The Halsey Brothers Series

by Paty Jager

  “Ah-ah didn’t know.” Aileen squeaked.

  “And when I came to collect again, you beat me up.” He glared at Ethan then looked down at the boy. “If that pipsqueak wasn’t around protecting her, it was you.” He pointed the knife at Ethan and shoved Aileen forward. “You’re all going to die.” Miles bolted down the mine cackling.

  Ethan started to follow, but Aileen crumpled to the ground. He caught her before her head hit the track.

  “Aileen. Come on, sweetheart, wake up.” Ethan kissed her brow. “Don’t go getting all female on me now.” Cradling her in his arms, he slid down the wall to sit next to Colin.

  She hadn’t killed Miller. The announcement had erased all his doubts about the woman. She was the woman he fell in love with. But why had she looked relieved when Miles confessed to killing him? It’s no wonder she would want to blot out that day. Colin hit the man first. Had she believed all this time Colin had killed the man? How her heart must have been torn between doing right and protecting her son. He embraced her to his heart. As long as he was alive, she would never suffer.

  “Aileen, sweetheart.” He placed a kiss on her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open. A smile quivered on her tempting lips before he caught a flash of disillusion in her eyes. She lowered her lashes, pushing out of his arms.

  “Hey, don’t. Hold still. You had a bad time of it. Take it easy.” She didn’t look at him, just stood. Something happened. But what?

  “Let me check Healy, then we need to get Colin and get out of here.” Ethan watched her turn to the boy, ignoring him.

  Something was up. What could it be? He started toward the ore cart. Healy slowly rose from behind it. A bump on the side of his head dripped with blood.

  “Here, let me help you.” Ethan grabbed the man’s arm, flinging it across his shoulders and carried him near the lantern light. He didn’t miss the flash of anger in Aileen’s eyes as he helped the man sit against the wall a fair distance from the boy. Miles wasn’t the man Zeke and Maeve were after, and he still had reservations about the man nursing his head.

  Healy pointed his finger at Aileen. “She be an ill-tempered woman. I never was seein’ what Patrick saw in her.”

  Ethan sat back on his haunches and studied the man. “What are you talking about?”

  “She hasn’t told you anythin’?” Healy narrowed his eyes and peered at Aileen as she busied herself with the boy.

  “No. Aileen, what’s this man talking about?” Ethan turned his attention to the woman who had become as frosty as the first time he met her.

  “Orin Healy is Patrick’s cousin on his da’s side.” Aileen didn’t want to look at Ethan. He’d shattered her heart when he thought her capable of killing her husband. She’d witnessed the horror on his face after she’d clouted Orin.

  And Orin—the man had a knack for always showing up at the wrong time. Where was he when that beast Miles attacked her? Why couldn’t he have been around then? No, he had to show up when Ethan was tending to Colin. So, to keep him from doing exactly what he was doing now, she’d beaned him.

  “Why didn’t you say so when he applied for a job instead of insisting I not hire him?” Ethan glanced from her to Patrick’s disgusting cousin. “Do you think he’s the man trying to kill Colin?” Her heart lurched when Ethan took a position between she and Colin and Orin.

  “Nae, he’s never liked the English side o’ the family.” She shot the man a glare. “Nor the Scots side.”

  Ethan turned to her. “Then why did you bash him on the head if you don’t think he’s going to hurt Colin?”

  She turned from him. How did she explain her hatred of the man, and her fear he would bring trouble to them.

  “Because she’s believing if I found her and the boy, the English will be findin’ him, too.” Orin’s tired voice struck a nerve.

  “What do ye know?” She popped to her feet and crossed to the man.

  “I was asked by Patrick’s da to come lookin’ for you and the boy when he heard Roderick had a man after you. I don’t know who he be, but I’m always one step behind him. Until now. I been thinkin’ I’d just hang around and keep an eye on the two of you and take care of the devil before he did you any harm.”

  “Why did you come in the mine?” Ethan edged his way closer to her. Her body reacted when her head knew it was for naught. He believed her a killer.

  “I slipped your brother. Yeah, I knew you had him watchin’ me every move. The boy told me he planned to fill the ore carts. I figured I’d be comin’ to help him and tell him more about his da.”

  “Ye’ve been talkin’ to him!” Aileen hurtled herself at the man. “Ye have marked him good as dead!”

  Ethan’s strong arms held her against his body. “Colin isn’t going to get better by us standing in here talking. Let’s get out of here.” He set her on her feet. “Don’t lay into him until we’re out of this tunnel.”

  He let go and spun her to face him. “Promise you won’t hit him over the head until we get out in the sunshine?” The joking tone did nothing to dispel her anger.

  “Ah’ll no’ kill anyone—including ye.”

  He frowned and handed her the lantern. “Lead the way.”

  She stared into his eyes. He was hurt and thinking. His usually dark eyes were clouded with his thoughts.

  She turned on her heel and stepped around the ore cart. She glanced over her shoulder as Ethan bent to pick up Colin.

  Kaboom! The tunnel quaked under her feet. A wall of dust plummeted toward them, knocking her backwards. She dropped the lantern and covered her face as a shower of dirt and rock rained around her.

  Chapter 31

  The boy squirmed under Ethan. The tunnel was pitch dark and filled with dust. He tried not to gulp in the grit sifting through the air. Panic squeezed his chest at the silence. Where was Aileen?

  “Aileen! Aileen!” he scrambled off Colin and crawled on his hands and knees bumping into rocks as he felt along the floor. “Say something. Aileen!”

  A moan to his right stopped his forward motion. “Aileen?” He reached out willing his hand to touch her soft body. Rough cloth met his finger tips. Grasping the limb under the cloth, he clenched a male arm strewn with muscle. Healy. A lump the size of a fist slid down his throat and landed in his stomach. Where was she? He couldn’t lose her now, not after realizing how much she meant to him.

  “Are you alive?” Ethan asked, running his hands the length of the man to see if rocks pinned him to the ground.

  “Aye. Just be feelin’ a bit dizzy. Two whacks to the head in one day is a mite hard on the noggin.”

  “Where was Aileen before the mine collapsed?” Ethan sat up calculating where he’d left Colin.

  “She be standin’ near the ore cart when the tunnel blew.” The man’s voice sounded about chest level. He was sitting.

  “And where do you think we are from there?” The boy was behind him, deeper into the mine.

  “I’d say if you were to go about twenty feet…” a rough hand hit his chest and moved up his arm. Healy directed his arm. “That direction you should come to the ore cart.”

  “Colin is directly behind me.” He took the hand holding his arm and set the arm to his side. “Go sit by him. When I find Aileen, I’ll let you know and you start talking so we can all gather in one place and make a plan.”

  “Why would someone blow up this mine?” Healy’s voice moved away from Ethan.

  “It was Miles. He caused the rock to fall on Colin and attacked Aileen. And he confessed to killing Miller four years ago.” He set off in the direction Healy indicated. Crawling on his hands and knees, he felt the area on both sides of him as well as in front before he moved forward. In the darkness, he didn’t want to miss Aileen.

  He pushed the panic squeezing his chest aside just like the debris under his hands. Becoming weak wouldn’t help the situation. He had to be strong for Aileen’s sake when he found her and for Colin’s if—He didn’t want to think about what would happen should he find Aileen
in any condition but alive.

  “Miles? Isn’t that the small fellow who hangs around Clay?” A grunt followed the question. “Found Colin. He be breathin’ kind o’ soft.”

  “Just make sure nothing reinjured his left leg.” Ethan’s heart hammered in his chest when his hand skimmed something other than rocks. He shuffled his knees over small rocks and ground his teeth as the gravel dug through his britches into his skin. He’d found cloth. With buttons. It had to be Aileen’s blouse. He moved his hand along the garment and discovered her chemise-covered side. Her body moved slightly away from his hand and back in an even rhythm. She was alive. His heart rammed into his ribs. If she was alive there was hope for a future with her.

  “Aileen? Sweetheart can you hear me?” He pushed his knees next to her side and ran his hands up her body. Shoving rocks and dirt, he found the swells of her breast. Her neck was covered with dirt but no large stones. Her face felt gritty. He gulped back the lump of dread as he placed his hands under her head and probed for cuts and bumps. Something warm and sticky spread over his fingers.

  “She hit her head,” he called out to Healy. “I’m going to check her lower half and then try and make my way over to you.”

  Ethan wiped the blood on his pant leg and ran his hands over her stomach, down her hips, and each leg; feeling for any other injuries and clearing the debris from her person.

  “Appears to be just the head injury.” He gathered her in his arms and stood, hoping the ceiling of the tunnel hadn’t collapsed. He didn’t need to hit his head and become unconscious as well.

  “Okay, I’ve got her. Start talking.” He shuffled his feet, turning to face the opposite direction and began a slow foot-dragging gait through the rubble on the floor of the mine.

  “Now, I’d say this reminds me of the time me and Patrick—em you aren’t mindin’ if I tell stories o’ Patrick?”

  “You can talk about your mother dancing naked in the street for all I care, just keep talking so I can find you.” He was actually fascinated by the man who first won Aileen’s heart. Patrick sounded like a man he would have called a friend had they met.

  “Well there, and if Patrick and I didn’t have some fun in our day. That was before he caught sight of that wench in your arms. Once she came into his life. I was having to find myself another partner to go scheming with.”

  The man’s voice was the only beacon Ethan had to guide him toward the boy. Concentrating on the voice and not so much the words, he followed the lilting tone until it sounded right below him, and his boots bumped into something softer than the rocks he’d been kicking.

  “I do believe your standin’ on my pant leg.” Relief resonated in the man’s voice.

  “Where is the boy from your legs?”

  “On the side away from you.”

  “Are you in any shape to carry him? We’ll go deeper in the mine. There’s a ventilation hole you should fit through.” He felt the man stand beside him.

  “I’ve got the boy. Which way do we wander?”

  “The way my feet were pointed. To keep from jostling the boy’s leg on the side of the tunnel or hitting his head, walk with your back against the wall.” Ethan backed up to what he hoped was the opposite side of the tunnel wall. “I’ll go first.”

  He heard the man shuffling and grunting along behind him. Counting his steps, Ethan tried to remember how far from the end of the track the hole had been dug. The damp scent of earth permeated the blackness around him. He slid his feet along the ground, stopping when he bumped something to check it out with a foot and see if he could scoot the rock out of the way or if he had to go around it.

  A cold gust of air brought the scent of pine swirling around his head. “We’re getting close. How are you doing?” he called back to Healy.

  “We’re coming.” The man’s voice was only a few steps behind him.

  The air grew fresher and colder. Faint rays of sunshine filtered through the trees and down through the hole, giving him a guiding light.

  Aileen moaned and wiggled in his arms. He bent, pressing his lips to her forehead. “We’re almost there. Hold on.”

  He stood under the hole judging the distance. “Let’s put these two down.” They placed their burdens side by side at the edge of the dim light from the hole.

  “I’ll lift you up to the hole. You’re going to have to dig in with your feet and hands to work your way through the narrow part.”

  Ethan put a hand on the man’s shoulder. “You’ll have to go to the stamp mill and get help to dig the hole larger and get us out.” He glanced at the woman and boy. “Aileen hasn’t been any too friendly to you, but I hope you can find it in you to help us.”

  “Sure and she’s got a fiery temper. But I’ve always liked her.” Healy slapped him on the back. “She’s a fine catch, and Patrick would be proud to know she’s found happiness again.”

  Ethan studied the man’s face. Not a hint of resentment lingered in his gaze. His solid smile and honest stare brought a beam of happiness to Ethan. The man meant what he said.

  “Let’s get you out of here so we can get proper doctoring for the boy.” He made a stirrup of his hands and bent so Healy could step into it. Ethan lifted the man, pushing him toward the hole. Glancing up, the sunlight disappeared and Healy’s weight disappeared from his hands. He stepped back as dirt and pebbles rained down around him.

  The hole was a good twenty feet deep. He remembered thinking they weren’t above the mine when they kept digging the hole and didn’t find the shaft.

  Grunts and strange curse words came from the hole along with scraping noises. More dirt and rock fell around him and light appeared. Ethan hurried under the hole and looked up. The shape of a head peered down.

  “I’ll be headin’ down to the mill now,” Healy called down.

  “Hurry!” he called back as Aileen moaned and rolled her head back and forth. The boy remained unmoving and quiet.

  He knelt beside her. “Aileen. Sweetheart. Wake up.” He patted her cheeks. She rolled her head back and forth. Slowly, as though they were heavy, her eyelids raised. The dazed appearance and the slight tremor in her body worried him.

  “Sweetheart, it’s me, Ethan.” He picked up her hand and kissed the knuckles. Her other hand raised, and she touched his cheek.

  “W-what happened?”

  “I believe Miles dynamited the mine entrance. We’re under the ventilation hole. I lifted Healy through. He’s gone for help.” He kissed her hand again. “Stay put and try to stay awake. You took a nasty hit to your head.”

  Aileen squinted in the faint light. He’d just shown her tenderness, yet she couldn’t shake the way he’d looked at her before the explosion. How could he believe her a killer and tend to her so lovingly? Her head throbbed from the strain of thinking.

  “Colin!” She tried to stand, but slipped back against the side of the tunnel.

  Ethan placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and slid down onto the floor beside her. “He’s right beside you.”

  Ethan would take excellent care of her son, but she still wanted to touch him. To let him know she was with him. “Ah’d like to scoot closer to my laddie.”

  He stood, picked her up in his arms and placed her next to Colin. Then he sat down on the other side of her. “Healy should be back with help in an hour. But I’m not sure how long it will take them to make the hole larger.” He placed an arm around her shoulders. She drew away even as her body wanted to sag against his strength and warmth. But she couldn’t—not after seeing his reaction to her wielding the pick and hurling it at Orin.

  She had to rethink her feelings toward Orin. He hadn’t shown the anger she’d expected from her hitting him with the pick. And here he was helping get them out of the mine.

  Ethan placed a finger alongside her chin, turning her to face him. She didn’t want to look into his eyes. If she did, she’d fall apart. But his presence wouldn’t give her a chance to sort out her feelings.

  Staring up into his eyes, her chest
squeezed at the tenderness staring back. How could he look at her that way when…

  She clutched his arm. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  He smiled. “Like what?” His large hand cupped her cheek.

  The love shining in his eyes and the huskiness of his voice conflicted with the questioning gaze that had stared at her earlier when she’d thrown the pick.

  When she’d seen him gently tending Colin, her feelings had hit her full force. She loved the man. She didn’t want to leave him. He was good for her and her family. But the look of disbelief and confusion in his eyes had hurt as violently as any blow Mr. Miller had inflicted on her. To have him believe she was capable of killing—

  “Like you love me. I saw it in your eyes. You thought I had killed Mr. Miller.” She used his shoulder to lever herself to her feet. Her head whooshed, and her vision blurred. This was no good. Standing wouldn’t make her appear any stronger if she fainted. She slid back down to sit beside him. The heat and virility of him zinged heat through her.

  “I’ve never believed you killed Miller.” His caressing voice tugged at her body and her heart. She slumped against him, soaking in his strength and comfort.

  “Aye. Ah saw the look in yer eye when ah threw the pick at Orin. Ye thought me capable of taking a life.” She pushed away from him, reaching over to smooth her son’s hair. Miles’ confession had lifted her heart. All these years, she’d thought her son had killed Mr. Miller. It had weighed heavy on both their minds. She could hardly wait for the boy to wake and she could tell him he hadn’t killed anyone.

  Ethan captured her hand, drawing her attention to him. “I’ve felt you would do anything to protect your children. You’ve proved that over and over again.” He put his hands on either side of her head and used his thumbs to tip her head up, making her look him in the eye. “You’ve been protecting Colin, believing he killed Miller.”

  She started to shake her head, but his eyes narrowed, waiting for her to tell the truth.

  “That day,” she paused and exhaled, forcing all the bad memories to come forward. “The laddie and ah were workin’ in the mine. Mr. Miller came home drunk and wantin’ his meal. Ah’d lost track o’ time in the mine and dinnae have it ready.” She took a deep breath and clutched her shaking hands in her lap. “He dragged me from the mine, and when ah lost ma footin’ and fell, he kicked me in the stomach.” She looked up at him clutching her belly. “Ah screamed at him no’ to hurt the baby. He laughed and kicked me again. Ah fainted from the pain and when ah came to, Colin stood over Mr. Miller holding a board. Ah started havin’ pains. The baby was comin’.” She expected to see fury in the man’s eyes, but he took her hand and held it between his.