Issie’s heart was hammering in her chest. “Luke, I can’t… I…”
“You need to know what I’m going to do?”
She nodded. She was falling in love with him too – maybe had fallen already, and harder than she could ever have imagined – but everything that could be, that she longed to be, depended upon what he said now.
“I love you,” he told her, staring into her eyes as though willing her to believe him. “Nothing else matters. So, in answer to your question, I’m doing nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I’ve deleted the pictures and I’ve told Stella I made a mistake about the treasure,” Luke said. “As far as anyone else is concerned there never was any cargo. It was all a hoax.”
Issie could hardly believe what she was hearing. “But what about your reputation? And the sponsorship?”
He shrugged. “I guess I can kiss goodbye to both of those. Stella organised a big press conference and, man, she was pissed. The last I heard she was out to crucify me. She’s perfectly within her rights to be mad. She put up the money to fund all this but I’ll work my butt off to pay her back. I’ll even sell my ancient Boston Whaler. It’s not worth much but it’ll be a start.”
She blinked. “Luke, you can’t do that! And what about your career?”
But Luke just laughed. “Do you know what? I realised none of that matters a damn if I don’t have you. Everything I care about is right here.”
His words were like a caress and, as Luke pulled her close, Issie knew he meant every one of them. She felt the muscles of his arms tighten around her and as she leaned her head against his chest, Issie sighed with happiness.
Luke was right. Some things were worth far more than gold and silver, and all the treasure in the world couldn’t buy the joy that filled Issie when he finally kissed her. Deep below the ferny floor a king’s ransom slumbered in peace, while the nearby stream chuckled and the sunbeams stole through the trees and stroked the couple’s blissful faces.
THE END
Epilogue
Six weeks later…
Studying in the sunshine was hard enough, Issie thought, with the lure of the cool ocean just a dive away – but it was even more difficult when the pages of your notebook kept sticking to hands that were sticky with sun cream, and when there was a gorgeous man on the deck wearing nothing more than board shorts and a smooth butterscotch tan. Doing her best to ignore Luke, whose every sinew was outlined and gleaming as he pulled himself out of the water, Issie shoved her shades up her nose with her forefinger and returned to her textbook.
Eighteenth-century politics was definitely far more exciting than swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, she tried to tell herself. Who wanted to snorkel with stingrays and parrotfish when they could be reading all about mercantilism and making notes on Adam Smith? Issie gritted her teeth and tried to focus; if she stood any chance of catching up on her lost studies then she needed to immerse herself in the 1736 Act of Indemnity rather than deep blue waters. At least she was able to toast her limbs while she swotted up for her university interview. That way she wouldn’t look too much like an out-of-place Brit!
Issie flipped the page and tried her hardest to concentrate on long-ago Parliamentary Acts. After all, she reminded herself, these might seem a world away from the vibrant colours and heat of the Keys, but it was from such paradises that Black Jack’s smuggling trade had begun – and the history of the New World was so tightly woven with the Old World of Polwenna Bay that it was almost impossible to see the joins. Her world and Luke’s hadn’t been so far apart either, and the values they shared had turned out to be in perfect harmony, just like their hearts and souls. The misery and angst of the months with Mark were like a bad dream, and Issie shuddered to think how her life could have been if she hadn’t found the strength to walk away from him. She hoped that Emma, wherever she was, was happy too.
Applying to resume her studies in Florida so that she could be near Luke was a no-brainer, and Issie didn’t think she’d ever been as happy as she was now. Every morning she woke to the whir of the ceiling fan and the sounds of the boats coming to life, unable to believe that she was really in Key West. Eyes still tightly closed, Issie would stretch out her foot beneath the crisp white sheets to touch Luke’s bronzed leg with her toes, a smile of delight curling her mouth when she realised anew that this wasn’t a dream. She really was waking up in the US of A with her gorgeous boyfriend. Did life get any better?
Boyfriend! Issie sighed contentedly. It still sounded so strange. Luke was far more than a boyfriend. He was her best friend, her soulmate, her diving buddy, her intellectual sparring partner, her lover…
She looked over the top of her sunglasses and her smile widened at just the sight of him. Studying with Luke around was easier said than done. He was rinsing out dive gear at the back of the boat now. He looked so sexy in his board shorts, with his mop of hair springing into long ringlets that brushed his shoulders, and rivulets of salt water running down his sculpted chest, that she needed to dive into the ocean just to cool off. Well, either that or hose herself down with the deck wash… How could she possibly concentrate on history books when she was longing to trail her fingers across his chest and feel the tautness of his muscles beneath her fingertips?
Issie yawned and stretched her sun-warmed limbs. Maybe studying could wait until this evening? Her interview with the history department wasn’t for another week and she already had a killer case study to wow them with, after all. The past was great but the present was far more interesting!
And the future? Well, she had a feeling that was going to be even better…
“How’s that chapter going?” Luke asked sternly, glancing over and seeing her looking distracted. “Ready for me to test you yet?”
She grinned. “You can test me any time you like!”
“Oh, I fully intend to,” Luke assured her, his green eyes dancing with promise, “but before we think about anything more exciting, you need to be up to speed with your interview preparation; we owe that much to your gran.”
Luke was right and Issie nodded.
“I know, and I won’t let her down. I’ll get my place on the course and make her proud.”
When Alice had announced that she’d sold the gold coin and wanted the proceeds to help complete Issie’s education, her granddaughter’s first impulse had been to say no. That money belonged to Alice and the family – heaven only knew they needed it to help with the boatyard and subsidise Jimmy’s spending now that his days of innocently delivering cannabis pasties were over – but Alice had been adamant.
“We both know you could have easily claimed a whole lot more,” her grandmother had said firmly. “Luke too.”
Issie had stared at her in surprise. She and Luke had sworn never to mention their find to anyone – they were in perfect agreement that this was the only way to keep the secret safe – so however could her grandmother possibly know?
Seeing Issie’s confusion, Alice had laughed. “You’re not the only one to have secrets, love.”
“Did Jonny tell you?” Issie had asked. “Did he know all along?”
But Alice had merely maintained an innocent expression and wouldn’t be pressed any further. Like the lost treasure, she was keeping her secrets close.
“But the coin belongs to you,” Issie had protested.
Her grandmother had frowned. “It was never really ours, though, was it? If the story’s true it was stolen from the ship and is part of the original cargo. I think using it for a good purpose is the right thing to do. That treasure has brought enough misery in the past. Maybe now it’s time to use it for good?”
It wasn’t a fortune, but the sale of the coin had raised enough for Issie to look at university courses in the USA and for Alice to donate a sum to charity. With her future suddenly wide open, Issie had started to make plans. Westchester was never going to be a possibility after all the heartache she’d experienced there. Besides, it felt good to be starting again with
a clean slate. Where better to have that slate than Florida, and close to Luke too? Like the undiscovered wrecks sleeping in the deep blue depths, their relationship was unchartered territory – but Issie was looking forward to exploring it. Her world, once full of despair and regrets, was suddenly a treasure trove of possibilities. Nothing would ever be the same again for Issie.
This wasn’t true for Polwenna Bay, though. Once the excitement of Mickey Davey’s arrest had died down and the news had spread that Black Jack’s treasure was just a hoax, life had soon settled down. The Pollards had given up with metal detectors and returned to building (and sometimes clearing drains). Meanwhile, without boatloads of tourists to exploit, the fishermen were back at sea. Even the holiday cottages were empty again for now. Life would return with the buds and warm winds of the spring, but until then everything was as it should be. Polwenna Bay had slipped back into its old and familiar rhythm.
Yet for Issie Tremaine, everything had changed. When Luke had flown back to the States she’d known that her path was going to take her far away from the village she loved and the world she’d always known. She was taking a risk, but wasn’t life all about taking chances? Wasn’t that really living?
Issie had only been in Florida for a couple of weeks, but already her limbs were golden, her hair was bleached several shades lighter and her heart, like the Keys, was filled with sunshine. Luke, who’d sold his boat to start paying Stella back and was living in a small beach shack, was worried that he had little to offer now – but to Issie his love was the greatest wealth imaginable. For the time being he was working as crew for other dive boats and attempting to build bridges with his father (who was still drinking heavily, as far as Issie could see), but Luke still dreamed of having his own business. The discovery of Black Jack’s hoard beneath the village could so easily have made his dreams come true, but the fact that he’d sacrificed these to do the right thing told Issie all she ever needed to know about him. Some things were worth far more than money.
A text alert sounded on her phone and Issie glanced down at it, squinting against the glare.
“Tell Luke I like a man who knows what’s really valuable,” the text read, in true cryptic Ashley Carstairs style. “Call me. I have a proposal he might be interested in.”
Interesting, Issie thought. She’d no idea Luke had made such an impression on her brother-in-law, but she’d pass the message on. A little knot of excitement tightened in her tummy. Could Ashley’s proposal be about sponsorship? This was just the kind of venture her speedboat-loving brother-in-law would relish.
Pushing her books aside, Issie crossed the deck and joined Luke, winding her arms around his neck. Ashley’s intriguing text message could keep for a moment, though, because she no longer needed to go treasure hunting. Luke Dawson’s heart was made of pure gold and his love made Issie Tremaine the richest girl in the world.
The treasure she’d been searching for was right here in her arms.
Ruth Saberton is the bestselling author of Katy Carter Wants a Hero and Escape for the Summer. She also writes upmarket commercial fiction under the pen names Jessica Fox, Georgie Carter and Holly Cavendish.
Born in London, Ruth now lives in beautiful Cornwall. She has travelled to many places and recently returned from living in the Caribbean but nothing compares to the rugged beauty of the Cornish coast. Ruth loves to chat with readers so please do add her as a Facebook friend and follow her on Twitter.
www.ruthsaberton.co.uk
Twitter: @ruthsaberton
Facebook: Ruth Saberton
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Treasure of the Heart Page 28
