Born of Treasure (Treasure Chronicles Book 2) by Jordan Elizabeth

other and read from books in the small library, part of the schoolhouse, down the street.
    If she’d been back in New Addison City, she would’ve attended a ball at least three times a week. There would have been carriage rides in the park, cafes in the mornings, shopping in the afternoons, and clubs at night. She could’ve flirted, spoken to the newspapers. She could’ve worn the latest fashions and watch other young women in the city copy her.
    Yet, staying in a cramped inn with Clark had left her feeling more relaxed than she could remember.
    “I have a telegram for you, I think.” The clerk rifled through a pile of papers. “The first names match, but not the last.”
    Amethyst stiffened. Clark sent her father regular telegrams about their experiences—all made up to sound like peaceful tourists—and she sent letters when she felt like it. Before they’d left the ranch, she’d made her father promise to direct everything to “Clark and Amethyst.”
    “Father,” she’d whined, “you know I love our name, but if people know we’re Treasures, it’ll be just like in the city! We’ll be
stalked
.”
    He’d agreed to direct correspondences to their first names.
    “What last name?” Clark shifted his stance and buttoned the front of his coat as if he didn’t care, but she felt his muscles tense.
    Despite their quiet time, there’d been a sadness in him that had made her heart ache. She’d tried hard to make him laugh, but instead he’d wanted to hold her, listen to her read, and pet her. He’d never mentioned his father’s journal, and she’d not dared bring it up. As far as she knew, Eric hadn’t appeared while they were in Yahnke.
    “Treasure.” The clerk pushed his spectacles up his nose. “Clark and Amethyst Treasure. Your last name is Grisham, though.”
    Clark chuckled, tugging Amethyst to his side. “I love your father, Am.” To the clerk, he grinned. “Her father has the best sense of humor. He thinks it’s funny she has the same first name as
the Amethyst Treasure
.” He lifted his voice to imitate her.
    She pinched his arm, forcing a laugh, and held out her hand. “Thank you for the telegraph.”
    The clerk handed the scrap of paper over. “Not a problem.”
    Amethyst unfolded it, her heart starting to pound. The name at the bottom made her scowl. Her mother had sent it. No wonder she’d used the wrong names.
    “Is it urgent?” Clark asked as they exited through the front door.
    “My mother said they’re having a Hedlund Day celebration. She requests our presence.” Amethyst crumpled the telegraph in her fist. “Isn’t it enough she made me come out here? Now she has to tell me where to go?”
    Clark sighed. “I can exchange our steamboat tickets for one heading south instead of north. We can always stay here an extra day if we need to.”
    Amethyst shoved the inn door shut. “Why should we change our plans for my mother?”
    Clark grabbed her hand; not hard enough to hurt, but it made her take a step back.
    “Family is important. They love you,” he snapped. “If my mother wanted to have a celebration, I’d cross the country on bare feet to be there for her.” He released her and stormed toward the docks.
    Amethyst drew a deep breath before tossing the telegraph onto the inn’s porch. He had all that anger and frustration inside of him, but he wasn’t letting it out. She would’ve yelled and stormed, maybe thrown things, kicked and slammed things. He hid it.
    That couldn’t be healthy.

    The deputy laid the wanted poster on the inn’s counter. “You recognize these two?”
    The clerk adjusted his glasses before nodding. “Sure do. They checked out this morning. Reckon it was about three hours ago.”
    “Positive it was them?” The drawn pictures, provided by Senator Horan, included a young man and woman. They both had long hair, his down and hers pulled up. Strong chins, long noses, and round faces.
    “Had to be, husband and wife. They’ve got yellow