But they were doing their best.
She threw water on her face. Oh, to be in two places at once. But she couldn’t stay here and care for Dad if she was needed out at the dig.
And shewasneeded. The guys looked to her for her expertise and knowledge. Their respect boosted her confidence a little bit each day.
Louise had been a godsend. Anna would forever be grateful for the young woman’s help, but it didn’t keep the guilt from gnawing at her.
Of course, Dad would never want her to feel guilty. Hewantedher out there. To stretch her paleontological prowess. Now that he was doing small exercises every day, there was a bit more progress with his right leg. Doc Walsh said that assoon as he had enough strength on the right side, they could begin working on the side hit worse by the apoplexy.
Time. That’s what it would take.Everythingtook time.
Time for Dad to heal. Time for the dig. Time for her to grow a lovely garden.
If that last one was even possible. Which she doubted, but she would give it a try.
She walked into the kitchen and her stomach growled at the wonderful aroma of bacon and coffee. “Good morning, Louise.”
“Morning.” She turned, her blond hair still hanging in a braid down her back.
“I think I’ll take my breakfast in with Dad today. I can spare a few minutes before I head out.”
“Sounds good. I’ll go ahead and get some bread going so it can have plenty of time to rise.”
Anna walked over and kissed Louise on the cheek. “I am so thankful for you, my friend. You are amazing. Some young man is going to snatch you up soon and I won’t know what to do around here without your help.” She picked up the stack of mail she’d left on the table last night, dropped it on the tray, and then took it all to Dad’s room.
“Good morning!” Carrying in the tray, she beamed a smile at her father. She set the tray down in the chair. “Here. Let me help you sit up and then we can have breakfast together before I get back to work.”
“Sounds good.” Hewasgetting stronger because he was able to help her a little in the process.
Once she had him settled, she picked up the tray and set it on the bed. “I went by the post office yesterday and picked up our mail. It’s been a week since I went in last, so there’s a decent pile. One of the letters is from Mr. Oppenheim. Wasn’t he the investor who wanted to build his own museum?”
The smile slid off Dad’s face. “Yes. That’s him.”
“Why don’t we eat first while it’s still hot, and then I’ll help you open the letters?”
Dad shook his head. “Open the one from Mr. Oppenheim first. Then we can eat.”
She did as he asked and slit open the envelope, unfolded the single sheet of paper, and handed it to her father’s right hand. He could hold it up high enough to read, which was good. Gave him a bit of independence when so much had been taken from him.
While he perused the missive, she took a sip of her coffee. She couldn’t feed Dad and herself at the same time, so maybe she should go ahead and eat a few bites. Her stomach was ravenous.
Anna ate several slices of bacon and sipped her coffee.
Then Dad let the paper fall.
“Is everything all right?”
Her father’s eyes connected with hers. “I asked Mr. Oppenheim to invest in our dig.”
That wasn’t unusual. So why did he look upset? She waited for him to continue.
“He agreed to invest as soon as we had permission from Julian. I had wired Mr. Oppenheim that day. But I never did get the correct contracts to him, because of my collapse.”
Legal stuff wasn’t her favorite. “What does that mean?”
“It means that he sent his money in good faith, but the parameters weren’t laid out.” Dad sighed. “Now he wants to change those parameters. He wants his name on the dig and the scientific papers as well.”
Teaching Anna to garden was a dream come true. She appreciated him. Enjoyed spending time with him. Praised his garden.
