Chapter Fourteen #2
And yet, he knew that companionship was what she deserved.
And he certainly couldn’t provide it. The best-case scenario was him sending her off with a better outlook.
With more possibilities, not fewer. And in that way, they would always be connected.
So why not be connected through this? This discovery.
There would be a plaque with her name on it, and it would exist on this ranch.
And whatever footnote was written about it and whatever text or publication it was in, his ranch would be mentioned.
Maybe his name. He didn’t care about that as far as notoriety.
It had more to do with being connected to her.
He liked that idea. He liked it a lot. And maybe that was the best he could hope for.
That he could improve her life in some small way, whether that was by having her dig on the ranch in the first place, or, if he wanted to be full of his own self-import, being the one to introduce her to passion, to show her what she deserved in that sense.
“Would you like me to talk to them now?”
“Oh. I mean, that would be all right. If you don’t mind.”
“Why don’t you come with me. You can talk to them. Tell them what you’re thinking. I know that it isn’t actually going to come together until you can get back to the museum, but still.”
When they pulled up to the house, there was a Jeep parked in the driveway. It was a nice Jeep, in mint condition, and sparkling clean. He put his truck in Park, just as a woman got out of the driver’s seat. She was in pristine condition—just like her vehicle.
And he didn’t even have to ask who it was. He just knew.
And then when he looked at Ernestine, he was even more certain. Her mouth was open, and he could see she was struggling to speak. She looked like an outraged guppy. He wasn’t going to say that, though. Because he was still paying penance for the rodent-energy commentary.
“I’ve got this,” he said.
He got out of the truck, and put his hands in his pockets. “Hey, can I help you?”
She turned to face him. Yeah. She was pretty.
And he could imagine that in the industry that they worked in, it was extremely notable.
Not because her features were shaped more advantageously than Ernestine’s; it was the way she presented herself.
Her hair was artfully styled, her clothing perfectly fitted to her body.
Her makeup was done in that sort of perfect way that managed to make a woman look like she didn’t actually have makeup on.
At least, that was his perception. He knew men were notoriously bad at identifying how much makeup a woman was actually wearing.
But he could see why Dr. Haley Boesch was a glittering gem in the paleontological field.
“Yes. Are you the owner of the property?”
“One of them. My name is Jax Noble.”
“Dr. Haley Boesch. I’m a paleontologist.” And he decided he would go ahead and let her do her whole spiel.
Even though he had already decided he was going to send her packing.
She might be pretty; she might be smart.
She might be a whole lot of good things, but the one thing he knew was that she had stolen from Ernestine.
That was something he couldn’t abide by. Something he wouldn’t tolerate.
“I have reason to believe that your ranch is a good place for me to continue digging.”
“Is that a fact?”
“Yes,” she said. “It is a fact.”
“What led you to that conclusion?”
She went blank for a moment, nothing behind her brown eyes as she seemed to consider this. “Data. That I have been working on.”
“I see. So data has led you to believe that the place you’re currently digging isn’t the best place.”
“Yes.”
“The data that you received wouldn’t happen to be information that another paleontologist was digging here, would it?”
She blinked rapidly. He gestured toward the truck, and Ernestine tumbled out the passenger side.
Ernestine, with her glossy honey-colored hair, and wide eyes. Her adorable smile, and her freckled cheeks. She made his heart lift.
“Dr. Boesch,” Ernestine said, her voice clipped.
“Dr. Martin,” Haley returned, a wide smile on her face. “What a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know that you were here.”
Ernestine frowned. “Really?”
And this was where he knew Ernestine wasn’t going to be able to play along.
Ernestine, with her unfailing honesty, was never going to play this game.
And he could see that Dr. Boesch was made entirely of games.
She didn’t want unpleasantness, not openly.
She wanted to slip around in the shadows and play games.
She didn’t want to have any accountability or outward conflict.
“No. It’s a coincidence. I had done some research that suggested I should be digging here.”
“Who is giving you information?” Ernestine asked, looking genuinely upset and hurt.
“Because the only reason you’re here is that you must have found out that I was here.
Which you would know because I was submitting reports back to the museum.
I’m sure that Candy Johnson isn’t feeding you information, but I would like to know who is. ”
“That’s a very ugly thing to accuse someone of, Dr. Martin. I have my own extremely elevated career. And I’ve been doing it since before you showed up.”
Oh, he was wrong; it was going to get a little bit spicy.
“But this, and the last grant that you stole out from under me, that isn’t a coincidence.
I know it isn’t. You can keep saying whatever you want, but it doesn’t change what I know.
I don’t lie. Ever. But you do. You can stand there smiling at me, but we both know that we’re in the middle of a bone war. ”
Haley looked at him, trying to look placating, and he realized that she hadn’t read the situation between him and Ernestine correctly. She thought that he was still a prize that could be won. Interesting.
“I have an agreement with Dr. Martin,” he said. “Ironclad. No one else is digging on this property. Only she has the right to do that.”
“I don’t believe that’s true.”
“It is.”
“I’d like to see the contract.”
“It’s a verbal agreement. And anything else wouldn’t matter, because it’s my land, and I don’t want you on it.”
“Don’t you have co-owners?”
“They’ll say the same. We’re a team. A family here, and Ernestine has become part of that family.
That’s the way that it is. She’s the only person who gets to lead a dig here.
Maybe if you’re lucky someday you’ll get to work under her.
But you would be very lucky to be able to do that. And you know, I doubt she’d hire you.”
And then, Ernestine did something entirely unexpected. She closed the distance between them, and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Thank you, darling.” Then she stretched up on her toes and kissed him on the mouth. He could hear the shocked gasp come from Haley.
“You…slept with him for exclusive rights to his ranch?”
“Yes,” said Ernestine, smiling. “And he thought it was a good bargain.”
He took her hand, and led her toward the porch. “Anything else?” he asked tightly.
She was the color of a fresh strawberry, though less appetizing. “No. That will be all. Though, I might need to make a report about misconduct to your museum.”
“What would that be exactly? That I slept with a private citizen on his private land, and he has no affiliation with any real workplace of mine? I would be careful with that.”
Ernestine paused for a moment. “Though, feel free, because frankly…no one would believe you.”
And then, she let him lead her into the house.
“And why did you do that?” he asked as soon as the door was closed behind them.
She looked shamefaced. “I’m sorry. Did that bother you?”