Discover Time For Love Page 16

  “It can’t be over there,” Zac muttered, glaring.

  “You’ve heard about the contract,” she said, suddenly understanding. If the head was on Scarr’s side and the skeleton went to his lab for processing, Zac would have his name included in the dig reports for what could be the find of the decade. His career would shoot up like a nasty, encroaching weed that happened to receive the same dose of fertilizer the rest of the garden did. If Liz hadn’t still been feeling mellow from her night with Mike and his morning proposal, she would have been upset. As it was, she knew that the museum was here, on Mike’s land. That mean the odds were very good that the head actually was on Mike’s side of the line.

  “There’s no point in my hanging around here any longer,” Zac said, over the crackle of crumpling plastic. He took his bottle over to the recycling can and dropped it in. Disdainfully, with a smirk that was designed to show he was doing this to annoy her, not because she’d shamed him into it days ago. He trudged up the path to the top of the rift without saying good-bye.

  Will watched him go, his eyes hard. “What a piece of work he is.”

  “Amen to that.” Liz hesitated, then added deliberately, “I meant what I said. I believe the head is on your side.”

  “I do to,” Will said. Then he sighed. “But we haven’t found it. What happens if neither of us discovers it before the season ends?”

  That was a good question and one Liz had asked Mike earlier. “Until the head is found the skeleton is divided. The hindquarters go to Discovering Dinos’ lab, to be worked on here. The neck and front quarters go to Scarr’s lab. Each side is allowed to display their bones, augmented with plaster casts of the rest of the skeleton.”

  Will raised his brows. “So for Mike, it would be better if the head is never found, than to have it found on Scarr’s side.”

  “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” This was a perspective that Liz hadn’t considered. As she got back to work, she wondered if she should continue to look for the head. Or if she was better to focus on the bones she had and leave finding the head for some future, unspecified date. There was no clear answer to her internal question. Finding the head would confirm Mike’s assertion that this was a Daspletosaurus and increase the value of the skeleton. On the other hand, it could mean that Mike lost control of his portion of the bones. Not the scenario she wanted.

  They worked steadily for another hour, then Will called a halt. “We’re heading up for lunch, Liz. Do you want to join us?”

  She smiled at Will and shook her head. “I started late, so I’m going to for another hour of so. If Mike gets back before I come up, would you let him know I’m down here?”

  Will nodded. He and the students put their tools away tidily, then headed up the path. Liz paused to drink a bottle of water, then she went back to work.

  She was clearing the area around one of the upper vertebrae when she realized she was exposing another fossil. She brushed further, revealing more of the bone. Her heart began to pound. The curve of the fossilized rock looked remarkably like the rounding of a jawbone. Was it possible that she had found the head? Or at least a portion of it?

  She sat back on her heels and stared at what she had uncovered. If this was the head, then it was on Scarr’s side of the line. That meant he gained custody of the entire skeleton, leaving Mike with nothing.

  The head would confirm the species of dinosaur they were excavating. The head could prove that this was the body of a rare carnivorous dinosaur. The head would make her career. Her name would be associated with this creature forever. She would be an in-demand paleontologist. She could write her own ticket.

  She wanted to be with Mike. To work with him, not be an ivory tower academic whose closest friends and associates were as predatory in their own way as the Daspletosaurus she was excavating.

  She stared at that curved sweep of exposed bone. Despair settled over her, depressing her earlier high spirits. She had been so sure that the museum meant that the head had been found on Mike’s side. She still could hardly believe that it hadn’t been. How could this be? A museum that sophisticated meant lots of funding, not just from Mike’s Discovering Dinos profits, but also from granting institutions. Those institutions wouldn’t touch a commercial organization, unless it had something very special to exhibit or contribute to the field. She assumed it was this creature. What else could it be?

  Nothing that she could think of right now, but maybe Mike would find something as significant as the Daspletosaurus further down the rift, on his side of the line. So far nothing had come to light, but it was a long gouge in the earth, so there was always a possibility that more skeletons would be exposed as time and weather wore away the surface. But there was no guarantee it would ever happen.

  Another, more devastating, thought occurred to her. What if she’d somehow changed the future by exposing the head—if finding it meant that the museum was never built? What if the head was never found in the timeline she’d visited just this morning? If the museum had been built to house the hindquarters of their dino?

  Her hand crept to her throat in an unconscious act of dismay. If she had changed the timeline her own future might have changed. She might not marry Mike. Mark might not exist. Her beacon might have gone dark.

  Horror engulfed her.

  Chapter 24

  Was there any way to cover up the skull so it was never found?

  She peered at the stone surface. She couldn’t put back the rocks she’d chipped or dusted away, but perhaps it wasn’t too noticeable. If she worked in another area, maybe Zac or Scarr wouldn’t see that curved sweep of fossil and wonder if it belonged to the dino. She studied the scene. The trouble was, the neck vertebrae above the skull were exposed and when they lifted those bones to take back to the lab, they would have to scrutinize the area to make sure they weren’t damaging other bones that hadn’t been excavated yet. Then the skull would be found.

  Feeling sick, she stood staring at the skull and despairing. She turned away to get a bottle of water and stand out of the midday sun while she figured out what to do. As she turned, she noticed the dino cam and her heart sank further. The camera was always on during the day, recording every movement. Sure, she was on the periphery of its main coverage, but she was the only person here, so her actions would be noticed. Even if she figured a way to rebury the skull, the camera would have recorded its discovery. She knew Scarr watched the daily footage, so by tomorrow, if not sooner, he would be over here gloating about the find. With the winner-take-all terms of the contract, he’d have a renewed interest in excavating the bones and getting the creature out of the rock and into his lab.

  Unless… Could she persuade Mike not to sign the contract? She had assumed that it would take him a half an hour tops to read it through, sign it, then send it back. He’d been gone for more than two hours though, and the only reason she could think of was that there were clauses he couldn’t accept and he was busy strategizing with Harvey the lawyer to reopen negotiations.

  If that was the case, she had a chance to tell him not to agree to the stipulation that the skull location would determine the fate of the skeleton. She chugged water and felt her spirits rising. There was a chance to save the future. She couldn’t get phone service down here, but she could at the top of the rift. She’d hustle up the path and phone Mike.

  She finished the water and tossed the bottle into the recycling can. Then she turned toward the path. And stopped in her tracks. Mike was scrambling down the slope with a clatter of small pebbles rolling away under his feet.

  If he was here, he must have signed the contract. For a moment she felt nothing. She was hollow. Empty. Then despair came roaring in, filling the hole with such dark emotion she didn’t know how she could handle it.

  “Mike!”

  He turned at the sound of her voice. His smile was intimate, tender, pleased, and it fell into a frown when he saw her stricken expression. “Liz! What the hell?” He strode over to where she was standing and caught her
shoulders in a firm, comforting grip. His eyes searched her face. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Did you sign the contract?” Her voice came out as a thick, hoarse croak.

  He nodded. “The terms were exactly as Harvey said, no surprises. Why?”

  She moistened her lips as she stared into his face and felt like a traitor. “I found the skull,” she whispered.

  Pleasure lit his expression. “That’s terrific. Where?”

  She wanted to cry. Instead, she sniffed. “It’s on Scarr’s side of the line.”

  “Yeah,” he said. “I was prepared for that.” He smiled at her and rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. “You weren’t, though, were you?”

  She frowned. “It must always have been there, where it is now, but I shouldn’t have discovered it.”

  It was his turn to frown. “Why not? The skull is a tremendous find. It will confirm the species and prove that we really are dealing with a Daspletosaurus.”

  “It changes the future!”

  He stiffened, his frown deepening. Then understanding dawned. “You’re worried about the museum.”

  “Why else would it be there? We must have made a tremendous find in order to have an instillation like that out here, in the middle of nowhere.”

  “We,” he said. His slow smile replaced the frown and the tenderness returned to his gaze. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Mike! I changed the future. We may never get together. Mark might never be born because of this find!”

  “Why wouldn’t we still get together?” He sounded puzzled. “How will the skull keep us apart?”

  She drew a deep breath to steady herself. “The bones will go to Scarr’s lab for analysis and preservation.”

  He nodded. “And you and I will go with them.”

  She frowned. “What? Scarr’s lab is back east. You live here. Discovering Dinos is here.”

  “Liz,” he said, smiling and caressing her cheek, “working on a find like this is a tremendous opportunity for me personally and for Discovering Dinos, as well. My participation in the analysis will enhance my reputation, perhaps more than it will yours, since you’ve already got a doctorate to prove your skills. When Harvey and I discussed the terms we wanted out of the contract we took into account the strong possibility that the head would be found on Scarr’s side. Harvey’s a bright fellow. He made sure the contract was a win for me and Discovering Dinos no matter where the skull was found.

  She put her hands on his chest and chewed her bottom lip. “I thought I’d be working with you, at your lab here.”

  “Maybe someday you will,” he said, his voice husky. “I’d like that very much.”

  “I would too,” she whispered. “But…” She shook her head. “The museum. The Daspletosaurus will be displayed back east, not here. There is no museum now.”

  “How do you know that?” he asked gently.

  “How could there be?”

  He looked up and around. “This whole region is full of dino bones. Who’s to say that this is the only find you make around here? You don’t know what’s inside the museum, only that there is a spiffy lab with all the latest tech that you never went beyond.”

  A little bit of hope flickered into life inside her. “That’s true, but…”

  Amusement danced in his eyes. “I guess I’m going to have to convince you. Come on, let’s find your Beacon.”

  The afternoon wasn’t going exactly as he’d planned. Beside him, on the shotgun seat in the cab, Liz was strung as tight as a piano wire. He could practically feel the anxiety flowing off her in waves. He wanted to reassure her, but he didn’t have the proof, and he wasn’t about to make promises he couldn’t be sure he could keep. So he held her hand in his as he drove closer and closer to the prairie where the museum would one day be.

  He believed it would still be there, mainly because he had information she didn’t. Since his abrupt introduction into Liz’s world of time travel this morning he’d done a lot of thinking—about the museum, about Liz’s future, and how tightly it would intertwine with his. Now he had a hunch how the museum would come to be and what its feature exhibit would show.

  As they neared their destination Liz’s grip tightened around his hand. He squeezed back reassuringly and turned his head to smile at her. “Another mile or so and we’ll be there. Are you ready?”

  She swallowed convulsively and nodded. Then she shook her head. “Yes. No. I don’t know! Mike, what if it’s not there?”

  That was a question he had no answer to. If her connection to the future was severed that would mean other unforeseen changes in the established timeline. He didn’t like to think that something he and Liz had done had changed everything. On the other hand, if there was a change, maybe it was meant to be. And the change was part of the established timeline.

  He wasn’t a physicist or a philosopher. Figuring this kind of stuff out was way above his pay grade. He took a deep breath and said, “My dad always says, ‘Don’t count your babies before they’re born.’ I think it’s a pretty good way of thinking.”

  That distracted her, as he hoped it would. “Isn’t it chickens and hatching?” she asked, sounding puzzled.

  He grinned. “Not when you father’s a small town doctor. He leaves the chickens to the farmers and ranchers.”

  She laughed, again as he had hoped. The road twisted around a curve that circled the range of hoodoos to the east of the prairie. As he drove out of the shadow of the low hills, Liz sucked in her breath and made a sound that could indicate hope or dismay.

  Mike couldn’t see the beacon, of course, so he couldn’t tell if it was there, ahead of them, or gone forever. “Well? Is it there?”

  She sighed and the panicked clutch on his hand loosened. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He pulled over into the spot they’d used that morning. Lifting her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles before he released it. “Come on. Let’s go.” He climbed out of the truck, leaving Liz to follow.

  He waited for her by the side of the road. When she was beside him, he reached over and took her hand. He smiled down at her. “Ready?”

  She smiled, a little shakily, he though, and nodded. They set off in the same direction they’d followed this morning. When they had almost reached the place where they’d crossed through the beacon, he tugged her hand and led her away from it, toward the hoodoos.

  She followed in his wake, stumbling a little with the unexpected change in direction. “Where are we going?”

  “Just taking a short detour,” he said. He hid a smile. He thought what he had to show her would have her forgetting all her worries about the fate of the Daspletosaurus.

  They reached a gully and he scrambled down the side, helping Liz keep her balance as she skidded down behind him. On the other wall there was a spot where it was clear the ground cover had been disturbed. He went over to the spot and took out a small spade he’d put in his hip pocket when he rounded the back of the truck to wait for Liz to get out. He quickly removed a small section of the surface dirt and grasses, then he brushed away the remaining dirt with his fingers.

  As he stood back to let her see what he’d exposed, he said, “What do you think?”

  Frowning she crouched down to look. Slowly she reached out and touched the rock. “It’s a footprint. A dinosaur print, from the size of it.” She glanced up at him. “Are there more.”

  He nodded and gestured ahead. “I did a few spot checks. I think it extends quite a distance.”

  She stood and slowly brushed off her hands, looking in the direction he indicated. “Then it could be a trackway.”

  A trackway was a length of dinosaur footprints, probably made in wet sand or a soft river bottom, then preserved for millennia. Trackways helped paleontologists estimate the size of ancient creatures, ways of movement, and how they traveled. Finds were as rare as the Daspletosaurus. “Yup.”

  “When did you discover it?” She was looking at him now, her expression thoughtful.


  “Earlier this summer. I haven’t had time to do any proper work on it, so I covered it up to protect it.” He drew a deep breath. “Liz, I think the museum is here because of the trackway, not the Daspletosaurus.”

  She glanced toward where the museum would eventually be, then up at him. “Makes more sense for the location.”

  She looked back down at the footprint and he could sense her curiosity, and the urgent desire to investigate further, now. He chuckled. Catching her chin, he gently directed her so she was looking at him again. Her eyes were sparkling with excitement. He said, “I think we excavate the trackway together, as a husband and wife team. I also think that it’s the reputation you gain from finding and excavating the Daspletosaurus that gives credibility to our work and increases the value of the find.”

  She reached up to cup his cheek with her palm. “Your reputation too. I think you are just as good a paleontologist as I am. Or as Scarr or Zac Doyle is.”

  Deep inside something warm and special uncurled. “Liz Hamilton, do you know how much I love you?”

  She shook her head, but she was smiling. “No. Why don’t you tell me?”

  “You make my day brighter by just being there, my nights wonderful with your touch.”

  Emotion darkened her eyes, softened the tension in her features. Her tongue came out to moisten her lips and he followed the movement with his eyes. “Oh,” she said, with a small sigh, “that was so beautiful. You lovely man, I am so lucky to have found you.”

  She reached up to drape her arms around his neck and press her body against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist to hug her closer. He heard her whisper in his ear, “I love you, Mike. With all my heart.”

  He knew it was time. He moved his head so his mouth met hers and kissed her with lips and tongue and a passion that couldn’t immediately be fulfilled. She was loose and pliable in his arms when he raised his head.