"And it's surprisingly effective," she managed between shivers. "But I really wanted you to look at this."
He plucked her up, set her down on the counter, then slid his hand around to cup her bare bottom. "I'm going to make love with you here." He closed his teeth over the nipple that strained against the thin cotton. "Is that all right with you?"
"Yes. Good." Her head fell back. "Wherever."
Satisfied with that, he rubbed his lips over hers. "What do you want me to see?"
"Nothing. Just this."
He caught the coin that slipped through her fingers and puzzled over it. "Spanish? A doubloon, I suppose. Isn't this Margo's?"
"No. Mine. I found it." She drew in a long, shuddering breath, let it out. "God, how do you do that? It's like turning off a switch in my head. I found it," she repeated, struggling to separate her sense from her senses. "Today, on the cliffs. It was just lying there. Seraphina's dowry. You've heard the legend."
"Sure." Intrigued, he turned the coin over in his hand. "The star-crossed lovers. The young Spanish girl left behind in Monterey when the boy she loves goes off to fight the Americans. She hears he's been killed, and in despair she jumps off the cliffs."
He lifted his gaze from the gold to her eyes. "The cliffs, it's said, across from Templeton House."
"She had a dowry," Kate added.
"Right. A chest filled with her bride gift, bestowed by a loving, indulgent father. One variation says she hid it to protect it from the invaders until her lover returned. Another says she took it into the sea with her."
"Well." Kate picked the coin out of his palm. "I go with the first."
"Haven't you and Laura and Margo been combing those cliffs for months?"
"So? Margo found a co
in last year, now I've found one."
"At this rate, you'll be rich beyond your wildest dreams about the middle of the next millennium. You believe in legends?"
"What of it?" Ready to pout, she shifted. "Seraphina existed. There's documentation, and—"
"No." He kissed her gently. "Don't spoil it. It's nice to know you can just believe. It's even nicer to know you want me to believe."
She studied his face. "Well, do you?"
He took the coin from her and set it down where it gleamed like a promise beside them. "Of course," he said simply.
Chapter Thirteen
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Storms blew in, pelting the coast with driving rain, sweeping it with raging winds. Relief that the dangerously dry season might be averted with the unrelenting wet warred with worry over flooding and mudslides.
Kate tried not to take the nasty weather personally. But there was no doubt that it prevented her from intensifying the treasure hunts. Even as the rains abated, the cliffs were too wet for safety.
So they would wait.
There was certainly enough to occupy her. Pretenses' summer season was in full swing. Tourists crammed Cannery Row, jammed the wharf, queued up for a trip through the aquarium. Arcades clattered with the sounds of games and jingling tokens, and families strolled the sidewalks licking ice cream from sugar cones.
The busy carnival atmosphere out in the streets meant business.
Some came to feed the gulls and watch the boats. Some came to gaze upon the street that Steinbeck had immortalized. Some came to bask in the eternal spring that Monterey offered, or take the sweeping drive along the coast.
Many, many were lured by Margo's clever display windows to come in and browse. And those who browsed often bought.
"I see dollar signs in your eyes again," Laura murmured.