Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) by Mary Tate Engels Page B
Authors: Mary Tate Engels
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while. Soon they would be relegated to eating canned items cooked in a cast-iron pot over an open fire, like the miners of a bygone era.
After eating, they sipped more coffee and ate a chocolate cake Dodge had purchased from a bakery in Sierra Vista.
"Good idea, Dodge," Rex said between bites. "This is a great cake."
"And not a calorie in the whole thing," Tory muttered with an accusing stare at Dodge. Then she took another big bite of the chocolate cake with its double-fudge icing.
Dodge grinned and drawled, "I figured that even though Yazzie is a pretty good camp cook, we wouldn't be getting any special treats like chocolate cake on this trip."
"You figured right," Yazzie commented shortly. The man obviously had no sense of humor. "On the trail, I'll stick to beans, bacon, and biscuits. Gets mighty tiresome, but it'll keep us going."
"How long do you think it'll take us to get to this place, Yazzie?" Rex asked.
"What place is that?"
"Our destination, the lost city of gold."
"There's no gold," Yazzie muttered. "Old Sharkey knew it. I think he's playing a trick on all of you."
"That's not so, Yazzie!" Ramona exclaimed. "You and I both saw—"
"Don't talk about no dead man, Ramona," Yazzie admonished her. "It'll bring us bad luck."
She stood up and shook her finger at the mountain man. "You know as well as I do there's gold up there. And Sharkey must have found it."
"Where?" Yazzie countered. "Courtland? Galeyville? Paradise? They're empty ghost towns. Nothing there but weeds and broken walls. No gold anymore. It's all gone."
"Pyramid's the name of the ghost town Sharkey mentioned in the will," Rex said. "Where's Pyramid? How far from here?"
Yazzie laughed, a rude, cackling sound. "Pyramid? There's nothing at all left of that one. Nobody ever found it again. Maybe it never was there."
"Yazzie," Dodge said, "you sound like you don't want to make this trip. What's wrong with checking out this lost city? You aren't afraid, are you?"
"Afraid? Hell, no! I'll go anywhere as long as you pay me for the use of my mules. It's just a waste of time because there's no gold out there." Yazzie stood up and shuffled outside.
The other four gazed bleakly at each other for a moment.
"He's lying," Ramona said finally. "I believe Sharkey, even if the rest of you don't."
Dodge agreed. "We just have to have faith in our old friend."
Ramona nodded, then looked at Tory. "I'm going to put my sleeping bag on the front porch. You want to sleep out there, too?"
Tory nodded and followed Ramona.
Dodge clapped Rex on the shoulder. "And we'll fix our sleeping bags out under the trees, right, Rex?"
"Unless you know of a nearby motel," Rex grumbled.
"Nope," Dodge said, and winked at Tory.
In spite of her sophistication, she blushed at his overture. What was wrong with her, anyway? After all, they had been intimate. She should be beyond that kind of reaction. She gave him a shy smile, suddenly feeling like a teenager at camp with a crush on the guy in the next tent. Only here, there were no tents.
Rex and Ramona headed for the Jeep to get their sleeping bags while Dodge and Tory went to the Blazer for theirs. Dodge detained Tory with a firmly placed hand on her arm. Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips for a sensuous series of tiny kisses across her knuckles. "Would you like to take a walk in the moonlight?"
"Gee, Marshal," she drawled in a responding, affected tone, "I'd love to. You're such a gentleman to suggest it."
"I'll meet you at the tree stump after we've made our beds. And no guarantees about the gentleman part."
"Why, Marshal ..." She fluttered her eyelids and fanned herself with her hand. "You aren't suggesting—"
He pulled her closer and whispered, "Trouble is, I've already done more than sniff your brandy, Tory. And I feel the need for a little of your fire. I've just got to figure out the logistics of our little problem."
"I think you might as well forget our liaison, Marshal."
"No way, fancy pants. Meet me
After eating, they sipped more coffee and ate a chocolate cake Dodge had purchased from a bakery in Sierra Vista.
"Good idea, Dodge," Rex said between bites. "This is a great cake."
"And not a calorie in the whole thing," Tory muttered with an accusing stare at Dodge. Then she took another big bite of the chocolate cake with its double-fudge icing.
Dodge grinned and drawled, "I figured that even though Yazzie is a pretty good camp cook, we wouldn't be getting any special treats like chocolate cake on this trip."
"You figured right," Yazzie commented shortly. The man obviously had no sense of humor. "On the trail, I'll stick to beans, bacon, and biscuits. Gets mighty tiresome, but it'll keep us going."
"How long do you think it'll take us to get to this place, Yazzie?" Rex asked.
"What place is that?"
"Our destination, the lost city of gold."
"There's no gold," Yazzie muttered. "Old Sharkey knew it. I think he's playing a trick on all of you."
"That's not so, Yazzie!" Ramona exclaimed. "You and I both saw—"
"Don't talk about no dead man, Ramona," Yazzie admonished her. "It'll bring us bad luck."
She stood up and shook her finger at the mountain man. "You know as well as I do there's gold up there. And Sharkey must have found it."
"Where?" Yazzie countered. "Courtland? Galeyville? Paradise? They're empty ghost towns. Nothing there but weeds and broken walls. No gold anymore. It's all gone."
"Pyramid's the name of the ghost town Sharkey mentioned in the will," Rex said. "Where's Pyramid? How far from here?"
Yazzie laughed, a rude, cackling sound. "Pyramid? There's nothing at all left of that one. Nobody ever found it again. Maybe it never was there."
"Yazzie," Dodge said, "you sound like you don't want to make this trip. What's wrong with checking out this lost city? You aren't afraid, are you?"
"Afraid? Hell, no! I'll go anywhere as long as you pay me for the use of my mules. It's just a waste of time because there's no gold out there." Yazzie stood up and shuffled outside.
The other four gazed bleakly at each other for a moment.
"He's lying," Ramona said finally. "I believe Sharkey, even if the rest of you don't."
Dodge agreed. "We just have to have faith in our old friend."
Ramona nodded, then looked at Tory. "I'm going to put my sleeping bag on the front porch. You want to sleep out there, too?"
Tory nodded and followed Ramona.
Dodge clapped Rex on the shoulder. "And we'll fix our sleeping bags out under the trees, right, Rex?"
"Unless you know of a nearby motel," Rex grumbled.
"Nope," Dodge said, and winked at Tory.
In spite of her sophistication, she blushed at his overture. What was wrong with her, anyway? After all, they had been intimate. She should be beyond that kind of reaction. She gave him a shy smile, suddenly feeling like a teenager at camp with a crush on the guy in the next tent. Only here, there were no tents.
Rex and Ramona headed for the Jeep to get their sleeping bags while Dodge and Tory went to the Blazer for theirs. Dodge detained Tory with a firmly placed hand on her arm. Taking her hand, he lifted it to his lips for a sensuous series of tiny kisses across her knuckles. "Would you like to take a walk in the moonlight?"
"Gee, Marshal," she drawled in a responding, affected tone, "I'd love to. You're such a gentleman to suggest it."
"I'll meet you at the tree stump after we've made our beds. And no guarantees about the gentleman part."
"Why, Marshal ..." She fluttered her eyelids and fanned herself with her hand. "You aren't suggesting—"
He pulled her closer and whispered, "Trouble is, I've already done more than sniff your brandy, Tory. And I feel the need for a little of your fire. I've just got to figure out the logistics of our little problem."
"I think you might as well forget our liaison, Marshal."
"No way, fancy pants. Meet me
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