“I see a parallel between that and the hunt for this treasure. What good can ever come of it? It’s a quest for riches. Jewels. Gold coins. Heirlooms. Material goods don’t make people happy.”
“It’s not that simple, Lara. These things are a link to our past. From a historical perspective, it’s very important. History. Legacy. A mystery of the ages unraveled. Why do we have museums or archeologists? In order to preserve the past. To study it. Learn from it.”
Lara made a tutting sound. “But what happens when the fighting begins over ownership? If the treasure is found it’s not going to end up in a museum. It’s going to be parlayed into cold hard cash.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. You know the saying about the victor getting the spoils.” Ryan shrugged. “This may just boil down to ownership going to whomever finds the treasure.”
“And then there will be a hundred lawsuits. Any disgruntled party could tie it up for years in litigation.” She shuddered. “It could really tear this town apart.”
Ryan stood up and joined her on the sofa. He reached out and pushed strands of hair away from her face. His fingers touched her with such tenderness it made her ache inside.
“This town is not going to go down without a fight. Treasure Harbor is made of pretty sturdy stuff.” Ryan reached for her chin and tilted it up so their eyes met.
She fought back tears. Lara had no idea where all this emotion was coming from. She didn’t live here anymore. She’d run away from this town as soon as she’d been able to pack her bags and catch the next thing smoking to Philly. It wasn’t her problem if Treasure Harbor imploded. Yes, it is! She was a part of this place for better or worse. Her hometown was sewn into the very fabric of who she was and who she would always be.
Ryan’s finger wiped away a stray tear. “Please don’t cry, Lara. I really can’t bear to see you cry.”
She watched as he leaned in toward her, firm in the knowledge that he was about to kiss her. And she couldn’t deny how badly she wanted him to.
Kiss me. Kiss me. Oh please, kiss me. The words thundered in her head. Like an answer to a prayer, Ryan leaned in and placed his lips on hers in a romantic and tender kiss. His lips tasted like peaches and honey. He smelled woodsy and masculine. She leaned in to the kiss, placing her hands on his shoulders for leverage. His lips moved against hers with power and grace. She felt his hands trailing through her hair. Oh how she wanted this kiss to go on and on. She couldn’t think of the last time a man had kissed her with such conviction.
As they pulled apart Lara felt dazed. This soaring kiss complicated things. She couldn’t deny that she’d felt a heart pounding, pulse skittering moment with Ryan.
A sudden coughing sound caused her to turn towards the doorway where Ryan’s parents—Alana and Paul Burton—stood watching them with looks of shock and dismay etched on their faces.
Chapter Five
Ryan let out a groan as he laid eyes on his parents standing on the threshold of the library. Of all the awkward moments for them to enter the library. Talk about ruining the romantic vibe between himself and Lara. Alana Burton always dressed to impress and this morning was no different. She was wearing a brightly colored dress paired with fashionable sandals. Her ash blond hair was swept up in a top knot. Dressed in a polo shirt and shorts, his father appeared as if he’d just played a round of early morning golf at the country club.
“Ryan!” His mother called out. “What on earth are you doing here? I thought you’d be at work.”
“Mom, I have the day off.” He glanced over at Lara. Her face was crimson with embarrassment. “You remember Lara Callahan, don’t you?”
“Callahan!” her father grumbled. His wife jabbed him hard in the side.
“Lara!” Alana called out, walking toward Lara with her arms wide open. As Lara stood up Alana enveloped her in one of her infamous hugs. Ryan wasn’t sure whether Lara would come up for air or not. His mother had always harbored a soft spot for his childhood best friend. She hadn’t cared one little bit about Lara’s last name.
“You look fantastic, darling. Talk about turning into a swan. Full of elegance and such beauty,” Alana gushed.
Ryan wanted to interject that Lara had always looked fantastic, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to embarrass her any further.
“Thanks, Mrs. Burton,” Lara said with a smile.
“Call me Alana, please. We’re all adults now.” She turned toward her husband, who was still standing by the door. “Come and say hello, Paul. Remember your manners.”
His father stepped forward with halting steps. “Hello, Lara. I remember you and my son were as thick as thieves when you were kids. Nice to see you.”
“And you as well, Mr. Burton. I recall many a day playing hiding and seek in this very library,” Lara said.
His gaze swept over the coffee table and the journals. “What are the journals doing out of the safe?” he said in a thunderous voice. With his fair complexion and tendency to redden when he was agitated, his father was beginning to resemble a fully boiled lobster.
“I was showing the journals to Lara. She’s writing a series about the treasure and I wanted her to read about Drake Burton. In order to understand why he chose to hide the treasure, she needs to learn about the man himself,” Ryan explained.
“These are closely guarded family artifacts, Ryan,” his father said in a raised voice. “Who’s to say she doesn’t use this information to find the treasure?” His brows furrowed while his eyes sent out warning signs.
“I assure you I have no intention of hunting for the treasure.” Lara bristled. “My interest is purely from a journalistic standpoint.”
Alana moved closer to Lara and took her by the hand. “Lara, this isn’t personal. We’re a bit protective of the Burton legacy. And now that treasure hunters have invaded this town we have to be careful about our family artifacts. If it gets into the wrong hands, someone could figure out where Drake buried it. I promise you, we’re not saying this because you’re a Callahan.”
“Speak for yourself!” Paul barked. “The Callahan family has been trying for generations to tarnish our family name and legacy.”
“Hey! Stop it!” Ryan commanded in a loud voice. “You’re being rude.”
“Paul! You’re making a spectacle of yourself,” Alana admonished.
Lara grabbed her notebook from the sofa and turned toward Ryan. “I think it’s time you took me home.” Her voice sounded sharp to his ears. The frown on her face spoke volumes.
“No! Please don’t leave!” Alana cried out. Her voice was filled with distress.
“Come on, Lara. I think you’ve got all that you need to write an excellent piece on Drake and Camilla,” Ryan said. He glared at his father as they walked past him.
“I’d like to look at that article before it’s published,” Paul said in a raised voice.
Lara turned back toward him. “With all due respect, Mr. Burton, that’s just not going to be possible. It would be compromising my journalistic ethics to show you my piece before it is published. That’s simply not how it’s done.”
Paul wagged a finger at her. “Now see here young lady. I have a lot of contacts at the Daily Treasure. I can have your article scrapped just by making one phone call.”
Lara looked mad enough to spit. “Well, it’s a good thing that I am not employed by the Daily Treasure then.” She stormed out of the room, leaving Ryan feeling disgusted by his father’s rudeness.
“That was a low blow,” Ryan spit out. “Lara is just trying to be professional and do her job. You didn’t have to treat her like the enemy.”
“Don’t be foolish! The Callahan and Burton families have always been enemies,” his father roared.
“This isn’t the seventeen-hundreds! We’re not going to duel at dawn with Lara’s family,” Ryan said. “The greatest thing about history is that we can learn from the mistakes of the past so we’re not doomed to repeat them.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “Can
’t we all just try to get along?”
“Son, you sound incredibly naïve. You’re not falling for that Callahan girl, are you?” his father asked with wounded eyes. “Remember where your loyalties lie.”
He let out a strangled sound. “My loyalties? I work for the family company. I live at the family compound.” He clenched his teeth. “I don’t really have much of a life outside of trying to make my family proud and upholding the Burton legacy.”
Ryan let out a sigh at the disappointed expression etched on his father’s face. “And yes, dad. Since you asked, I am falling for Lara. I can’t think of the last time I’ve been in the presence of anyone who was more insightful or resourceful or beautiful. And I could care less if her last name is Callahan. Because for me, she’s always been Lara. Her last name has always been unimportant to me.”
Ryan turned and strode out of the library, quickly making his way outdoors where Lara was standing by his car. For a man who never found himself speechless, he was suddenly grasping for words. An apology for his father’s behavior didn’t seem to be quite sufficient under the circumstances.
Lara had her arms folded across her chest. She was leaning against his convertible. “So, I see your father has really mellowed over the years.” A huge grin crept over her face.
Ryan threw back his head and chuckled. Leave it to Lara to make a joke out of this awkward situation. Making lemonade out of lemons! At a lightning fast pace, Lara was cementing her presence in his world and showing him that life with her in it was far more interesting than it had been before she came back home. He knew her time in Treasure Harbor was limited. From this point forward he was going to make the most of every second of time he could spend in Lara’s presence before she went back to Philadelphia.
And who knew what could happen before then? Anything was possible.
Chapter Six
Ryan couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so enthusiastic about a dinner date. After yesterday’s disastrous run-in with his parents, Ryan was over the moon that Lara hadn’t cancelled their date. She’d been a trouper about the whole incident. They’d laughed about it on the drive back to her place. Lara had even done a spot-on impression of his father.
How long had it been since he’d taken a woman out on a romantic dinner date? Ryan honestly couldn’t remember. Despite the fact that he was regarded as somewhat of a lady’s man in Treasure Harbor, it really wasn’t the truth. Sure he’d dated his fair share of women, but most of the time it had been based on friendship, at least on his part. He winced as he remembered numerous women who had been furious at his insistence on simply staying in the friendship zone. On one occasion he had been punched in the eye. Ouch. It hurt just thinking about it.
However, asking Lara out to dinner had been a date. No question about it.
As Lara studied her menu, Ryan took the opportunity to steal a glance at her. She was a stone cold knockout! Simply gorgeous. With her dark brown hair and almond-shaped, green eyes, Lara was a stunning woman. She was tall—five foot eight he would imagine. Her figure was curvy in all the right places. He didn’t care too much for stick thin women who didn’t eat much. If her love of pizza was any indication, Lara enjoyed a good meal.
He still couldn’t help but wonder if there was a special someone back in Philly. He’d already looked at her ring finger for confirmation as to her status. She wasn’t married or engaged. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t dating someone special. Would it be awkward for him to ask? And she’d been receptive to his kiss yesterday, so it seemed unlikely that she was attached to anyone. Score!
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight.” He smiled at her from across the table, enjoying the graceful slope of her neck and the way her eyes flashed like emeralds. Dressed in a simple red dress and heels, Lara conveyed a vibe of classic elegance and style.
Lara beamed. “Thanks for asking me. This place is fantastic. It’s been quite some time since I’ve enjoyed a night out in Treasure Harbor.”
“This place is really something, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I’m really happy to be sharing a meal with you and talking treasure.”
Ryan felt a stab of disappointment. Treasure? That hadn’t been his main objective in asking Lara out to dinner. From the moment she’d walked into Pirate Pizza and walked by his booth, Ryan had been determined to get to know the adult version of his childhood friend. So many questions about her were buzzing around his brain. Did she still like action movies? Did she still know karate? He wondered when was the last time she’d gone rollerblading.
“Ryan?” Lara’s voice drew him out of his thoughts.
“Sorry. What did you say?”
“I was asking you about whether your family has any more of Drake Burton’s artifacts.”
“Well,” Ryan hedged, “before we were interrupted yesterday I was going to show you something that really should be in a museum somewhere. My family has refused to relinquish it so that it can be part of an exhibit.”
“Well don’t leave me hanging,” Lara said in a breathless voice. Her eyes were wide, lips open, perched on the edge of her seat.
“It’s the figurehead of the ship he sailed. It was recovered by the family after his shipwreck.” He shook his head. It had always amazed him that his ancestors had found the figurehead after the shipwreck and salvaged it in memory of their fallen family member. It spoke of great love and admiration for Drake. “Pretty amazing, huh?”
Lara’s mouth hung open. “Wow. You really know how to surprise a girl, Burton. How come you never showed me that when we were kids?”
“My grandfather kept it out by his waterfront property. Every now and again he’d let me see it, but it was off limits for the most part.” He made a hissing sound. “In case you haven’t figured it out, my family is pretty secretive about a lot of the family relics. It’s as if they think someone is going to come along and take everything lock, stock and barrel.”
“The figurehead sounds fascinating.”
“Oh you don’t know the half of it. It resembles a certain dark-haired beauty who Drake loved with all his heart and soul.”
Lara raised a hand to her mouth. She let out a gasp. “Camilla? Is it possible that I can see it? Write about it?” He studied Lara’s body language. She was leaning across the table in her eagerness. Her eyes were wide with interest and she seemed as if she might burst with enthusiasm.
“I don’t know,” he hedged. “Allowing a Callahan to see a century’s old family heirloom might be crossing the line.”
Lara smirked at him. “Come on, Burton. Live a little.” Lara’s green eyes glistened like wet moss. “You already showed me the journals.”
“Okay, Callahan. On one condition.”
“Tell me. What’s the hitch?” Lara was having fun with this. He could tell by the way her eyes were dancing with mischief. Oh how he knew those eyes. As kids he’d been able to tell her mood just by gazing into them. Strangely enough, not much had changed. He could still read her like a book.
“I’ll let you take a look at the figurehead if you invite me over to your beach bungalow for lunch and some sea glass hunting.”
“Sea glass hunting? And here I thought you were only hunting treasure.”
“Even treasure hunters need to come up for air sometimes. I promise you,” he teased, “the figurehead is worth a look. It’s like stepping back into another time and place when you see it.”
“You’re on. How about Monday? Tomorrow I’m doing some research at the historical society. I need a framework to set up some future articles, so I figure that’s a great place to start.”
“Sounds great to me. The historical society is having a gala next week. They’ve asked me to oversee some of the auction items being donated. It’s going to be a wonderful event if you’d like to be my date for the evening.”
Lara wasn’t sure if she’d ever grinned as wide. “I’d love to go. I remember seeing pictures of it in the Daily Treasure. Quite a fancy affair,” Lara said. She mad
e a mental note to immediately start looking for an evening gown.
“When you go over to the historical society, tell Lillian that you’re a friend of mine. She’ll give you the royal treatment.”
“Hmm. One of your former girlfriends?” Lara asked in a light voice.
Ryan frowned. Somehow or other he’d gotten a reputation as a town lady’s man. It bothered him that someone had conveyed that information to Lara. No doubt her sister. Or Jade Sims.
Ryan felt himself tensing up. “No, she’s a friend. A happily married woman whose been married to her sweetheart for almost fifty years. Contrary to public opinion, I don’t really date all the single women in town.”
His anger pulsed in the air between them. An awkward silence reigned for a few moments.
“Hey, I was just teasing. But I see that I’ve hit up on a touchy subject.” She reached across the table and touched his hand. “I’m sorry if I overstepped. It really was just a joke.”
Ryan looked away from Lara’s probing gaze. Her eyes were filled with questions, one he felt compelled to answer. He didn’t want to look in her eyes as he explained himself. “Sorry to be touchy about it, but people in Treasure Harbor like to gossip, so when I go out to dinner or a movie with anyone it suddenly confirms their suspicions that I’m a woman chaser. A lot of times it’s friends from high school or someone who’s going through a hard time and needs some cheering up.” Ryan tapped his fingers on the table. “It bothers me because I feel that they’re trying to make me like my father.”
“Oh. I understand,” Lara said in a soft voice.
He swung his gaze up to look at her. Her expression spoke volumes. It was obvious she’d heard the relentless rumors about his father’s numerous infidelities. It had been the talk of the town when he was a kid. The thing was—the rumors had all been true. His father had been unfaithful to his mother more times than he could count. And the whole town had known about it. Including Lara. Shame threatened to eat him up inside. There was a certain irony in the fact that he was working so hard for the family legacy when his own father had tarnished it.
Some Kind of Wonderful (Treasure Harbor Book 1) Page 6
