“Martha, do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.” Her sweet smile made him feel a bit guilty for what he was about to ask.
“Do you have any security for your quarry here? I mean ... I hesitate to say anything, but there are a lot of unscrupulous people out there.” With everything that had been going on, he hadn’t figured out a way to talk to her about the potential spies without saying anything that would get him in trouble with the other team or in breach of contract. If any of them found out he was working for the opposing team, he’d find himself in hot water, but he prayed that wouldn’t happen.
“Believe me. I know that fact better than most.” She shook her head. “I appreciate you asking—and caring—about my welfare. When we purchased this property, we paid a hefty sum to have barbed wire strung around the whole of the acreage.”
Huh. He thought it was just a fence at the entrance where they came in. He didn’t realize they’d fenced in the entire parcel. “Wow. That’s a lot of barbed wire.”
“It is.” She scrunched up her nose. “Especially when we’re talking about fencing six feet high, half a foot in spacing. I wasn’t worried about wild animals. I was worried about men.”
“I take it you haven’t had any troubles?” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table.
“Well, not the first two years. I hired one man to patrol theentire fence line daily. As soon as he saw someone snooping back in April, I hired more men.”
The thought of having the funds to employ all these people took him back for a moment. What kind of wealth did she come from? To employ this many people. The more calculations he did in his head, the drier his mouth got. His family had never known anyone comparable. “How many?”
“There are eight total. They rotate. Four are always on a patrol.” She went back to the map and laid her palms flat on the table. “You think we can do it?”
The last thing he wanted to do was give her false hope, so he studied the grid again. “If we extend hours, work every day but Sunday, and don’t run into any major hitches, I think we can.”
For several moments, all she did was look over the map. Then she straightened and snagged his gaze. “I guess that means we won’t have time for any more lectures for a while.”
Even though she was teasing, the remark struck him in the heart. Had she looked forward to them like he had? “You’re probably correct.”
“Well, it is a bit of a disappointment, but I’ll take the fact that I get to see you every day now as consolation.”
His jaw dropped a bit, but she’d turned on her heel so quick she probably didn’t have a chance to see the impact of her words.
Good thing, too, because he wasn’t sure what he would have done if she’d stayed.
SATURDAY, MAY11, 1889•ALONGTHECOLORADO/WYOMINGTERRITORYBORDER
All her life, she’d lived in the background. The shadows. Because it had been safer. Gave her the cover she needed. She enjoyed living a double life. Wanted nothing more than to fill her purse and get rid of the people in her way.
But something inside her begged to change things up.
The world was shifting.
If those two bone swindlers could get acclaim for all their dishonest deeds, then she could swoop in and take the limelight for what she’d accomplished. Show the world what arealfossil hunter was.
Or she could keep selling everything in secret and make even more of a fortune.
Either way, she was the winner.
As she gazed around the sparse terrain on the horizon, she focused on the ranch to the west. Another man awaited her. Wealthy. Handsome. Willing to give her whatever she wanted.
By tomorrow, she’d own another thousand acres and three hundred head of cattle. Not to mention easy access to the train for her men.
Not bad for a day’s work.
Nine
“I want my better days to be full of work and to do something to encourage and help my suffering fellow men. May my inspiration continue.”
~Earl Douglass
MONDAY, MAY13, 1889•JANKOWSKIDIGSITE
