Gage ran a finger down her cheek. “I meant what I said. We aren’t finished. Not by a long shot.”
One of her eyebrows came up. “Then again, maybe we are.”
He smiled. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”
Their eyes locked, and a challenge passed between them. Then both of them went back to eating.
“What’s on our schedule today?” Abby asked.
“I want to go over to the Superstition Museum, take a look at some of their records. We’ve got an appointment with Isaac Mason, the guy in charge. I’ve also got the names of a couple of people who are experts on the history of the mines in the area.”
She nodded. “When will we actually be going in?”
“Mateo is working out the final details. Walt’s a little old for a trip this tough, so Kyle is going to guide. With luck, we’ll be heading into the mountains at first light tomorrow.”
He could almost see the excitement shining in Abby’s golden eyes.
“You don’t waste any time,” she said.
His gaze remained on her face. “Maybe I have a good reason to finish and get us back to Denver.”
Abby’s cheeks flushed. “I guess we’ll see,” she said, echoing his words.
Gage just smiled. Abby wasn’t the only one who could be determined. Sooner or later, Abigail Holland was going to find that out.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THEY HEADED FOR THESUPERSTITIONMOUNTAINMUSEUM, WHICHsat on a ten-acre chunk of desert back down the road toward town. There wasn’t much there, Abby thought, as Gage drove up the dusty lane and parked the SUV, but as they began to wander the trails, passing a huge ore crusher that caught Gage’s attention, an old barn, and a number of wooden outbuildings, there was definitely plenty to be learned.
“Lots of mines in this area at one time,” Gage said. “Most of them played out by now.”
“So it’s logical there could have been a big discovery in the Superstitions way back when.”
“Or more than one. The trouble is, hundreds of people have tried to find gold in the Superstitions, and no one ever has. At least not since Jacob Waltz.”
“The Dutchman.”
“That’s right.”
“No one until now,” Abby said with a grin.
Gage’s smile reminded her of his hot kiss last night, and desire curled in her abdomen. She had never been obsessed with a man before, and she didn’t like it.
Focusing on the here and now, she passed a WATCH FORSNAKESsign and ignored a shiver. As they headed into the museum, a man in his fifties with light brown hair going gray walked toward them.
“You must be Logan,” he said to Gage. Abby figured the man had probably looked Gage up after he’d made the appointment and recognized him from photos and articles on the internet.
“That’s right. Gage Logan.”
“I’m Isaac Mason.” The men shook hands. Gage introduced her, and Isaac shook her hand. “Always nice to talk to people interested in history.”
Gage asked questions as Isaac gave them a tour of the museum. “We’re particularly interested in anything you can tell us about the Peralta family,” Gage said.
Isaac started nodding. “The connection between the Superstitions and the Peraltas dates back to the sixteen hundreds. Pedro Peralta was governor of New Mexico in 1610 when it was a province of New Spain.”
Abby had read that, understood the long-standing family connection to the area.
“Not much is known about them until Miguel Peralta’s name pops up in the mid seventeen hundreds,” Isaac continued. “That’s when the family discovered gold in the Superstitions, or so the story goes.”
