To Win Her Heart (24 page)

“They’re here!” Levi waved the other crewmen over. They all scrambled to the spot, digging with hands, picks, chisels, whatever they could find. Aches forgotten, Levi shoved stones aside, then braced his back against the rock face and used his legs to thrust the other half of the large limestone slab aside. A grunt tore from his lips as his knees slowly straightened.

“Look! A hand!” one of the crewmen shouted.

Beneath Levi’s legs, a dust-encrusted gray hand reached up through a hole that had been uncovered by the removed slab.

A cheer rose from the men up top. Coughs echoed from the men below. Fieldman knelt on all fours and reached into the hole to clasp the man’s hand. “We’re gonna get you out. Just hang in there.”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere, boss,” a raspy voice called back.

“Collier?”

“Yeah.”

Fieldman smiled. “Shoulda known an old cuss like you’d be too stubborn to let a pile of rock do you in. The others there with you?”

The question was met with silence, and Levi’s stomach soured.

“Collier?” Fieldman’s smile fell.

“The others are here,” the man said, “but only two of us are still breathin’.”

“Are you still prayin’, Miss Eden?” Chloe hopped down from the top rail of the corral fence, turning her harried countenance back toward the buggy. “ ’Cause it don’t seem to be working.”

Eden’s heart ached for the girl. How would she feel if Levi were the one trapped under all that rubble? She’d no doubt be out of her mind with worry.

“I’m praying, Chloe. For all four of the trapped men, but especially for Mr. McPherson. And for you.”

The girl’s faith was just beginning to bud. If Duncan didn’t survive, would it wither and die with him? As hard as Eden prayed for the young man’s rescue, she prayed for Chloe’s faith even more. Life was indeed precious, but a soul carried greater worth than a body. And right now, Chloe’s soul stood on an eternal precipice.

“We have to try to be patient,” Eden said, wishing she could offer more comfort.

Chloe stomped over to the shade of the buggy and plopped down on the slab of rock that served as a bench. “I don’t want to be patient.” She heaved a frustrated sigh. “They’ve been out there for hours. I want to
do
something. Something besides all this pointless waiting.”

Eden reached between them and clasped the girl’s hand. “Sometimes waiting is what God wants us to do. To give him time to work.”

“It’s just that—” Chloe choked back a sob. Eden scooted closer. “It’s just that I never thought a decent man would look twice at a girl like me. Ma said I’d have to leave town and pretend to be someone else to have any hope of findin’ a marrying type of man.”

Chloe pulled her hand free. She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, then looked out in the direction of the men. Yet Eden got the feeling she wasn’t really seeing them.

A touch of a smile curved the girl’s lips. “I met Duncan in the Hang Dog. Did I ever tell you that?”

Eden shook her head. “No. Though I suspected the two of you had met somewhere prior to the day we ran into him outside the dry goods store. He acted quite smitten.”

Chloe shrugged, but her smile deepened. “He was different from most of the men who came to the saloon. Sometimes I’d watch him from behind the curtain that closed off the kitchen. He’d come in with a group of men from the quarry on a Saturday night, but while the others tossed away their pay on drink after drink, he’d sit at the bar sippin’ a single beer. If one of the fellows started gettin’ melancholy or if things got tense at the card table, he’d spin one of his fanciful yarns that would get the whole room laughing. I even saw him dance a jig when one of the quarrymen didn’t like the song the piano player was thumpin’. No one could keep a straight face with all those knees and elbows flappin’.

“Never once did he go upstairs with one of the girls. Never once did he speak to anyone with disrespect. Never once did I see him get drunk. I think I started falling in love with him before he ever knew I existed.”

Eden developed a whole new respect for Duncan McPherson as she saw him through Chloe’s eyes. “How did the two of you finally meet?”

“Duncan always ordered one of Old Nell’s pan-fried beefsteaks when he came in, but one night Roy was busy settlin’ a dispute with one of my ma’s customers when the food came up, and I was afraid the steak would get cold before the barkeep got back. So, after checkin’ the big room to be sure no one was payin’ me any mind, I slid out from behind the curtain and delivered the vittles.”

Chloe sighed and finally glanced over at Eden. “You shoulda seen the way he tugged off his cap when he saw me. That red hair of his stuck out at all angles, but it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. He didn’t look at me the way men looked at my ma and the other girls. His eyes held respect and appreciation and a touch of shyness that, coming from a man who’d dance an embarrassing jig just to keep the peace, made my heart skitter like a mouse dodging a barn cat.

“We didn’t even say anything that first time.” Chloe turned her attention back out to the quarry. “But after that, I made a point to deliver his beefsteak every Saturday night.” A fond smile lit her face, although Eden could hear tears close to the surface. “Every time he came in, he tried to charm me into tellin’ him my name, but I never did. I was too aware of who I was. And who I wasn’t.”

Eden rested her hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “You’ve changed who you were.”

Chloe bit her lip and nodded. “Thanks to you and Mr. Levi.”

“You were the one who made the decision to leave. We just helped out a bit.”

“More than a bit.” Chloe fell silent for a moment, then took a deep breath and began again. “When Duncan and me met on the boardwalk that day outside Mrs. Fowler’s store, it was like all the barriers between us crumbled away. For the first time in my life, I felt like a normal gal—one who was free to accept an honorable man’s attention, one who could laugh and flirt, one who could reveal her name without shame.” The tears she’d been holding back began spilling down her cheeks. “I can’t lose him now. I just can’t!”

A shout rose up from the men in the pit. Both Eden and Chloe jumped to their feet. Chloe scaled the corral fence again and shaded her face from the late afternoon sun with her hand.

“Can you make out what’s happening?” Eden asked.

“It’s hard to tell. The men seem to be workin’ closer together now. Do you think . . .” Chloe sucked in a shaky breath and slowly exhaled it. “Do you think they mighta found them?”

“We can hope.” Eden stepped closer to the fence and shaded her eyes against the sun’s glare.

It was only a matter of seconds before she picked out Levi from the rest of the men, his bulky physique setting him apart. He seemed to swing that giant hammer of his twice as often as the other men. She could only imagine his exhaustion.

Keep him strong, Lord. And help him find Duncan. Alive.

The sound of an approaching wagon caused Eden to turn. Sheriff Pratt steered the team toward her and lifted a hand in greeting. Dr. Adams had enlisted him to cart the more seriously injured quarrymen back to Spencer after they’d been stabilized, to cots waiting at the church. The sheriff had made several runs since Eden and Chloe arrived, taking no more than two men at a time so the patients could lie flat on a pile of quilts in the wagon bed. Family members or friends had traveled with them, keeping the men still and as comfortable as possible.

“They still at it?” Sheriff Pratt thrust his chin in the direction of Levi and the quarry workers.

“Yes.”

He set the brake and climbed down, pushing his hat back on his forehead. “We woulda had them out by now if Fieldman hadn’t been so stubborn about only using experienced crew.”

Eden shot him a quelling look. “Maybe. Or maybe someone else would have been injured. It’s fruitless to speculate.” The last thing Chloe needed was to start questioning whether enough was being done for Duncan and the others. “I’m sure Mr. Fieldman did what he thought best under these conditions.”

Eden twisted her head to see if Chloe had overheard their conversation, only to find the girl gone.

Strange. She’d done the same thing when they’d first arrived. Dr. Adams had been discussing the transport of the patients with Pratt when Eden and Chloe walked up with their bandages and medical supplies. Once the doctor had finished instructing Sheriff Pratt on how to prepare the wagon bed, he’d motioned the women closer. Only, Eden had been alone. The small crate of rolled linen strips Chloe had been carrying was sitting on the ground a few steps behind her. Later, Chloe explained that she’d thought she’d seen Duncan among the crowd of worried family members and had taken off to search. Eden hadn’t questioned the explanation at the time, but now doubt wiggled through her mind.

Conrad Pratt had been none too happy to have Chloe under her roof. Had he said something to frighten the girl? She stole a glance at the lawman as he kicked at a pebble with the toe of his boot, his attention focused on Fieldman’s crew. Eden scanned her memory but failed to recover a single instance where she’d seen Chloe and the sheriff in the same area. Not here, not at the library, not at church.

“They’re here!” Levi’s distant shout tore through Eden, scattering to the wind all thoughts of Chloe’s odd behavior.

“I don’t care what Fieldman says.” The sheriff stiffened like a hound dog catching a scent. “I’m going out there.”

“Wait!” Eden grabbed hold of his arm. “If they’ve found them, they’ll know the best way to get them out. Don’t do something rash.”

“Let go of me, woman.” He snapped his arm out of her grasp, nearly wrenching her shoulder in the process. With pounding footfalls, he tromped off a few steps and then stopped and spun around.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” He advanced on her, and Eden leaned away from his dark scowl. “Just because you read all those fancy books don’t mean you know more about the world than I do, Eden.”

“I . . . I never said—”

“You didn’t have to say it. It’s written all over your face. You think more of that oversized iron-bender than you do of me.”

Eden just stared at him, her stomach churning at the venom in his voice.

“Oh yeah. I know all about his visits to the library. And I seen how cozy the two of you were this morning. Shoot, if I’d known all it took to win your hand was to read a few novels, I woulda done that, too. But I thought you were too smart to fall for a ploy like that. I respected you too much. And now I learn that you think so little of me that you assume I’ll march over to where those men are digging and cause a rockslide or something.”

The man truly sounded hurt. She’d never meant to insult him; she just wanted to avoid an accident brought on by interfering with the rescue attempt. She opened her mouth to apologize, but the sheriff cut her off.

“Let me tell you something, Eden Spencer, of the high-and-mighty Spencers. I take my elected duties seriously. As sheriff, it’s my job to protect the citizens of this town, and if there’s a rescue to be made, ain’t nobody gonna keep me from doing my part—you understand?”

She managed a nod.

“Good.” His scorn melted away in an instant, so swift it set her off balance. His frown curved upward in a one-sided grin. Then he raised a finger to her face and traced the edge of her hair from her temple to her chin.

An unpleasant shiver coursed down her neck.

“Something tells me you might soon be changin’ your tune about that iron-bender. He ain’t all he seems. Trust me, darlin’. You can do better.”

For a moment she thought he might try to kiss her, and revulsion hit her so hard she had to fight the urge to flee. Instead, he winked and dropped his hand away from her face. “Yep, I got me a real good feeling.”

As he turned and left, Eden rubbed the back of her arm along the side of her face where he’d touched her, trying to remove the feel of him from her skin. Unfortunately, it did little to ease her growing discomfort.

The sheriff’s real good feeling gave her a real bad feeling.

Activity escalated in the quarry after the sheriff departed. He returned once to retrieve some long boards from a pile by one of the cranes, but that had been twenty minutes ago, and Eden hadn’t seen him since. Which was probably for the best. At least for Chloe.

She’d found the girl amid the other huddled family groups that waited for news of their loved ones. Chloe had stood alone, her expression forlorn as her troubled eyes followed every move the workmen made. Aching for her, Eden had rushed to her side and clasped her hand. Together, they watched, waited, and prayed.

All at once, the dark cluster of men outlined against the gray stone shifted. Two crewmen separated themselves from the rest, something large wedged between them.

“They’ve got them out!” a woman cried as she pulled away from her teenage son and took a few tentative steps forward. “They’re bringing them back. Look! They’re bringing them back. And the first one’s alive! Glory be!”

A murmur of anticipation swept through the group, and the separate huddles merged into one mass as everyone pressed forward to see who was being brought in. Dr. Adams sprinted out to meet the men, his black suit a stark contrast against the gray, dust-encrusted clothes and skin of the workers. The limping man suspended between them was even dirtier, nearly impossible to recognize.

“Is it Pa?” a tiny voice queried near Eden’s elbow. Eden’s heart broke as she looked at the cautious hope etched into the girl’s face.

The child’s mother folded her into a firm embrace. “I don’t know, sugar. I can’t tell from here.”

“It looks a bit like my Joe,” one woman offered. “He’s about the right height.”

“All of them are about that height,” a masculine voice grumbled. “Could be my boy just as easy as any other feller.”

Eden squeezed Chloe’s hand, knowing that similar thoughts must be bouncing through her mind, as well—thoughts about how the gray dust could be disguising Duncan’s fiery hair, or how the leg held stiffly out in front as the threesome hobbled along could be the same as the one that danced those jigs back in the Hang Dog.

Dr. Adams trotted back to the roped-off area he had set up for the injured. His eyes scanned the crowd until his gaze met Eden’s. “Miss Spencer? Would you assist me, please?”

She gave a little start but complied with his request, slowly separating herself from the rest.

“Who is it, Doctor?” the mother of the little girl called out. “Who are they bringing in?”

As Eden ducked under the rope to join him, Dr. Adams steadied his gaze on the young mother, swallowing three times before projecting any words. “It’s Joe Collier.”

The mother’s shoulders sagged, but behind her, the older woman clapped her hands and folded them to her breast as a tremulous smile broke out across her face.

“I knew it was my Joe. I just
knew
it.”

The man missing a son came up to the rope. His weathered hands gripped the strung boundary as if it were a lifeline. “How ’bout the rest of ’em, Doc?” He asked it quietly, but the others must have sensed the impact of the answer, for everyone hushed and pinned their attention to the physician.

Dr. Adams clenched his jaw. “They’re coming” was all he said as he took hold of Eden’s arm and steered her to the makeshift worktable that had been set up in the opposite corner.

Her limbs suddenly heavy, Eden stumbled as she followed the doctor. He mumbled an apology and slowed his pace, but it didn’t do anything to stop the growing numbness within her. When they reached the table, he released her arm and bent to retrieve a pail and a large speckled coffeepot.

Eden cast a glance back at Chloe before focusing again on the physician as he straightened. “Did the others not survive?” she whispered.

His mouth formed a tight line. “I don’t know. From what I could see, the others were being laid out on boards. Could just mean that they’re too busted up to walk, though.” He didn’t quite meet her eyes during that last statement, and that lack stole the reassurance from his words.

But then Dr. Adams lifted his chin and met her stare with his own unflinching one.

“Borrowing trouble won’t help matters, Miss Spencer. Borrowing water will. Fetch some from the rain barrels by the corral.” He held out the coffeepot and pail and waited for her to fit the handles over her fingers. “I won’t know the extent of these men’s injuries until we clean away that quarry dust. Looks like we’ll be turning some of those bandages you brought into washrags.”

By the time Eden returned from the corral, Mr. Collier had been deposited in the infirmary area on one of the sawhorse tables Dr. Adams had rigged with some pilfered boards. Mrs. Collier stood near her husband’s head, stroking his filthy hair, her forehead bent toward his, the two of them talking softly.

Seeing the tenderness between the couple stirred her heart. Her eyes suddenly lifted to search for Levi’s outline against the rocks.

“Miss Spencer? The water.” The doctor’s sharp voice ricocheted through her. Eden snapped her attention back to the situation at hand and bustled forward. She set the pail and water-filled coffeepot on the vacant sawhorse table to the doctor’s left and turned to face the patient. A gasp lodged in her throat, causing her to choke.

Dr. Adams had slit the man’s trouser leg from cuff to lower thigh. A scandalous amount of male limb lay exposed. She immediately averted her eyes only to hear an exasperated sigh from the man beside her.

“This is no time for missish modesty. I need a nurse, not a debutante. Can you manage to assist me without fainting into a heap, or do I need to recruit one of the begrimed workmen who’d likely contaminate the wound the moment a breeze blows across his clothing?”

Years of social training kept Eden’s lips closed against the flaming setdown that leapt to mind. Simply because she’d been caught off guard by a strange man’s hairy limb by no means meant she was some namby-pamby who would faint at the sight of a little blood. Why, she was the one who’d bandaged Cook’s finger when she’d nearly sliced the tip off preparing potatoes for one of Mother’s dinner parties years ago.

She stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders. “I’ll not faint, Doctor. Just tell me what you want done, and I’ll do it.”

“Clean away the blood on his leg so I can see how bad the break is.” Dr. Adams tossed her a rag and turned his back on her to question Mr. Collier.

Determined to prove her mettle, Eden gripped the pail’s handle and pivoted to face the waiting limb. Her earlier glance had been of the healthy flesh above the man’s knee, but now the sight of white bone protruding through bloody skin at the shin made her stomach convulse.

Give me strength, Lord.

She inhaled a deep breath and set the pail on the boards beside Mr. Collier’s ankle. Then she dipped the cotton rag into the water and set to work. Each time she pressed the cloth to the man’s leg, his muscles would clench, and she knew she was causing him pain. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. All her life she’d abhorred violence for the senseless pain it caused. She’d believed that education and enlightened minds would bring about a more peaceful society. But now here she was, hurting a man who was already suffering. Where was the enlightenment in that?

As she completed her task, Dr. Adams motioned her around to the opposite side. “I need you to restrain his good leg while I set this bone. Mrs. Collier will hold his shoulders.”

Eden nodded stiffly and tentatively placed her hands near Mr. Collier’s right ankle. She met Mrs. Collier’s gaze, gaining courage from the other woman’s fortitude.

“Ready, Joe?”

“Get it done, Doc,” the man grunted.

Dr. Adams glanced meaningfully at both women, and Eden tightened her hold. She closed her eyes and leaned her full weight on the man’s good leg.

Suddenly, Mr. Collier cried out, and the leg Eden gripped rose up against her hand. She leaned more of her weight on it until her feet nearly left the ground. Then a gruesome pop sounded and some of the tension flowed out of the wounded man.

“All done,” Dr. Adams said, his voice enviously matter-of-fact. Eden opened her eyes and released her grip on Mr. Collier’s leg, hiding her shaking hands behind her back as she fought to regain control.

The doctor went on to address the Colliers about the serious danger of blood poisoning and explaining how he would splint the leg in order to leave the open wound exposed so they could treat it with a carbolic-acid solution. Eden stepped back to allow them some privacy, only then recognizing the growing commotion from the crowd. Another pair of workers approached, this time carrying a plank with a disturbingly inert form upon it.

“Doctor.” The word came as barely a whisper. Eden cleared her throat and tried again. “Dr. Adams.”

He cast an impatient look over his shoulder.

“Another man is being brought in.”

The physician straightened immediately, frown lines creasing his brow as he took in the sight. Without excusing himself from their presence, he dashed forward to intercept the quarrymen.

“Miss Eden?” Chloe’s trembling voice found Eden’s ear. The girl had separated herself from the rest of the onlookers by moving several paces behind the others. Her face was an anxious mask, her cheeks pale, her eyes wide and a bit wild looking. Regretting that she had left her alone for so long, Eden hurried to rejoin her.

“All of ’em are coming in laid out across them boards. I’m scared, Miss Eden. What if Duncan’s . . .”

Eden ducked beneath the rope and hugged the girl close to her chest. “No matter what happens, God will see us through, Chloe.” She stepped back and clasped the hands of her friend. “Whether this day holds joy or grief, he will be here. And so will I. You’re not alone.”

“Will you stay with me while they bring ’em in?” Chloe sniffed and pulled one of her hands free to wipe at her eyes.

Eden squeezed her other hand. “Of course.” And at that moment she vowed that if Dr. Adams requested her help again, she’d decline. Her place was with Chloe now.

The first trio straggled toward the waiting crowd. Eden and Chloe edged up along the rope barrier to a position where they could better see what was happening. Dr. Adams stopped the workmen several yards out, placed his ear to the prostrate man’s chest, pressed his fingers to his wrist, then shook his head and straightened. Without a word to the families, he strode in the direction of the next litter.

Sheriff Pratt held the front of the plank that supported the fallen man the doctor had just checked, and as they neared the crowd, he signaled his partner to lower the board to the ground. He tugged his hat from his head and with slow steps, arrived to face the mother of the little girl. Two teen boys flanked her, each placing a hand on one of her shoulders as she clutched the young girl to her middle.

“Mrs. Dalton. Ma’am. I’m sorry, but your husband didn’t make it.”

The woman bowed her head, and if she wept, she did so quietly. Eden imagined her trying to stay strong for her children, but when the little girl twisted out of her grasp and asked why her papa was sleeping on that board, the woman crumpled. Her sons supported her elbows as the tight group crept forward to say their good-byes.

The next litter came in, and as the quarrymen called for Mr. Jones, Chloe let out a tiny moan that could have been sympathy or relief, Eden wasn’t sure. The older man strode out to meet them as Levi and Mr. Fieldman approached with the final man. The doctor trailed behind.

“Duncan.” Chloe released Eden’s hand and ran out to meet them. Eden hiked up her skirt and followed, her heart sending a plea heavenward with every frantic beat that thumped in her chest.

Eden tried to catch Levi’s eye as she ran, but he was focusing on the ground before him. The grim line of his mouth did nothing to lift her spirits.

When Chloe reached Duncan’s side, she reached for him, but Dr. Adams stopped her by gently grasping her wrist and steering it away.

“Best not to touch him just yet, miss. I suspect he’s got several cracked ribs as well as a nasty blow to the head. The less we jar him the better.”

Chloe spun to face the doctor, freeing her hand as she turned. “So he’s . . . he’s alive?”

“Yes. And I’m going to do everything I can to keep him that way.” Dr. Adams stepped around her. “Now let’s get him to the examination area, where I can tend him.”

“He’s alive, Miss Eden.” The despair and fear that had been etched into Chloe’s face for the last several hours gave way to a joyous smile. “He’s alive!”

Levi glanced at Eden for a just a second, and a wealth of meaning passed between them. She read his exhaustion and his elation, his determination and his hope. But there was something else there, too. Something intimate and deep. Something meant for her alone. A promise. One that made her stomach tickle.

In a matter of minutes, Levi and Mr. Fieldman had Duncan laid across the second sawhorse table. His eyes were closed, but his chest rose and fell in a satisfying manner. After releasing the end of the litter, the quarry owner turned to face Chloe.

“McPherson’s a good man, miss. And strong, too. He’ll pull through. And when he does, you tell him I have a stonecutting job waiting for him.”