She had never been so close to any man before. Their bodies pushed together, forced by the tempest to become as close as one person. She could feel his muscles straining against her back. Every new blow to the ship from each careening wave made him thrust closer against her. He said it was to protect her. She wasn't so sure... GOLD The cry sparked a frenzy when the first nugget was picked up at Sutter's Mill in California. The lure of the precious metal drew local pioneers and their long- suffering wives to shallow riverbeds to pan for the glitter. But the news spread to the East Coast as well. There, where some established families had already lived through their fortunes, the prospect of new resources made them leave the comfort of drawing rooms to endure the hazards of travel to search for gold.