The doctor was bent over him, his ear to his chest. Their butler was next to him, waiting for instruction.
Martha’s stomach roiled. Her legs shook violently. She gripped her mother’s arm with trembling hands. “Mother, how did this happen?” Tears dripped over her nose. “Is Father dead? Mother!” She squeezed Mother’s arm tightly, trying to get a response.
The doctor stood and turned to the two Jankowski woman. He wiped his thin fingers with a bandage and Martha closed her eyes. Her father’s blood was all over his hands.
“Mrs. Jankowski, I am afraid it is not good news. Mr. Jankowski has sustained significant trauma to his head. Now, wounds to the skull do tend to bleed significantly, but that is not what is concerning.” The doctor paused, and Martha opened her eyes. She swallowed and glanced at her mother, who was still staring at Father.
The doctor shifted his gaze from Mother to Martha. His glasses made his eyes look too large for his round face. “Miss Jankowski, Iamsorry, but your father has lost consciousness and through my ministrations did not regain it. Your butler has offered the services of four strong footmen to move Mr. Jankowski to bed. There I will set his broken leg.”
“Will he wake up?” Martha asked. Prayed. Hoped.
The doctor responded after a moment. “I don’t know, but I will do all in my power to see that he does. We will move him now. I will let you know when it is appropriate to see him.”
The shuffling of the men and the groans that emanated from her father did nothing to move her mother. “Mother.” She tugged at her sleeve.“Mother!”
Never had she seen the older woman speechless. Or unmoving. It unnerved Martha.
But then Mother’s lips moved.
The noise around them kept Martha from understanding. “What? I didn’t hear that.”
“I ... I didn’t mean to ... I tried to grab him when he tripped.”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL17, 1889•OUTSIDEDENVER
It had been two days since Jacob had seen Miss Jankowski and she had been on his mind almost constantly. He’d replayed their conversation in his mind too many times to count. She was fascinating. Intelligent. Beautiful. But he pushed those thoughts away for the moment. How badly was her father hurt? Had he lived? Wassheall right?
With no way to contact her other than their next scheduled lecture meeting,ifshe showed up, he found his mind whirring with different scenarios about what could be happening.
He wasn’t one to think the worst. Not in normal circumstances. But his mind wouldn’t quit thinking about the fact that he might not see her again if her father succumbed to his injuries and she went into mourning. The idea was horrible on so many levels.
He didn’t know where she lived and wouldn’t presume that he would be accepted there anyway. She was far and above out of his class. Her parents didn’t know him. He had no way of an introduction. Except maybe ... through Martha’s companion? Her name was Lily Rose ... something. It started with a ...D? With his attention on Miss Jankowski, he couldn’t remember.
Then there was the job offer. It had been quite a shock when she’d tossed it out. And he’d wondered if she had been teasing him. But one look in her eyes had told him she was serious.
They didn’t have a chance to speak of what the job was because the young boy had caught them as she was leaving.
Something else that had his imagination working in overdrive.
Especially while he was at work. The quarry was a hive of activity and noise. The pressure to produce increased daily it seemed.
He’d never heard of finishing an entire dig of this magnitude in one summer. But the man in charge—Russell Lancaster—was adamant about it and the backer had the money to make it happen apparently. There were so many men working that sometimes they were almost on top of each other. Not a good way to work with fossils.
But the pay was good and he’d keep his mouth shut. He could honor the Lord by doing a job well done and being a good example to the other men.
A bell clanged for the first shift’s lunch break.
Sweat dripped from his nose as Jacob finished the small area where he was chiseling and then blew away the dust with a controlled breath. He had finished this side of the bone. Perhaps he could finish the other between today and tomorrow.
He stood and stretched and placed his tools in his box. Then he headed over to the tent for lunch.
The flaps were tied back on all sides because of the heat. They’d learned in the first few days that with so many men, the tent grew foul in a matter of seconds. The wind was a constant problem, whipping down the slopes of the Rocky Mountains with brutal ferocity. But a little dust and debris in their food was the tradeoff for fresh air.
Fresh air won by a unanimous vote.
Colorado weather was ... weird. They’d had days that were hot out on the rock with the sun blazing down. And then others with the threat of snow and he had to wear a jacket.
He grabbed his lunch and took a seat on a long bench. Their foreman was seated across from him. The man everyone simplycalled Joe or sir nodded in Jacob’s direction, his mouth full of food. As they chowed down, Joe was the first to finish. With a finger pointed at him, he spoke. “How’s it going, Duncan?”
