Page 43 of Tempting Fate
“Or maybe we should go home and snuggle up on the couch with something warm in front of a fire.” He let his eyes slowly sweep over her and she remembered the kiss, the hot pull of that glorious mouth of his, and got goosebumps.
Gabe was a tease, and this wasn’t her first rodeo. There’d been a lot of pleasurable kisses in her past and they’d all ended in pain. Besides, he was her brother’s best friend, and messing around with him would be tempting fate. She didn’t want anything to come between her and Logan. They’d just found each other and she wanted to hang on to her half brother with all her might.
“How ’bout we keep working, and at noon I’ll buy you lunch?”
He leaned both arms on the handle of the metal detector and considered her offer. “I want steak.”
“For steak, you can’t break until one o’clock, and if we don’t find anything by then, we have to change locations when we come back.”
“Come back?” He raised his brows. “Sweetheart, I’ve got other things to do.”
“Seriously, you’re willing to quit this early in the game? So much for badass SEALs.” She flapped her elbows and made chicken noises.
He threw his head back and laughed. “You really think you can goad me into doing this? Raylene, read my lips: There’s no gold, and we’re wasting our time. The only reason I’ve agreed to this fool’s errand is because I find you highly entertaining.”
“Why?” She sat in the dirt, pulling her knees up under her chin. “Is that your way of saying I’m ridiculous?”
“Not ridiculous, though this is.” He gazed around at the ground they’d already covered. “All I’m saying is there’s never a dull moment when you’re around. And as long as I’m on vacation, I could use a little excitement.”
“Glad to be of service.” She wasn’t sure if he was telling her he enjoyed her company or whether it was his measured way of saying she was a giant pain in the ass. She wished it didn’t matter to her one way or another. But it did. “You think we could get back to work now?”
“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted her and turned the detector back on.
She got to her feet and followed behind him. If they had two detectors they could cover twice as much ground. She was just about to suggest it when the detector went off.
“Oh my God, we’ve got something.”
“Don’t get excited yet.” Gabe crouched down on the ground and maneuvered the detector closer. “Right here.”
She grabbed the shovel, but the ground was like granite.
“Let me try.” Gabe took it from her and dug enough of a hole that they could use their hands.
She got down on her knees and pawed at the soil. Gabe grabbed a miniature detector from his SUV.
“The guy at the hardware store told me this would come in handy.” He squatted next to her and waved the handheld one over the site until it made a piercing noise. “Right here.”
She took off her gloves and went to work on the spot he’d honed in on. He went back to his truck and returned with a trowel and began digging alongside her.
“Can you believe it, Gabe? This could be it.”
“Or not.” But he seemed as excited as she was. “What’re you planning to do with all your loot?”
“Split it with Logan and Annie, pay off debts, and give a big chunk to this women’s shelter where I volunteer.”
He stopped and stared at her, his mouth slightly agape. “I don’t know which one shocks me more: the fact that you’re willing to give half your money to Logan, or that you volunteer.”
“If I wasn’t about to become filthy rich I might actually be offended.” She pried a rock loose and tossed it away. “Run that thing over here again.”
He waved the small detector over the hole they’d dug. “Sounds like we’re getting closer.” Gabe picked up the trowel and chipped away at a few more stones. “This is rocky soil, that’s for sure.”
“Should I get the pickax?”
“I’ll get it.” He got to his feet and Raylene thought if Gabe were Butch he’d bludgeon her to death with the pickax and run off with the gold.
“Move away,” Gabe said, and lifted the pick above his head.
“Be careful. I don’t want you damaging the gold.”
