“What is there to defend?” Her words were choked. She wanted—no needed—for there to be a great explanation for all this. For Jacob to not have betrayed her.
He didn’t cower under her rage. His face was set. Determined. Honest. “I signed a contract to work for the other team before I ever met you. Before I knew anything about you or your dig. In that contract, I was obligated to not speak of the dig to anyone. Even if my employment was terminated, I couldn’t talk about it. I’m a man of my word, Martha. I would hope you would know that by now.”
“You were terminated?” How much more of this could she take? “For what?”
He slumped in the seat and ran a hand down his jaw. “I’m not sure. In my mind, it was because I spoke up about things happening at the other dig that went against the competition rules. They sure didn’t like that... but they didn’t give me a reason when they fired me.”
Oh, how she wanted to believe him. His words were sound. He’d never been untruthful with her before, had he? She shook her head. “I need time to think. It’s best if you go.” Everything in her deflated, and her limbs felt like they carried the weight of the world. At that moment, all she wanted was to close her eyes and pray for sleep to erase all the pain.
“I’ll be back to work in the morning.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea—”
“I signed a contract for you, Martha. You need my help, and I’m not going to let you down. Not even for a sleazy reporter who wants nothing more than to stir up trouble and ruin my reputation. But I’m not worried about what others think. I worry about whatyouthink. I am on your side and will be until...”
Several seconds passed as she waited for him to finish. “Until what?”
“Until you tell me that you no longer want me there.”
FRIDAY, JULY5, 1889
The sun glinted off the rocks, heat rippling across the quarry. Jacob peered at the site with a pit in his stomach. Should he even be here? The last three days had been some of the worst in recent memory. The look in Martha’s eyes when that reporter told her about his employment with the other team haunted him. He couldn’t bear to think of them leaving things unresolved, but he’d seen her face. The disbelief. Distrust.
He had done that. By not telling her the truth from the beginning. But wouldn’t that have made him in breach of his contract?
What was the right thing to do?
Sleep hadn’t come.
He’d poured out his heart to the Lord, studied Scripture, and wrestled. Martha felt betrayed. He couldn’t blame her. He’d left things the best he could and he’d come to work and kept his head down. The best thing he could do was show her who he was with his actions. Anything else he could have said in the moment would have been lost. He’d walked away to give her space. And to clear his own head and heart.
Jacob looked down at the piece of paper in his hand. The contract. It was the one thing he had to show Martha to prove that he hadn’t been lying to her. Hadn’t tried to deceive her. That, before the Lord, he was honest. He hoped that she would give him time and hear him out. Everything. Nothing withheld. With a final deep breath and a prayer, he made his way toward the tent.
Martha was there, huddled over the quadrant map. Her shoulders slumped. There were lines around her eyes, she looked tired. More than tired ... exhausted. Jacob swallowed and cleared his throat.
She glanced up and did a double take. Her whole bodywent rigid. Anger flashed in her blue eyes before she schooled her features into a polite mask. “Mr. Duncan. What do you need?”
He winced. Gone were the pleasant notes of trust and friendship. Hopefully he could fix that today. Taking off his hat, he fiddled with the brim, the contract crinkling under his fingers. “I came to talk to you about...” He cleared his throat again.Lord, help me. “About my previous work.”
Martha’s lips tightened but she said nothing.
He studied her face, now so familiar to him. The fact that his actions, or lack thereof, had wounded her and destroyed the trust building between them broke his heart.
“Marth—Miss Jankowski, I want to apologize for not telling you about my work for the other team. I know it sounds hollow, but I did want to tell you about my previous job. But”—he sighed and held out the papers—“I signed a contract and was legally bound to not say anything. To anyone. Plus, there were all the rules from the museum owner about the dig. I didn’t know what to do, if I could say anything. So I stayed silent. Well, I was going to tell you once, but we were interrupted. Then I realized I couldn’t go against my word.”
Martha licked her lips and stepped forward, taking the paper from him.
Please let her believe me, Lord. How do I tell her it wasn’t my intent to hurt her?He waited as she read the document, the seconds ticking between them.
She sighed, setting the contract on the rough tabletop, and glared at him. “I can see how this would legally bind you to not say anything, but you do understand why this information was not only shocking, but hurtful.” She turned away.
Jacob took a chance and stepped toward her, closing the distance. “Martha”—his shoes scuffed the dirt and rocks as he stepped toward her, desperation in his voice—“the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. Please believe me. I am asking foryour forgiveness. I never shared anything with the other team. I was fired. They couldn’t—well, wouldn’t—tell me why.”
Her lips pinched and then relaxed. The look on her face indiscernible. “I’m sure my offer came at the right time.”
“It did, but not for the reason you think. Your offer gave me the chance to spend more time with you. To get to know you. To learn from you.” Jacob shifted and took one more step toward her. He ached to hold her hand, but he didn’t dare. He wanted her to hear his heart, that she was precious to him. Even though there could be nothing more than friendship between them now, he still cared for her. “I know you’re hurt and you have a lot going on with your father’s passing. I’m sorry this is one more burden for you. But I hope you know I truly never meant to hurt you or keep secrets from you. And if you’ll allow me, I want to finish the dig with you.”
His eyes searched her face. Those blue eyes bored into his with the intensity she brought to all areas of her life. Emotion sparked between them.
