This story was inspired by the recent discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in Montana. I desperately wanted to use T. rex in this, but T. rex wasn't even named until the 1905, so I had to use OTHER dinosaurs that were discovered in Montana and were named according to our time period.
The Altamira cave paintings were discovered in Spain in 1879. These 20,000 year-old paintings were remarkable because no drawings were thought to exist from the Ice Age. Men were thought to be more beast than human.
February 1882
There was nothing like a big bone to spoil a romance. At least that was what Maria thought as Mr. Shelby let go of her arm. He had to supervise Mr. Mosby's men.
In fact, Unbob and Mr. Root had discovered it. How they found it was a miracle, considering the ice and cold of February. Mr. Root claimed that a hunk of rock tumbled down near Baker's Cove - and there it was - the biggest bone that anyone in town had ever seen. Dr. Cleese proclaimed that it was the remains of an ancient dinosaur - a species of diplodocus, to be precise. More minds of the theological bent proclaimed it the work of the devil. Whatever it was, Maria thought, it stirred up the entire town. A group of paleontologists settled upon one half of the town. A group of preachers settled on the other half. Curtis Wells became nothing more than a side show. Spirited arguments broke out upon each hour. Throughout it all, Mr. Mosby was not pleased. Curtis Wells was not a circus, no matter how the people behaved.
"I know that it is a major scientific find," Maria protested, "much like the Altamira cave paintings in Spain, but really what it amounts to is just a really big thigh bone. Robert, please don't go," she protested again. She clasped onto his hand.
Mr. Shelby laughed at her. "I know, sweetheart. I haven't seen this much fuss since the company dog ran off with the sergeant's trousers. The sergeant was so angry that he turned beet red. He was waving his arms about like a mad man, and he cussed up a storm. None of us liked him very much, so we let the dog go. Those trousers were the first casualty of the War." He grinned boyishly at her.
Maria giggled, and she shyly placed her arm in the crook of his. She could listen to him talk all day long.
They heard the sound of breaking glass. Maria protested when Mr. Shelby's arm again pulled away from hers.
"I have to go, sweetheart. You know that."
Maria frowned at him. She did know that. Mr. Mosby's men had the sensitivity of a twenty pound sledgehammer, and they needed Mr. Shelby to supervise them.
She smiled bravely at him, trying to mask her disappointment. Mr. Shelby touched her cheek for a glancing moment.
"Dinner?" he suggested.
Maria nodded at him, a delicate blush coming to her cheeks.
"The Dove at 7," he told her. "I'll look forward to seeing you there."
Maria frowned as she watched him leave. One thing was for certain, she thought. She would avoid anything that consisted of a thigh.
Although it was crowded and noisy that night at the Dove, Maria did not care. She sat at a small corner table alone with Mr. Shelby. There was barely enough room at their table for the two of them. That was fine with Maria. She was not going to waste a chance to be close to Mr. Shelby.
Their position afforded a very ill view of the room. Through the crowd, Maria could see Mr. Mosby, Dr. Cleese, and her uncle sitting at table together. The new town seamstress sat with them. Miss Taylor had curly blond hair, and a stray lock fell attractively on her forehead. She seemed absorbed in what Dr. Cleese was discussing. He seemed animated in what he was telling her. Maria sighed with relief. She was glad that Dr. Cleese's affections were no longer bestowed upon her, but on the new seamstress. Now Maria could concentrate on Mr. Shelby with her full attention.
He was not going to wait until she made up her mind. His finger traced from the inside of her thumb to the outside of her index finger. Instantly, she was drawn to him. The rough texture of his fingertip contrasted to the softness of her skin. She marveled at the sensitivity of her own skin as he slowly edged his way up the length of her finger. It was as if he knew how to regulate the heat of her body. She felt warm and alive, and a deep blush enveloped her. His hazel eyes were intent upon hers as his fingers eased her index and middle fingers apart. Her heart pulsed as he teased his way down the length of her finger. He paused for an agonizing moment, and then she gasped when his finger touched the sensitive flesh between her fingers. She thought she might die from the feel of it. He did not stop there. His finger went beneath her knuckle, lifting her palm slightly off the table. She looked at him. He was breathing rapidly, too.
"Robert," she gasped. She did not know what he was doing to her, but she wanted him to feel the way that she was feeling. Her fingers began to move over his.
He blinked, as if he had been awaken from a trance. He pulled back his fingers and flattened her hand to the table, breaking the spell he had cast upon her. He did not speak for a moment.
"I'm sorry, honey. I shouldn't have done that. At least not here," he finally said, unable to contain the huskiness in his voice.
Maria felt her face flushing to an even deeper color. It was a good thing it was extremely busy that night in the Dove. No one in the room seemed to notice them. Still, she could not remove her hand from his.
He swallowed hard as his finger brushed her ring finger. "I have something I need to ask you."
"All right," Maria said hopefully.
His hand pulled away from hers. "But not here. We need to be alone."
She was confused by his behavior, and then she remembered how he brushed her ring finger. It was as if he was tracing an imaginary band.
Then she grinned broadly. This is what she had been waiting for her entire life.
"Maybe you can ask me after dinner," Maria suggested.
"No," Mr. Shelby shook his head, fighting back a smile. "Not tonight. This can wait until tomorrow."
"What time tomorrow, do you think?" she asked. She had to look just right for the occasion. She had to be ready.
He chuckled at her. "You're very cute when you're expecting something, do you know that?"
Maria smiled shyly. "You think I'm cute?"
His hazel eyes locked with hers. "I think you're beautiful."
Maria sat back in her chair, very pleased with herself. "I think you're fine, too, Robert."
He sat upright in his chair, grinning broadly.
"The diplodocus was a herbivore, Miss Taylor," Maria heard Dr. Cleese say to the blond seamstress. "Its primary diet consisted of conifers, mosses, and ferns. It is named because the backbone has another set of bones beneath it, supposedly so that it could support its head and tail. It could grow to be ninety feet long."
Miss Taylor gasped. "Was it dangerous?"
Dr. Cleese let out something of a snort. "No, not if you wanted to be grazed to death. Now the Megalosaurus, which has been found in England, is a different matter. Its encephalization quotient is the high for dinosaurs." He paused for a moment for effect. "Meaning that it had a large brain for its body size. It was a carnivore, and its massive jaws housed a set of large, serrated teeth that could rip apart even the largest of prey. It was 30 feet long and 10 feet high, and it weighed more than a ton. The name Megalosaurus means 'great lizard.'"
Maria shuddered thinking about something of that nature walking about ancient Montana. And she thought Big Foot was terrifying.
"It probably preyed on Iguanadons," Dr. Cleese continued. "The Megalosaurus' clawed fingers and feet ripped out internal organs and intestinal matter in short order."
"Good God, Doctor," Mr. Mosby exclaimed, placing down his dinner fork. "People are trying to eat here. It was more than a million years ago. What does it matter now?"
Dr. Cleese gave an embarrassed shrug, but Miss Taylor did not seem to care. She was absorbed in what the little doctor had to say. The doctor continued to converse with her.
Maria frowned. She decided that she did not like dinosaurs.
Seeing the look of concern on her face, Mr. Shelby told her reassuringly, "They're all extinct, sweetheart."
"I know, silly," Maria replied. "I just don't like thinking of anything taller than the height of this ceiling with big, hideous teeth coming at me. It is pretty frightening."
"The bigger the teeth to devour you with, my dear," Mr. Shelby said, his voice dropping down to husky tones. "I wouldn't mind a little nibble myself."
Maria smiled, looking away shyly. Maybe later, she thought to herself.
"No, thank you," she told Mr. Ike when he tried to sell her a dinosaur fossil that looked suspiciously like an Indian arrowhead.
"But this is a genuine Megalosaurus dinosaur tooth. Think how rare a find this is! It'll be something to share with all your children and grandchildren. Think of all the generations to come."
"Forget it," she told him pleasantly. Even Mr. Ike could not ruin her fantastic mood. Maria had pampered herself all morning and wore a new dress so that Mr. Shelby could ask "his question" properly.
"Maybe you should buy this for your sweetheart. I'm sure he'll like it," Mr. Ike suggested.
She laughed because she knew that Mr. Shelby would never want such a thing.
"I'm going to talk to Newton now," Maria informed the deputy. "Perhaps he'll buy it from you."
Mr. Ike's nose crinkled at that suggestion. He obviously knew that Mr. Call would not buy anything. The deputy ambled off and let her alone.
She was glad. She wanted to talk to her blood brother alone.
It was a good thing that he was quietly reposing on his bench. He did not look too busy.
"Newton," she almost sang out because she was so positively happy. "How are you today?"
He glanced at her and then looked off aloofly. It seemed that he was in an amicable mood, too.
"How do I look?" Maria asked as she straightened her dress. She did not wait his reply. She had full confidence in herself today, and she let him know it. "You don't need to say it. I know I look good today. Do you want to know why?"
He gave her an odd look. "I suppose you're gonna tell me."
Maria laughed at him. He was a very silly man. "I'm going to be asked a very important question today."
"That so?"
"And do you know what I'm going to say?"
"What?"
Maria giggled. "I'm going to say 'yes.'" She spun around to an imaginary waltz. "I'll be wearing white, and we'll be in the church, and there'll be flowers, and he'll be standing there, and I'll say 'I do,' and he'll say 'I do,' too." She took a breath. "It will be positively romantic, Newton. I've dreamed of my wedding all my life."
Mr. Call's eyes narrowed. "You're putting the cart before the horse, ain't you, Maria?"
Maria stopped twirling. "What do you mean, Newton?"
"You best be waiting till you're asked, is all."
Maria smiled. "Never you fear. Robert told me that he had to ask me a question, and I think that this is it. By the end of the day, I shall be an engaged woman. Can you imagine it? Someone actually loves me." She plopped down next to him. She told him in confidential tones, "Robert told me that he thought I was beautiful." She giggled. "He actually thinks I'm beautiful. Can you imagine it, Newton?" She stood up and began to twirl again.
"Ain't never said you weren't pretty," he remarked, looking off into the distance.
Her blood brother never ceased to surprise her. Tears forming in her eyes, Maria plopped beside him again.
"Oh, Newton. I think that's the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. Thank you so much." She kissed him on the cheek.
He grimaced, pushing her away. "Git. Go on now. Git." He wiped off his cheek.
She giggled at him. She was about to ask him whether he would give her away at her wedding when UnBob came running up.
"Call, Call. You gotta come. They's planning on taking my bone. I told them they could only look at it for awhile. Now they're gonna take it from me. I was gonna use it in one of my whirligigs."
Mr. Call's eyes narrowed in confusion. He held out his hands to calm the poor man. "Slow down, UnBob. Who's gonna take your bone?"
"The scientists. Now they say they have to study it more than they already have."
Mr. Call looked away aloofly. "What do you want me to do about it?"
Maria frowned. UnBob was in a great deal of distress. It was only right that her blood brother help him.
"They'll listen to you," UnBob said.
Maria nodded. "That's right, Newton. You can be very persuasive."
Mr. Call stood up, spread his hands out in front of him to indicate that he had enough, and stalked away from them. UnBob followed him, still trying to seek his aid.
Maria sighed. She believed that her blood brother would have to involve himself eventually. It would be like denying his own nature if he did not help. Maria smiled. He was a good man.
She would have to tell him about all her wedding plans. He would want to know, she told herself.
Now it all depended upon one person - Robert Shelby.
He left a message to meet with her beneath the windmill. Maria happily complied, and as she waited for him, she tried to compose herself into a picture of calm serenity. Her hair, her dress - everything was as perfect as she could make it. She wanted to make this as easy for him as she could.
He came up from behind the windmill support that she was leaning against, surprising her. He pulled her into an easy kiss. His kisses always affected her skin with a delicate blush.
"Robert," she smiled shyly.
He looked like a man that had a difficult assignment before him. He paced about her for a few steps.
"Robert?"
He stopped, looked at her in a manner of urgency, and clasped her hands. "Maria ..." he whispered.
Her heart started to skip. "Yes?"
"I must ask you something."
She smiled to herself. "Yes?"
He was so earnest that it was almost painful. When a stray lock of his hair fell upon his forehead, Maria could not stop herself from reaching out to play with it. He closed his eyes, as if savoring the moment. His hands clasped hers again.
"Sweetheart?"
"Yes?" Maria repeated.
"Would you do something for me?"
"Anything," she responded happily.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "What I'm about to say isn't like a favor. This is more important. You must listen to me first, then you must make a decision."
Maria bit her lip, momentarily confused. In all the books that she had ever read, the hero never seemed to propose to the heroine like this. He usually bent down on his knee and declared his never-ending love. Perhaps Mr. Shelby had not read the same books she had. But still, she had to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he had a strange method of declaration.
"All right, Robert. What is it?"
He inhaled deeply, gripping her hands. "Would you ride down a flume with me?"
Maria stared at him, stunned. That was perhaps the last question that she ever expected to hear. She wondered if she had heard him correctly.
"What?"
"A flume," he repeated. He seemed to feel her reaction keenly. "Would you ride down a flume with me?"
Maria felt her heart sink to her toes. She opened her mouth, but no words left her lips.
Mr. Shelby sighed. "Listen. Imagine you are with me at the top of a mountain -- a very tall mountain. The only way for you to get down is to take a flume with me. You have a choice. You can stay at the top, or you can go with me down to the bottom. That's the decision."
She barely heard him. She could not believe it. He was not asking her to marry him.
Yet her moments of indecision seemed to be causing him much distress. She tried to comprehend what he was asking of her.
"Robert?" Maria asked in confusion.
"Sweetheart, I know this is not easy, but you have to understand something. If you come with me, sometimes things will be difficult. Imagine we're at the flume. We get on, and things will rush on by us very quickly. All sorts of things will be flung in our path - things that will try to knock us off, things that would hurt us. Then we'll come across curves that we never saw coming, and we'll have to hold on for dear life. It'll come to a point where the ride is nothing but smooth - that's when we hit a bump, and it'll try to toss us out. There'll be times when the course almost slows to a halt, and then there'll be a huge dip, and the world will feel like it has been ripped out from under us. That's the ride I want you to take with me. It's scary and exhilarating at the same time, but I want you with me. Please."
He kissed her hands as he gazed into her eyes.
Maria did not know what to say. What he had said frightened her. She grew pale.
She bit her lip. "Would you let me hold onto you as we go down?"
Mr. Shelby grinned. His tone dipped down wickedly. "I'm afraid I'd have to insist upon that."
Maria blushed. The ride would definitely be more pleasant if she got to hold onto him. Still, she did not relish having to race down a waterway at train-like speeds. Something began to bother her. "Who would sit in front?"
"I would, of course."
That relieved her. But still, this was all rather upsetting. "But let's say one of those bumps you were talking about tosses me in front. What would happen then?"
He laughed at her. "Then I suppose you are in front. We'll hit another bump, and I'll be in front again. Things have a way of working out."
"Do I need to keep my eyes open for all this?
"You'd better if you're in front," he suggested.
Maria sighed. Mr. Shelby was always so practical.
"Wouldn't it be easier if we just walk down the mountain? I mean, we had to get up there somehow. Couldn't we just get back the way we came?"
He chuckled, pulling her in close. He kissed her. "No, that would be cheating. You wouldn't want to cheat, now would you?" He kissed the end of her nose.
Maria frowned. He was not making this very easy. "I suppose not."
"Will you be with me?" he asked hopefully.
Maria sighed. If the flume ride really meant that much to him ... "Yes," she finally agreed.
Mr. Shelby beamed with delight as he picked her up and spun her around. His kiss warmed her to her very toes.
It almost made it worth it.
Maria knew one thing. It would have been better if she had been proposed to.
She awoke abruptly and sat upright in her bed. Maria felt a growing alarm overwhelm her. Perhaps Mr. Shelby was unaware of it, but flumes were frozen this time of year. Surely he meant to wait until spring. Surely he did not intend to kill them both by attempting such a risky venture now. Maria knew that she would have to talk to him immediately - as soon as it was sunrise.
She sat down on his bench alone. Her blood brother was not there, and she supposed that was a good thing. Maria did not want to admit that he had been right. She did not know where he was, nor did she know where her intended was, either. To make matters worse, Mr. Mosby and his men were gone. Maria supposed that the men folk were all together, but she could not imagine what would make Mr. Call and Mr. Mosby work with each other. It was all very disconcerting.
When UnBob came running by, Maria stopped him to ask about the news. UnBob was always the earliest riser in town - surely he would know what the problem was.
"They can have my bone if they want it," he said fearfully. "I don't wanna start a war."
Maria's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I guess those bones were found on Injun land. The Injuns don't like people digging where they bury folks. They can have the bone back. I don't want it if it's gonna hurt people."
Maria frowned. That was bad news. Everyone had heard stories about the Lakota and what happened to the people that searched for gold in the Dakotas. Every life in Curtis Wells could be in jeopardy.
"Call and Mr. Mosby's out there now," Unbob told her. He looked like he was about to cry. "Oh, do you think they can stop it, Miss Maria?"
Maria nodded at him, trying to give him her most reassuring smile. "I'm sure it will be fine. You know that Newton is friends with that Mr. Red Crow. I've never met him, of course, but I'm suppose Mr. Red Crow is a fine fellow. All Newton needs to do is reason with him. Everything will be just fine."
Her words seemed to convince him, although she could not convince herself. The whole town would be in deadly peril if Mr. Call and Mr. Mosby could not convince Mr. Red Crow of their good will.
Unbob was about to run off again when Maria stopped him. "Is Mr. Shelby with them?" she asked fearfully.
"He went off with Mr. Mosby's bunch right after Call headed out," Unbob replied. Then Unbob bit his lip. He looked distressed. "Mr. Mosby told me I wasn't to tell anyone about this. He said he didn't want the town to get in a fuss. He said it would all right by the end of the morning, and I shouldn't say anything."
Maria nodded at him, trying to hide the worry on her face. "It's all right. You can believe Mr. Mosby. Things will be fine as soon as they get back."
Maria sank onto the bench as Unbob went about his chores. She prayed that they would get back - alive.
She wanted to run to him when she saw them arrive back into town, but Mr. Shelby seemed intent on supervising Mr. Mosby's men. Mr. Mosby remained with them, so it must have been important. They were talking with the paleontologists. The paleontologists seemed upset.
Mr. Call settled on his bench next to her.
"Newton, I'm so glad you're alive. Were you in deadly peril? What happened with Mr. Red Crow?"
He smirked at her. "How'd you find out about it?"
Maria gave him an embarrassed shrug. "I guessed."
Mr. Call harrumphed, finally answering her. "They ain't gonna be digging on Lakota land anymore, is all. Suspect Mosby's telling them now that they'll have to clear out, or he won't be responsible for their scalps. Red Crow is giving them two days to leave the area."
"Do you think Mr. Crow will come into Curtis Wells and hurt us if the paleontologists don't leave?"
"Mosby said that he'd see them out himself. Red Crow won't go back on his word if we don't."
Maria frowned as she watched Mr. Mosby, Mr. Shelby, and the men round up the paleontologists.
"How long do you think it will take?" Maria wondered aloud. She had to question Mr. Shelby about the flume ride as soon as it was humanly possible.
"Two days, like I said," her blood brother answered dryly. "Why?"
This could not wait for two whole days, Maria thought.
"No reason," she replied, standing up. Her gaze was directed at Mr. Mosby's men.
"What happened with you and Shelby?" he scrutinized her. "You married yet?"
Maria frowned at him. She did not wish to tell him anything.
He harrumphed. "I thought so. He best not be hurting you is all." He looked off aloofly.
Maria sighed. She did not wish for that to happen, either.
"Sweetheart, as much as I like you kissing me, I have to be going. You know that." Mr. Shelby gently unwrapped her arms from around him.
Maria frowned at him. This whole dinosaur situation prevented her from expressing her fervent gratitude that he was alive and well.
"I know," Maria replied as Mr. Shelby mounted his horse. "I just was hoping that we could talk."
"I'm all yours when I get back," he said, leaning wickedly in the saddle towards her.
Maria blushed, but she could not let him leave until she had a chance to tell him about the flume ride. This was too important. "We'll have to wait until spring," she finally said. She hoped that he understood what they were talking about.
He reared up, smiling at her. "Well, of course. I was planning on that. Goodbye, sweetheart."
"Goodbye," she replied, but Mr. Shelby was already gone with Mr. Mosby and his men.
It did take two days, and Maria felt that it was the longest two days of her life. When Mr. Mosby and his men returned, they all looked very fatigued, but there was not one paleontologist in town. The preachers pulled up stakes, too, since there was nothing left to preach about except the usual sins of Curtis Wells. The people of Curtis Wells were safe from dinosaurs and from the Lakota. Now all they had to worry about was the occasional stabbing and shooting. Life, so it seemed, was back to normal.
When Maria knew that they were completely alone, she greeted Mr. Shelby in the livery with a fervent kiss. He returned her affections, although he seemed very tired from events from the past two days.
He groaned, pulling away from her. "I'm so tired I could sleep for a week."
Maria frowned. They really ought to be planning this flume ride of theirs in more detail, but she knew that he was fatigued. She supposed it could wait another day. She squeezed his hand. "I'm glad you're back, Robert."
He grinned at her. "It's nice to know that I have somebody waiting."
She smiled at him. "You should get some rest."
"It's nice to know that I have someone that cares."
"I do, you know." She kissed him shyly on the cheek.
He grinned boyishly at her again. He picked her up and whirled her around. "What would you think if children should come along?"
Maria frowned at him. Surely, he had to be speaking of the flume ride. "Absolutely not. It will be hard enough with just the two of us without having to take care of a child."
He put her down. He seemed crestfallen. "You ... don't like children?"
Maria regarded him. He was a very silly man. "Of course, I like children, but you can't possibly think I'd to allow a child on a flume ride with us. It's highly irresponsible. The child's poor parents would murder us, I would think, if we'd ever allow such a thing. No, Robert. No children. It's crazy enough that just us two are getting on the flume in the first place."
His eyes narrowed at her, a smile touching his lips. "You think all this time I've been talking about an actual flume ride?"
"Of course," Maria replied, growing confused. "What else would we be talking about?"
Maria bit her lip when she saw the warm way he looked at her. She pulled away from him. She put her hands on her hips.
"Let's get one thing straight, Robert Shelby," she told him, tapping her foot. "I'd better have a ring on my finger before I have children. It's the right thing to do by me and the child. Marriage first. It's nothing less than I deserve."
He grinned at her. "Well, of course, honey. What do you think I've been asking you?"
Her eyes narrowed. "What?"
He sighed in fatigue. "Maria, you're so young. I sometimes think you spend part of your life somewhere in a hot-air balloon, but I need you here on the ground with me. I was trying to get you to realize that marriage isn't going to be easy ... that it's not some romantic fantasy that it's said to be in your books. Marriage will be hard. It'll be something we'll have to work at - together. That's what I meant by the whole flume thing. I want us to have a life together."
The man truly did confuse her. First flumes, and now hot-air balloons. He needed to be more specific in what he was trying to tell her. "Robert," she sighed. "I know I spend half my day in a book. You probably think I read gibberish, but I understand what marriage is. Marriage is a way for two people to make their lives easier in this world. In the books I read, marriage is the end. In real life, marriage is the beginning."
He grinned at her, walking towards her.
She backed away from him, smiling at him in a teasing manner. "So, it makes me wonder what you truly meant to ask me. Don't even think of asking me to go down in a submarine, because I will flatly refuse."
He chuckled at her. "What question will you say 'yes' to, do you think?"
"Ask me, silly. Then we'll see."
"How am I supposed to do this exactly? I want to be sure I get it right this time."
Maria smiled at him. "Well, you are supposed to get down on bended knee and declare your undying love. Then I'll have to give the matter a prudent amount of thought, and I'll have to say 'yes.' That's the romantic way to do it."
She half expected him to do as she suggested. Instead, he pulled her close.
"Will you marry me?"
Tears formed in her eyes.
"Of course I will."
June 2003
See also: Mummified Dinosaur Found in Montana
Strange Science: The Rocky Rad to Modern Paleontology and Biology
Zoom Dinosaurs -- EnchantedLearning.Com