by Tara Rose
“Can you do that?” asked Rowena.
“Well, not without permission from the homeowners.” Tommy gave her a pointed stare. “And all it would take is one person to say ‘yes’ to start the ball rolling, and the rest would most likely follow. Nash has already said he is more than happy to let us explore his mineshaft. Even his attorneys have advised him to do so. The houses, however, might be more difficult.”
“Oh, fuck,” said Van. “That means I’d have to drywall and repaint the damn things, doesn’t it. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
Tommy nodded. “Yep. But the department would pay your for your time and trouble.”
“It would?”
“It will if I have anything to say about it.” He glanced around and leaned close. “Ken is retiring in the spring. I’m considering running for chief.”
“You have my vote,” said Van. “Hell. You’d have everyone’s vote. But do you want me and Rowena to rip out the walls in our house, too?”
“But there’s nothing left behind them,” she said. “We had the place gutted. If there’s money still hidden in that house, I honestly have no clue where it could possibly be.”
“I know that,” said Tommy. “But you never disclosed what you did find.”
The home had been built in the 1920s by her great-uncle Calvin Gallagher. He’d married Lunette, whom everyone had called Looney, and when he died, the home had gone to her. When she died, Aunt Looney had left it to Rowena. All they’d found during the remodeling were old diaries and ledgers that hinted at items like stocks and jewelry buried behind walls and in old mineshafts around town. Tommy had been the one to go digging in FBI cold cases while investigating Trace’s background, and he’d found out that Rowena’s great-uncle Calvin had been a rival of Carma’s great-uncle Battista, Pet’s late husband.
“You want us to tell Uncle Cal’s story to the media?”
“I think if we include that information, after we’ve found everything that is hidden in town, it would help convince people that there’s nothing left to come here and dig up.”
“Well, I’m willing to do that if you really think it would help.”
Van snorted. “It can’t possibly do any more harm, can it?”
She shook her head. “No. Not at all.”
* * * *
Later that night, after Van and Rowena had both taken showers and were lying in bed, she turned toward him. “Despite what happened, tell me again how I did earlier. Is this what you wanted?”
He gazed at her with so much love in his eyes, she thought her heart would burst with joy. “It is. But what about you? Are you really and truly okay with it?”
“I am. But can we leave it open that I might need to talk to someone in the future?”
“Absolutely. Of course.” Van pulled her close and stroked her hair. “We can do anything you want to do. All I care about is that you’re happy. I can’t tell you afraid I was when you didn’t answer your phone. I thought—”
“Don’t say it.” She cut off his words. “I thought the same thing. But I’m all right now. This is over.” She pulled away so that she could look into her husband’s eyes. “And we have the rest of our lives to explore our fantasies, and play, and try new things.”
“Yes, we do. And I intend to spend every waking moment of my life letting you know just how much I adore you.” Van rolled over on top of her and kissed her gently on the lips.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that. Because that’s exactly what I intend to do for the rest of my life as well.” She tangled her fingers in his hair. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too.”
He kissed her again, and Rowena wrapped her arms and legs around him, pulling him close. She’d put the past behind her, and it looked as though the town of Passion Peak was on its way to doing the same thing. She had everything she wanted, right here in Van’s arms. And she would spend the rest of her life in those arms, proving to him each and every day, just how very, very much she loved him.
THE END
WWW.TARAROSEROMANCEAUTHOR.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tara Rose loves to write about small towns and the quirky people that inhabit them. You’ll find engaging characters, budding romance, intrigue, and plenty of hot steamy ménage sex within the pages of her books. You never really know what goes on behind closed doors, but her books will take you there, and leave you panting for more.
When she isn’t writing, Tara spends time with her husband—her real-life hero. She loves to cook, collect antique pottery, and she will read just about anything. Tara also plays the cello, and loves decorating her house for Christmas.
For all titles by Tara Rose, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/tara-rose
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
