untouched. He slowed when he reached the scene of the explosion two years ago. He paused, forcing himself to look at the collapsed shaft to his right. The entire thing had imploded on itself, sealing everyone inside fifty feet below the surface of the mine.
He broke out in a cold sweat, not wanting to check the area, but the children’s safety demanded he leave no stone unturned. He climbed over the rubble. He’d gone another fifty feet before shifting rock and dirt blocked his way. He held the lantern high. The collapse wasn’t new, so tonight’s explosion hadn’t triggered it. The children couldn’t be in this part of the mine. Jake turned away, thankful he didn’t have to go down that particular tunnel and face the demons of his past.
Tunnels branched off in several directions. He took an opening on his immediate right. If memory served, it wouldn’t take long to search this area. There were a few more places he figured Gibbons might have left the kids, and he was anxious to check them.
He went down four more dead ends before staggering into a hollowed-out place half the size of the office at the jail. Fifteen or twenty boys and girls stared at him, their faces gaunt, eyes sunken in their heads. Silent. Scared out of their wits. Cold. And hungry.
Someone coughed, the sound loud in the stillness.
Jake lifted the lantern high so they could see his face. “I’m Jake Russell. I’m here to help you.”
To break the ice, he told them about Bobby, Jessica, and the little girl Luke had left at the orphanage.
Then he met Luke’s little brother, Mark.
* * *
After what seemed like an eternity, the tunnel widened, allowing them to fan out. Livy breathed easier in the open space. Ore carts that hadn’t been used in over two years sat silent. Broken ax handles lay inside one cart, a man’s tattered coat draped over the edge of another.
One of the miners pointed to a pile of rubble. “There’s the shaft that collapsed two years ago.” His gaze sought and found Livy’s in the lamplight. “Jake Russell and Seamus O’Leary were the only two to survive. Rescuers pulled ’em out ten days later.”
Livy swallowed hard against the lump that formed in her throat. Oh, Jake. And you were willing to risk your life to save the children?
Gus led them down another tunnel, moving single file again. A murmur, a ripple of excitement—something—coursed through the men in front of Livy. She strained to see over or around them.
A single light cast from a mining lamp shone in the distance.
* * *
The children stirred, the older ones moving quietly to shield the younger. Jake calmed them. “It’s all right. They’re here to rescue us. Trust me, okay?”
“Will they take me to Luke?” A fragile hope tinged Mark’s voice.
“Yes.” Jake hugged the child to him. “As soon as we get out of here, we’ll go find Luke.”
Seventeen pairs of eyes trained on him, filled with trust he didn’t deserve. He’d been their only hope, their only lifeline to cling to. Tears stung his eyes. Lord, help me to be worthy of such trust.
“Jake!”
His head jerked up at the sound of Livy’s voice.
Livy? Here? He stumbled to his feet and caught her as she launched herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her tight, not sure he’d ever let her go.
“Oh, Jake, I thought I’d lost you for good this time.”
“I guess I’m a lot like that cat of yours. Got nine lives, it seems.”
She grimaced. “You’re fast using them up, Jake Russell.”
He hugged her close, marveling that he had another chance to hold her. Hot tears stung his eyes, and he rested his head on the top of her head. “We lost Sheriff Carter.”
She lifted her head, her eyes shining. “No, he’s alive. They took him to Doc Valentine.”
Jake’s heart swelled with gratitude. God had abundantly blessed all of them.
A cough reminded him they weren’t alone. Reluctantly he loosened his hold on Livy and motioned toward the children huddled behind him.
“I’ve got some friends here I want you to meet.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Mrs. Brooks took Luke by the shoulders. “They’ve found the children.”
“Where? Is Mark with them?” Luke’s heart slammed against his rib cage. “Is he alive?”
He needed to go to him. Now. Mark was just a little kid. He’d be scared, and it had been so long since they’d seen each other. They had a home now, a home with Mrs. Brooks and the other children.