CHAPTER 1

The cold metal of my mother’s locket felt soothing in my palm. The delicately etched patterns gave the shimmering silver a sense of depth and dimension. Even though she had abandoned my father and myself when I was only five years old and I had made a vow to never forgive her for that act, I still wore the necklace at all times. It did two things at once—made me feel connected to that happier time in the past when we were a complete family and also reminded me that I could be strong even through the most intense trials like being deserted by someone I loved and trusted.

A crisp, clear feminine voice broke through my thoughts, “Flight 384, service from Memphis to Asheville, North Carolina is now boarding all rows.”

My heart gave a jolt of excitement as I suddenly thought of him.

Daniel Braun

The name rolled around in my mind as I got in line to board the plane. I couldn’t help thinking about him even though the excitement that had my stomach doing flips was not solely for his beautiful icy blue eyes and silky light brown hair. Going to a dig site for the first time is a big step for any archaeologist—despite the fact I was only able to call myself that because of a recently acquired internship.

The Appalachian Mountains were calling to me as the warm, humid Memphian air hit me directly in the face while I scrambled to reach the air conditioned plane through the suffocating jetway. The rattling of the thin floor used to scare me as a child, but now it only made me think of my father because of how he turned the shaking and squeaking of the ramps into a game, turning each uncomfortable moment into an excuse to hop on alternating feet and spell out my name–E-V-E-G-U-E-R-R-I-E-R. I let out a sigh loud enough for people to glance at me. I did not need to be thinking of him right now. He had been buried in my hometown for nearly a year. Contemplating my still grieving heart and my own mortality was not what would help me take this large leap into the real life of an anthropologist as well as my first real relationship in ages. That gigantic bound was being symbolized as a two inch gap between the jetway and the actual entrance to the plane. I took a deep breath, made my mind replace my father’s large, warm brown eyes with Daniel’s chilly blue ones, and crossed the threshold. This was it. I had done it. I pulled my copper-red hair into a hastily made bun and got positioned in my seat for a journey that would require hours upon hours on a jet. I immediately reflected on how I had gotten lucky enough to achieve this trip.