Page 46 of So Right
Luke took the lead. “We’ll go through the vineyard.”
Dana walked toward the front with Luke, Cam, and Crystal, while Kelsey hung back with Brooke.
“How’d things go the other night?” Brooke asked in a near whisper.
Kelsey kept her voice low. “Fine.”
Brooke cast her a skeptical look. “Uh-oh. Not good? Or great?”
It had actually been pretty awesome. Right up until she’d told him she couldn’t see him. “Itwasgood.” She gauged how much to reveal. Being with Noah had trained her to keep things to herself. She should open up. But damn, it was hard. “Things ended on a bit of an awkward note.”
“Oh no! What happened? Kiss gone bad?”
Kelsey laughed, which drew the folks in front to turn and look. Everyone but Luke, who just kept walking. Sobering, Kelsey looked down at the dirt beneath her boots as they hiked up between the vines. “No, actually. The kiss…es were fabulous.”
Brooke grinned. “‘Kisses’? Doesn’t sound awkward.”
“Well, that part came after. When I basically fled the scene. It’s just been a long time since I’ve done that. I’m so out of practice.” If only it were that simple.
“Cut yourself some slack. There is absolutely no rush—trust me, I know.” She’d been divorced, and it had taken a while for her to be ready to date. Even when she’d met Cam, she’d been reluctant, so yeah, she definitely understood that part. “And everything I know about Luke tells me he’ll be patient. Is he being a dick?” She lowered her voice to ask that last question.
Kelsey’s gaze latched onto his back. He wore a slouchy hooded sweatshirt and beat-up jeans that rode his hips perfectly. She recalled the feel of his body against hers, and warmth pulsed through her. “No, he’s not being a dick.” Hewasbeing a little standoffish today.
Or was he? It wasn’t as if she’d made a point of saying hello to him. Nor had she tried to walk with him. Out of practice maybe didn’t fully describe how bad she was at this.
“Things will even out,” Brooke said. “It takes time to work through that new-and-awkward phase.”
They crested the hill, and Dana stopped. She set her bag down and surveyed the area. Then she turned and addressed everyone. “So this looks quite a bit different than it did almost a hundred and fifty years ago when they decided to build a house up here. You might ask why they did that. Or maybe you didn’t—that’s what we archaeologists wonder.” She smiled. “It’s removed from the town, which is odd, but you can definitely see it from here.” She gestured down to where Ribbon Ridge lay below.
“Why would they build up here?” Cam asked.
“Like I said, it looked different. The map shows a flatter area here as well as a spring.” She turned and walked to where the flat land sloped down into a shallow ravine. “Down there. If we dig a little, we’ll find water. This is where it’s marked on the map.”
Luke followed her and looked down into the ditch. “Wow, can I use that for irrigation?”
Dana shrugged. “Probably.” She pivoted and looked back over the flat area, where everyone was still standing. “Can I get you all to scoot that way?” She held her arm straight out and pushed it to her right.
They moved over, and Dana tipped her head to the side as she stared at the ground.
Luke, still beside her, put his hands on his hips. “What do you see?”
She walked forward and gestured in front of her. “See how the grass is just a bit different here? You can almost see a line. She marched along the line, which Kelsey could barely make out, then turned sharply. After several steps, she turned again, then repeated the process. “That’s the house.”
Crystal’s jaw dropped, and she shook her head. “Wait, that’s it? You look at the ground, and you can see this?”
Dana grinned. “I’ve been doing this a long time. That’s just my supposition. Let’s see if I’m right.” She went back to her bag and fished out a small shovel with a flat edge. Going back to one of the corners, she crouched down and scraped along the surface, moving grass and dirt. “This all started when you found a brick, is that right?”
Brooke nodded. “Yes, it was part of a newer house that was built on the property. It says 1879 and BNR, and our research led us to find Bird’s Nest Ranch.”
“I’d say the brick was from the foundation of this house.” She held up a small, dark chunk. It looked like rock, not brick. Standing, she held it in her palm. “This is brick. If we excavate, we’ll find a lot more of it.”
Everyone crowded around her and peered down at her hand.
“Wow, how can you tell that’s brick?” Crystal asked. “It’s black.”
Dana handed her the piece of brick. “That’s the interesting part. It’s scorched. I’d say this house burned down.”
Just like when they’d met with the historian and learned that Dorinda had died, there was a collective intake of breath. Crystal, Brooke, and Kelsey exchanged looks, and Kelsey was sure they were thinking the same thing.
