Epilogue
BAILEY
“Are you sure it’s around here somewhere?” I asked Corie Smith, the great-something descendant of Pearl McIntyre and Charles Smith. She was a super cute twentysomething rocking the hot-librarian look, with blond hair tucked into a bun, adorable glasses, and an upturned nose.
“My family kept the letter Pearl’s father wrote to her,” Corie said, scanning the area around the waterfall through squinted eyes.
“It isn’t in the best condition, but I went over it with Arthur from the Heritage Museum, and we’re pretty sure that he hid her inheritance in the place where she married. ”
“But why?” I was under the impression that he’d been furious she’d run away with a miner and married him, even if he’d come to regret driving her away later in life.
She shrugged. “The spot became sentimental to him, and he knew that if he didn’t hide her inheritance well, her siblings and cousins would try to find it before she got the chance to return.”
There was a high-pitched beep, and Toby waved his arm excitedly.
“Over here!” he called, patting a rock to the right of the waterfall, well out of the way of the water.
We hurried over and gathered around the rock face.
There was quite a turnout. When Corie had announced that she was coming to town to either find the treasure or debunk the myth, the entire population of Destiny Falls had become invested in her search—especially given the notoriety brought to the case by her violent cousins.
Toby tried to dislodge the rock, but it didn’t budge. One of his friends grabbed the other side, and together they managed to pry it free. Behind the rock was a dark hollow. Toby started to reach inside, but Connor appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his arm.
“Don’t,” he said gruffly. “Let me. I’m the park ranger. I know what might be living in there.”
Toby pulled a face but backed away as Connor extracted what looked like a pair of gardening gloves from his pocket and put them on. He shone a flashlight inside and then, carefully, reached in.
I held my breath, excited by the prospect of what he might find but also trying to remain calm because we’d had a few false alerts already—mostly lost watches and rings.
“I feel something,” Connor said, moving closer to the rock face and thrusting his arm fully inside so that only his shoulder was visible. He scowled, concentrating hard, and then began to wiggle back and forth.
Bit by bit, he dragged out a rusted metal box covered with ornate decorations that must have been beautiful once. When it came free, he placed it carefully on the ground, then lifted the rock and pushed it back into the hollow, leaving hardly any sign the spot had ever been disturbed.
Corie’s eyes were wide and shining, her hand pressed to her lips as she walked over and dropped to her knees in front of the box. “Is it really…?”
Connor knelt. “One way to find out.” He tried the latch, but it was rusted shut, so he grabbed a hammer from the tool kit. “Mind if I break the lock?”
She shook her head. “Go for it. I want to know what’s inside. Just try not to damage the box.”
Connor handled the box with surprising care for someone with such large, rough hands. He positioned it at an angle and struck the lock until it broke off. He lifted the lid, exposing what looked like a bundle of fabric.
“Is it the treasure?” Grace asked from where she hovered nearby. She wanted answers almost as much as Corie, since she’d done so much research on the family for her book.
With shaking hands, Corie lifted the fabric. Beneath it was a large leather pouch. She opened it and reached inside, then froze, her eyebrows flying up.
My heart raced, and I dug my fingertips into my palms so I wouldn’t demand that she get on with it and show us what was inside. Enquiring minds wanted to know, but this was her big moment, so I wouldn’t rush it.
She pulled the bag open wider and angled it so that those of us gathered around could see.
It was full of gold and jewels.
For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.
There were delicate gold chains, chunky gold rings set with colorful jewels that twinkled as the light touched them for the first time in more than a hundred years, and so much more.
The contents of that box must be worth a fortune.
All around me were exclamations and excited gasps, but I was distracted by Corie’s frown as she extricated a flat, waxed sheet of… something. She unfolded it, revealing a letter written on thick, hardy paper—or perhaps a type of textile. It was difficult to tell.
“It’s an apology letter,” Corie whispered, her gaze flitting down the paper. She cleared her throat. “‘To my darling daughter Pearl. You will never know how much I regret making you choose between your family and the man you love. I have wished a thousand times that I acted differently.’”
My chest ached, and I inhaled sharply. I’d been so preoccupied that I’d forgotten to breathe for a few seconds.
“‘I should have been less determined to make an advantageous match for you and listened when you told me your heart was elsewhere. I should have met the man you love and welcomed him into the family. I am sorry that I let you down.’”
My throat tightened, and I blinked rapidly, hoping no one noticed that my eyes were a little shiny.
“‘I can only hope that you find some comfort in the knowledge that your father recognized what a fool he was and wanted to make recompense. I was never able to do so in life, and this offering is meager compared to the reparations I’d give anything to grant to you.’”
Corie sniffled and swiped at her eyes. “‘Please know that I loved you until my last breath. I pray that one day, you will be able to think of me fondly. All my love, your father, John McIntyre.’”
Silence descended.
My heart cracked, bleeding for the father who’d made a terrible mistake and for the daughter who might never have known how much he regretted it.
It seemed wrong that she’d never been able to read this letter.
“At least the treasure is back with its rightful owner,” Grace said, her voice uncharacteristically loud in the hush that had fallen.
“Amen to that,” Heather muttered.
I nodded, as did several others. Hopefully, wherever they were, John and Pearl could rest easy.
“What are you going to do with it?” Toby asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly unable to remain quiet for a second longer.
Corie thought for a moment. “I want to have everything appraised, but I think at least one piece ought to stay in the Heritage Museum so people know the full story and celebrate how incredible the power of love can be.”
A murmur of approval swept through the clearing.
A hand landed on my shoulder, and I turned to find Max standing behind me, smiling down at me with a wealth of affection in his eyes.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked, gently tucking my hair behind my ear.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him down for a kiss. “Ready when you are.”
He took my hand, and I stayed close to him as we picked our way around the others and started the hike back to the parking lot.
I gave his hand a squeeze. “I love you.”
“Love you too.”
Warmth filled me. While Pearl and Charles had married and lived together happily, they’d sacrificed a lot for each other.
Max and I didn’t have to do that.
We loved each other with our whole hearts, and our families adored each other too. Life would never be without challenges, but I couldn’t wait to walk through ours together.
We’d always find our way.
Because with each other, we were home.
THE END
That’s the end of the Destiny Falls series. If you’re looking for more steamy and emotionally-charged small town romance stories, try my Haven Bay series. Start reading today or check out the excerpt on the next page!