“You have to say that because you love me and you’re my best friend.” She swatted at his arm. “But I’ll take it.”
He loved her.Thatwas the understatement of the day. Of the year. He folded his hands in his lap and looked out toward the horizon. “Well, you have me for a couple weeks. What shall we do?”
Her eyes lit up and she grabbed his hands. “Oh, it’s going to be grand having you here. I have a tour group tomorrow. But on Wednesday, we’re not open for tourist groups—even though people will sometimes still come—so I won’t need to answer questions. I plan on wearing my dungarees and giving you a full tour of the quarry. We can hike all over and have a picnic. How does that sound?”
Then after a nice day, he’d give her the note from her grandmother and tell her about Mr. Mills. The responsibility settled over him once again. Eliza was going to be heartbroken.
“That doesn’t sound good to you?” She tapped his shoulder.
Devin blinked, shaking away his thoughts. “Um, sorry. It sounds perfect.” And it did. Even though he’d have to break both their hearts. Something in the rock wall across from them caught his eye. “What do you think that is?”
They stood and went to examine it.
“Huh.” Eliza studied it and got really close to it. Taking out her chisel from a loop on her skirt, she pulled the smaller rock from its wedged environment. “It’s been painted.” She handed it to him.
“How old do you think it is?” The markings didn’t make sense to him.
“Nothing ancient. Probably within our lifetimes.” She shrugged. “You found it, you should keep it as a keepsake.” She tucked her chisel back into her skirt and darted back up the path. “See if you can keep up, Schmitt.”
Perhaps he should simply enjoy this last time with Eliza. When the time came, he could be a rock for her. The steady friend he’d always been. When he left ... he’d tell her good-bye. Oh, she’d think it would simply mean until she returned to Pittsburgh, but Devin would deal with his heart later. There wasn’t any harm in making some beautiful memories with her one last time and helping her through a difficult time.
Right now, it was good to see her so happy and in her element.
He would simply have to wait until he returned home and rip his heart in two then.
WEDNESDAY, JULY5, 1916•DINOSAURNATIONALMONUMENT
The morning sun wasn’t nearly as brutal as it had been the past few days. Of course, that might be because she had finally gotten her wish and had donned her favorite pair of men’s pants.
She’d even dared to loosen her corset under the loose-fitting man’s work shirt. The shirt was long, almost to her knees, but that seemed a bit more decent since there were sure to be other men around. Exposing her legs for everyone to see wouldn’t be good.
Devin had seen her in trousers for years. He’d probably seen her in her undergarments when they were children, although she couldn’t remember for certain. They had spent lots of time in the swimming pond behind Mills Manor as kids.
She smiled. What would she have done throughout her life without Devin? He knew when she was nervous or overwhelmed. He tolerated her dragging him around on one adventure after another with a steadiness and humor she’d never seen in another man. And he always rejoiced with her, no matter how large, small, or ridiculous. Eliza let out a sigh and cinched her pants around her waist, ensuring they would stay in place.
If only she could feel as comfortable around everyone else as she did with him. Not having to live up to society’s expectations. Just being herself.
She chuckled. Grandmama would give her such a lecture if she knew her granddaughter’s thoughts. But her grandmother wasn’t awful about it. She simply wanted to make sure that her granddaughter understood the world’s expectations of someone of her station.
And how those expectations kept society running.
As she laced up her worn hiking boots—also men’s—over her thick socks, she ruminated over her life. At twenty-seven years old, Eliza felt like she had a pretty good handle on things. She knew what was expected of her. But she longed for something ... more.
What it was, she couldn’t put her finger on, but that was another reason she loved exploring. The more adventures she took, the more education she gained, the more experiencesshe logged in her memory, the more she searched for that ...thing.
Devin’s father had drilled into her Paul’s words about being content in whatever circumstances he was in. Eliza worked at taking those words to heart, she did. In all her exploring, she’d been content. More than that—she had been ecstatic. But there was always something wanting ... like she hadn’t found exactly what it was she was supposed to do for the rest of her life.
Wait...what?She straightened. There was no doubt she loved paleontology. It was an incredible science. She’d been obsessed with digging fossils out of the dirt since she was ten. But even with all the papers she’d written on the subject, all her studies, her degree, her job at Carnegie’s museum, and now out here at Dinosaur National Monument ... what was shesupposedto do with this love she had for the science?
She’d enjoyed all of it. Still ... something niggled at the edges of her mind. Like she wasn’t doing exactly what God wanted her to do.
But what was that?
Eliza blew out a breath. Even if she sat here all day, she wouldn’t figure out the answer. So she stood and headed for the door. Mrs. Adams had promised to help her pack a picnic for her and Devin today.
An hour later, she led Devin down the path into the dug-out quarry. He’d dressed for the occasion as well, favoring lighter fabrics for his shirt and pants to survive the hot Utah sun. His dark hair was covered with a wide-brimmed hat. He looked more relaxed than Eliza had seen him in a long time.
Good. He deserved a break.
