about I cook us some dinner at your house Cooper, I bet there’s not much to eat at our camp.” She said, striving for normalcy.
“I have a better idea, let’s go to town and have dinner. I don’t know how much there is to eat at my house either.” Cooper said, “I’m thinking pizza.” Which brought a cheer from the boys and Paige who loved pizza and knew that Cooper was aware of that fact.
They made the mistake of going to the grocery store hungry, so when they got home they not only had a bunch of left over pizza, but a trunk full of groceries. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to make all this fit in the refrigerator.” Paige said as they carried in the bags.
“I think it’s time I upgraded the cabin. I’ve been waiting because it didn’t seem all that important but now it’s becoming a problem. Paige, I really don’t want you and Justin sleeping out there in that tent all by yourselves.” He said, concern in his voice.
Paige too had been thinking about how odd it would be sleeping out in the tent, but the alternative which she knew Cooper was suggesting didn’t make her feel comfortable either. Putting down the groceries she’d been holding, she crossed the kitchen and made Cooper set down what he’d been holding. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked up at him and chose her words carefully.
“I would love nothing more than to move in here with you and Brandon, but don’t you think it’s a bit fast? Brandon already has a lot of ideas in his mind and the last thing I want to do is hurt him. And what kind of message are we sending if we’re suddenly together; I mean we’re not married and we’d be sharing a room. I’m not sure I’m ready for the questions Justin’s going to ask me.” She said, hoping that Cooper would understand.
“We wouldn’t have to share a room, there are two more bedrooms up there.” He offered.
She looked at him for a long time, then said, “I’m sure that would work. You in your room and me in mine.”
He laughed and said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. We’d only end up sneaking around behind their back, and that’s not right either. When are your parents leaving? I’m sure you could stay in the guest house until we get your house ready.”
Paige breathed a sigh of relief, “That would work, if you don’t think Marissa would care.”
“She would have given you the guest house long ago, but you wanted to camp out.” He said, giving her a kiss, feeling better now that the problem had been solved, although he’d have rather had her move in with him.
Life settled into a rhythm for the next few weeks. Paige spent time every day writing her thesis and cataloging the artifacts. At first, she’d been bombarded with requests for access to them, but it was soon widely understood that until she’d finished the cataloguing everything, the collection was closed to outsiders.
But then, she’d had a difficult discussion with Professor Morgan who’d also received one of those strange phone calls and taken the time to research Joaquin Murrieta. “You need to consider the possibility that this is more than a legend.” She said, after she’d given Paige the same information Marissa had.
“It seems pretty unlikely, but I guess we could check into it.” She said, not exactly lying, but not being truthful either.
“Do it soon, there have been a lot of rumors flying around town about that cave.” Professor Morgan said, sending a chill up Paige’s spine.
After she got off the phone, she got on the internet to find that there were in fact a lot of rumors going around about not only what they’d found in the cave, but about what else might be in the cave. The rumors of Murrieta’s treasure had resurfaced and were making the rounds of social media. There had even been a story on the news.
Panicked, she called Donovan Terrell, he’d arranged for the same men to return to move the gold coins, but they’d been called out of the country and he’d advised her to wait for them. “Paige, I know these men and we can trust them. It’s going to take time to transport those coins if they’re as heavy as you say, you need them.”
But now that rumors were flying it wouldn’t be long before someone got up the nerve to come up here and look for themselves. Once she’d voiced her concerns, he’d agreed with her, but still cautioned moving the coins until they were ready. “Do you know if it’s possible to cut off the park entirely? Because if we can do that, then I’ll just send some of my people out there and they can handle things until we’re ready to move the coins.”
It had only taken Donovan a few hours to put his plan into action, so now they had an armed guard stationed at the new front gate and the only way to get into the park was with a pass or by appointment. People complained about it at first, but once they understood the danger of having strangers roaming around the park trying to find the cave, they all agreed that it was necessary.
Cooper and Paige had to steal time together during the day when the boys were at school. They’d complained about starting so early in the year right along with the other kids in the canyon, but in the end they all went happily to their first day of school. With an entire school body of only ten kids, Clarissa and her teaching assistant would be more than able to handle their duties.
As fall made its approach, the land had begun to respond to the constant water supply and the rain and snow of the winter would only increase the healing that had already begun. Steve spent more of his time in the park than at home and was considering moving there permanently to study the park full time, temped all the more by the generous salary he’d been promised by Scott and Cooper.
The house that she and Justin would be living in would be ready in only a few more days, the solar panel the only thing they were waiting on. Paige had never cared that much about money, but it was pretty impressive how much could get accomplished when there was plenty available. It was almost as impressive as the ease with which Justin adapted to his new life and Cooper’s presence in it.
She’d known that he always missed having a father and Cooper had managed to slide into that role with little problem, and having Brandon there helped as well. The boys had begun what they thought was a subtle campaign to see Cooper and Paige married and the two of them sharing a room, but their efforts were anything but subtle. Cooper returned one day from a trip to town to report to Paige that they’d tried to get him to buy a bridal magazine at the checkout.
They’d laughed, but underneath that laughter they were both thinking that spring weddings were nice. “Do you think we should talk to them?” Cooper had asked, after that trip. “Brandon got on my computer the other night and pulled up a bunch of pictures of wedding rings on the screen so I’d see them when I opened it.”
“Oh, let them be, unless you think they’re going to be disappointed some day.” She said, giving him a challenging look.
He crossed the room and had her in his arms so fast, “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” He said, with a mischievous grin before his mouth came down on hers.
They were interrupted when Brandon and Justin came into the kitchen, “Gross.” Brandon said.
“Don’t you have to be married to do that?” Justin said, then they both ran out of the room, laughing at the top of their lungs at their cleverness.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to them?” Cooper said, laughing at her shocked expression.
She looked up at him and shook her head no, “But you can go back to what you were doing before we were so rudely interrupted.” She said, pulling his head back down to hers.
When they parted breathlessly, Cooper said, “I think it’s about time to see if Aunt Marissa will watch the boys for a night. I love our afternoons together, but I need to sleep with you in my arms tonight.”
Paige just about melted on the spot. No matter how much she thought she knew Cooper, he always seemed to surprise her when he was suddenly tender with her. It made her feel loved and protected, a feeling she’d never experienced with a man before, one that she was quickly becoming addicted to. “I’m sure we can arrange that.” She said, her voice husky with desire.