They arrived back at the Cedar Canyon Ranch that afternoon, checked on Smiley, who was recovering nicely, and were happy to learn the other mule had made its way back safely. Mort’s braying, joyful homecoming with his four-legged friend seemed to especially please Gage, who had grown fond of the hardworking animal.
Mae fed them sandwiches and potato salad, and Walt gave them the use of an empty cabin so they could shower and put on clean clothes before they left for the airport.
With an extra few minutes to spare, Abby pulled out her laptop and Googled her grandfather’s friend, Silas Cummings, the guy who had left the treasure box. There was scant information about him, nothing at all on social media. Then his obituary popped up. Silas had died two months ago at the age of eighty-one. He had spent his life as an outfitter and guide in the Superstitions. No mention of any living relatives. But in leaving the box for her, giving her the adventure she had always wanted, he had been a good friend to King.
Abby closed her laptop and hurried out to join Gage for a final farewell to the friends they had made on the ranch. She said a teary goodbye to Kyle and hugged him, holding on long enough for Gage’s dark eyebrows to narrow. But a journey like theirs made for lifelong friends, and she hoped Kyle would be one of them.
Mateo got another long hug, which he warmly returned. The man was every bit as amazing as Gage had promised. “I hope we’ll meet again soon,” Abby said to him, a subtle hint that she hoped Mateo would be joining her and Gage on their continued hunt for the Devil’s Gold.
Gage eyed her with a hint of suspicion but made no comment.
The flight home was easy, and it felt good to be back in a city surrounded by forested, snow-topped mountains instead of desert, cactus, and rattlesnakes.
The first thing Gage did after their charter flight landed at Rocky Mountain Metro was check out Trip Advisor and head for the closest place to get a steak, a restaurant called Hickory and Ash. They both ate until their ribs hurt, then Gage drove the rest of the way back to the city.
“We’ve got unfinished business with your cousin,” he said as the vehicle rolled along. “We’ll pay him a visit first thing in the morning.”
Nerves tingled through her at the hard edge in his voice. She didn’t blame him. Someone could have been killed—most likely her. Completely exhausted, she leaned back in the seat of the Rover and closed her eyes for the balance of the ride into the city. It was dark by the time they arrived in the LoDo district.
As the elevator door opened on the second floor of Gage’s building and they made their way into his apartment, Abby released a quiet breath. Though the place looked the same— hardwood floors, Persian carpets, comfortable furniture, and an intriguing mix of objects from around the world—much had changed.
Starting with Gage taking the handle of her carry-on and wheeling it into his own roomy, masculine bedroom instead of the guest room. She had never been in the room before.
She took a look around, appreciating the polished wood floors and the open arrangement of the furniture. A king-sized four-poster draped with soft white netting dominated the room.
There were several wood-paneled walls, one behind a tufted brown leather sofa. A grouping of three tall red patterned jars sat in the corner, and an oil painting of a stalking lion took up most of another wall.
A lion, she thought, for a lion of a man.
“It suits you,” she said.
“You like it?”
She smiled. “I do.”
Gage tugged the carry-on farther into the room. “We’re sleeping together. Might as well make it official.”
The action surprised her. Gage wasn’t a one-woman man. She hadn’t expected him to want this kind of closeness. She hadn’t even been certain he’d want the relationship to continue.
“Are you sure? I thought—”
“I want you. If you think what happened between us in the mountains was anywhere near enough, you’re sorely mistaken.” To prove it, Gage pulled her into his arms and very thoroughly kissed her.
Surely we’re both too tired to make love, Abby thought in some distant part of her brain, but her body seemed to disagree. As Gage deepened the kiss and his big hands took control, heat burned through her, and the last of her weariness slipped away.
In minutes, she was naked and so was he. She wished she had more time to admire his amazing body, but the hungry need inside her demanded to be sated, and Gage seemed as ravenous as the lion on his wall.
They made love for hours, first in a frenzy of passion that ended in an earth-shattering climax, then more slowly, a lazy journey of exploration that spiraled into a second satisfying release. Exhaustion finally caught up with them, and she fell asleep in Gage’s arms.
It was almost dawn, gray light filtering through the curtains, when his restless movements awakened her. Abby found herself sprawled over his thick chest, her head on a muscled shoulder, one of his arms draped possessively across her middle. Sleeping on the ground inches apart wasn’t anywhere near the same as being held by him, loved by him.
Not loved, she reminded herself. Aroused by him, satisfied by him. Gage wasn’t the kind of man a woman dared to love. Still, it was a moment she wanted to remember. Abby closed her eyes, determined to absorb every sweet detail, but Gage’s restless movements ended any hope of more sleep.
Suddenly his big body jerked upright and his eyes flew open. “Cassie, no!” Gage blinked himself awake, leaned back against the headboard, and raked his hands through his thick dark hair. He looked at Abby, his blue eyes filled with regret and pain.
“It was only a nightmare,” Abby said, stroking a hand gently down his arm. “It’s over. Everything’s okay.”
Gage released a slow breath. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I should have thought about the nightmares before I suggested you sleep in here.”
