“Alright.” He finished stashing the last handful into the pouch. “But keep the nugget well hidden, and don’t tell a single person you have it. We don’t want anyone getting wind of our find, not until I have the chance to come back for it and haul it down to Denver.”

“We’re not taking it with us today?”

“It’s safest here for now. As long as we don’t say anything, no one will find out about it.”

“What about Hance and Otis? Don’t you think they deserve to know and have part of it? After all, we wouldn’t have discovered it if not for them.”

“Let’s hold off.” Jericho lowered one of the satchels into the hole. “Something about them doesn’t sit well with me.”

She gave a soft laugh. “Reckon that something is called jealousy.”

“I admit I get worked up seeing you with other men.” That was an understatement. He turned into an enraged grizzly about to charge when she was with anyone else. “But that’s not what’s bothering me with Hance.”

“Hance is a really nice fella and decently handsome.” Her words contained a note of teasing.

“He’s not as nice or as handsome as me.”

“Maybe just a little.”

He glared at her, and she smiled innocently. He wanted to lean over and steal a kiss from her and show her that no other man could compare to him, but he shook his head, trying to shake off the desire.

He slid the stone lid back into place, and she joined his efforts. Then they spread out the ashes and embers, filling in and packing the crevices of the secret hole, disguising it as best they could.

When they finished, he crawled up through the series of caverns. He wanted Ivy to wait in the cave until he had a chance to make sure things were safe, but of course, she wasn’t content to stay behind. As he cautiously peered out of the narrow opening, he could see that the smoke was still heavy in the air, but the flames had moved on, leaving a charred landscape in their wake—blackened rocks, skeletal trees, and every spot of green turned to ash.

“Is it okay to leave?” she asked from behind him.

“I think so.”

He didn’t count on their horses being in the area. They’d likely galloped away in a frenzy at the first sight of the flames. Without their mounts, they had a long hike ahead. And before they could start back, they had to seek out Hance and Otis. It was possible the two had already headed down. But the decent thing to do was make sure they’d survived.