Chapter 6

six

"There will never be another so faithful and true. None like her can charm away pain."

~Earl Douglass

M ONDAY , J ULY 3, 1916 · D INOSAUR N AT IONAL M ONUMENT

Holding Eliza in his arms after weeks without her melted every bit of resolve Devin had to keep his distance.

After a long hug, he pushed her back and kept his words low. "We have an audience, Miss Mills."

She straightened her hat and clapped her hands together. "Everyone, this is my dearest friend in all the world. We've been the best of chums since we were children, and I was so excited to see him, I lost my manners for a moment."

Several in the little group reassured her that they didn't mind and understood. Eliza made her way back to the front of the group and continued the rest of her tour. Devin crossed his arms over his chest as he watched her talk and gesture, drawing her audience in with her wide smile and expert storytelling. He pulled his handkerchief out and wiped at his forehead, grimacing at the amount of sweat running down his face. This heat was brutal. How did they manage?

Within the next twenty minutes, she'd finished up with the tourists and sent them on their merry way. He braced himself. Should he tell her about her grandfather now? No. Maybe once they left the quarry and she didn't have to worry about taking care of people.

Fanning herself as she walked over to him, she grinned. "I'm so glad you're here!" She threw her arms around him once again, and he couldn't resist hugging her back. As he held on, he didn't care about the heat anymore. In fact, nothing mattered.

This time, she was the one who pulled back. "Well ... tell me all about your trip. Did you get to see the mountains?" She slid her hand through the crook of his arm and led him down a path.

"I did." He groaned. "But let's just say my little visit in Denver didn't start off all that pleasant."

"Oh dear." She angled her head toward him. "What happened? Did you have trouble with the elevation?"

He tipped his head back and forth and released a chuckle. He could at least laugh about it now. "You could say that. I was anxious to get to my boardinghouse since I only planned on staying there a day and wanted to explore as much as I could. But in my rush to walk the mile from the train station, I found myself out of breath and set my bag down. A seemingly nice young man spoke to me and explained the elevation, then he left. And so did my case."

She stopped and released his arm, a hand flying to her mouth. "Oh no!" Then her hands went directly to her hips. "I sure hope you went to the police."

"I did." He crossed his arms over his chest and studied her posture. "It amuses me that you still enjoy mother-henning me." He waggled his eyebrows at her and laughed.

She swatted his arm and relaxed. "Oh, stop. Some one has to look out for you."

Devin rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. Soon Eliza joined in, and the tension eased from his shoulders. They continued to walk away from the hustle and bustle of the quarry.

"So? What happened?"

"Sadly, all that transpired from my visit to the police were reminders to not trust anyone, to keep my eye on my belongings, and then a couple wasted hours as different policemen came and went, listened to my story, and wrote it all down numerous times."

"I hope you didn't lose anything too valuable?" She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry this happened. All because you came out here to visit me."

"Clothes and my shaving kit. All of which I was able to replace. Don't worry." He wouldn't tell her how much that cost. She wouldn't understand living on a budget.

Eliza looped her arm back through his, her expression relaxing. "Well, I'm very glad that you are all right. I would hate for anything to have happened to you."

"I'm fine." But the way she looked at him—with care and concern that no other woman had ever shown him—melted his resolve again. Oh, how he'd missed her. "It seems like you are doing well with your work here."

"I am." She squeezed his arm. "Although, you were right. I told you that in my letter and I'm sure you would love to hold that over my head for all eternity, but I'm freely admitting it—I miss the city. I miss good food. I miss being able to go to a museum or the theater. And I miss pants."

"Ha!" The guffaw came out louder than he anticipated. "Pants? Are you serious?"

"Oh, very." She led him to a boulder to sit. "At home, I could venture out on my own and not have to worry about what I wore. Men's pants are much easier to work in. Cooler too."

He missed her in pants too. Not that he would say that out loud—

Stop it, Schmitt!

He grit his teeth. Ever since he'd arrived and she'd thrown herself into his arms, all his good intentions had flown out the window. He straightened and determined to do better. Again . "I can imagine they are much easier than your skirts"—he pointed to her head—"and those crazy hats you love so much. Although, I have to admit, that one is about half the size of the ones you usually wear. It boasts half the birds, bows, and baubles too."

She laughed along with him. "So I like big hats." She shrugged. "With all your teasing, I thought you liked them."

Answering honestly wasn't an option. Truth be told, he liked her in anything. Because she was Eliza. Beautiful, red-headed, green-eyed, exuberant Eliza. "They're fine." There. That was noncommittal. "You look lovely no matter what."

"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. That was 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.

W EDNESDAY , J ULY 5, 1916 · D INOSAUR N ATIONAL M ONUMENT

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 experiences she 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 she supposed to 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.

As always, he was the gentleman and carried her bag. While it didn't contain an anvil, it did have some tools and their picnic. She couldn't help but smile and cover a laugh.

"Where are you taking me today?" But instead of the whin ing young kid's voice from their childhood, his masculine tone held a hint of amusement.

"You know where we're going. Don't you want to see what they're doing here? It's amazing. They've already dug tons of fossils out of the ground and shipped them back to Pittsburgh."

For the next couple hours, they hiked together through the quarry. As she showed him the bones visible in the rock, he seemed eager to see more.

He'd always been supportive of her desires and this work that she loved. But today seemed ... different. It gave her heart a little thrill.

She pointed to several more that had been marked just in the past couple days. "I can't wait to see what they pull out of this quadrant. It looks to be a wealth of fossils."

Devin stepped back and studied the wall. "You know..." He paused and looked back to her and then the wall. "I've always been interested in this because you love it. But it's never been overly exciting to me. But this"—he shook his head and brushed his fingers over the rock—" this is truly remarkable. I can see why you fell in love with this science. It makes so much sense to me now."

She wanted to spin around, but she refrained. "You mean, after all these years, you finally understand my weird fascination?"

With a laugh he turned to her. "Yes, I think I finally do." His face turned serious. "Now, if I could just get you to see the importance of great works of literature. Perhaps we could read Moby Dick, The Odyssey, and even Hamlet while I'm here, and we could dis—"

"Don't say it." She made a face as if she might vomit. "That would be torture for me and you know it."

Devin pressed his lips together, but she could see the smile he was attempting to suppress. "Which would also make it tortuous to me. You are not a good sport when it comes to studying subjects you don't like."

She stomped her foot. "That's not fair. Your father made me study everything, and I made it through." Oof. Now she sounded like a whiny debutant. But she would make her point.

"Eliza"—he laughed harder—"have you forgotten that I was there for all of your schooling? You came up with excuses on a daily basis for why grammar, literature, and even the higher maths weren't necessary for what you wanted to do with your life."

"But all those subjects were booooring . And I'll have you know, I haven't used one bit of any of that in the last ten years. So there."

They burst into laughter. Oh, it was good for her soul to have him here. No one understood her like Devin.

As she led him back to the top, they reminisced over stories from their childhood. All the projects his father made them do together... all the ways she tried to convince her tutor to switch subjects.

"For a science person, you sure did find a lot of creative ways to challenge his methods."

She grabbed her large sack from him and pulled out a checkered cloth. "Here, help me spread this out. And then you can catch me up on how he's doing."

They laid out the picnic and sat down on the ground. Ham sandwiches, apples, cheese, pickles, and lemonade. Her stomach growled.

They filled their plates.

"Allow me to say the blessing?" He lifted his eyebrows at her.

"Please."

After a quick prayer, they both dove into their food. Hiking around in the fresh air always made her ravenous.

Devin swallowed down a big bite of sandwich. "Dad's still as sharp as ever—most of the time. But I can tell he's wearing out a bit. The stroke a couple years ago, while mild, slowed him down. I'm sure you've seen it."

She nodded. "I meant how is he doing the last few weeks since I've been gone?"

"Oh." His ears turned pink. "He's tutoring a bit this summer to help those kids who are a trifle behind in their studies. You know, after he completed your schooling, he floundered a bit and taught here and there. He never wanted me to say anything to you, but he struggled to find his place. He kept doing whatever he could to support us, especially through all my collegiate education. And thanks to your grandfather's generosity, we made it." He made an odd face that she couldn't decipher. Opened his mouth. Shut it. "There's something..." He looked away.

"Go on. What is it? About your dad?" Now he had her worried. "You said he struggled to find his place?"

Devin blinked several times. "Um, yes. He did. But once I was hired at the University, his doctor suggested he slow down a bit. He didn't, and that was when he had his stroke."

She hadn't really considered what Mr. Schmitt had gone through once she was off to college and he no longer worked at Mills Manor. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize—"

"You have nothing to apologize for. Dad wanted it kept private, and I respected his wishes. But now he's accepted the fact that he's not as young as he once was, and he keeps telling me that he'd like to be around to see his grandchildren."

"He will be a wonderful grandfather." There was that look again. What was going on with Devin?

He cleared his throat. "I think so too. Anyway, the tutoring keeps him busy enough, but also allows him to get more rest. Which he knows he needs. He didn't marry my mother until he was thirty-four, and then I didn't come along until he was forty. So he's led a long and full life. Hard to believe he'll be seventy years old in a couple years."

What a blessing to have had these two men in her life. "I'm so very thankful for both of you. I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Oh, you'd still be digging in the dirt, of that I'm certain." He smiled and took a sip of his lemonade.

After they devoured their lunch, she packed up the dishes and the cloth and stuffed it all back in the bag. "Let's go stash this in one of the tents and we can explore some more."

"Wait a second..." He narrowed his gaze at her, but his eyes twinkled with merriment. "You mean to tell me that I didn't need to haul that thing around with us for the entire morning? We could have left it up here?"

She set the bag down and giggled, running away.

"You did that on purpose!" He gave chase.

"Well, I missed the old times!" She dashed around in a large circle and then came to an abrupt halt when she spied a group of ladies watching them. Frowns covered their faces. Eliza put a hand to her chest and sobered, using her best tour-guide voice. "I'm sorry, the monument isn't open for any guided tours today."

The woman in front looked all too familiar as she stepped closer. "We didn't come for a tour. We came to speak to you." Her words were cold.

"Oh. I'm sorry." And then it hit her. The woman was from that church she visited. Several of the others looked like her little group. What were they doing here?

Eliza braced herself. "Mrs. Manning, is it?" If she remembered correctly, there were four of them in the woman's group on that awful Sunday morning. Now there were seven.

Mrs. Manning crossed her hands at the wrist, her mouth pinched as if she'd tasted the juice of a lemon. "After meeting you a couple weeks ago, we spoke to our reverend about how we could bring you back into the flock." Her voice took on a snide edge. "He suggested we hadn't learned enough about you yet. But now..."

"What do you mean, bring me back into the flock?" Who was this woman to think she could speak to Eliza in this manner? She straightened and all of grandmother's training came to bear in her posture and expression.

The woman huffed. "Seeing you dressed like this"—she waved a hand at Eliza's pants—"and running around like a child. With a man chasing after you." Mrs. Manning put a hand to her throat and shook her head.

All the women with her did the same.

"It's ungodly. That's what it is." A woman from the side spat the words.

Mrs. Manning lifted her chin a little higher. "Yes, it's ungodly. Disrespectful. Unladylike. Indecent." She cleared her throat. "We came out here to offer to mentor you—as it says in Titus. To lead you back onto the path of righteousness. You stated you believed in the Creator and His Son Jesus as Savior ... well, instead of finding you here as a wandering sheep, we can see with our own eyes that you are just as heathen and lost as the rest of those awful evolutionists."

Eliza's mouth dropped open. A heathen? Lost? Fury burned in her chest, but before she could respond, Devin spoke up.

"Doesn't Scripture tell us not to judge one another?" His calm but firm voice came from behind her. Then he stepped up to stand beside her. "Matthew chapter seven says, ‘Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye: and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.'"

"Are you implying that we are hypocrites ?" The leader of the pack screeched the last word and sneered at Devin and then back at Eliza. "And this is the quality of man with whom you choose to keep company? He clearly has no morality in him. How dare you!"

This had gone far enough. "How dare you! " Eliza stepped closer. "This is the godliest man I've ever met. And he knows the Word of God better than y—"

Devin's hand on her arm calmed her a bit. "There's no need for us to argue like this. If we are all believers, then we are brothers and sisters in Christ." His touch grew firmer as she tried to inch forward. "This is not how we should be speaking to one another. Shall we start over?" He reached out his right hand in greeting.

"No. We shall not start over." Red-faced and shouting, the woman gripped her handbag. "We shall report back to our reverend and call a prayer meeting for the salvation of your wicked souls." She turned on her heel and marched away.

"Disgusting," one of the women threw at Eliza.

"Heathen," another threw out.

"Ungodly." Another clucked her tongue at her.

As Eliza watched the little passel of women storm away, the anger inside her swelled. "Can you believe that?" She pressed a hand to her forehead. "Because I'm wearing pants?"

"Oh, there was much more to it than that." Devin gripped her arm. "You need to ignore them. Somehow shake their hateful words from your mind."

Well that was easier said than done. She pulled her arm from Devin's grasp. "All I wanted to do was go to church! Find a good congregation to worship with. But then..." She started pacing, allowing every ugly and hateful thought to surface. "Those awful women, their hateful attitudes, are why some people don't want to go to church. Who could stand that kind of unfair and untrue judgment?"

Who, indeed. Even as she spoke the words, hurt sliced through her. She dropped to her knees and caught her breath on a sob.

Devin came to wrap his arms around her shoulders.

She turned into his chest. "Oh, Devin, I'm certain they will spread the word about me throughout town." She closed her eyes against the stinging tears. "What will Mr. Douglass think? And what if ... what if Mr. Carnegie finds out?"

He didn't answer. Just held her in his arms as she cried.

W EDNESDAY , J ULY 5, 1916 · J ENSEN

The full moon tonight was high in the cloudless sky. Most people were fast asleep. Perfect time for her to sneak out and get things moving in the correct direction.

Word had reached her of some lady dinosaur digger thinking they could find bones out on the Meyer ranch.

It infuriated her to no end.

She needed to stop the work out at the quarry, not have them expand elsewhere.

Especially not out on that ranch. That would only make things worse.

Perhaps if she started some rumors of her own. Planted a few seeds that this new woman wasn't trustworthy. That would surely get people up in arms.

Their town was still small and the locals who had been there a long time were adamant about honesty. She'd seen several people shunned over the years when they weren't aboveboard in their practices.

They still had plenty of riffraff. Which aggravated all the upstanding citizens who looked down their noses at everyone else.

The rumor mill was a powerful tool. Might as well use it.

But first, she had tools to steal and poison to place.

She wasn't about to let anyone else near that gold.

It was hers.