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“It’s a great house.” Raine meant it. He couldn’t imagine growing up like the Stones. He’d done a lot of research on the conquistador gold, and all of that research led back to the Stone family. They were a legend in these parts.
Marshall opened the sliding door and waited for him to walk in.
Raine stopped and tilted his head toward the baby. “What a cutie.”
He liked this version of himself in South Port. There was no con. There was nothing he was trying to hide. He was just Raine Birch.
Marshall puffed his chest out. “I think so.”
They walked into the house, and Raine wasn’t disappointed at the huge living room and kitchen, combined with the dining room and its huge table. A handful of kids had gathered here, their eyes glued to their cartoons.
Ava was in the kitchen. She turned and grinned at them. “I don’t think I’ve officially met you, Raine.” She was dressed in one of the pink bridesmaids’ dresses, the kind that Lucy had complained about. But they looked good. “I’m Ava.”
Raine shook her hand. “Nice to meet you. You have a great home here.”
Ava cocked her head to the side, and Raine swore she could look into a man’s soul. “I’ve heard good things about you. Of course, you know Lucy has told us about you.” She pulled her hand back and gave him a smile.
It felt good to be talked about. It felt good to be included. “She told me about all of you too,” he said, nudging Marshall in the arm. “This guy couldn’t quit talking about all of his siblings and their wives and how awesome this town was.” He sighed. “It’s what sold me on moving here to begin with.”
Marshall’s smile widened. “South Port is a good place. There are good people here. Trustworthy people.”
He didn’t know why, but the word took him off guard. Trustworthy. Yup. That’s what he was now.
Marshall pointed down the hallway. “The bathroom is down that way, third door on the left.”
Ava gestured the same way Marshall had. “Yes, of course. Help yourself. And there’s also some history about the conquistador gold on the walls. I don’t know if you’re interested in that type of thing, but our family is proud of that.” She winked at him. “Though we only allow close friends to actually read our walls.”
A close friend. He liked the sound of that. “Thank you. I will.”
Quickly, he went to the bathroom. Then, on his way out, he inspected the walls. Just as they had mentioned, there was the entire story about the gold. He had to backtrack and go to the beginning, where there was a picture he had seen online, one that featured the family with the parents and all the siblings when they were young.
He took his time, thinking that Lucy might need the space so she could talk to Matt. Again, he wished things could be different with Lucy, but he recognized what Marshall had said: she was in love with Matt. Even if Matt was going through drama, and even if she and Matt didn’t end up together, Lucy would need time. He had to just be her friend.
But that kiss … dang. He rubbed his lips and thought about how smoking hot Lucy was. Maybe she had just kissed him to make Matt jealous, and that wasn’t okay, but he’d forgive her. He just wanted her to be in a good frame of mind, not use him as a chess piece.
Hadn’t he done that to people over the years? Crap. He’d cheated people so many times. Guilt pressed on him. He didn’t want to think about that right now. Nor did he want to dwell on being someone’s friend. Not a woman’s, anyway. Truman had been his only true friend for most of his life.
On impulse, he whipped his phone out and took a picture of the treasure map and then another one of the Stone family. He texted them to his brother. When he got to the end of the line of pictures, he took in the newspaper articles on the wall. Of course, he knew most of this, but he paused and reread them.
Marshall sauntered toward him. “Hey, there you are.” He was still holding his baby.
Raine turned to him and grinned. “You have a pretty cool family. And this story is so crazy.”
Marshall grinned and then started talking about the last newspaper article. “I tell you, I’m just grateful it’s over. I think the guy was crazy.”
Raine eyed Marshall, the question still in his mind. “So where is the gold? If it wasn’t in the titanium beneath the house, where do you think it is?”
Marshall hesitated, then leaned in conspiratorially. “I probably shouldn’t say, but … it’s so crazy. A couple weeks ago, this dude from Wyoming had just inherited his father’s ranch. He’s an ex-Air Force guy too, came to the house and spoke with Trey. He showed Trey a letter from our dad to his dad. We’re not sure, but we wonder if Dad trusted that guy to take the gold and put it on that ranch somewhere in Wyoming.”
Raine’s heart raced, and he suddenly felt the old gold fever. “Really? Are you guys going to look for it?”
“No. I don’t know how much you’ve read of this wall, but the last couple years have been rough on my family. We thought Trent was dead for a long time. Then, after so many attacks from Banks for the gold, we just couldn’t do it. My mom and dad left a video, and both of them asked us to quit looking.” Marshall sighed and glanced at the wall. “Our whole lives, it’s been this way. When we were young, it was a fun adventure. Then, as we got older, it felt fun until the past year. Now I’m starting to agree with what some people say about the gold. Maybe it’s cursed. I’m not saying it’s cursed in a way that if another man found it, bad things would happen. I’m saying it’s cursed in a way that people can get obsessed by it. Look at Banks. Look at my family. There were times when we wanted to rip each other’s heads off over it.” He shook his head and softly touched his baby’s face. “We’re done with the gold. We believe that the real treasure is our family. Baby Marshall, chip off the old block. That’s where our focus is now. On our children.”
Taking his leave, Raine walked back down the hallway and out of the house. He liked that. People were much more important than money. After growing up in foster care and only having Truman, he’d known that he wanted a new life, but after his conversation with Marshall, he decided he wanted something even more important: his own family. He wanted goodness.
He headed past the pool and then down to the beach. Lucy was still on the dance floor, talking intently with Matt. Raine’s heart skipped a beat, and he walked quicker. He wanted someone like Lucy. He just didn’t know how to get her.
Raine watched Lucy pull away from Matt. They looked like they were arguing. Then the brunette, who clearly was Matt’s ex, sidled up and pulled him to her. Lucy rushed off the dance floor, and Raine hurried to catch her, taking her hand and quickly leading her to a quieter area. She seemed upset and didn’t even try to pull away.
