The Treasure Seeker Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Other Books by Frankie J. Jones

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Bella Books

  Copyright © 2014 by Frankie J. Jones

  Bella Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 10543

  Tallahassee, FL 32302

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  First Bella Books Edition 2014

  eBook released 2014

  Editor: Katherine V. Forrest

  Cover Designer: Sandy Knowles

  ISBN: 978-1-59493-406-3

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  Other Books by Frankie J. Jones

  Writing as Frankie J. Jones

  Becka’s Song

  The Road Home

  Voices of the Heart

  For Every Season

  Survival of Love

  Midas Touch

  Room for Love

  Captive Heart

  Whispers in the Wind

  Rhythm Tide

  Writing as Megan Carter

  Midnight Melodies

  Please Forgive Me

  Passionate Kisses

  When Love Finds a Home

  On the Wings of Love

  Acknowledgments

  Peggy J. Herring—Thanks for reading the manuscript.

  Martha Cabrera—Thanks for everything you do. You make life a treasure every day.

  Katherine V. Forrest—Thanks for your patience and editorial skill.

  About the Author

  Frankie is an award-winning artist and freelance nature photographer. When she isn’t working she loves to travel and fish.

  For Martha

  My greatest treasure.

  Chapter One

  As the footsteps grew steadily closer, Rylene Shelton held her breath and wished she could make herself invisible. Despite her anticipation of what was about to occur, she still flinched when the door flew open.

  “I thought you weren’t going to work late tonight,” Kate said in a tone of voice Ry knew only too well. “This is the first weekend I haven’t had to work in months. I don’t want to spend it sitting at home watching you work.” Kate stood staring at her with crossed arms. Her stance and the tight pinch of her mouth left no doubt of her unhappiness.

  Ry stared back at Kate, her lover of six years, an emergency room nurse who made no secret of the fact that while she loved her job, she still valued every free moment away from the hospital.

  “I don’t know why you get so upset about my hours. We both knew the store would require a lot of sacrifice,” Ry said. Lately this had been an ongoing argument between them, and she had grown tired of having to defend herself. She loved the shop. Although, in a weak moment, she would admit it was much harder and more time consuming than she had ever imagined.

  Previously, Ry had worked as a designer for a firm in San Antonio for five years. Then the firm began having financial problems and Ry was laid off. When she was unable to secure a position with another design firm, Kate began to urge her to follow through on her dream of opening an antique shop.

  Kate had been supportive throughout the entire process of locating and opening the shop. They visited several small towns surrounding San Antonio before they decided to move to Jackson City. The location offered everything they wanted. Ry especially liked the area because it was where she had grown up. Her parents and brothers lived a few miles outside of town. Kate was happy there was a hospital that served Jackson City and the surrounding area. They agreed that Kate’s salary would have to support them until the business became financially stable. An additional bonus to relocating to Jackson City was its already booming antique trade.

  They located a one-hundred-and-twelve-year-old, two-story brick building that was strong on charm and atmosphere. Ry’s father, a construction contractor, looked the building over and declared it sound. Another major plus was that they would be able to live in the twenty-one-hundred square feet space upstairs.

  Ry’s father offered them the “family discount,” which meant he would provide his crew to do the work. Ry and Kate would pay for expenses only.

  As they had anticipated, Kate had no problems securing a position as an emergency room nurse at the local hospital. Ry’s family pitched in and helped them move their belongings from San Antonio to Jackson City.

  Ry spent hours cleaning the enormous old building, hand buffing the stunning hundred-year-old oak floor planks and bead board walls until they glowed. She climbed to the top of a ladder so high it made her head swim to shine the beautiful hand-hammered tin ceiling and brass lighting fixtures. She polished windows and antique glass display cases until they sparkled. There were times when she was so tired she could barely move, but the exhaustion magically dimmed as soon as Kate came home from work and Ry was able to share with her what had been accomplished in that day’s work.

  Ry hit the road looking for merchandise to stock the store. She lost count of the number of miles she traveled going to farm auctions, estate sales, thrift stores, yard sales and business closeouts. The best times were always the ones when Kate wanted to go with her.

  Finally, after weeks of hard work, The Antique Nook opened with blazing success. For the first few months, business was so brisk that Ry could barely keep up. She hired a part-time employee, Sally Watkins. Then the economy worsened and sent sales into a downward spiral. Now, the shop was barely making enough to cover expenses.

  “Well?”

  Ry stifled a groan of frustration. She wouldn’t be getting any more work done tonight, if she wanted to avoid an argument. It was clear Kate was working herself up for one. She stopped typing and couldn’t help giving one last try. “I still have to log all these items and price them.” She waved her hand toward the jumble of boxes and furniture stacked around her.

  “Can’t you get Sally to help with that later?” Kate asked. “Isn’t that what you’re paying her for?” She began to examine her nails until suddenly she shoved her hands into the pockets of her gray tailored slacks.

  Ry tried to ignore Kate’s fidgeting. There was always an air of nervous energy about her. Maybe it came from having to maintain such a hectic pace at the hospital. Early in their relationship, Ry had liked Kate’s nervous energy. It made Ry push herself harder to keep up. Now it mostly irritated her. She remained silent while Kate continued her tirade on Sally earning her pay.

  She considered confessing to K
ate that due to the decline in business Sally only worked a few hours a week now. That in fact, all of the startup money they had put aside for the store was gone, along with most of Ry’s personal savings. If business didn’t pick up soon she would have to close the store.

  The business wasn’t the only thing in a downward spiral. Her relationship with Kate had recently started to take an uneasy turn. They argued constantly and seldom did anything together. These days Kate went out with her friends from the hospital.

  Ry stared at Kate and finally admitted to herself that while she cared for Kate she wasn’t sure if she still loved her.

  “I’m bored,” Kate said. “I don’t want to spend another Saturday night alone while you sit down here working.”

  “You could go without me.” Ry hoped her eagerness for Kate to leave didn’t show.

  Kate gave her a sour look. “Yeah, well that hasn’t proved to be much fun. Always being the odd wheel is starting to get old.”

  “You could sit in here with me.” Ry tried to keep her rising irritation out of her voice as she pulled her hair behind her ears. In an effort to save money wherever she could, she had put off getting a haircut, and now it was much longer than she usually wore it. She had been keeping her hair pulled back into a ponytail but had lost the rubber band somewhere earlier that day and hadn’t bothered to look for another one.

  “And do what?” Kate asked as she idly reached into a box and picked up a book. “I don’t want to sit around and watch you work.” She dropped the book and picked up another. “Who did you buy all this stuff from anyway?”

  “There was an estate sale off of Highway Two Eleven. I was driving to San Antonio when I saw the sign on the highway.”

  “You don’t normally buy books. Why did you buy these?” She crinkled her nose in distaste. The movement highlighted the sprinkling of freckles across her nose. “I hope you aren’t planning on adding a used-books section.”

  Ry rubbed her forehead. “I only bought them because there are several nice current first editions. A few customers ask about books. Besides, the estate sale guy was practically giving these away. I only paid a dollar a box.” At this point, she was willing to try just about anything that would boost sales.

  Kate seemed to forget her boredom as flipped through the books. “Well, since you’re so good at finding things, maybe we’ll get lucky and you’ll find a few hundred-dollar bills tucked between the pages.”

  Ry smiled in spite of Kate’s sarcasm. If there was anything that Ry was truly good at, it was finding things. For as long as she could remember she had been able to find things that others lost—keys, glasses, toys, whatever. As a child, she had spent hours daydreaming about finding buried treasure.

  For her twelfth birthday, her parents had bought her a metal detector. She dug so many holes in the yard that her mom quickly banned its use to the woods behind their house. For weeks, she came home each afternoon with a canvas bag filled with treasures that ranged from old bottles with corroded lids to pieces of rust-encrusted farm equipment.

  As she grew older, she started antiquing. Her childhood dreams of finding buried treasure gave way to dreams of discovering some phenomenal historical object that others had overlooked. Kate on the other hand was a total realist. She thought buried treasure was better suited to children’s literature.

  Ry often wondered why Kate had ever been attracted to her. In most ways, they were complete opposites. While she was tall and thin, Kate was short and constantly watched her weight. Ry’s idea of a fun weekend was camping and fishing. Kate’s perfect weekend was a five-star hotel and endless shopping in stores with prices so high they gave Ry vertigo. Ry was most comfortable in jeans and T-shirts, Kate preferred tailored suits.

  Whatever sparked the original attraction between them was definitely growing dimmer. Ry shook off the thought and focused her attention on the antique school desk she had bought from the estate sale. “Did you see the desk?” she asked as she pointed out the small Chandler birch desk. “I was expecting to pay at least a hundred for it, but he only wanted twenty-five.”

  Kate laid the book down and stepped over to the desk. “It’s beautiful.” She opened the lid and checked the joints and hinges. “Why did he ask so little? What’s wrong with it?”

  “He didn’t have the chair, but there’s nothing wrong with the desk.” Ry pointed to the top of the piece. “Look, it still has both of the glass inkwells.”

  Kate closed the lid and shrugged. “I guess he didn’t know what he had, but I know you told him.” She removed one of the glass inkwells and peered at it before she replaced it. “What’s it worth?” She ran her hand across the top.

  The unexpected spark of desire that shot through her as she watched Kate’s hand move across the desk surprised Ry. She quickly turned her attention to the brass tacks studding the arm of the leather chair she was sitting in. “It’s worth a couple of hundred dollars without the chair.” The defensive tone in her voice irritated her. “And yes, I told him. I couldn’t rip him off. But it didn’t matter. Even after I told him what the desk was worth. He said he just wanted to get rid of everything as quickly as possible.” She rushed on. “You should have seen the old upright radio he had. I really wanted to buy it, but he refused every offer I made.”

  “So, are we going out or what?” Kate asked as she suddenly turned back to Ry.

  “I guess so. I did promise you we could do something.” Ry hit the save button on her keyboard and pushed it away. She would have to get up even earlier in the morning if she was going to get the merchandise on the show floor tomorrow. Luckily, it would be Sunday and the shop didn’t open until noon.

  In a rare moment of tenderness, Kate brushed a lock of Ry’s hair back from her face. “You look tired.”

  Again, Ry almost gave in and confessed her fears. She worried about how Kate would take the news of the recent setback. She had mentioned in passing that sales were down, but she hadn’t told Kate how drastically they had dropped. She knew that Kate would explode if she ever found out that Ry had cashed in her 401K and most of that money was now gone. Rather than confess, she said, “I never dreamed running a business could be so time consuming.” She fought her frustration that was on the verge of bubbling over.

  “Are you sorry you opened the shop?”

  Surprised by the question, Ry tried to read Kate’s face. Was Kate sorry she had moved here? “On a bad day I’m sorry, but overall, no. I love finding pieces for the shop and I like living here.”

  “You know we could move back to San Antonio,” Kate said. “I can always find a job at one of the hospitals. You could take your time job hunting until you found something you would enjoy doing.”

  Again, Ry tried to read Kate’s face. Where was she headed with this conversation? As usual, Kate didn’t allow much to show. “Are you tired of living here?” Ry asked. “You’re the one who’s always bored.”

  Kate shrugged and moved back to one of the boxes of books. “I guess I just miss you. It seems like you’re always down here working or gone somewhere.”

  Ry stood and wrapped her arms around Kate’s waist from behind. “I’m sorry. I know I spend too much time working.” She rested her forehead on Kate’s shoulder. “Give me time for a quick shower and we can go to the Cove. I’m sure Alice and Janet are still there.”

  Alice and Janet were friends that Kate had met at the hospital. They had been together for twenty-two years and still acted as if they were in a brand-new relationship. Ry envied the easy way they had with each other.

  They stood quietly for a moment before Kate turned and put her arms around Ry’s neck. “I have a better idea. Why don’t I stay down here and help you finish this, and then in the morning we’ll have time to go out for breakfast or even a short drive before you open the shop.”

  “Are you sure?” Ry asked, hoping her relief wasn’t showing.

  Kate pulled away. “Where do you want me to start?” Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a box of book
s and set it on the large wooden worktable near Ry’s desk. “I’ll separate all the first editions and start researching and pricing them.” She took a book from the box and glanced back at Ry playfully. “Of course, I’m going to go through them first just to be certain there are no hidden hundred-dollar bills.”

  “Feel free to keep anything you find,” Ry said. At this point, she would be grateful to find a few ten-dollar bills. “Any of the books that aren’t suitable for the store, I’ll take to the nursing home next week. I already have a stack of magazines set aside.”

  Ry picked up an old cardboard cigar box and opened it. This had been her favorite find of the day. The box held eight small woodcarvings of farm animals. The rather crudely worked pieces had captured Ry’s attention. She wanted to know more about them and the person who had carved them. At first, the man at the estate sale had seemed hesitant to sell them. His grandfather had carved the pieces. Normally, that would have made Ry stop asking, but when he admitted he hadn’t bothered to look at the pieces close enough to know what they were, she persisted until he agreed to sell them. The objects obviously hadn’t held much of a sentimental value to him. She picked up the horse and studied the slightly square head. Hairline cracks in the wood suggested it was old. The blade marks were still clearly visible but worn smooth as if the piece had been handled a lot. She chose another item. It was a rabbit or at least the head of one. The body was still locked inside the small block of wood. She wondered why the carver had never finished the piece. Ry realized she was wasting time. She returned the items back to the box and quickly logged them into her inventory spreadsheet. There would be time later to decide whether she wanted to keep the pieces for herself.

  When Kate finished going through the books, she tucked her shoulder-length auburn hair behind her ears and began polishing the furniture.

  They worked in easy companionship until almost midnight when Ry finally checked the last item off her list. She quickly downloaded her file to an offsite data-storage service and pushed back from her desk. “That’s the last of it,” she said as she yawned and stretched. “Everything has been logged and researched. All I have to do is finish making the price tags, and I can do that tomorrow.”