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Percy nodded quickly. That was reasonable, and fair.
“What about scouting out a site for a hut? Wasn’t that the plan?” Percy asked.
Albie gave a pointed glance over the river, nearer to the valley. “There’s a spot over there, far enough from the river should it flood. We’d need to clear some trees, make some fences, some holding yards.”
“You still want to bring cattle and sheep down here in the winter?”
“Of course I do.” He smiled at the gold nugget. “Percy, I don’t doubt this could change everything for us.”
“For us?” Percy said, panic building again.
Albie smiled at him. “For the farm. Us. Our farm.”
Percy let out a rush of breath. “Oh.” Then he shook his head again. “It’s your farm, Albie.”
They’d had this talk when Albie had mentioned putting Percy’s name on the property deeds. He’d said it was the only way to recognise their relationship, and should anything happen to Albie the property would go to Percy, his partner.
Life partner, business partner, it was all the same, Albie had argued.
Percy had said no.
He couldn’t let Albie do that.
And now here he was bringing it up again.
“Well, you found this,” Albie said, looking at the gold. “So?—”
“It’s on your land,” Percy countered. “That makes it yours.”
Albie sighed. “Ours.”
Percy didn’t want to argue semantics today.
“Anyway,” Albie said. “As I was saying, I don’t doubt this could change things for us. We could make ourselves some serious money if we were to find any more.”
Percy shook his head.
Albie held up his hand again. “I said if. That’s a big if. I know men have gone and lost their minds over it, Percy. And I promise not to let that happen to us. We’ll cash it in and put it in the bank. We don’t flaunt nothing. We’ll be smart and buy things to make the farm better. Another bull, some more cows. More feed. A new saddle for Robert, new boots for Des.”
“Will you tell them?” Percy asked, his eyes wide. That sense of dread was creeping back in. “There’s no saying what they’ll do. They might quit the farm to come looking, find their own gold.”
“Not yet. I won’t tell anyone yet.”
“Ever,” Percy said. “We keep this between us until we know for certain. There might not be any more. This could have been a one-off chance. And we’d have ruined lives forever.”
Or there could be thousands just like it went unsaid.
Neither of them had to say that out loud.
“And we don’t take it to Alpine Falls,” Percy added. “Everyone would know before you were done folding your money.”
“Our money.”
Percy squinted his eyes shut. “Albie, I don’t want it. I just want you. Nothing else.”
Albie leaned in, giving his shoulder a soft kiss. “I’ll have your name beside me on those title deeds one day, just you see.”
Percy sighed, the fight in him gone. “It scares me, Albie,” he whispered. “The gold and what it does to a man’s sanity. I’ve seen it before. I know what it can do.”
