North Dakota Weddings (28 page)

Brandon felt his jaw tighten. She referred, of course, to Tori’s accident. He had the suspicion that Sheila was waiting for something to go wrong so she could prove to the board that she’d been right all along.

Amber’s eyes widened as she glanced his way. “I…uh—”

“I’m sure Miss McKinsey, as a new intern, would benefit from viewing the
T. rex
site. So, I’ve invited her to join us.”

Sheila pursed her lips, apparently unwilling to press the matter. As a board member, she should be aware the museum needed more donors, and she hadn’t helped that cause today.

Fortunately, as they made their way to the tarp that shaded the research site, she joined him in explaining how the field digs opened to the public encouraged education and were one of the museum’s biggest draws.

Brandon stepped under the tarp where three of the volunteers were assisting Dr. Laudan, pulling strips of burlap out of plaster of paris and wrapping a large bone.

Dr. Laudan straightened and stared at Brandon, her hands covered in plaster. Brandon didn’t miss her subtle frown.

“Why don’t you give us some background?” Brandon asked.

She nodded, well aware that Brandon wanted details to impress his guests. “This is called a plaster jacket. In the case of a large bone, like what you see here, we want to keep it safe as we take it back to the lab, so we encase it in plaster of paris.”

Dr. Laudan continued, explaining how they would then pedestal the fossil, leaving it sitting on a large slab of rock to carry it back to the lab.

Brandon couldn’t help himself. He watched Amber closely. By now she probably realized that had she asked to intern under Dr. Laudan, she very well could have joined the researchers on the
T. rex
find.

Guilt wound its way through his thoughts. She had to be disappointed in him as a mentor.

Like the donors, Amber appeared fascinated. But there was something else, just under the surface. What was it?

As she tugged on her earlobe—an apparent nervous habit—her eyes drifted slowly to his, then a small smile formed. She had perfect lips.

Next to him, Sheila cleared her throat. One glimpse and he knew she’d witnessed the exchange.

That evening, Amber showered then made herself comfortable in the corner of the sofa. Soft lighting emanated from the lamp next to her. Today had been rough. The eagerness to discover fossils had eventually succumbed to the reality of long and arduous, backbreaking work. Amber felt sure that once her body adjusted, she’d regain her enthusiasm for the task.

Still, she couldn’t shake the thought that she probably shouldn’t have taken that short break from the tour group. They hadn’t been out of sight, and at the time, it hadn’t seemed that big a deal….Dr. Selman had spotted her, and she was grateful for his help down.

She cringed as she recalled the scene. He’d appeared enthusiastic about showing her the
T. rex
, but when that woman had questioned her, Amber sensed her disapproval. Could her actions prove a negative mark for him, or lose the two potential donors? She rubbed her eyes and pressed her head against the cushioned sofa back. There was definitely more to a researcher’s job than dusting earth off a dinosaur bone. Obtaining the necessary funds for their endeavors required the researchers to impress people. And, if
she
wanted to impress Dr. Selman, she would have to do better. No more taking her eyes from the task, no matter what.

She should pray for Dr. Selman, that her blunder wouldn’t cost him. Yet, every time she thought of prayer, something she should do daily as a Christian, her heart ached. A huge, painful knot formed in her throat. She shouldn’t blame God, but she couldn’t help herself.

He could have prevented the accident that killed her mother and sister. They believed and trusted in Him. They’d prayed for safety for their three-hour drive beforehand. He’d let them down. Amber took a long, deep breath, hoping the tears pressuring the back of her eyes would go away.

She ran her hand over the soft maroon leather of her Bible. If she couldn’t pray, at least she could read and then maybe God would answer her biggest question….

Why?

Closing her eyes, she considered that she was all alone in the world—well, except for Michael. But she was angry with him, too.

She flipped her Bible open and began reading the first chapter in the book of John—her favorite and always a comfort. It was suppertime and her stomach rumbled as though she needed the reminder, but she was too tired to eat, and since Muriel wasn’t there, she saw no reason to cook.

Just then, the girl flew in the front door, threw several sacks on the counter, and rushed to her bedroom, tossing a quick, “Hi, Amber!” as she went.

“Hi, Muriel.”

Muriel’s energy after a day at the dig astounded Amber. Suddenly, Amber felt even more tired, if that were possible, and curled her legs under her. She wasn’t in the mood for lively conversation.

Muriel came out from her room and plopped on the sofa next to Amber. “You’re reading the Bible.”

“Yes, I am.”

Muriel’s grin was slightly mocking as she looked from Amber to the pages of John. She and Muriel hadn’t discussed matters of faith, though Amber expected it would come up at some point. It hadn’t been her intent to hide her beliefs, but she wasn’t ready for the great debate at the moment.

“And you want to be a paleontologist?”

Amber opened her mouth to answer, but Muriel’s cell phone chirped, distracting her and saving Amber from an explanation. Amber had planned to answer that she hadn’t committed to paleontology and was leaning more toward museum work in general; still, that wouldn’t have answered the question Muriel was really asking.

Amber wondered how long it would take the news to spread. Paleontology was a study involving evolution, and Amber knew scientists didn’t have high opinions of what they referred to as Bible-thumping Christians. Yet, here she was. Oh, how she wanted to pray, needed to pray. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to speak to God. He’d failed her. But just one little cry of her heart might work.

Lord, take this anger from me…
.

T
he next week, Amber stood with confidence as she spoke to her tour group at the bone bed where she’d assisted with last week’s tour. For this group of amateur fossil hunters, however, this area was a new one to be explored, especially since it had rained over the weekend, washing out new fossils from the loose sediment.

She’d enjoyed last week’s hunt. There was always a fossil to be seen, whether of a small invertebrate or a plant, and sometimes the tour group members hit the jackpot with a dinosaur bone. At one point, they’d been allowed to assist and watch the researchers as they worked to unearth the
T. rex
.

Nothing of significance had been discovered the previous week, but that was to be expected on most amateur digs. Amber recalled Jason saying the
T. rex
find had been precipitated by a tour group. She smiled to herself.

No one could see what was hidden beneath the dirt except for God.

For most of the day, Jason had kept his distance, watching her manage this new group. Being a guide wasn’t as big a deal as she thought. All she had to do was give the little spiel then lead them down the path. Throughout the day she would answer questions and show them how to gently remove the fossils, which were then packaged in reclosable plastic bags for further study or turned back over to the finder, depending on the value of the fossil.

Spotting a frizzy-haired woman and her teenage daughter excitedly examining something, Amber was about to walk over to them when she saw Jason, heading her way.

When Jason stood next to her, he frowned. “Why don’t you help somebody? Start digging or something.”

Though startled at his cranky mood, Amber smiled. “Sure thing.”

She didn’t want negative reports traveling back to Dr. Selman. Leaving Jason’s side, she made her way to the woman and her daughter. Amber asked about their find. She hated to be the bearer of bad news, but no, the rock they’d picked up was, in fact, just a rock.

Remembering when Dr. Selman had surprised her last week by turning up at the dig and then showing her the research site, she sighed. Watching the researchers had made her even more eager to be involved in the serious side of the museum…to work directly under him.

At the simple thought of him, her heart did the little flip that it did every time she’d seen him. Not a good sign.

Amber spotted what looked suspiciously like part of a bone poking from the ground. She invited the frizzy-haired woman and her daughter over and gathered the tools from the nearby bucket, placing them above hers as she sat down in the dirt. The woman eyed her like she’d planned to dig for fossils without getting dirty.

Hearing a loud yelp, Amber looked up from her digging. The shout was from a particularly rowdy group of boys that’d come with their father. She looked around for Jason, knowing she’d need his help to keep a close eye on them. She spotted him with his cell phone to his ear, approaching her.

“Amber, I think you’ve got it under control. Something’s come up, and I need to head out.”

All the confidence she imagined she’d gained bled out her feet. Amber stared. “But—”

Jason tugged her to her feet and aside, then spoke in quiet tones. “You’ll be fine. I’ve been watching you for days now. You know the drill. Take a water break, then in a couple of hours head back to the museum and wish them all a good evening.” He didn’t wait for a response but patted her back and left.

She was going to ask, “But what about those boys?”

The woman and her daughter stared at her. They placed their trust in her. Amber stood tall, and mentally reassured herself. She wouldn’t let them down.

A good fifteen minutes passed before she relaxed. The earth hadn’t shattered because Jason left. In a few minutes she’d dole out the water. Everything would be fine.

“Hey! What are those boys doing up there?” A short, stout man from her group yelled from a distance, looking in Amber’s direction.

With the shout, Amber glanced up to the very same ridged hill she’d climbed last week. The boys didn’t realize the other side was much steeper. And wouldn’t you know? They were two of the rowdies she’d been concerned about all day. How had they slipped past her?

Amber searched for their father, who knew the rules and knew he was responsible for his kids. She found him sitting with his back to the boys, drinking water and wiping sweat from his brow.

Amber marched over to him. “Your children aren’t following the rules. Can you please call them down? I’m going to have to shut this tour down right now because of them, if you don’t.”

The man eyed her with disdain then twisted around. “They’re boys. They’ll be fine.”

“Sir, you’re not hearing me. Your boys could get hurt. This is against our policy. Please tell them to come down.”

“Give me a minute, will you?”

The other tourists had stopped digging, and all eyes were on her, waiting to see what she would do. How she handled this. Why had Jason left?

“Fine, if you won’t, then I will.” And she had every right.

“Stay here,” she called to the group as she trotted to the base of the hill. Once there, she shouted, “Boys, this area is off-limits to tourists. Come down now!”

To her relief, one of them began descending. What had they been thinking?

The other one, however, remained frozen, and whimpered. She barely heard him when he said, “I can’t! I’m scared!”

Oh, great!
Now what should she do? This wasn’t supposed to happen. In fact, she hadn’t even been told how to handle it in case it did. Feeling the stares of her group on her back, she didn’t want to reveal her own fear and lack of confidence. If she blew this, she could be dismissed from her internship or worse…the child could get hurt.

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you.” And then what? She reminded herself that Dr. Selman had easily helped her down by holding her hand.

But this was different. This was a child.

She began scaling the ribbed and rough terrain. At least it wasn’t a straight-up rocky cliff, requiring any sort of equipment, but then again, that would have prevented the boys from climbing it to begin with.

Now would probably be a good time to pray for some help, except, she reminded herself, God had let her sister and mother down. She couldn’t count on Him.

Focus, focus
. She couldn’t think about that now. When she finally made her way up, next to the boy, she looked him in the eye. Terror loomed there.

In a reassuring tone, she said, “You’re going to be fine. I’ll climb down with you. It’s only a small distance. Okay?”

Seemingly unable to speak, he nodded, looking as if he wanted with all his might to believe her.
I can’t let him down…
.

They descended slowly until the angle of the slope eased, though still too steep for comfort. She tugged his sleeve. “Now, turn around, sit on your backside if you have to, and make your way to your dad. The soft pebbles and dirt make this a slippery slope, so watch out.” The tour would be over for the boys and their father—they knew the rules, or at least their father had signed a paper stating they did.