The Miner's Girl

Chapter 104

(((August 15, 2016)))

Nicole's POV

"I don't think I'll be in for lunch." Parker told me as he was about to leave the kitchen after breakfast.

"Is it going to take that long to go get the conveyor?" I asked him as I set the scraps down in front of the dogs.

"Yeah, probably at least until dinner. We have to haul it a ways and then I have to drive it about three miles into the cut." Parker explained. "And I doubt I'll be able to go very fast."

"Well, do you want me to make you something that you can take with you?" I asked him as I stood a few feet away from him with my hand on my hip.

"Nah, I'll be fine." Parker said as he walked to the refrigerator, grabbing a water bottle.

I sighed as I walked over to the cabinet. I looked over everything and grabbed a bag of chips. "Here, take some chips at least." I tossed them over to him.

"Thanks, babe." Parker smirked as he caught them. "I'll see you at dinner."

"You sure?" I said.

"If I'm not in by eight just call me." Parker said.

"Alright." I said as I walked over to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he leaned his head down so we could kiss.

"Be careful driving and everything, alright?" I said.

"Don't worry." Parker smiled before kissing me again.

"Bye, baby." I said as I let him go.

"See you later, babe." Parker said as he walked out.

***

"This place looks like a ghost town." I chuckled as I walked outside on the phone with Kayleigh.

"Why's it look like a ghost town?" Kayleigh asked.

"Parker, Rick, Mitch, and Brennan had to go get a conveyor that Parker bought earlier in the season." I explained. "And that's half the crew."

"Well, you still got four people there, right?" Kayleigh asked.

"Yeah, Chris and Tyson are over there with Sluicifer and the other two are at Indian, I think." I said as I walked into the laundry room, setting down the hamper.

"Sluicifer. What a name." Kayleigh chuckled.

"I know. It's a hard word to say sometimes." I chuckled. "One of them wanted to call it Goldibox. I think it was Rick."

Kayleigh laughed. "Of course it was. Did Parker come up with Sthlui-sluith-blah whatever the name is."

I laughed as I threw a shirt in the washing machine. "Told you it was hard to say. And no, I think Mitch came up with it. I can't remember the one Parker came up with. It might come to me in a minute."

"I really wish I could've came up there." Kayleigh said.

"I know." I sighed. "I was really looking forward to it, but then everything happened, and I just felt like crap for about two weeks."

"I know, I understand." Kayleigh said. "But it would've been cool to go up there and drive a big machine or pan some gold."

I chuckled. "I haven't even drove any of these machines up here. I rode one with Parker and he let me drive it and I almost wrecked it. I told him I was never doing that again."