LEAD ME ON by Julie Ortolon (find a book to read TXT) 📕

and even if there were, she had no clue where it might be. So I badgered her a bit more and asked why Marguerite would have mentioned Jack having it if it didn’t exist. And that’s when she told me.”

“What? Just spit it out.”

“It’s a powder horn.”

“A powder horn?” Alli rocked back.

“Remember when I told you that Jean Lafitte had a very flowery way of writing?”

“Yes.”

“Well, he was also fond of making speeches and grand gestures. When the authorities finally ran him off Galveston Island, some of his men decided to give up piracy and stay in Texas. One of those men was Jack Kingsley’s grandfather, who was apparently very close to Lafitte. Before Lafitte left Galveston, he presented his friend with a powder horn as a memento of their greatest adventure together, the Battle of New Orleans. As he handed him the gift, he referred to it as his ‘dearest treasure.’ ”

Alli frowned. “Why a powder horn?”

“That’s what I wanted to know, but Jackie claimed she had no idea. However”—he wiggled his brows—“you don’t write as many books as I have without learning how to do research and track down obscure facts.”

“What did you find out?” She settled in beside him, against the headboard.

“The powder horn was given to Lafitte by Andrew Jackson at a celebration ball following the battle.” Scott draped an arm over his raised knee. “Jackson made a big deal about the horn having great significance because it had been given to him by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, and Washington had even carved his initials into it. Personally, I think if it really was Washington’s powder horn, Jackson was issuing Lafitte a sneaky insult, because Jackson hated Washington’s guts.”

“Then why did Washington give Jackson the horn?”

“During the Revolution, Jackson, who was a boy, carried messages for the militia. On one occasion, Washington stuck a message inside the powder horn.”

“Ah, so it was a way of hiding messages in case Jackson ran into the British.”

“Exactly.” He nodded. “Now, whether Lafitte knew about Jackson’s animosity toward Washington is anyone’s guess, but he made one of his elaborate speeches about being profoundly honored and how he’d always treasure a gift from such a mighty leader of men, blah, blah, blah. Hence it became known as”—he held out his hands— “Lafitte’s Treasure.”

“That is such a wild story.”

“Yeah.” Scott cocked his head in amusement. “To think that all this time, people have been looking for a chest of gold, but the treasure is something that has historical value rather than monetary value.”

“Do you think it went down with Jack’s ship?”

“I do.” He smiled slowly. “And I’ll bet you Marguerite’s necklace is inside it.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Alli’s heart raced at the thought. “If only we could get to it.”

He played with the ends of her hair. “Have any of you thought of raising the ship?”

“That would cost a fortune.”

“If we can find enough evidence that the powder horn is really down there, I bet we could get funding.”

“ ‘We.’ ” She smiled as she repeated the word. “I like the sound of that. I hope you meant it to include the whole family.”

Surprise lit his eyes. “I did, actually.”

“See, you’re learning.” She leaned over to tease his lips with a kiss. “We’ll make a family man out of you yet.”

“I don’t know.” He gave a mock frown as he gathered her in his arms. “I think I need more practice. Tell me how it’s done again.”

“You start by saying ‘I love you’ several times a day.”

“I love you.” He kissed her as he lowered her to the mattress and settled his body over hers. “Several times a day.”

“Yes, you certainly do.” She laughed and wrapped her arms around him. He was so right, she thought with a sigh. The true treasures in life had nothing to do with chests of pirate gold. They had to do with family and love.

Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Chapter 17

      Chapter 18

      Chapter 19

      Chapter 20

      Chapter 21

      Chapter 22

      Chapter 23

      Chapter 24

      Chapter 25

      Chapter 36

      Chapter 37

      Chapter 28

      Epilogue