CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
When Penny woke she was alone. She savored the memory of Jake’s arms around her last night. Had his proposal been a dream? Sunlight caught the diamond on her ring, assuring her that Jake and she were engaged.
She dressed quickly and went downstairs. Sounds from the kitchen convinced her she was the last one to arrive for breakfast. She went into the kitchen to find everyone else seated around the table. Suddenly, shyness overcame her.
“Good morning.” Jake smiled as he stood and came to stand beside her.
He put his arm around her and looked at his family. “Penny and I have an announcement. I’m happy to say she’s consented to be my wife.” Jake took her hand and showed everyone her ring.
Sally jumped up and hugged Penny. “This makes me so happy. I couldn’t have chosen a more suitable or wonderful woman for Jake or a better husband for you.”
Howard kissed her cheek. “Nice to finally have a daughter. Lucky for me Jake chose a woman of your character and beauty. Grandkids ought to be smart and good looking.”
She looked at Jake. Of course he wanted children to pass on the ranch. Thinking of the act to make a baby caused her face to heat in a blush.
Bart kissed her cheek. “I knew my brother was a goner the night you arrived.”
She figured she was beaming like a beacon. “Thank you for accepting me into your family. There isn’t anywhere I’d rather be.”
Sally stood with hands clasped at her breast. “When do you plan to hold the wedding?”
Jake shook his head. “We haven’t talked about a date but we agreed we want to marry soon.”
Sally’s excitement was no match for Penny’s. Still, the housekeeper looked as if she had just won the lottery. “We’d better get busy then and get things arranged. Are you going to marry at the church or do you want a home wedding?”
Penny looked at Jake for confirmation. “Would it be all right if we married in the living room in front of the mantel?”
Jake held her in his arms and smiled at her. “Anything you want. You and Sally work on it and tell me when to be there.”
Howard slapped a hand on the table. “Great news. Now can we eat? I’m hungry as a bear.”
Sally laughed and set a bowl of scrambled eggs on the table. “When are you not hungry, Howard Knight?”
***
After breakfast, Jake took Penny’s hand and led her to the living room. “I’m arranging your surprise, but you can’t be in the house until everything is ready.”
“Jake, what am I supposed to do in the meantime? I have work waiting in the study.”
“Take a walk.” He glanced outside. “No, the weather is really cold today. I know, you could go read in your room. You like to read.”
She stood with her hands on her hips. “All right, but I’m getting more and more curious as to why you want me hidden away.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When they broke their embrace, his breath was ragged. She was melting at his feet.
Penny sighed. “You convinced me. I’ll disappear for a while.”
“I’ll come for you as soon as I’ve finished. Trust me, you’ll be happy when you see what I’m doing.”
She laid her hand on his chest. “I do trust you.” She reached up to kiss his cheek before she climbed the stairs.
Half an hour later, Jake rapped on her bedroom door. “You can come down now.”
Penny didn’t need a second invitation. Jake led her down the stairs and to the study. Sally and Bart stood near her desk. Over the desk that Penny used were framed photos taken of her, her father, and the ranch in the 1800s.
Penny couldn’t stop the tears welling in her eyes from streaming down her cheeks. “These are wonderful. How did you find them?”
Jake looked proud enough to bust his buttons. “These are from the museum. I had a devil of a time convincing them to let me make copies. Had to make a sizable donation to prove I wasn’t gonna run away with the photos.”
“My favorite is the one of Daddy and me. That’s the one Mrs. Dennis mentioned, isn’t it? I remember when it was taken but I’d never seen this photo.”
Jake stood beside her with his hand at her waist. “I told the museum people that we’re starting a historic collection here and that you’re the curator. That’s true because you’ve been cataloguing the history of the house and ranch.”
Penny wiped the tears from her eyes from her face. “This is a wonderful surprise. No wonder I love you.” She threw her arms around him and laid her head against his chest.
***
Late afternoon on Friday of the next week, the family held a meeting in the Knight kitchen. Sally sat by Howard and Penny saw him hold her hand, as if no one else could see. As dense as Jake and Bart were about such things, maybe they didn’t notice.
Jake laid a sheaf of papers on the table. “I’ll let Caleb explain the progress.”
Caleb opened his briefcase and spread his paperwork in front of him. “You know getting all the crates out of the cave was a job. The four men who loaded them into the armored cars each signed confidentiality agreements.”
Bart grimaced. “Doesn’t mean they’ll stick to the agreement.”
Caleb looked at his cousin. “No, but I impressed on them the legalities they’d face if they spilled any information. Armored car drivers sign this kind of contract with their employer, so we’re probably safe there.”
Howard released Sally’s fingers long enough to spread his hands on the table. “Now that the crates are with the gold and silver broker, are we safe from publicity?”
Caleb tapped one of the sheets of paper. “They’ve finished the assaying and have a total value of 150 million.”
Gasps sounded from Penny, Sally, and Howard.
Bart whistled through his teeth. “That’s a lot of money.”
Jake directed his gaze to his brother. “Remember almost half goes for taxes. That still leaves a lot.”
Caleb checked another sheet of paper. “Tomorrow, there’ll be a story in the news of our discovery, but without names or location. The owner of the brokerage knows my name as a bank representative but not as your family. As he sells the gold and silver, he’ll wire the money to the bank in care of me.”
The business side of this was hard for Penny to understand. How could anyone wire money? “Will you set up the foundation in Daddy and Earl’s name?”
Caleb smiled at her. “I have the paperwork with me. I suggest each person in the family be on the Board of Directors. Penny, can you administer the funds the way you do for the Penny Terry Foundation?”
She looked at Jake for confirmation but he only smiled at her. Did he want her involved? “If that’s what Jake wants.” She gazed at the others seated around the table. “If that’s what everyone wants, I’d be honored.”
Caleb passed around pens and signature cards. “Each of you should fill in one of these and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Sally looked at a card but hesitated. “I don’t think I should sign one. I’m not family.”
Howard opened his mouth to speak but Jake responded first.
“You’re definitely family, Sally Rogers. Maybe not by blood, but you raised us and we love you as if you were our mother.”
Tears pooled in Sally’s eyes. “That’s good to hear. You three are my boys—yes, I’m counting you, Caleb. And, I couldn’t be prouder of the men you’ve become.”
Howard patted her back. “You’re partly responsible for the men they are because you made sure they were fed and loved and kept out of trouble.”
Bart handed his card to his cousin. “How can you be sure someone at the bank won’t spill the beans?”
“I can’t. In a small town, people are curious. One careless remark and everyone will know. All we’re doing is keeping this as quiet as possible for as long as possible.”
Jake handed over his card. “I just don’t want reporters knocking on the door—or cons either. Perhaps we should make a statement as to what we’ll do with the money.”
Howard said, “You have a point. We need to come up with a set of guidelines and make them public. We need a website that will list the rules and how to apply. We’ll still get a few con men trying to scam a part of the money, but that should at least help.”
“Good idea, Uncle Howard. I’ll leave that up to you five.” As the cards were filled in, Caleb collected them. He returned all his paperwork to his briefcase. “I’ll keep you posted on any new developments. Right now, I’m going home, change into sweats, and chill out for the weekend.”
Penny couldn’t imagine fastidious Caleb wearing the clothes called sweats. She’d bet they were designer duds that cost enough to feed a family for a week. The thought made her smile.