His arm went slack. “That can’t be.”
“It’s true.” Her chin notched up. “He told me just before Arabella went missing.”
His look of pity stung. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
She laughed, but the sound had little humor. “He did, I assure you. But just because he doesn’t care for me doesn’t mean I don’t have real feelings for that little girl. I’m going in there”—she pointed at the mine—“and I will find her.”
She moved to walk past him, but he blocked her again.
“Look Everett, either you let me in now, or I’ll go in when you’re not looking. Either way, I’m going in there. At least this way, you’ll know where I am.”
For the first time, Everett looked frustrated. He knew he couldn’t assemble search parties and watch her every movement either. “Fine. But you stay with a group at all times. And don’t do anything risky.” He lowered his voice as if talking to himself. “Oliver is going to kill me.”
Grace only wished Oliver cared enough. But no matter what he said, no matter what anyone said, Grace knew he couldn’t possibly love her after how he’d treated her moments before.
If you loved someone, you didn’t brush them aside. If you loved someone, you didn’t tell them they weren’t wanted or needed.
The pain in her heart intensified, but she pushed it away. There would be plenty of time in the following weeks to nurse her broken heart. But right now, she needed to focus.
Arabella was lost and scared—possibly injured. That’s what she needed her mind on.
Everett placed her in a group with three men, miners she’d seen around town. “Take the first left, then your second right. Search all the way to the end and then return and report.”
The men led, and Grace fell into step behind them. They were confident as they stepped in the mine. “Watch your head, miss.”
Grace nodded her thanks and followed the men down the shaft, sticking to the directions Everett had given them.
She’d only been in the mine the one time when she’d been handing out water to the workers. And even though the conditions had been awful, part of her had hoped there had been something to cause such temperatures then. “Is it always like this?”
One of the men turned back toward her. “What was that, miss?”
The noise inside the tunnels thrummed in her ears. She raised her voice so he could hear her. “Is it always like this?”
“The noise?”
She nodded. “And the heat.”
“It gets worse the farther down the shaft you get.” He turned his attention back to their task, and she was left wondering once again how the workers dealt with it.
She’d heard from Emery that it had been much worse before Everett had made massive safety overhauls—including improvements to airflow. She couldn’t even imagine working for hours in such conditions.
And Oliver had been down here almost every day since he’d arrived. A sharp pain stabbed her heart as she thought of him, and she swiftly shut down that chain of thought.
She needed to find Arabella. That was all that mattered. She would figure out the rest later. “Arabella!” she yelled, knowing it was unlikely she would be heard over the fans that helped circulate air. “Arabella, can you hear me?”
They searched up and down smaller tunnels, meticulously checking each and every dead end for the little girl. Her body ached, and her dress was covered in sweat, but she didn’t stop to rest.
“Where is she?” The words were spoken softly so no one could hear the despair in her voice. They’d been searching for an hour, and there was still no sign of her.
As if thinking the same thing, one of the men said, “One of us should go check in up top in case she’s been found already.”
The two other men nodded, and Grace agreed. She prayed someone had found her. But as he left, they continued to search as if she were still down there.
They walked by a dead end that was boarded off, and the men glanced at it before moving on. But as Grace walked by, her footsteps slowed.
There was something about it that drew her attention.
Almost the entire opening was boarded over as if they really didn’t want anyone going in there. The men hadn’t bothered looking beyond the boards because there was only a very small opening on the bottom righthand corner.
She took a step toward the hole. A man wouldn’t fit through it, but she might be able to.
She squatted down. A child could definitely fit through it.
“Miss, we shouldn’t stop here,” one of the men prompted. “No one is back there. It’s dangerous.”
Unease pricked her heart. “What does it signify if it’s boarded up like this.”
“The tunnel is unstable. Either it’s prone to collapse or there’s something flammable there. We’d best move on.”
She looked at the hole. “She could fit through there.”
He shook his head grimly. “She wouldn’t go in.”
“She wouldn’t understand the danger.”
“It’s dark back there. No light.”
Grace worried her lip. “Generally, Arabella doesn’t like the dark. But I saw her scared one time, and she climbed into her wardrobe and wedged herself into the very back, in the corner—the darkest place she could find to hide.”
He gestured for the other man to come over. “She thinks the child could be in there.”
The man studied the hole. “We won’t fit.” He pointed at the ceiling and walls. “And the boards are anchored well. Once they go in, they’re difficult to remove.”
“I could fit.” The thought terrified her. What if she were wrong? What if Arabella wasn’t there, and Grace put herself in danger? But thinking of Arabella all alone, scared, and lost—it was the only thing that terrified her more. “It would be snug, but I could make it through, I think.”
The men looked at each other. “I don’t know, miss. It’s not safe.”
One of the men rubbed his chin. “Maybe we should fetch one of the owners. Or at least wait until Nick returns and lets us know if the girl’s been found. No point in risking anything if she’s safe.”
Grace appreciated the logic, but as she sat outside the tunnel, she knew she would go in.
She leaned closer to the hole. “Arabella! Arabella, it’s Grace. Are you in there?”
Her body remained frozen in place as she strained to hear any sound from the cut-off tunnel.
“She’s not in there,” one of the men said gently. “It’s best if we move on and keep looking.”
The two turned away to do just that, but Grace wouldn’t budge. “Arabella, honey, are you there? I’m so worried about you.”
Grace leaned in even closer, but there was no answer. Her shoulders fell.
And then she heard a soft whimper.
Her eyes flew open. “Arabella, answer me, sweetheart. Are you in there?”
“Yes.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “She’s here! She’s inside!” she yelled over her shoulder at the men.
They rushed back to her. “You heard her?”
“She answered me.” Grace returned to speak through the hole. “Arabella, can you come out? Everyone is so worried about you.”
They held their breaths.
“I can’t.” There was a hitch at the end of her words.
Panic raced through her. “Are you hurt, sweetheart?”
“No.”
Instant relief. “Then why can’t you come out? You are not in any trouble. Everyone will be so happy to have you back safe again.”
Another whimper sounded. “I’m stuck. I can’t move my leg.”
“But you’re not hurt?” Grace needed one more confirmation.
“No. A rock fell. I can’t get my foot out.”
The scene being painted in Grace’s mind caused her to swallow hard. “Can you wiggle your toes?” If a rock had fallen on her and done serious damage to her leg, it was possible she couldn’t tell yet.
A
moment later Arabella replied, “Yes.”
Grace sagged against the wall. “Good, sweetie. All right. I want you to stay where you are. I’m going to come in and help you.”
One of the men placed a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t go in there,” he whispered. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t care.” Grace’s jaw set.
“Look, I know you care about this little girl. But if a rock fell and trapped her, it might be even more unstable than I first thought. The whole thing could come down.”
She swallowed hard and looked the miner in the eye. “Whatever is going to happen will happen once someone goes in there to help her. And unless the Copper Kings want to pry this closing off—possibly causing even more instability—it’s going to have to be me that goes in.” She pointed to the small opening. “No one else would fit.”
She could tell the man wanted to argue again, but then she saw acceptance in his eyes. “I should be the one going in there. It’s not right for you to risk yourself. I don’t have a family or anyone that would worry about me.”
Grace smiled sadly. “Neither do I.”
Compassion filled his eyes. “Miss Cooper—”
But Grace couldn’t bear to hear him finish what he had to say. “No more talking. It’s settled. I’ll go in, see if I can quickly move the rock, and we’ll be back out in no time.” Her chipper, positive statement didn’t fit with the situation they were in, but she tried to lighten the man’s worry anyway.
He nodded once and stepped back, allowing her space to get on the floor.
“Arabella, I’m coming in to get you.”
A small whimper was the only response Grace got, and it only furthered her resolve to go in. “In and out,” she said softly, reassuring herself. She wasn’t looking forward to entering the dim area.
She lay flat on the floor and pushed one arm through. The opening wasn’t wide enough for both her shoulders to fit through at the same time.
As she wiggled her head through, the light from their lanterns was almost completely extinguished. She gulped. Her breathing escalated, but she forced her chest to drag in slow, steady breaths.
Panic wouldn’t help any of them right now.
She squirmed inch by inch through the opening—until her ribs wedged in place. Her eyes flew open.
“Are you all right?” one of the men asked, the concern evident in his voice. “Should I pull you back?”
“No,” she gasped out—then noticed she was able to move slightly with the air fully expelled from her lungs.
Without second-guessing herself, she completely emptied her lungs and pushed. The first try, she hardly moved, but by the second, she was free to inch forward again.
Her arm ached from squirming on it, and it stung where small pebbles scraped, trading skin for dirt.
Her hips were also a problem, but with the added strength of both hands pulling herself forward, she was able to get through. She scrambled, pulling her legs through the hole and said a quick prayer of gratitude that she’d made it.
For a moment, she hadn’t been sure she was going to fit…she would have been stuck there.
She wasn’t looking forward to the return trip.
A lantern appeared at the hole, and she quickly took it, relieved when light filled the small tunnel. She held it high, illuminating the area.
Rocks had fallen haphazardly in the space, making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. “Arabella?” she asked when she couldn’t immediately see the girl. “Arabella, where are you?” she asked slightly louder. Dirt trickled from the ceiling.
“Here,” Arabella said softly. “Over here, Grace.”
Grace followed the voice and found the little girl behind a boulder. There wasn’t any blood that she could see, she noted with relief. She lowered herself to the ground. “Hi, sweetie.” Grace ran her hands through the girl’s blond, gritty hair. “You all right?”
Arabella bit her lips, and her chin shook, but she nodded.
“That’s good. Leg still trapped?” Grace asked casually even though she could see it still was. She wanted Arabella to feel like everything was all right now.
“Yes. It’s stuck tight.” The boulder was larger than Grace had hoped it would be.
She stood and walked around the other side and saw a small boot. “Wiggle your foot for me.” Relief poured through her when she saw movement. Everything she saw told her that Arabella was truly unharmed.
Grace put her hands on the rock. “All right. Now to get you loose. Let me know if anything I do hurts.”
She had an idea of how to remove it, but as she pushed, hoping to roll the boulder off the little girl, it didn’t budge. She tried a few more times, huffing and puffing as she used all her strength—but it remained in place.
“Am I stuck?” The fear in Arabella’s voice caught her attention.
“No, sweetheart. I just need to find a tool to help me.” She might be able to get it off with some leverage. She held the lantern higher, standing on her toes to find something to help her.
As Grace stepped down the tunnel, Arabella grabbed her legs. “Don’t leave me!”
Her heart clenched, and she kneeled next to the little girl, wrapping her arms around her. “I won’t ever leave you. Ever.”
Wide, wet eyes met hers. “You promise? I heard you and Uncle Oliver arguing.”
Arabella had run into the mine because of what had passed between Grace and Oliver. She swallowed hard. “I promise. I’ll always be with you.”
And with the trust of a little girl, Arabella released Grace.
“Good girl.” Grace rose to her feet. “I’ll keep talking to you so you know I’m still here.”
Arabella relaxed at the suggestion. “All right.”
“So.” Grace winked. “I’m looking for a tool to use to pry under the rock. With any luck, it will move the rock far enough for you to get free.” She lifted her lantern high, illuminating the dirty, boulder-strewn floor.
They had to have left something. An ax. A pole. Anything that wouldn’t break under the boulder’s weight.
“Grace?” Arabella’s scared voice floated toward her. “Where are you?”
“I’m still here!”
Dust trickled from above, and Grace paused to look at the ceiling. Did it always do that?
A cold sweat broke over her skin as even more dust and pebbles dropped. Spinning frantically, her gaze caught on something shiny.
Running toward it, she let out a soft cry of relief.
It was the scrap of metal she’d been looking for. It appeared to be a broken tool of some sort. She couldn’t discern what it had originally been used for, but it didn’t matter.
Right now, it was the thing that was going to help her rescue Arabella. “I found it!” She spun back toward the girl. “I found a tool.” She ignored the falling debris as she quickly retraced her steps.
There was a smaller rock off to the side that looked perfect for what she needed, so she brought it closer. She wedged the tool under the boulder, rested it on the smaller rock, and gently pressed down, testing the metal to make sure it wouldn’t snap under the weight.
Confident it would work, she glanced at the girl. “All right, sweetheart. I’m going to lift up the boulder on the count of three. When you feel it lift, I want you to pull your leg out quickly. I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up, and I don’t know how far I’ll be able to lift it off you. Do you understand?”
Arabella’s eyes went wide. “Uh huh.”
“Good girl.” Grace nodded encouragingly. “Okay, ready? One, two, three—” Grace threw her weight onto the metal as it cut along her palms. The boulder lifted a fraction, and Grace gritted her teeth as she fought to hold it in place. “Go, Arabella!”
The little girl squirmed, cried out, then tugged more—finally, her leg pulled free.
With a gasp of relief, Grace dropped the boulder and collapsed, heaving in gusts of air. When Arabella’s little arms wrapped arou
nd her, Grace squeezed her back. “Are you all right?”
Grace felt the girl nod against her.
Relief filled her. They’d made it through. Arabella was safe, unharmed, and they would both be out of the mine shortly.
The sooner, the better.
Grace rose to her feet. “Ready to leave?”
Arabella nodded quickly, and Grace tapped her on the nose. “Good. Me too.”
Grace took the girl’s hand and started toward the walled off portion. But before they had gone far, Arabella dug in her heels. “Wait!”
“What is it?”
“Fluffy’s still here.”
Remembering the little bear she’d carried earlier, Grace nodded. “Where did you leave him?”
“Over by the boulder.”
Together, they marched back to where she’d been trapped, easily spying the stuffed animal. She leaned over and scooped him off the floor before handing him to Arabella. “Keep him safe.”
Arabella snuggled her bear tightly and turned back toward the exit—tripping over one of the rocks.
A scream pierced the tunnel as the little girl fell.
And with that final explosive sound, the ceiling crashed down around them.
Chapter 14
Oliver yanked his tie off as he moved through the sweltering heat of the mine. Fear and anxiety raced through him as each minute passed and Arabella hadn’t been found.
And now he’d just been informed that Grace had gone into the mine.
What had she been thinking? It was dangerous! How was he supposed to find Arabella and keep his sanity if he had to worry about both of them?
But even as his fear ate away at him over what Grace had done, he could only blame himself. He’d pushed her away. Why should she listen to anything he had to say?
He’d made her think he didn’t want her, that she could never have a part in Arabella’s life. And why?
Because he’d been a jealous, scared idiot when he’d seen her talking to one of his miners. Because he’d given into weakness and allowed his insecurities to surface, and then he’d crushed any hope of a future for them because of something that was completely out of character for her, that went against everything he knew about her. Because of fear.
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