Chapter 6: Looking For Love In All The Right Places

June 18, 1991 - Tuesday

Ellie's Taurus pulled into the dig site. She usually parked in such a manner so she could see Alan's red pickup truck. It had taken her a few weeks to figure out which truck was his, since there seemed to be so many red pick-up trucks there. She was still proud that she was able to get to the bottom of that investigation. Women had their ways of finding out those types of things.

To her disappointment, his truck wasn't there. It was missing just like the day before. As she exited her car, she spotted another truck driving toward her. It was blue, so it definitely wasn't Alan's truck. She had come to know from her investigations, that this particular truck was Rob Tandy's. The rock music blaring from the radio was additional evidence of it being Rob.

His truck stopped next to Ellie's car and he quickly got out, putting a halt to the music.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully.

He was definitely a morning person.

"Good morning," she returned.

He looked around for a second. "Where's the rest of your team?" he asked, referring to Allison and Logan.

"Allison isn't going to be here today and I'm not sure about Logan. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to tell you that Allison isn't going to be here today," she said, smiling.

"Consider it done," he said, nodding. He glanced toward Alan's trailer, "Look at that. He's already gone. That man gets up way too early."

Ellie played dumb.

"Who? Dr. Grant?"

"Yeah. Last night, he left a message on my machine. He wants me to give something to that old fossil, Dr. Harper."

"Old fossil?"

He laughed. "Just a joke. Harper is quite funny. His comic timing is pretty good . . . for a prehistoric archeological remain."

Ellie politely laughed. Not because Rob's joke was funny, but because she was finding out where Alan had been.

"So, how are you adjusting to life in Montana?" he asked.

"It's not so bad, really. I'm enjoying myself and I've gotten to meet a lot of new and interesting people."

"That's good. I'm glad you're fitting in so well."

"You think so?" Ellie asked in a surprised tone.

"Oh, yeah. Alan talks about you all of the time."

"He does?"

Ellie tried to be careful about the surprised expression that had just developed on her face, but she found it very hard to disguise the happiness.

Rob noticed, too. "I get the feeling that you talk about him all of the time, too."

Ellie was still working on containing her happiness. "I guess you could say that."

Saying that short sentence out loud was her first public admission, hinting at how she felt about Alan. Rob decided to give her some more information about his old friend, since she seemed interested.

"It's good to see him . . . interested . . . in someone after Kathryn," Rob said.

"Kathryn?"

"He was married before. She passed on about three years ago."

"I had no idea," Ellie said sadly.

"He hasn't talked about another woman since. And now, there's you."

Ellie was speechless and Rob could see that she was getting embarrassed, so he tried to end the conversation in a sensible manner.

"He's a lucky guy," he observed, smiling.

Ellie turned a slight shade of red. She quickly regained her composure, and then changed the subject. "I'd say that I'm the lucky one. Being here, on a working and thriving dig site, has been a great experience, education-wise."

Rob noticed how she shifted subjects on him. He decided to let it go. "Well, I'm glad you feel like you're learning something," he said.

"And speaking of which, I need to get going."

"Always the dedicated one, aren't you?" Rob joked.

"You know it," Ellie answered, smiling again.

She walked away from Rob, wishing that she had found out more details about Alan's whereabouts. Instead, it seemed as though Rob was the one that found out details about how she felt about Alan. She decided to stop thinking about Alan and Rob. There was nothing she could do about it now, anyway. She went to work, walking through the camp, looking for Logan or Dave.

Rob stood there, watching her leave the area. Alan really is a lucky guy, damn it. There had been several occasions now, where Alan had brought up her name in casual conversation. He could see that Alan was smitten with her, but, up until now, he wasn't sure how she had felt. After talking with her for a few minutes, he had his answer. She was. He smiled, as he headed toward Alan's trailer, in search of the folder Alan wanted him to give to Harper.

Ellie finally made it home to her apartment, after a longer than usual day at the digs. It was getting late and she realized she hadn't eaten yet, so she searched the phone book for a place that was still open, and ordered some food over the phone. She had gone most of the day without much to eat or drink, besides a donut and soda that Logan had given her in the afternoon. She had gotten into her car and drove to where her food was waiting. It was a local bar, called "The Hell Creek Bar & Grill".

Ellie walked into the bar. She looked around nervously, as she tried to quickly figure out where she would have to go to pick up her take out order. The bar was completely full. There were about 30 people in there, including seven or eight at the bar itself. The majority of the people were sitting at the various sized tables, while some were playing darts, and a few were crowded around the juke box.

Taking a closer look at the people sitting at the bar, she noticed something disturbing. Raymond, the tow truck driver, was standing right next to the register, where she had to go. She took a deep breath, and then walked in that direction. She reached the counter without delay. The troublesome man had his back to her, so she waited patiently for the bartender to become available. He finally did.

He came over. "What can I do for you, beautiful," he said.

This remark grabbed the attention of the troublesome man. He turned around and saw her. "Oh, lookee here. If it isn't that . . . that . . . lady who never paid me."

The man was obviously very drunk, yet again. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. She tried ignoring him by never making eye contact.

"I need to pick up a take out order, please," she whispered to the bartender.

"Name?"

"Ellie."

"Okay. Be right back."

Ellie nodded. She didn't dare look to her left, which was where that drunk man was. To her dismay, he got even closer to her.

"So . . . Ellie. That's a really pretty name there, missy."

Ellie leaned forward a little, to check on the bartender's progress. He wasn't coming back yet. She finally looked at the man.

"Look, please leave me alone," she said softly, as she looked around to see if anyone was watching.

The man stepped away from the barstool, staggered, and almost fell. He grabbed onto Ellie's arm for balance.

"I want you to come home with me, sweetheart. So come on," he said, dragging her. "Let's go to my place, so I can get paid."

Ellie had no idea what to do, as the man was much bigger than she was. She was about to use some force, when she noticed that the man had three more friends that left the bar and began walking alongside the inebriated man. He continued to drag her toward the door. The bartender finally came from the back with her food order. He shouted to Ellie and the men.

"Hey, Raymond! The lady has food over here. Bring her back here!" he shouted.

The drunk man, Raymond, turned around. He still had Ellie's wrist gripped tightly.

"The lady . . . is coming home with me," he managed to get out, through slurs.

The bartender shrugged his shoulders and went back to work. Ellie couldn't believe how unhelpful he turned out to be. Raymond and his three friends almost had her to the door now. She began to get angry, letting her initial fear fade away. She was about to do something and that's when the front door opened.

Alan Grant walked inside. He was full of dust, from head to toe, and he looked exhausted. He looked up as he walked inside, as he nearly collided with Ellie. "Oh, excuse me," he said.

She gave him a distressful look, as Raymond continued to drag Ellie past her teacher.

It didn't take long for Alan to recognize the man and figure out the situation. "Hey, uh, Raymond."

Raymond turned around and looked at him. "What do you want? I have to . . . get home," he slurred.

"Why don't you let go of the lady, Raymond."

Raymond took a long and good look at the man standing before him, and then he glanced back at the woman he was holding against her will. In a sudden flash in his mind, he remembered where he had seen these two people before.

"Hey! You're that damn guy who attacked me on the highway!"

Alan was noticeably angry about the accusation, but decided not to get into a shouting match with a drunk.

"You were the one with the crowbar. Now just let her go and we'll go on our way."

"She's with me," Raymond said, feeling he had the advantage since his friends were near him.

Alan smiled. "Clearly, Raymond, she's not with you."

Raymond looked at her. He looked at his three friends, who had moved in all around Alan by now. Ellie began to get worried about her would-be savior. The bartender yelled from across the room.

"Dr. Grant. I don't want any fights in my establishment. Take this little disagreement outside."

Alan looked at the bartender. "Jerry, they started it."

He knew the bartender's name.

"And we're going to finish it," Raymond spat.

The drunk man let Ellie go and took a swing at the scientist. Alan instinctively dodged his body backwards, but it wasn't really necessary. Raymond missed by a mile and fell to the wooden floor. Alan took Ellie's hand and began to pull her toward the front door. When he turned to face the door, one of Raymond's friends blocked his way, while another of the three took a swing at him. This particular punch connected with Alan's jaw, forcing him to stagger sideways. He grabbed his jaw, becoming very angry.

"All right! All of you! Out!" Jerry yelled, "Before I call the bouncer! He'll do horrible things to your faces, so I suggest you leave right now!"

Alan took the queue. He reached the front door, with Ellie, and ran from the building. Raymond's friends stayed behind to help the fallen drunk get back on his feet.

Ellie was very relieved to be outside. She sighed and was very quiet for a few seconds. As they got farther from the door, Alan looked at her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she repeated, and then she smiled. "Come here often?"

Alan gestured toward the front door. "This place? Oh, yeah, I'm embarrassed to admit that I come here quite often. How'd you know?"

"You knew the bartender's name and he knew yours."

Alan nodded. "Yes. That is true," he said, and then he added, "You are very perceptive."

"Thank you, Dr. Grant," she said.

"You can call me Alan."

Ellie smiled. Even with all the dust and dirt, he remained a very good looking man.

"Thank you . . . Alan. For the compliment and the save in there."

"You're very welcome," he said, rubbing his jaw, "I think."

She began to walk toward her car and he followed. She figured he was parked over there, as well. She glanced at him, as she walked.

"How's the jaw?"

"It'll be fine."

"Looked like he hit you pretty hard."

Alan laughed. "Imagine what that guy could do if he were sober."

Ellie nodded. She was very comfortable talking to Alan, but the more she thought about it, the more awkward she began to feel. She was having a personal conversation with one of her instructors. That wouldn't be so bad, except for the fact she was certain she had feelings for him.

"Well, I'm glad we didn't have to find out," she said.

Alan smiled again. She was really liking the way that he smiled. She was going to play it cool, though. She didn't want him to know that she had butterflies in her stomach. She kept walking until she reached her car. She knew he drove a truck and she noticed there wasn't one anywhere near her car.

"Where's your truck?"

"Oh, that's kind of a funny story, actually," he said.

"It is, huh?"

"I ran out of gas, about a quarter mile from here."

"That is funny."

"I knew you would see it that way," he said, and then he added, "I decided to walk over here. You know, to have a beer and think about it."

Ellie laughed. "Where were you?" she asked.

She was very beautiful. He had already known that much, but now, just looking at her so close, he really was mesmerized by her beauty. And she smelled incredible, as her perfume lingered in the air.

He smiled at her. "I was doing some land surveying nearby. I'm thinking of moving the dig site a few miles."

"You were surveying this late at night?"

He nodded.

"Wow. That just surprises me," Ellie said.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know."

"What a good and firm answer. Well done," he teased, smiling. Ellie smiled back and he continued, "And what are you doing out after dark, young lady?"

"I was hungry. Thought I'd get a bite to eat. I had no idea this place was the home of vermin."

"Vermin," he repeated softly, as if thinking about the comment.

Ellie felt slightly embarrassed, as she realized she had just possibly insulted him.

"I don't mean you. I mean those intoxicated people inside," she said, gesturing toward the bar.

"I know. I was just giving you a hard time."

Ellie shook her head. She had no idea why she didn't figure that out. The way he was looking at her, it was throwing her off guard.

He interrupted her thoughts. "I'm going to head to the gas station. It's just another half mile up the road," he said, as he began to walk away from her car.

She decided to act on her feelings . . . just a little bit. "I could give you a ride to the gas station," she offered.

Alan thought about it for a moment. "Sure, if you don't mind."

"If I minded, why would I ask?"

"Good point."

"Then it's settled. Get in," she said, as she unlocked the car doors.

Alan waited for her to get inside first, and then he opened the door and began to get into the passenger seat. She was driving a gray Ford Taurus, complete with leather seats and a lot of extras.

"Are you sure you want me to get into this nice car? I'm a bit dusty," he said, rubbing the leather seat.

"It's just a lease. Besides, a little dirt never hurt anything."

Alan looked at her as she started the car and flipped on the headlights.

"Okay, then," he said, getting into the car.

She laughed and waited for him to get situated, and then she put the car in reverse. The car backed up, and then she put it into drive. A few seconds went by.

"Thanks again," Alan finally said.

"It's no trouble."

They were quiet again for a few moments, as Ellie maneuvered through the bar parking lot.

"Could you just drive me to the dig site? I'll get my truck later," he said.

"Are you sure? Because it's no trouble."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm tired and would rather just figure out what to do about it in the morning."

"If that's what you want," she said, as she kept an eye out for people.

Alan was staring at her, watching her study the parking lot.

"It's kind of nice, seeing you in a relaxed state," he observed with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not analyzing every word that I say," he answered.

Ellie thought about that statement for a moment. She had given him somewhat of a hard time on several occasions, that was true. But, compared to lectures and debates at the dig site, she was feeling like she was focusing even more attention on everything he was saying right now. She decided not to share that particular thought, though.

"Are you telling me it would be better if I agreed with you, on the job?"

"No. I was just commenting on how happy I was that we're not debating for a change."

"Oh," she said softly.

The car pulled out of the bar parking lot and onto the main road. It wasn't much of a main road. Just a two-lane highway with no traffic signals, and a few scattered lamp posts. The road was even dirt in some places still.

"So, what made you choose Montana, anyhow?" Alan asked.

"Well, I'm very close to becoming a Paleobotantist, as I'm sure you're aware of. I thought it would be wise to come out to a dig site and help uncover things of a prehistoric nature. I've always wanted to be out in the field. Classrooms bore me, I'm afraid."

"Oh, so you're the adventuresome type?"

"Yeah, maybe. A little. How long have you been here, in the Badlands?"

"Several years, but not all in the same place. I've moved the dig site twice, since I arrived. I assembled a second team of volunteers to stay on at the previous site. The volunteers are always a lot more excited about the prospect of finding something that the scientists missed, so it works out very well for everyone."

"I see. And now you're thinking of moving it again?" she asked, as she kept her eyes mostly on the road, glancing at him from time to time.

"Yeah. There are some wonderful rock structures, East of the dig site. After a few more surveys, I'll be able to make a more qualified decision."

"So, the decision comes solely from you then?"

"I guess so, yes," he said, smiling.

"I didn't realize that you were so much in charge. You're so . . . so . . . "

"So . . . what?" Alan asked, really paying attention now.

"You're so calm and pleasant. You don't walk around like you have so much authority."

"Well, thank you. I thought you were going to be mean," he said, laughing.

Ellie laughed uncomfortably. She was beginning to get that same awkward feeling again.

"Why would I be mean? I think you're a great teacher and a great scientist."

"Now that should get you an A for sure," he teased.

Ellie laughed. "That's what I was going for."

The car turned left, onto a dirt road and continued about a mile. As they approached the trailers, Ellie stopped the car and turned the headlights off. Alan opened the door and got out. She saw him lean down by the window, so she rolled it down.

"Well, thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome. I'll see you in the morning," she said.

Alan tapped a hand on the edge of the door.

"No, I'm heading out to survey again tomorrow, so I won't be around."

"Oh, okay."

"That reminds me. By any chance, do you know if Rob gave a folder to Dr. Harper?"

"Actually, no, he didn't. He said he couldn't find it," Ellie answered.

"I need to get that folder to him. Could you wait here just a second, so I can see if I can find it?"

Ellie was taken aback a little bit, but she answered right away. "Sure."

"Good. Thanks. I'll go and find it," he said.

He turned around and jogged toward the trailer door. He was gone from view for about five minutes. Ellie was getting impatient, as she kept glancing at her watch. She was very attracted to him, and what she really wanted to do was go in there, find him, grab him, and kiss him. She had never felt that strongly about being so aggressive with a man, but he aroused something totally different inside of her. She decided on waiting in the car a few minutes longer, as opposed to running in there and attacking the poor unsuspecting man.

She only lasted another two minutes, before she opened the car door and got out. She closed the door, as softly as she could, and then headed for the front door of his trailer. It was very dark outside and there were only the sounds of insects all around. Nothing else. She reached the door and put her hand on the door handle, thinking about whether or not she should go inside.

"Oh, what the hell," she whispered to herself.

She opened the door and went inside. It was dark inside the trailer, except for a light coming from somewhere near the back. The trailer was very large, as it was used to store some of the bigger discoveries that were uncovered in the field. There was also a connecting trailer, where the findings were cleaned and cataloged.

She began to walk in the direction the light was coming from. She made it to the source and peeked into that room. He was in there, sorting through a few things. Her presence obviously startled him, but he handled it well.

"Sorry about that. I got in here, and couldn't find the damned thing," he said, lightly laughing, as he continued to thumb through some papers and folders.

"It's okay. I was just wondering what happened to you," she said.

Ellie was really feeling out of place. She decided to get herself out of the situation, but just as she was going to say good-bye, Alan found what he was looking for.

"Here it is!" he half yelled.

Ellie smiled and nodded, as he approached her with a folder. Now that he was in the light, she could see some blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

Without thinking, she put a hand to his mouth. "You're bleeding."

He reached for her hand. "It's nothing. It goes along quite nicely with the rest of the dust and dirt."

He took her hand from his face and held onto it, looking into her eyes. He couldn't seem to take his eyes away. Just as he was about to act on his feelings, he switched emotional gears, and placed the folder in her other hand.

"Here you go. Could you give this to Dr. Harper in the morning? He'll be needing it. He actually needed it today, so he may be a little crabby tomorrow."

Ellie looked away from his eyes for a second. "Sure," she answered.

"Thank you," Alan said softly.

All of Ellie's feelings that she had almost let be known, retracted. She turned to leave. She walked through the rest of the trailer and reached the front area. As she was about to walk out, she heard Alan's voice behind her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

She turned around, trying not to show how happy she was, that he took the time to say something more to her. "Anything," she answered.

"Are you . . . " Obviously the question was a tough one for him to get out in the open. "Are you, seeing anyone?"

Ellie almost lost her composure, but she managed to stay calm. "No. You?"

Alan shook his head no. He was about to say something else, when Ellie put the folder down on a nearby chair and walked up to him.

He looked away for a second, and then he finally focused on her again. "I'm terrible at telling people how I feel. And I feel like I'm being very inappropriate right now," he said softly.

"I don't think you're being inappropriate," Ellie said, trying to ease his instabilities.

It worked. He smiled.

"You don't, huh?" he asked softly.

Ellie got closer to him and gently reached for one of his hands. In return, he took a step closer to her.

"No, I don't," she whispered.

That was the last thing she said. Alan pulled her toward him and kissed her. It was very passionate for a first kiss, and it surprised him just how badly he had wanted to kiss her.

Ellie wrapped an arm around his neck, caressing his hair, as they continued with the kiss, moving their heads from side to side. He placed his hands on her waist, as the kiss went on and on. Ellie's knees actually began to feel weak, just like in all of the fairy tale storybooks. She leaned her whole body into his, as they finally came up for air.

Alan looked at her carefully, as he held onto her. He felt like he was taking advantage of her. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

"You should probably go, Ellie."

Ellie was feeling completely different about the situation. She wanted it to go further. "I don't want to go."

"But you should."

"Do you want me to, Alan?"

He thought about it, as his initial answer was no. "Yeah."

Ellie didn't want to give up on what might happen just yet. "Are you sure?"

"No."

Ellie felt a new rush of emotion stir up inside of her. The look on her face didn't mask that feeling very well, either. "Well, good," she said, "because I think that I would like to get to know you better."

She still had his hand. She moved closer to him, for the second time, and began to kiss him again. She wanted to completely give herself to him, but she could tell he was still not quite right with it. By the way he kissed her back, though, she could feel that he was toying with the idea of surrendering to the feelings, too. Just when she thought it was going to happen, he stopped the kiss, and backed away from her.

"It's obvious that we have gotten caught up in the moment."

Ellie knew he was right to a certain extent. "Maybe you're right. But I've wanted to do that since I met you."

Alan was thrown off guard by her comment. The first time he saw her beautiful face, he had thought the exact same thing. It was very reassuring to know that she had felt that same way, but he still believed that he was somehow taking advantage of his status. He decided to throw caution to the wind and speak his mind, regarding his prized student.

"Well, since we're being honest, I've done nothing but think of you for the past few weeks."

"You see? There you have it. We both have had similar thoughts. It's clearly not a spontaneous thing happening here," she said, beaming.

"Let's try this," Alan began, as he glanced at his dirty clothes, "I'm going to take a shower. If you're still here when I get out, then we'll know it's more than just spontaneity. Okay?"

Ellie thought about it for a second. "Sounds good."

Alan nodded and headed for another part of the trailer. "I'll be right back."

Ellie heard the shower turn on. She gingerly walked around the trailer, looking at Alan's belongings. Walking into the back area again, she found his hat and smiled. He wore that thing a lot. It must have been lucky for him. She smiled as she thought about how that hat might have saved him from getting punched, had he been wearing it. She looked around some more, finding different things, here and there. There was a row of old text books lining one shelf, accompanied by some notebooks and folders. She knew that she shouldn't pry, but she desired to know more about him. She glanced through his papers, being careful not to disturb them. Sitting on a nearby end table was an old television with a TV Guide dated from two months ago, indicating he wasn't much of a television watcher. There were two comfy looking chairs in this room, along with a couch. Next to the couch was a dusty looking radio. All in all, the area looked very homelike. He had successfully divided the front, which was the work half of the trailer, from this rear section. She continued to look around.

One thing in particular caught her attention. It was a photograph of a very beautiful woman, sitting in a field of green grass. The picture was absolutely beautiful. She picked it up and removed the picture from the frame, checking to see if something was written on the back. It said Kathryn 1986. She put the picture back in the frame, instantly knowing that it was his deceased wife. She suddenly felt a little guilty, like she shouldn't be looking forward to what was surely about to happen when he turned that shower off.

She replaced the picture into the frame and put it back. Just then, the shower went off. She walked toward that area of the trailer and waited for him to emerge. Waited and waited.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened and he was standing there, wearing just a pair of shorts and holding a towel. She had never seen him in shorts, and she had certainly never seen him shirtless. He kept his body in shape and it was a very pleasant sight.

She smiled at him and whispered, "I'm still here."

"I see that."

He walked up to her and placed a hand on her face. She grabbed the towel he was holding and threw it to the floor, stepping into him. They kissed deeply, embracing tightly. He slowly moved his hands over the small of her back and then brought them forward, gently unbuttoning her blouse as they continued to kiss. He pulled her blouse away from her shoulders, kissing her exposed shoulders. Ellie sighed as he continued to explore her upper body. She moved her hands over his arms, anxious to get to the bedroom. He stopped kissing her body just long enough to kiss her lips again. Closing her eyes, Ellie moved her hands over his chest, caressing and exploring. As they wrapped themselves around each other, he slowly edged their willing bodies toward the bedroom. She was standing in the doorway of his bedroom, waiting for his next move. He closed the bedroom door and gently placed her on the bed. They leaned into the bed and spent the rest of the night together.