The Sunstone Brooch : Time Travel Romance Katherine Logan (no david read aloud TXT) 📖

Ensley walked toward the light too, but David wrapped his other arm around her shoulders. “Stop, lass. We can’t go any farther. Erik went in and out of here, but he knew how to use this chamber. We don’t, and until we have more information, we’re not going close to that light. We all need to back out and close the door before we trigger something. Maybe when we understand all the drawings on the wall, we might know more, but until then, we can’t afford to open the door for the Illuminati to come in.”

“Good point. But tell me this. How did Erik accumulate a hoard this size?” Ensley asked.

“If Erik traveled around the world throughout history, he could have amassed a fortune, and he needed secure places to hide it. We got the Roman hoard. No telling how many other hoards he left behind. He could have caves like this all over the world.”

“But why hide it on MacKlenna Farm in Lexington, Kentucky?”

No one said anything for several seconds, and then David said, “Because the farm has a connection to the Keeper.”

“But why?”

“To support the war against the Illuminati.”

“But we can’t sell this stuff to raise money. Who would buy any of it? We can’t provide documented evidence of provenance,” Kenzie said.

“We could sell it to anyone willing to buy antiquities on the black market,” Ensley said.

“Well, we aren’t selling anything today. So let’s go home,” David said.

“But what if the hoard isn’t here in the future?” Ensley said, “I mean, not that we can do anything with it, but it’ll be a shame if we can’t do a full inventory to find out what’s here.”

“We’ll worry about that later.”

They gathered up the lights they’d brought into the treasure room, and David was the last one to leave.

“Hey, McBain. Did you lock the doors and turn out all the lights?”

“Aye, and I tried to leave it the way we found it.” He looked one last time before he removed the brooch. “Look, the light’s faded.”

“Maybe we triggered something when we walked in there that activated a motion sensor security light, and when we left, it turned it off.”

“That’s possible, but we can’t stick around here any longer. Let’s go home,” David said.

Kenzie linked her arm with his. “I wish closing the door would wrap up this adventure, but there’s still too much to do.”

“Maybe Tavis will be home when we get there,” David said.

“We can only hope.”

The door closed with a clang. “Before ye ask, I have no idea who built this door. But if Erik traveled as much as we think he did, he easily could have found an engineer to build whatever he wanted.”

“Or he twitched his nose,” Kenzie said.

They carried the gear out of the cave and packed up the trunks, and as they carried them to the wagon, Sean said, “Elliott asked me to burn the cabin to the ground and remove all evidence of its existence. Is that still the plan?”

“Aye,” David said, taking his first deep breath since the moment he crawled into the cave. “And find a way to keep people away from here.”

“Do ye have any suggestions?” Sean asked.

David set his trunk in the bed of the wagon, thinking of places he’d seen in his life that encouraged people to stay away, and then he laughed. “Aye. Post signs that say the area is haunted. We know ghosts have been sighted on the farm before. Just ask Kit and Meredith.”

64

MacKlenna Farm, KY (1885)—Ensley

Elliott and Meredith rode off on the extra horses David and Austin brought with them, so, instead of riding double, Ensley and Kenzie rode on the wagon’s damp tailgate with their legs dangling while they chatted and laughed their way back to the mansion.

As they rode up to the barn, the horses in the paddock caught Ensley’s eye, and she did a double take. “What the hell! They’re here!”

“Who’s here?” Kenzie asked.

Ensley pointed. “The horses! Mercury and Marengo and Ferdiad, and Remy’s horse, too, but I don’t know his name.” She jumped down, yelling, “Austin, look! The horses. They made it.”

Kenzie jumped off the tailgate and joined Ensley at the fence. “Mercury’s JC’s favorite horse. How’d he get here?”

“JC was riding him when he left Elkhorn Ranch, so he must have had Mercury in Chicago.” Ensley climbed up on the lowest rung and rested her folded arms atop the rail, eyes fixed on the stallion. “I know JC went shopping and bought clothes for me. He probably left Mercury at the train station while he did that.”

“Marengo and Ferdiad are here, too,” Austin said, kissing her. The contact was startling but warm and compelling. He sipped at her lips gently, drew away for a breath, and came back for a firmer, more possessive kiss. His stubble rasped her chin, and she couldn’t have cared less.

Kenzie cleared her throat.

But Ensley ignored Kenzie’s warning to curb their display of affection. She was so overcome with relief that she kissed him back in front of God and Kentucky and the entire SEC, whatever the hell that was.

“They all made it here. I thought we’d never see them again,” he whispered against her mouth. “Wait till you see them running on the ranch with the mountains in the background. It’s a magnificent sight.”

“I can’t wait.”

Ferdiad saw her but kept looking around. “Look at Ferdiad. He’s looking for Tavis.”

“He’ll come to me,” Austin said. And then he called, “Come here, boy. Come here, Ferdiad.” The Thoroughbred clopped over and nuzzled Austin’s shoulder. “We miss him, too.” Austin scratched the horse’s forehead. “We’re going to bring your master home.”

Ferdiad nodded his head as if he understood and then nuzzled Ensley’s shoulder. “You’ll see him soon,” she said, stroking his muzzle.

Austin whistled, and Marengo trotted over to him and rested his head on Austin’s arm, whinnying. “I never thought I’d see you again.” The expression on Austin’s face was one of pure