Searching For Treasure - By L.C. Davenport Page 0,34

a sigh that seemed to come from his shoe soles. "Well, I can't say that I'm sorry to see them leave. Most unpleasant gentlemen."

Henry went to close the door behind them. "Hell's bells and shotgun shells, will you look at that rain? Like pouring piss out of a boot."

"I guess that limits our activities today to the inside of the castle,”Rose said.“Which reminds me, Oscar. The sight of Grace chasing chickens put it right out of our heads. Go ahead, Dana."

"Oscar, you told me that when you bought the castle, it was being sold for taxes. But did you have the interior appraised?"

"The interior? No. Why, it's just old furniture."

Dana took him by the hand. "Not exactly. Come with me." She led him into the kitchen, the others following. She showed him the objects she had noticed that first night and what she thought they would be worth to collectors. "Even that Old Judge coffee jar,”she pointed it out sitting on top of the refrigerator, "has to be worth at least fifty bucks. You're just using it now to keep pennies in."

Rose nudged her. "Tell him about the rug."

"Upstairs you have what I believe to be a vintage Dubisson rug. If I'm right about the age, it could be worth twenty-five grand at the very least. Maybe more."

Oscar seemed almost to sway in shock. His mouth opened and closed twice before he could find his voice at last. "For a rug?" he asked weakly.

"For a Dubisson rug,”she corrected. "But don't take my word. As soon as you can, you need to have a reputable antiques appraiser take a look around."

"Good heavens,”murmured a stunned Oscar. "Good heavens." Dana gently led him back out of the kitchen and settled him at the dining table. "Good heavens,”he said again.

"Do you really think he can get that much for a rug?" Rose asked.

"That's what they've been valued at. But the truth is any antique is only worth what someone will pay for it. Just because something appraises at twenty-five thousand, if you can't find someone to buy it at twenty-five thousand, then it's not worth that," Dana said.

"That makes sense. And that can apply to a lot of stuff, cars, castles, and art. It's not worth a plug nickel if no one will give you a plug nickel for it," Rose said.

"Uncle Oscar, what's wrong?" Josie rushed into the room, Noah following closely behind her.

"He's alright,”Henry chuckled. "He's just had a bit of a shock."

Getting a glimpse of flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes; Dana had a good idea that the pair had been participating in some old-fashioned spooning. She closed her eyes and prayerfully hoped that she and Jack were not serving as bad examples.

As if thinking about him made him appear, Jack was there behind her. She jumped slightly. "Where have you been?"

"Around." Dana lifted a brow at this, but she said nothing. "What did I miss?"

"Which part, when Grace chased the chicken, when Austin made a pass, when Oscar found out he's surrounded by a fortune in collectables, when Brett and Austin left in a huff or when Noah and Josie slipped away for some teenage groping?"

Predictably, Jack zeroed in on only one part of her sentence. "Wait a minute... Austin made a pass at you?"

"Forget about it, he's gone now."

"Where was I?"

She couldn't resist. "Around."

By this time Oscar had regained his composure. "If you ladies wouldn't mind, I'd like to take a look at that rug."

Once again, Rose led the way to her bedroom. Jack hung back and pulled Dana towards him. "You know, I hear it is going to be a rainy afternoon. I might be in the mood for some teenage groping of my own."

Dana allowed herself to be distracted. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him teasingly. "We are long past being teenagers, Jack."

"Consider it my second childhood."

"Hey, you guys,”called Noah. "Don't embarrass yourselves."

With a quick kiss and a murmur, Jack pushed Dana up the stairs. Her stomach did a funny flip-flop at the implied promise.

Rose pushed open the door to find Grace sitting on the floor with Mark. He was sitting cross-legged in front of her. She was holding his hand and frowning at a book in her lap. "According to the book, your life line is supposed to curve like this, so what is this line running up and down? And where the hell is your Mound of Venus? Your hands are flat."

Mark seemed embarrassed to have been caught. "Um, hi,