Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Sage was still in shock as she stared at the pile of silver bullion and the two steel boxes filled with Civil War-era gold coins in the bank’s large vault.
After getting Jenna and Adam out of the cave yesterday, she thought he was crazy when he told her and Evan what was down there.
But then he’d pulled a large silver bar from the back waistband of his jeans, and she’d been at a loss for words.
Using downed tree limbs and some small bushes, they’d covered the opening until they could make a few phone calls.
When they reached the house, Adam insisted she call her lawyer first. Robert Taft had been the Hammond family attorney since Mark was a little boy, and she trusted him implicitly.
He’d rushed over and, after letting out a long whistle at their incredible discovery, had gotten busy researching Oklahoma law regarding treasure found on private property.
According to what he’d learned, as long as there was no evidence the treasure belonged to the government, a bank or business, or an identifiable person or their heirs, it belonged to the Hammonds.
The only party guaranteed to come knocking on her door was the IRS, which would take a substantial share.
Of course they would.
This morning, she, Adam, and Evan had returned to the cave with Ashley and Chris to retrieve the rest of the treasure.
It took over two hours to bring everything to the surface and load it onto two flat trailers attached to the ATVs.
Once they returned it to the house, they broke open the steel boxes and discovered both were filled with gold coins.
At Sage’s insistence, her lawyer joined them at the ranch again while they went through everything. None of the boxes or their contents indicated where the treasure came from or who had hidden it in the cave.
Which meant it belonged to her and her children.
Even now, the thought made her head spin.
Based on the information Adam and Chris found online, she was now a millionaire. A multi-millionaire. The preliminary estimate was somewhere around ten million dollars, give or take a million, based on the number of silver bars and gold coins they’d painstakingly counted.
Ten million dollars.
A week ago, she’d been worried about making her mortgage payments and replacing her totaled truck. Now, she stood in a bank vault, staring at enough money to secure her children’s futures and ensure Heaven’s Pastures remained in the Hammond family for generations.
How could a person’s life change so completely in such a short time?
Mr. Taft had contacted Lyle Dillinger and arranged for him to secure the treasure in the bank’s main vault until they could properly evaluate everything and complete the necessary paperwork.
He’d explained that the silver could be sold through a dealer specializing in precious-metal bullion, while experts should evaluate the gold coins before offering them through a reputable auction house.
He would start making calls in the morning and arrange for the appraisers to examine everything.
“Sage.”
Adam stood with her lawyer and Lyle just outside the massive steel door. A grin spread across his face.
“Come on. It’s after five. The clerks have all gone home, and Mr. Dillinger needs to close the bank. Unless you want us to lock you in there overnight so you can get used to the idea that you’re rich.”
Shaking her head, she laughed and finally forced herself to walk away from the treasure. “No. I’m good. Still in shock, but good.”
Lyle handed her several pieces of paper. “Here’s the paperwork and receipt for everything. Just let me know when to expect the appraisers from whichever companies you decide to use.”
“I’ll call you with that information tomorrow,” Mr. Taft told him.
Folding the papers and slipping them into her purse, Sage glanced at the bank manager. “Thank you for staying open for us, Lyle. I guess it goes without saying that I’ll pay my mortgage in full sometime in the very near future.”
She couldn’t resist. After all the sleepless nights she’d spent wondering if the bank would take Heaven’s Pastures away from her and her children, saying those words felt fantastic.
His cheeks reddened. “I imagine it will.”
He shut the vault door and secured it for the night.
Adam took her hand, and they followed Mr. Taft toward the front entrance, where the bank’s security guard stood with two sheriff’s deputies—another precaution the lawyer had arranged to ensure both the treasure and its newly wealthy owner had arrived safely.
When they stepped outside, Sage wasn’t surprised to find a large crowd waiting for them—word definitely spread fast. Questions came at her and Adam from every direction, mixed with plenty of congratulations.
It took them a good ten minutes to reach her rented truck, which Adam had moved away from the bank entrance after everything had been unloaded from the covered bed.
She was surprised, though, to find Bart Sherman leaning against the side of the vehicle. But Adam seemed to have expected him. He held out his hand to the older man. “How’d you know it was up there?”
Sherman grinned as he shook Adam's hand.
Confused, Sage glanced between the two men. “What do you mean?”
“I suspect Bart knew the treasure was up there, and that’s why he’s been trying to buy your land for the past few years.”
Her mouth dropped open as she gaped at her neighbor. All those offers. All that persistence. “You knew?”
“Not exactly.” He tucked his hands into his pockets.
“I found an old family diary hidden in a wall of my house when we were renovating a few years back. According to it, my great-great-great-granddaddy was with his best friend—Mark’s ancestor—when the man was shot during what was supposed to have been a friendly poker game.
Edward Hammond survived the wound long enough for my namesake to get him back to the Hammond ranch.
Before he died, Edward told him about a treasure he’d buried somewhere up on the hill and swore him to secrecy.
Apparently, the man didn’t trust banks. He asked my ancestor to make sure his widow and children were taken care of. ”
Sage stared at him, trying to absorb yet another unbelievable piece of the puzzle.
“The problem was Edward died before telling him exactly where he’d hidden it. My namesake wrote about it in the diary and searched but never found it. Over the years, I’ve gone over my property and the state land beyond it with metal detectors with no luck.”
“And the only place you couldn’t legally search was Sage’s property,” Adam concluded.
“Bingo.”
She planted her hands on her hips. “So all this time you’ve been driving me crazy trying to buy Heaven’s Pastures, you were looking for buried treasure?”
His grin widened. “I may be a bastard sometimes, but I still follow the law.”
She shook her head, torn between wanting to smack him and laugh at the absurdity of it all.
“Congratulations, Sage. Now I have to figure out what to do with all my spare time.” He tipped his hat. “I think I’ll start by selling that damn metal detector.”
Still grinning, he pushed away from the truck and walked off.
Four Months Later…
Shane slapped Adam on the shoulder and then pulled a beer from one of the many coolers on the back porch. “How’s it feel to be a married man?”
“Give me a break. It’s only been…” He glanced at his watch and grinned. “… thirty-six minutes since the reverend said, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife.’”
They watched the festivities surrounding them.
About a hundred people, kids included, were scattered throughout the backyard.
Shane, Nicole, and their three children had flown in two days ago, while Sage’s family had arrived earlier in the week.
It looked like half the town had shown up for the nuptials and massive pig roast that followed.
Three weeks ago, Adam had surprised Sage with an engagement ring that Maddie and Ashley had helped him pick out.
The women had been godsends because his head had spun at all the choices.
Ultimately, they’d all agreed on an emerald-cut diamond in a platinum setting.
It wasn’t something she could wear all the time while working on a horse ranch, but the matching wedding band was.
After he’d gotten down on one knee and proposed up at the lake, Sage had obviously said yes, but then shocked the hell out of him when she announced she wanted to get married as soon as possible.
She’d already lost one man she loved and didn’t want to waste any time after being lucky enough to find another.
It was amazing how their friends and family had pulled together and organized the wedding in only three weeks. The pig roast was catered so everyone could enjoy themselves, but everything else came together through a whirlwind of planning.
They'd been married beneath an arched trellis covered with roses, with Ashley and Maddie as bridesmaids and Shane and Evan standing beside Adam as his groomsmen. Jenna was the flower girl, while Matthew and his grandfather had walked Sage down the aisle and given her away.
And just like that, Adam was a husband and a father—two roles he’d never expected to have. He thanked God every day for bringing this family into his life. He’d come so close several times to losing everything he hadn’t known he wanted.
Seth Chapman had pled guilty to arson, assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder but had taken his own life in his cell while awaiting sentencing.
Adam and Sage had made an anonymous donation through Reverend Stevens toward the Chapman children’s future education.
They both believed the three siblings shouldn’t have to suffer or pay for their father's sins.