Leslie noted that Robert Adair had walked off. She frowned, trying to see where he had gotten to.
“Smile,” Hank whispered to her, drawing her close. A reporter had arrived. Leslie found herself standing between Hank and Laymon, and the men slipped their arms around her quickly. A flash went off.
Great.
“Hey, Miss MacIntyre, you’re getting famous for finding bones,” a slender young newswoman called to her. “How did you find this lady?”
“The site was found for me,” she returned.
“Want to escape?” Hank Smith whispered to her.
“Yes,” she said. “Brad and Laymon can handle this.”
“Miss MacIntyre—”
“Talk to my partner, please, I’ve got to get…uh…”
“Come on. There’s a trailer right over there,” Hank said. He waved a hand to the reporter. “Excuse us, please.”
He led her firmly away from the crowd, maneuvering with a surprising expertise through the stakes and ropes that then divided the site until they reached the trailer, parked near the street. It had been put there originally for the convenience of the building crew, she realized as he ushered her in.
The trailer was light and bright, offering a work station, kitchenette and table. “Take a seat, relax. I can get you water, soda, iced tea. Even wine, beer…”
“Iced tea sounds really great.”
He offered her a bottle and took one for himself, then crossed the trailer to open the plain cotton drapes. “I guess they’ll be there for a bit.” He let the drape fall. “Well.” He sat across from her at the work station. “You really do have a nose for homing in on the past, don’t you?”
“Seriously, the site was there. And all those other sections of the grid? We’ll find more, believe me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, as they say.”
“Sounds like you happen to be in the right place at the right time a lot,” he said pleasantly. Then he hesitated. “I’m sorry, you were in the hospital a long time, not in the right place at all the night that…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you remember.”
“It’s all right. I never really forget.”
“Hey, I’d love to hear about Virginia sometime.”
“It’s a great state.”
“And you made a great find there.”
“It was pretty exciting,” she admitted.
“An old churchyard…and here you are, proving there’s another old churchyard right here. I’d love to hear more about how you do it sometime. Maybe you’ll go to lunch with me one day.”
She started to protest, but he lifted a hand. “Look, you’re a bright and, let’s face it, gorgeous woman, but I know you’re not interested in dating. So I’m not asking you on a date. I’d just like to buy you lunch one of these days.”
She nodded. “Yes, then. Someday you can take me to lunch.”
“Since you won’t date, maybe you can teach me more about figuring out women,” he said, shaking his head in dramatic bewilderment.
“Hank, you’re rich, important and a handsome guy,” she said dryly. “I’m sure your life is full of women.”
“Yes, full, but…which one is the right one?”
“I’m not sure I can help you with that. Hey, are you upset that we made the find? This has to be costing you, I know.”
He shook his head. “Honestly, we can spin this so that every state in the union wants to see our bids when they have a project coming up. Some people get testy when a building is put on hold. I may think, ‘Damn, how did we pick another blankety-blank historic site?’ for a few minutes, but then I move on. The world is what it is. And yes, it runs on money, so I like money. But perception is important, and creating the perception that we’re humanitarians, conservationists, is good business.”
“Well, here’s to your excellent spin-doctoring and perception, then. Cheers,” she said, lifting her bottle of tea to his.
“Cheers. Though this should be champagne,” he said.
“To tell you the truth, I like the taste of tea much better,” she said.
“Are you a total teetotaler?” he asked with mock horror.
“Not at all. Just give me a good beer and a slice of pizza any day,” she said.
“A down-home girl, huh?”
Hank was nice, she thought, but things were beginning to feel a little bit too chummy.
She rose and walked over to the window, looking out. She could see Robert Adair standing out on the sidewalk, on the other side of the fence, talking earnestly to a tall, light-haired man. Her heart began to thud. Tall and light-haired—like Matt. His head was bowed in concentration, as Matt’s had so often been. He looked up. Matt’s features. Not…
He said something to Robert, thanking him, she thought. Then he turned away.
“Hey!” she cried.
“What is it?” Hank demanded.
“That man…Excuse me, Hank, but I have to get to Robert….” The trailer was narrow; she almost stumbled over him in her haste to get away.
“Leslie—”
“Thanks!” she called over her shoulder. “See you later.”