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Page 377

| ''Do you mean that you truly don't know where the chest is now?" Sasha asked, paling. For a while, she had allowed herself a faint ray of hope for their future. |

| But now? |

| Just like everything else, from the moment they had reached the outback, even this was not meant to be! |

| Ashton slung a wild hand in the air, gesturing toward the fallen trees, the windblown sand, the burned debris all around them. "It's impossible," he said. "The fire and the winds have changed the terrain." He raked his hands frustratingly through his hair. "It's gone forever, Sasha! Forever!" |

| Feeling desperation seize her, Sasha grabbed the shovel and began fitfully digging. "It can't be," she cried. "It can't be! Ashton, we must find it!" |

| Stunned at Sasha's reaction to having lost a chance at their dream again, Ashton watched her for a moment; then, because of the dangers to their unborn child, he became alarmed. He went to her and grabbed the shovel from her. |

| "Stop it, Sasha," he said brusquely. "Just because we can't find that damnable chest, it is not the end of the world. We'll find another way to make things right for us. By God, we'll return to Melbourne and borrow money if we have to and open another pub. That wasn't all that horrible, you know." |

| Tears streamed from Sasha's eyes as she looked up at Ashton. "It all seems so hopeless, Ashton," she sobbed. |

| "Nothing is ever hopeless," Ashton said, giving Sasha a gentle shake. "And it's not like you to give up so easily. Darling, we have each other. We soon |

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