“I still have to face facts,” she said. Her steps dragging, she went past James and Michael and left the office, then turned down the corridor and stepped outside into the bright sunshine. She cocked her head as the sound of distant whoops and shouts echoed from the slope to her left. Frowning, she turned to see what the commotion was about.
Slipping and sliding on the loose rocks, she hurried along the path to the dig. At the top of the hill, she could see Jake twirling his sister around and around. They were both shouting. The other two workers were peering over the edge of the hole at something. Not good. Skye felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. She made her way to the dig.
“What’s going on?” she demanded.
Jake turned, and his hands dropped to his sides. The elation on his face radiated a charm she wasn’t prepared for. Skye felt an invisible wall go up. He took a step toward her, and she backed away.
The joy on his face diminished a few watts. “Look here.” He gestured toward some egg-shaped rocks.
“So?” She dismissed the rocks with a glance.
“We’ve found a dinosaur nesting site.” Jake nearly chortled with glee. He rubbed his hands together.
“What does that mean?” Skye had a dismal feeling it wouldn’t be news she wanted to hear.
“Do you have any idea how rare a nesting site is?” His voice rose. “This is the find of the century.”
All her worst fears rose up to smack her in the face. The media would be on this like a frog on a June bug. Damage control, she thought frantically. How did she minimize the effect this would have on her mining operation?
“You’re not saying anything.” The light in Jake’s eyes faded even more.
“You have to keep this quiet,” she said.
His dark brows winged up. “Quiet? The entire paleontology community will be interested in this find.”
“And I’ll lose the mine,” she said. She felt like she was choking. It was one thing to talk about giving up her dream and something else to have it forced on her.
It was time she faced the fact she would never find the diamonds. The Turtle Mine was just an aging garnet mine, not a diamond mine.
And her father was never coming back.
She felt the sting of tears and turned away. Jake’s breath whispered against her neck, and his warm hands touched her arms.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
The funny thing was she believed he really did regret what his find would do to her business. Her mom’s business, she corrected herself. Her mother didn’t care, so Skye should just let it go. So why couldn’t she do just that?
“Do you have to announce it yet?” she asked in a small voice. Her gaze stayed on the ground in front of her.
For a few moments she thought Jake wasn’t going to answer. His grip slackened. “We can delay it a while. But I’m going to need help to fully excavate the site.”
She pulled away then turned and gazed into his face. “What about the other paleontologist who’s working the other site? He could help you.”
He grimaced. “I can’t do that.”
“He seems congenial.”
“Oh, he’s congenial right up to the point where he’ll treat your stuff as his own. He’s also two-faced and greedy. He’ll be sure to announce the find so it looks like it was his baby.” He shook his head. “I’ll find some help in town.”
“So it’s all about power and fame for you? What about the devastation you leave behind you?” She gestured to the hillside. “There won’t be much left of this hill, will there? By the time you all get through, it will be an open grave.”
His lips pressed into a straight line. “This is more important than the paltry amount of garnets you’re likely to find in this old mine.”
“It’s not garnets I’m looking for,” she burst out.
“Diamonds.” Amusement lit his dark eyes. “What a pipe dream.”
“About as likely as finding a dinosaur nursery, right?” She heard the challenge in her voice and lifted her head. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
A dull red crept up his neck and touched his cheeks. “Touché,” he said. “This is about knowledge and our history. It’s much more important than diamonds.”
“To whom? I’m not looking for diamonds for the money.”
“Then what’s the motive?” He took off his hat and rubbed his hand through his hair.
“You wouldn’t understand.” She didn’t bother to hide the contempt in her voice. There was no getting through his thick head. She wasn’t sure she understood it herself. Her rational side knew finding the diamonds wouldn’t bring her father back, but she still clung to the hope that he’d walk back through that door.
Chapter Three
Jake worked for three days on further excavation. He longed to call the media and rejoice in his find, but he restrained himself after promising Skye to keep a lid on it for now. This was everything he’d been working toward all his life. He would no longer be remembered as the scientist who was duped by a bunch of high school kids. As he unearthed more and more eggs, his smile grew larger.
He took Sunday off and went to church with his family. They were always nagging him about church. He wished he could join worship with the same joy he used to feel. The stark truth was that since his parents had been killed, he blamed God. And that was hard to get past.
He felt God constantly pressing him to let go of the anger and hurt, but it had been impossible for him to get past. He slid into the pew and felt the atmosphere of the old church embrace him. It felt like home, and he felt a little of his tension ease.
Skye Blackbird sat with her mother and stepfather in the third pew ahead of him. Her stepfather patted her on the back and smiled, then slid his other arm around his wife.
A lump thickened in Jake’s throat. His own father used to look at him with that same expression of pride. Lucky Skye. Jake wished he could roll back time and see that smile of joy on his own father’s face again.
Enough of that maudlin musing. He glanced again at the Metis family. Skye seemed different here. Of course, she wasn’t arguing, so that was an improvement. Jake’s gaze lingered on her. She really was a beauty.
Her sleek black hair flowed over her shoulders, reaching nearly to her waist in a shining curtain. Her olive skin glowed with health. She wore a red dress in some loose and flowing material that made her look like an exotic bird.
But it wasn’t her physical beauty that intrigued him. Her passion for what she believed in was mesmerizing. He was used to seeing it in his sisters, but the other women he’d come in contact with weren’t lit from the inside in that fashion.
His gaze kept straying to the pew ahead of him until the service ended. Jake excused himself from his family and moved toward the Metis family. The Ojibwa family walked down the aisle toward him, and he stepped out to meet them. “Good morning, Skye, Mrs. Metis.” He thrust out his hand to the man behind Mary. “We haven’t met, but I’m Jake Baxter.”
“Peter Metis.” The other man took his hand in a vigorous grip. His dark eyes looked Jake over and seemed to find him worthy. His smile warmed Jake the same way his own father’s had done. “You’re going to put us on the map, I hear. I was initially opposed to your dig, but it looks like I was wrong.”
“This site will be famous,” Jake agreed. He turned to Skye’s mother. “Thanks for letting me dig, Mrs. Metis. You’ve done science a great service. This discovery will rock the world.”