He winced, and his heart clenched at the mention of her grandparents. He walked toward her and grabbed her hands, holding them tight in his. His voice cracked. “Eliza, I have watched you dig in the dirt and come to know Jesus more deeply through studying His creation. You have a God-given love of this earth that saturates everything you do. When you talk about it to people, your face lights up. They do as well.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks. She shook her head and opened her mouth, but Devin freed a hand and covered it. Her eyes widened. But he refused to back down.
“How many men and women had trials and tribulations when they followed the will of God for their lives? Thousands, millions throughout history! Think of those who died for Jesus because they loved Him and believed in Him. I’m sure they felt discouraged and were tempted to quit because so many people opposed them. Even believers who haven’t died for Jesus still face struggles and persecution.” He dropped his hand to her shoulder. “I know you’ve faced battles in your work before.Most of them simply because you’re a woman. This is just one more battle. And not just as a woman, but as a child of God. Don’t give up.”
Eliza closed her eyes for a moment. Had he pushed too far? Been too preachy? At last, she opened her eyes and sighed. “But how am I preaching the gospel, Devin? How is anyone learning about Jesus and His love through me digging in the dirt?” She stepped back and his hand fell back to his side.
“That’s true.” He tossed around how to answer the enormous question she’d put before him. “But think about all these tourists who come to see these bones. All the visitors who came to the museum. Think about the men at this dig who hear you talk about the glory of God’s creation every day. Your enthusiasm and love for God and what He has made is infectious, Eliza. And I pray when you get alone with the Lord, He will remind you of these things as only He can. Promise me you will wait on Him and not make any hasty decisions.” Devin smiled at his friend, praying she would be encouraged.
She chewed the corner of her lip, a sure sign she was at least considering what he’d said. Finally she nodded and gave him the first genuine smile he’d seen since they encountered the mess. “I promise. And thank you.” Eliza leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for being my friend.”
Devin nodded, his cheek burning where her lips had brushed his skin, and his heart sinking with the reminder of what he still needed to tell her. He pushed the thought aside. Right now, they had a mess to finish cleaning. “Let’s go get those supplies.”
Eliza nodded and they made their way out of the quarry back to the small wagon. Devin glanced over his shoulder at the camp and those horrible words still blazing in the sun.Lord, I hope Eliza will hear Your truth over the loud lies of the devil.
After a quick change of clothes, gathering what supplies they could find and a lunch of what they could grab to eatin the wagon, Devin and Eliza were back at the quarry. The afternoon flew by as they baked under the hot sun, but he was determined to help her move past the vandalism.
Earl and his wife had helped for several hours, but it was clear the event had affected them both as well.
Once the last tent was set to rights, Devin went in search of Eliza and found her sitting in the dirt surrounded by tool chests with the inventory list in her lap.
“Hi.”
She looked up at him with a dirt-streaked face. “Hi.” The single word held the weight of the world.
“A lot of tools were damaged, weren’t they?”
“Yeah.” The sigh she released with her answer was long. “I’m determined not to shed any more tears over it, but after yesterday’s theft and then today...” She shook her head. “I’d like to go hide for a while.”
He squatted down beside her and placed his elbows on his knees. “What else needs to be done?”
“Nothing. We’ve done all we can do. Earl is going to shut the quarry down for a bit. No more visitors. They’re going to speak to Mr. Carnegie and the authorities about ways to keep the site more secure, and a lot of the tools will have to be shipped to us.”
Devin turned to look toward the sunset. “I hope they can find whoever did this and prevent them from doing it again.”
“Me too.” She scribbled something on the paper and then got to her feet, brushing all the dirt off her. “It looks like I have a few days off from my work here, which will be good. I’ve been wanting to show you the Meyer ranch.” The smile that appeared was good to see, even if it was forced. “Who knows? Maybe you’ll help me find the legendary fossils that the original Mr. Meyer said were there.”
“That sounds great. Another adventure.” As they walked back to the wagon, he knew.
It was time.
“What? No sarcastic reply?” She poked him and a real smile lit up her face.
He didn’t say anything until after he helped her up to her seat. “Eliza...”
She studied him, the brief moment of joy slipping from her face. “What is it?”
He pulled the envelope from his pocket and gripped it tight. “There’s no easy way to tell you this. No matter how hard I tried to find the right words ... there are norightones for a time like this.”
She flicked her gaze down to the envelope and back up to his face. “What is it?” The hesitancy in her eyes gripped him like a vise.
He hated that he was about to bring her pain and heartache, but he had to tell her. “The day before I left, your grandmother summoned me to the manor. I went to see her, and she gave me this to give to you. I’ve tried to wait for the right time to tell you, but the longer I wait, the more I realize there is no correct or good time.” He set the letter down and gripped both of her hands. “Your grandfather passed away that morning.”
She gasped and stared at him as her head slowly shook back and forth.
“Your grandmother didn’t want to tell you via telegram. And she didn’t wish for you to find out via the papers. That’s why she asked me to be the one to tell you.”
Eliza trembled and tears pooled in her eyes. “He’s gone?”
