And then one of her father’s crewmen lifted the chest up high with a shout of glee. It was a small chest, barely a foot square. And there was no lock on it that would have to be broken. The man quickly handed it to Nathan, who wasted no time in opening it.

With all of his crew gathered near and holding their breath in anticipation, their gasps of disappointment came simultaneously. Gabrielle’s shoulders slumped slightly. Empty. She really hadn’t believed this one could be empty.

It wasn’t. Drew walked her over to Nathan, who gave her a sheepish grin. “It looks like I’ve given you a bunch of mementos for your wedding gift,” he said as he handed her the chest.

Gabrielle glanced down to see a pile of old letters, a dried, pressed rose, a velvet ribbon, a lock of hair, and an assortment of other odds and ends. Even a baby’s tiny stocking! None of it had any value other than to the man who’d buried the chest. To him, these things had been priceless…

Nathan continued, “I’m thinking one of those extra ships I just came home with might be more fitting.

Take your pick, my boy, and add it to your Skylark line.” Drew nodded. “With pleasure, and thank you. But I already found my treasure.” Gabrielle turned around slowly. With the look in Drew’s dark eyes, she couldn’t mistake his meaning, and tears of happiness formed in her own eyes.

“You mean that, don’t you?” she said softly.

“With all my heart, sweetheart…my wife.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took only moments before she was so involved in that kiss that she forgot they had an audience.

Her father cleared his throat and said, “I forgot to mention this deed that was on the bottom of the box.

I’m not too good at reading Old English, but it looks like you now own this island.”

Gabrielle’s eyes widened, and then she squealed in delight, squeezing Drew tightly in her excitement.

Drew burst out laughing at how quickly she got distracted by some real treasure.

When she finally calmed down she told him, “I love it! Look around you, it’s beautiful here. And did you notice that little waterfall on the way here?”

“Can’t say that I did, probably because my eyes were on you.” She grinned and snuggled under his arm. “We might want to build a house here, a place for us to come home to between voyages.”

He looked down at her. “Between voyages? Do you mean that?”

“You thought I was joking when I said I liked the life at sea?”

“It had crossed my mind.”

She grinned. “Someone should have warned you not to marry a woman who loves the sea—and loves even more a captain who sails it.”