A Gift from the Past (12 page)

“A
lmost there,” Joshua said as he and Claire made their way through the woods behind the city buildings. In one hand he held the tin box they had dug up nearly two months before. In his other hand was a shovel. They had come back to the Dragon Tree to bury the box containing the photo of Joseph and Irene Woodson.

It had been almost six weeks since he and Claire had finally resolved the past and pledged to spend their future together. That morning they had appeared before the justice of the peace to renew the vows they had taken so long ago.

He reached the Dragon Tree first and turned to watch Claire approach. As always, his heart
swelled at the sight of her. She'd put on a little weight over the past month and wore happiness on her features as if it were a new form of makeup.

She reached him and smiled that beautiful smile that always made him feel as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. “The last time I came here, I was certain I was about to find a treasure that would change my life.”

“And instead you found me,” he teased.

She laughed, then sobered. “Why didn't we think of the treasure being buried by the flagpole at the fire station?”

“It just never occurred to me,” he replied. The week before, Margaret Bratton had found the ten-thousand-dollar treasure that had been buried by Clark Windsloe.

“I'm glad Margaret found it,” Claire said. “She's been a widow for several years, living on a fixed income and she has a heart of gold. She'll put it to good use.”

“I think Sarge is going to ask Wilma to marry him,” Joshua said. “He asked me last night if I thought it was foolish for a man his age to get married.”

“What did you tell him?”

He grinned at her. “I told him I highly recommend the state of marriage and that one is never too old to enjoy it.”

He held the tin box out to her. “Shall we get started?”

She nodded and took the box, then watched while he dug a hole big enough to hold it. When he was finished, he set the shovel against the tree, then took the box from her.

“Just think, perhaps a year from now, ten years from now, a hundred years from now, somebody will dig up this box and the picture inside will transform their lives,” he said. He placed the box into the hole, then grabbed his shovel and quickly covered it.

When he was finished, he turned back to Claire. “What are you smiling about?” he asked. She had the most wonderful smile on her face.

“I was just thinking about the day I came here to find the treasure that would change my life.” She stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her smoke-gray eyes radiated a love that both electrified and humbled him. “I did find my treasure.”

“The picture of Sarah and Daniel did change your life,” he said.

She smiled. “Oh, Joshua. That picture wasn't the real treasure. You were—you and your love are the real treasure in my life.”

Joshua's heart had never felt so full as he gazed at the woman he'd loved, at the woman he would
love through all of eternity. He claimed her waiting lips with his and silently thanked Sarah and Daniel for giving him back his life, for returning him to his wife.