The darkness of her thoughts swirled, overwhelming her to the point where she couldn’t breathe. She gripped the ledge of the window and inhaled sharply.
Wallowing in the horrible things that had happened wasn’t helpful. So...
What good things could she count? She bit her lip as she thought of Earl Douglass. Had she stayed in Pittsburgh, she wouldn’t have met one of her heroes.
She wouldn’t have seen the magnificence of the quarry and its plethora of fossils.
She wouldn’t have had the opportunity to search for more on the Meyer ranch.
The ranch!
What if she actually found an intact skeleton in the creek bed? And why not? With Deborah and Devin by her side, they could bring it out piece by piece. When they were done, she would bring it back to Pittsburgh and place it in Carnegie’s Hall of Dinosaurs in honor of her grandfather.
She closed her eyes. Yes. She could do that. For him.
Some of the pressure in her chest eased. Devin was right. God had given her good things and good opportunities in life. Maybe that was why the loss of them hurt so deeply. Especially Grandfather.
Weariness washed over her, and she pushed away from the window. As she climbed back into bed, she pulled the sheet over her and sank into the mattress. She couldn’t push her puffy eyes open if she tried.
God, it hurts. You understand this kind ofpain better than anyone so I’m coming to You with my aching heart. Please comfort Grandmama in this timeof grief, and show me what You would have me do. And please, Lord, if there are fossils on theMeyer ranch, I need Your direction. I also need helpforgiving those who said such ugly things and whoever did the damage out at the quarry, because in my flesh, I don’t want to.
The clatter of pots and pans downstairs registered in Eliza’s brain as something important. But she moaned and rolled over. Her head pounded and her eyes were so heavy.
But then she heard Devin’s voice downstairs. No matter how many other voices were in the cacophony, his stood out. Because she knew it.
She lifted her head so that she could listen.
When she heard her name from his lips, she forced herself to rub the sleep from her eyes and sat up.
The pounding only worsened. As she padded over to the washbasin, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Her eyes were puffy and almost swollen shut from crying, her hair a matted, tangled mess, and her skin was splotchy and red.
This was going to take some work.
She washed her face and hands and soaked a cloth to place over her eyes for a few minutes. The clock in the hall chimed and she gulped. She had sent Deborah a note the day afterreceiving the news, delaying their planned excursion to the ranch. She had gotten a very kind response, which included Deborah’s plans to stop by the general store each day in about an hour’s time, if Eliza ever felt up to meeting her there. And she still had to dress, eat breakfast, and pack a lunch.
If only she’d gotten more sleep last night.
But then the reason for her lack of sleep hit her in the middle of her chest.
She lay back on the bed and placed the cool cloth over her eyes, fighting the swell of tears that threatened to swallow her whole and drag her into an ocean of grief.
Grandfather was gone.
“Go findme a dinosaur, Eliza.”
Those had been his last words to her as she’d boarded the train west. While he’d never completely approved of her work, in the last couple of years he’d softened more and more toward it. Probably because, as Mr. Carnegie confided in her, he worked to wear the old man down.
She smiled toward the ceiling and lifted the cloth off her eyes. According to Grandmama, Grandfatherhadchanged his mind. The least she could do was grant him his last wish.
Dressing quickly, she grabbed a couple extra hankies just in case she couldn’t stop the tears later. She would go now and work to find something out at the Meyer ranch. It would give her purpose and something to keep her occupied while the quarry was closed.
When she made it down the stairs, the family was all around the breakfast table. Devin was with them.
He immediately stood and walked over to her, dropping a kiss on her cheek. “Are you all right?” His words were low and just for her. Tears hovered again at his care. He’d always been so considerate of her and her feelings.
She nodded and pasted on what she hoped was a congenial face. “Thank you.” They walked over to the table together. “I’msorry for my tardiness this morning. I’m glad you all went on without me.”
