Fortune Hunter's Hero

“There’re no guarantees in life, Mr. Wyatt. Especially when it comes to treasure hunting. It’s all a crapshoot.”

“Then you should come down off your price, Ms. Brewster. Or at least agree to take less if the mine doesn’t have the ore it’s rumored to.”

“And you should value the fact that you’re not going to spend years, possibly decades, looking in the wrong place,” she retorted. “Think about it, Mr. Wyatt. Without the right information, you might as well look for the mine in Mexico. You’re never going to find it.”

She saw his eyes flicker and knew she’d finally scored a direct hit in this game they were playing, but she had to give him credit. He didn’t cave in easily. “How do I know that you’re not just scamming me?” he asked, studying her with eyes that were sharp as a hawk’s. “You’ve given me no proof, no credentials. For all I know, you’re a waitress from Philadelphia. Where’s your proof, Ms. Brewster? Give me that, and then we’ll have something to talk about.”

“Well, if that’s all you need, why didn’t you say so?” she said, and reached into her purse and pulled out a letter.

Chapter 3

Expecting a map of some kind, Buck unfolded the single piece of paper and frowned at the letter that was written in Spanish. “This is your proof?”

“You wanted something in writing.”

“Something I could read!”

“You didn’t say it had to be in English. Would you like me to translate it for you?”

“Oh, sure. That’ll really inspire confidence. Is this all you’ve got?”

She hesitated, studying him with wary eyes that told him more strongly than words that she didn’t trust him any more than he trusted her. That should have done nothing to reassure him. Instead, her wariness told him that she knew something. Why else would she be leery of him?

“You do have something else,” he said accusingly.

“I do not!”

Her denial was too quick, too fierce. “Yes, you do,” he insisted. “I’m not blind. I can see it in your eyes. You’re afraid I’m going to take whatever you have and cut you out. And you have every right to feel that way. You don’t know me, don’t know what I’m capable of. That must be the most difficult part of your job…knowing who to trust. You could lose a bundle before you even knew you were in trouble.”

She didn’t even bother to deny it. “It happens,” she retorted. “Not often, but enough to make me gun-shy. I learned a long time ago not to trust a man who said he wasn’t going to take advantage. So if you want me to trust you, Mr. Wyatt, you’re going to have to give me something other than words.”

He had to give her credit—she didn’t pull any punches. Surveying her through narrowed eyes, he started the bidding war. “One percent.”

She didn’t even blink. “Twenty-five.”

Shocked, he laughed. “You can’t be serious!”

“Me? What about you? One percent? How serious is that?”

“Okay.” He chuckled. “So I was testing you, just to see if you were listening.”

“Oh, I’m listening,” she said dryly. “And your offer is…?”

He had to grin. She was like a dog with a bone. Not, he silently amended, that she in any way resembled a dog. Did she have a clue how cute she was? He’d always been drawn to blondes, but there was something about her black hair and the sparkle of amusement in her blue eyes that he found impossible to ignore. She was sharp as a tack, and he found that incredibly appealing. Did she know that when she smiled, he couldn’t take his eyes off her? How was he supposed to negotiate with the woman when he couldn’t even think straight around her?

Suddenly realizing where his thoughts had wandered, he stiffened. What the devil was he doing? This was a business deal, for God’s sake! If she had the slightest idea what he was thinking, she’d take him to the cleaners in a heartbeat.

Which was why he kept his eyes shuttered as he studied her speculatively. “If you’re expecting a lot of money up front for whatever information you think you have, you’re out of luck,” he said coolly. “The ranch is taking just about every penny I’ve got, and Hilda, unfortunately, was land rich and dirt poor. There’s no money right now for a big payoff.”

“And when you find the mine?”

“If we find the mine—and that’s a big if—then that’s another matter, of course.”

“So give me a number, Mr. Wyatt. A reasonable number. That’s all I ask.”

How did he put a price on something he didn’t have? He didn’t even know where to start. “If the mine is found, I’ll be the one who will bear all the expense.”

“True,” she agreed. “But without me, you would never find it. You’re looking in the wrong place.”

“Ten,” he said flatly. “It’s my last offer.”

“Twelve, and you’ve got a deal,” she retorted. “I want twenty-five, you want one. Twelve should work for both of us. Of course, I’m losing out on a half of a percentage point, but that’s all right. I’m willing to compromise even if you’re not.”

Ignoring that last remark, he knew he should have said no and stuck to his offer. After all, he was giving her a hell of a deal, and she should have appreciated that. But no! She wanted more.

And if she didn’t get it, she just might walk away.

Scowling, he knew he couldn’t let her do that. And it wasn’t because she was a damn interesting woman, he assured himself. She knew where the mine was.

“Twelve,” he agreed, caving in. “But that’s based on net, not gross. And you don’t start collecting until six months after the mine is up and operating, and that payoff ends after ten years.”

“I’m not just turning my notes and maps over to you and walking away for twelve percent or a hundred and five or whatever number you want to throw out there,” she told him. “I already informed you I want to be involved in the search for the mine.”

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes,” she insisted. “My father and I spent years researching the mine, tracking it halfway across the world. I promised my father before he died that I wouldn’t stop looking for it. I want to be there when you find it.”

He should have said no. She was too cute, too sassy, too hard to ignore. And the last thing he wanted in his life right now was a woman. He’d had one and lost her and he wasn’t going there again.

A muscle ticked in his jaw at the thought of Melissa. How could he have been so taken in by her? He’d dated his share of women, and he’d always seen them for what they were…until Melissa looked up at him with those big blue eyes and stole his heart. He’d never seen the mercenary light in those same blue eyes, never realized that she loved what he could give her more than she could ever love him.

Never again, he thought grimly. He didn’t need a woman, didn’t need another kick in the teeth. He’d welcomed the solitude of the ranch, the time to himself. The last thing he wanted or needed was a woman like Rainey Brewster following him around the ranch, looking for the lost mine and making it impossible for him to ignore her.

But she was the only one who had a clue where the mine was and she wasn’t sharing that information unless they had a deal. Damn!

Frustrated, left with no choice, he sighed. “Deal. There. Are you satisfied?”

She didn’t even attempt to hold back a triumphant smile. “Once it’s in writing, I will be. So…when do we get started?”

She was serious, he thought with a groan. She was really going to insist on helping him search for the mine. And he’d agreed to the insanity. He must have been out of his mind.

“Eight,” he said curtly. “I want to get an early start.”

“I’ll be there,” she assured him, grinning. “You bring the contract, and I’ll pack a picnic lunch.”

“Just make sure you bring the map,” he retorted. “I want to find this damn thing as quickly as possible.”

Later, Rainey didn’t know how she slept that night. Her thoughts in a whirlwind, she lay in bed for hours, wide awake, her heart racing with excitement, just like a child waiting for Santa Claus. When her father died, she’d given up any real hope of finding the mine—there were so many things that had to come together when you were searching for treasure, and doing it alone wasn’t easy. But here she was, so close she could practically reach out and touch it.