“He’s pretty smart.”
“Yeah, but he’s getting old.”
“Caleb Dunn!” Joshua guffawed. “Your grandpa is not old.”
“He’s gotta be. Mama is thirty years old, so he’s gotta be a whole lot older than her.”
Couldn’t argue with the logic of a ten-year-old. “True, but let’s not mention that in front of your grandpa, all right?”
Caleb shrugged. “Okay. How long do you get to stay before you hafta go back to Chicago?”
“About a week.” He pumped as much enthusiasm into his voice as he could. Caleb hadn’t done well saying goodbye last time.
“Will you go exploring with me?”
“Sure thing, buddy. We should have plenty of time to do some good exploring.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Joshua!” His sister Martha’s voice echoed across the wide expanse of the yard. She ran toward him from the house. “You’re here!”
She was followed by his mom, dad, and brother-in-law, Alan. The onslaught of family was a beautiful thing.
He’d been gone too long.
FRIDAY, JUNE7
Anna paced her small parlor. Dad had been on pins and needles ever since they’d seen the gulley on the Walkers’ property. But then they’d heard of Randall Walker’s death and the funeral had only been yesterday.
That put her father in even more of a tizzy. First relieved about approaching Julian rather than Mr. Walker about permission, and then worried that the son might very well want to sell the ranch. Where would that leave them? Time was of the essence.
Anna didn’t need her father to convince her of the magnitude of the dig opportunity. But how did they approach it with respect for the dead? And when?
“I think we should go now.” Dad’s voice brought her around. He was dressed in his best suit.
“To see Julian?” She fidgeted with the hankie in her hands.
“Yes.”
As much as she hated the thought of disregarding the etiquette of mourning, it was the only solution. “I agree.” The sooner they asked, the better. She raced to grab her shawl, gloves, and bonnet. “Just in case Julian decides to leave town soon.”
“I’ll get the wagon.” Dad’s words chased her through the small house.
Once they were seated together on the bench seat, her father lifted the reins and set the horses in motion.
“Do you know what you will say?” At this rate, if she kept biting her lip, there would be nothing left of it by tomorrow. She put a hand to her mouth to stop the action and reached down into her satchel. She never went anywhere without a sketchpad and pencils. Opening the notebook back to the drawing of the bones in the washed-out gulley, she studied pieces of the skeleton. If granted permission, this could be a find greater than they even imagined.
“I will simply appeal to his logic and tell him what an incredible thing this will be for the scientific community.”
“Do you think that will work?” She hated to doubt her father, but Julian didn’t strike her as one who cared much about science.
Dad tipped his head back and forth. “Hmmm. It might not. But what else can we appeal to?”
“The only thing I’ve ever seen Julian enjoy was his garden. He and Mary talked about it every day at school. He often brought her flowers.”
“I’m not sure how I can connect a paleontological dig with flowers.”
