the mine. Jake fought to remain conscious, his only thought to save Sheriff Carter and the kids.
He came to inside the shaft and lurched to his feet, holding on to the damp rock walls. How long had they been gone? If he headed out the entrance, they’d shoot or set off the powder with him right on top of it.
Making a quick decision, he turned and staggered deeper into the mine to get as far away from the explosion as he could.
Save us all, Lord.
* * *
Harvey led the way, Detective Schmidt and Livy following. They crashed through the underbrush of a winding, overgrown trail leading to the abandoned mine. The men had tried to get her to wait in town, but she couldn’t, not knowing if Jake and the children were all right. She felt a twinge of remorse. Jake had told her to stay with Miss Nellie. The Bible said she was to submit to her husband, but they weren’t married yet. She vowed she’d do what he said once he popped the question.
“It’s up ahead, around the bend from Gus’s cabin.” Harvey panted, his face ruddy from the exertion of climbing the steep hillside.
Smitty put a hand on Harvey’s arm. “Let’s go slow from here on out. Remember, there are two men, possibly three, working for Gibbons and Sharp. Trust me, they won’t hesitate to kill us if they get the chance.”
Harvey nodded and fell back, letting Smitty take the lead. Moments later, Harvey tapped the detective on the arm and pointed. The opening of the mine yawned before them, a dark hole leading to a pitch-black interior.
Livy shivered, aching for the children.
They’d endured a brutal life in Chicago; then Gibbons had made it even more horrible by enslaving them to work in the glove factory before dumping them in the mine like rotten garbage. Gibbons might be in jail, but with Sharp making the decisions now, they didn’t stand a chance.
Smitty hissed, “Get down.”
Livy and Harvey didn’t have to be told twice. They ducked low while Smitty crept forward. Livy strained to see what drew his attention. Jake? Or Gibbons’s men? Sharp?
“Stop!”
She jumped as Smitty yelled and took off running.
The next few seconds were a blur. Smitty crashed through the underbrush toward two men silhouetted in the clearing. A line of flame shot toward the mine.
Livy’s horrified gaze tracked the sizzling path of the flame.
“No!”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The roar of Smitty’s gun and the rocks and dust that spewed out of the mine drowned out her scream.
Stunned, Livy stared at the entrance to the mine, paralyzed. They’d done it. They’d blown up the mine, sealing dozens of children inside. And Jake? Where was he? He’d said he’d meet Smitty and Harvey here. Had they killed him? She fisted her hand against her mouth.
She’d know. Wouldn’t she?
Her gaze slashed toward Schmidt and the two men. She fought her way through the underbrush on rubbery legs. One lay on the ground, not moving. The other stood, holding his shoulder, blood oozing through his fingers. Schmidt leveled his gun at the one still standing.
“Where’s Russell?” His tone left no doubt that if he didn’t get an answer, the man better prepare to meet his Maker.
The man jerked his head toward the mine and gave a short bark of laughter. “Probably dead by now. We threw him on top of the explosives.”
Livy’s legs gave way, and she slumped to her knees. Pain like she’d never felt, not even when her sister died, knifed through her. Jake. Oh, Jake. I’ve just found you. Please don’t leave me so soon. I love you. Oh, Lord, not Jake. Please, Lord.
She’d never planned on falling in love, but he’d stolen her heart with his crooked smile, the twinkle in his eyes, and the way he’d made corn-husk dolls for the girls and carved farm animals for the boys.
Lost in her grief, she scarcely heard the blaring of the alarms calling all able-bodied men to the mines. Shouts rose as men arrived and took up shovels. Was there any hope they could save Jake and the children? She wanted to believe, but her heart wouldn’t let her.
Her hope had blown up with the mine.
Schmidt lifted her to her feet. He held out a black muffler, the one she’d given Jake. “Miss O’Brien, Harvey and I are taking these two to jail. Why don’t you come along with us? There’s nothing you can do here.”
Livy clutched the knit scarf, holding on to this small piece of wool that