Tara's Gold by Lisa Harris Page B

did, no doubt it had been broken up into smaller lots and spent years ago.
    Now they wanted him back in Washington by the end of the month. With answers. One would think that the government, with its recent establishment of the Department of Justice and other political concerns, would be less inclined to worry about a cache of lost gold. But apparently that wasn’t the case.
    Wiping the sweat off the back of his neck with his hand, he longed for a tall glass of lemonade to quench his thirst from the hot and humid afternoon. Maybe when he returned from Mr. Martin’s, he’d stop by the hotel restaurant. But because his superiors wanted answers, he was determined to follow through on the assignment until he found the gold—or until he uncovered solid evidence that the gold was gone.
    He’d spent his entire life working to get ahead, trying to live up to the name his parents had bestowed on him, Aaron Thomas Jefferson, and to the high standards of his family lineage. This assignment was no different. He might not have forgotten his grandfather’s spiritual nurturing, which tried to teach him to rely on Christ alone, but those words had faded as the years progressed and had been replaced by a determination to forge ahead on his own.
    “Mr. Jefferson?”
    Aaron stopped in front of the barbershop. He’d almost walked by Pastor Reeves without even seeing him. “It’s good to see you again, Pastor.”
    The man stood before him with a few pieces of mail in his hand. “My wife wanted to invite you to supper, but you always slip out of church so quickly, we haven’t had a chance to ask you.”
    “I’m sorry, sir.” Aaron tipped the brim of his Stetson to block the sun. “I’m not planning to stay in town much longer, I’m afraid.”
    The friendly preacher laughed. “Hope it isn’t my sermons that are running you off.”
    Aaron couldn’t help but like the man and his sense of humor. “Not at all. In fact, your lessons have been quite timely.”
    Enough to prick his conscience and to cause him to reevaluate his life and the motives behind what he did. The man had a point when he pressed that service to God had to come before trying to please man. It wasn’t a thought he planned to brush off without some serious consideration.
    Pastor Reeves tapped the mail against the palm of his hand, seemingly in no hurry to end their conversation. “I heard you were interested in buying a farm in the area. Does that mean you might return soon?”
    “Buying a farm? I. . .I’m honestly not sure at this point.”
    Aaron frowned. Perhaps it was time to go back to Washington. There was no telling what other rumors regarding why he was here were circulating in this small town. News that he was searching for the gold was the last thing he needed right now. And if Miss Young had been involved—
    “Either way, I hope to see you at church on Sunday.” Pastor Reeves reached out to shake his hand. “And don’t forget, you’re more than welcome to stay for lunch afterward. My wife makes the best dumplings this side of the Mississippi.”
    Aaron forced a smile and shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate your kindness, Pastor Reeves.”
    Aaron watched the man of God make his way toward the small church building that sat on the edge of town. While he honestly did value the man’s kindness, thoughts of food, no matter how delicious, were low on his priorities right now as he strived to stay focused on the job at hand.
    He’d even managed to forget about Miss Young. At least most of the time.
    She, though, was the reason he was in such a hurry today. Rumor had it that Mr. Martin had arrived home late last night from a trip to see family members. And Aaron was determined to talk to Mr. Martin before Miss Young had a chance to show up and ruin everything.
    Securing the feisty stallion he’d rented from the livery while he was in town, Aaron followed the road until Mr. Martin’s worn saltbox house came into view. Little had changed since