Page 4 of The Rancher’s One and Only

“Some people do. You would be surprised. On my hiking excursions to different places in the state, I’ve discovered that at a lot of the hot springs people prefer to be naked.”

“Right.”

He didn’t know how to respond to that. So instead, he went over to the tent, and started to help take it down. She ferreted a small amount from inside it and then picked up a few different instruments. “This is relatively new technology, and not overly common, but I’m experimenting with hyperspectral images—that was an aspect of my getting the grant, determining how much value imaging equipment can add when combined with sophisticated stratigraphy.”

“That really is some Jurassic Park stuff.”

“This is not Jurassic Park,” she said. “I am not trying to violate laws of nature.”

“So you’re against cloning animals using the DNA from mosquitoes?”

“I am against the reintroduction of any kind of species. I believe that natural selection is infallible. Humans tampering with it is a violation of the natural order.”

“Well, couldn’t it be argued that if humans, who have survived these many millennia, bring back a species, that’s part and parcel of natural selection?”

“It cannot.”

“Okay.”

“The rest of my equipment is in my Geo Metro.”

“I didn’t know they still made those.”

“They don’t,” she said cheerfully. “I’ve been very lucky to continue to find new ones. My first car was a Geo Metro hatchback. And it was old even at the time, but I don’t want to get a different kind of car. I like this one.”

“Great. So, that’s all your stuff then?”

“Yes. That’s all of it.”

“You can follow me back to the homestead.”

“Okay.”

He got into the truck, and she rounded to the other side of the rock. Then she drove her car out from behind it, and he grabbed his phone. “Coming back to the house. With a visitor in tow.”

It took about ten minutes to get back to the homestead. And when he got there, Rowdy and Dakota were standing on the porch waiting.

He got out of the truck, just a moment or so before she got out of her car. “Wait until you hear this.”

She got out of the car and didn’t waste a moment. She walked up the front steps and extended her hand. “I’m Dr. Ernestine Martin. I would like to pay you from my grant money to conduct a paleontological dig on your ranch.”

“She was camping out there and digging in the side of one of the mountains.”

Rowdy shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. So you’re his partners?”

Rowdy nodded. “Yes. I’m Rowdy Gardner. This is Dakota Campbell.”

“Nice to meet you,” Dakota said.

“It’s a really lovely place you all have out here. Are you a throuple?”

Rowdy and Dakota exchanged a glance, and Rowdy burst out laughing. “A throuple?”

It took him a moment to catch the meaning, and then he frowned. “They’re my business partners.”

She blinked. “Oh. I’m sorry. I misunderstood the nature of the term partner. But to be fair, you didn’t specify that they were business partners.”