Meadowlark

by Carolyn Lampman

  Dr. Caldwell avoided her eyes. “We’re going to get him out.”

  “He’s trapped somehow, isn’t he?”

  “No, not exactly.”

  “For God’s sake, Dr. Caldwell, I’m his wife. I have the right to know.”

  For a long moment she didn’t think he was going to answer, then he sighed. “The explosion cracked one of the main beams, and there wasn’t anything down there to prop it up to keep it from breaking.”

  “And...?”

  “And Swede’s down there holding it up with his bare hands.”

  Chapter 11

  Garrick felt like an utter fool. Anybody with any intelligence would have gotten out of this hellhole when they had the chance. No sane man would have stepped under a cracked beam and tried to hold it together. As if to remind him of his folly, the timber above him groaned and a spattering of dirt fell around him.

  “We’re gonna die, ain’t we, Swede?” The whispered voice was filled with pain.

  A single glance down at Amos’s broken body and Garrick knew he’d done the only thing possible. There was no way he could have left his men behind. “Don’t worry. The mine’s just settling. It always does that after a blast,” he said quietly, wondering how long it would be before they were buried under several tons of rock.

  “Do you think Jack and the others made it out?” Amos asked.

  “Probably. Can you see Pierre?”

  “Kinda. He’s over by the wall, but I can’t see him real well. He ain’t movin’.” Amos was quiet for a long moment before he spoke again. “Dammit, Swede, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t dropped that lamp, the fuses wouldn’t have fired.”

  “That lamp hit the floor when you did. You didn’t cause the blast that knocked everybody down. Besides, if I’d been quicker, I’d have gotten the fuses all pulled loose.”

  Silence fell between them. Garrick hoped Amos had slipped into unconsciousness. His pain must be excruciating.

  Unfortunately, it left Garrick alone with the growing ache in his arms. He knew it was only a matter of time before his strength gave out. There was always the possibility the cracked beam would hold, but it wasn’t likely. He wondered if the lantern would go out before the roof caved in.

  Garrick conjured the image of Becky. Not only was the thought of his wife much more pleasant, he wanted her vision to be foremost on his mind when death came. Now he wished he’d told her how he felt about her, and how she’d brightened his life. He’d wanted to a hundred times but couldn’t seem to find the words.

  Suddenly, he caught the glimmer of light far down the tunnel. Was it his imagination or a rescue party? A second later, the sight of Ox Bruford’s familiar form filled him with hope. Maybe, just maybe...

  The beam gave another ominous groan just as the four men reached him. All of them looked up at the cracked timber then down at Garrick.

  “Jesus, Swede, what the hell are you doing?”

  “Unless you want the whole mountain to come down on us, Ox, you’d better lower your voice,” Garrick whispered. “Amos is pretty bad, Doc, but better check Pierre first. He’s over against the wall. Don’t know if he’s alive or not.”

  It only took a glance for Dr. Caldwell to see Pierre was beyond help. With a regretful sigh, he turned away and went to Amos. At least this one had a chance.

  “We sent some men to get something to hold the beam up, Swede,” Ox said. He looked up at the heavy timber and shook his head. “I see it, but I don’t believe it. What were you thinking?”

  “I obviously wasn’t thinking at all,” Garrick said dryly. “Better get those men out of here while you still can.”

  Dr. Caldwell worked quickly. Within a very few minutes they rigged a sling between two of the rescuers to carry Amos out.

  “I’ll get him,” the third man said, nodding toward Pierre. All of them avoided looking at Garrick. There was nothing any of them could do. No one was tall enough to help hold the beam.

  “Don’t jostle him anymore than you can help,” Dr. Caldwell cautioned as they lifted Amos from the floor and started down the tunnel. His moan of pain was nearly drowned out as the beam shifted with an ominous crack.

  “Get the hell out of here,” Garrick said urgently as a nearly unbearable weight settled against his hands. There was no longer any doubt about whether it would stay up without his support.

  “I’m not going anywhere until we get you out of here,” Ox said stubbornly, as the other men disappeared from sight.

  “Don’t be...a fool...Bruford. My wife...” Garrick said, gritting his teeth. “Promise me...promise you’ll take care of her.”

  Ox started to deny the need for such a promise then nodded. “I will.”

  “Find...out...where that...damn support...is.”

  They both knew there was no way the rescuers would get there in time, but it was easier to pretend.

  “I’ll be right back,” Ox promised, knowing he’d probably never see his friend again.

  Ox was almost out of sight when Garrick felt the beam shift in his hands. “Run for it,” he yelled as his reflexes took over.

  Becky was staring at Pierre’s mangled body in horrified disbelief when an ominous rumble filled the air. “Garrick!” she screamed as a cloud of dust belched out of the mine entrance.

  Without a thought, she turned and ran toward the opening. Someone grabbed her and stopped her flight before she could reach her destination. “Let me go!” she screeched, trying to twist loose from the arms that restrained her.

  Angel held on tightly but did nothing to calm Becky. She just stood there staring at the empty blackness of the mine. “Dear God,” she whispered, “not both of them.”

  An eternity passed. The men around them were still deciding what to do when two dust-covered figures stumbled out of the mine coughing and choking.

  “Jesus, Swede,” Ox said, wiping dirt out of his eyes. “How did you move so fast? I was halfway out when you yelled. The next thing I knew, you were right beside me.”

  “Long legs.”

  “You’re one hell of a runner.”

  “You didn’t do so bad yourself.”

  Suddenly, Becky was in Garrick’s arms sobbing against his chest, and everything else ceased to matter.

  “Oh, Garrick,” she cried, her hands clutching the back of his shirt as though she were afraid he might disappear. “I was so scared.”

  “Shhh, little one, it’s all right.” Garrick closed his eyes and pulled her closer as he savored the feel of her in his arms. He hadn’t expected to ever experience it again. The world ebbed and flowed around them, but they paid no attention as they clung to each other.

  “What happened in there, Swede?”

  Garrick opened his eyes and looked down at Tom Ryan, the owner of the Goulden Curry mine. “We’d just finished tamping in all the powder cartridges...”

  Becky listened with growing horror as Garrick described the events that had taken place in the mine below. She kept her arms around her husband with the side of her head pressed against his chest where she could hear the steady beat of his heart and assure herself that he was somehow miraculously still alive.

  “...but I’m not sure what started it. You talked to Klynton yet?”

  “He’s dead,” Tom Ryan said. “Seems you were right about the blasting oil being too unstable to use safely.”

  “So, the nitroglycerin finally did him in.” Garrick sighed. “He was so sure he could handle it.”

  “At least the tunnel isn’t blocked. The sides caved in, but the roof held.”

  Garrick stared at him for a moment in stunned disbelief, and then gave a derisive laugh. “That explains how I was able to hold that beam up so long. I thought it was pretty amazing.”

  “Who knows? If you hadn’t been there it might have shifted differently.”

  “How are my men?”

  “Pierre Françoise is dead, Amos Peterson has two broken legs and may lose his arm. Everybody else is all right.”

  Garrick
closed his eyes and swallowed hard.

  “You did all you could,” Becky said softly.

  “I know, but they were my responsibility.”

  “We were lucky, Swede. Fifteen minutes earlier or later, there would have been a whole shift down in the mine,” Tom Ryan said, gripping his shoulder. “Take your wife and go home, Swede. You both look about done in.”

  “If you’re sure you don’t need me.”

  Tom Ryan shook his head. “You’ve done more than your share already.

  After a quick good-bye to Ox and Angel, they headed home. Garrick said little on the way, and for once even Becky was disinclined to talk. All she could think about was how close she had come to losing him. One moment of carelessness, not even his own, and he’d almost died.

  Becky glanced up at his strong profile. For some reason she couldn’t fathom, Garrick seemed to put everyone else first, even if it meant putting his life on the line. Even when he’d married her, he’d sacrificed himself to solve her problem.

  Today he’d risked death twice, both times without even thinking about it. With a flash of insight, she realized he would always be that way. The inherent risks of his job made it that much worse. Every time he went down in that mine, he was in danger.

  When they arrived home, Becky put water on to heat, and Garrick was soon relaxing in a hot bath. If only the memories of the day could be soaked away as easily as the dirt and sore muscles.

  Supper was a silent meal. Garrick was grateful until he noticed Becky wasn’t eating. There was nothing wrong with the food, but she just kept pushing it around her plate.

  “Are you feeling all right?” he asked with concern.

  “Fine.”

  “Is the baby moving around a lot?”

  She smiled at that. Garrick’s growing fascination with the baby endeared him to her even more. “No, he’s pretty calm right now.”

  “Oh.”

  Silence fell again as Garrick went back to his meal. Watching him across the table, Becky had a sudden need to touch him, to assure herself that he was truly all right. “I can put the salve on your back right after supper. Then you can go to bed.”

  “That sounds fine.”

  As soon as the meal was finished, Garrick removed his shirt and lay down on the bed while Becky went to get the salve. She settled herself next to him and began to smooth the substance over his skin. The muscles under her fingers were curiously knotted. It hadn’t occurred to her that he might be suffering physical discomfort other than the various cuts she had already doctored on his face and hands.

  “Would you like me to rub your shoulders?”

  “Mmmhuh. With his eyes closed and his chin propped on his folded arms, Garrick felt the bone-deep weariness ease beneath Becky’s healing touch. If he couldn’t forget the horrors of the day, at least there was a feeling of peace here at home. A soft thump on his ribs where Becky leaned against him brought a smile to his lips. It was pretty hard to be despondent with Becky and her baby around.

  He wasn’t even aware of the tears that filled Becky’s eyes or the knot that blocked her throat. The image of Pierre Françoise’s mutilated body was impossible to forget as she massaged her husband’s strong, healthy back.

  Much later that night, shadows shifting across his face awakened Garrick. It took a few seconds to realize what had disturbed him. From his usual place near the hearth, he could see Becky clearly outlined by the moonlight streaming in through the open shutter. There was something about the way she was standing there staring out into the night that sent a wave of alarm rippling through him.

  In a moment, he had slid out of his bedroll and slipped on his pants. He walked barefoot and shirtless across the floor to stand behind her. “Are you all right?”

  “No,” she said without turning, “I’m not.”

  “Is it the baby?”

  “No.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “I don’t want you to go down into that mine again.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t take it anymore, Garrick.”

  “But I’m a powder man. I can’t do my job without going into the mine. Measuring the charges is only part of it. I have to tell my crew where to drill the blasting holes. They need me right there to—”

  “Garrick,” she said softly, “I want you to think about quitting your job.”

  He was stunned. “Are you crazy?”

  “I know it’s a lot to ask but—”

  “A lot to ask! It’s my life. I learned how to work explosives during the war, then spent four years using that knowledge on the Union Pacific before I even came to South Pass City. I was one of the best; I still am.”

  “But for how long?” She finally turned to him, her swollen eyes clearly visible in the bright moonlight. She’d obviously been crying most of the night. “You almost died today.”

  “It was a freak accident.”

  “I know, and it wasn’t even your fault, but three men are dead and another is probably crippled for life. It was a miracle you weren’t hurt.” She crossed her arms in front of her body and rubbed her elbows. “You threw that miracle away when you grabbed the broken beam. I don’t know another man in the world who would have done that. It was extremely brave, a truly noble thing to do, but it was also incredibly stupid.”

  Her words were like shards of glass driven into his pride. Couldn’t she see he’d done the only thing he could? Didn’t she know how much it hurt him to see his men dead and wounded because he wasn’t fast enough? “What do you want from me?” he asked angrily.

  “I want to know you’ll be there tomorrow and the day after. I can’t stand the thought of you dying in some foolish act of heroism.”

  “I can’t change what I am, Becky.”

  “Does being a powder man really mean so much to you?”

  “With Klynton gone, Mr. Ryan is already short one powder man.” He shrugged. “Besides, it’s all I know.”

  “Couldn’t you learn something new?” she asked. “Nobody pans the creek here. Maybe you could build a sluice box and—”

  “You are crazy. Even if there were any gold here, which I doubt, it would probably take both of us all day every day just to get enough so we could buy food.”

  “I wouldn’t mind.”

  “Well, I would. Besides, in another month it’ll be winter. How do you propose to support us then?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe I could take in sewing.”

  “Oh, that’s a great plan,” he said sarcastically. “And you could do laundry in your spare time.”

  “Actually, it’s a pretty good idea,” Becky said, warming to her theme. “Angel seems pleased enough with my work. Maybe she’d...” Becky’s voice trailed off as she realized she’d given away her secret.

  “What work is that?” Garrick’s voice was quiet, but Becky wasn’t deceived. He was furious.

  “It’s just...I only…”

  His huge hands closed around her upper arms as he leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. “What kind of work?” he repeated ominously.

  “I...I’ve been doing their mending.”

  “Whose?”

  “A-Angel’s and her g-girls, but I only go in the morning.”

  “What! You go to The Green Garter?”

  “Well, yes...but there’s no reason for you to be upset.”

  “No reason? My wife spends every morning in a brothel and I’m not supposed to be upset!”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “You’re right, I don’t.” He thrust her away and stomped over to where his shirt hung on the wall. “If you needed more money, you should have told me.”

  “But it wasn’t—”

  “No wife of mine is going to work,” he said, shoving his arms into the shirtsleeves. “Especially not in a brothel!” He grabbed his boots and headed for the door.

  “Garrick, where are you going?”

  “Out!”

  “You’re running away again, just
like you did last time.”

  “No, I’m doing the only thing I can. I’ve never beat a woman in my life, and I don’t want to start now.”

  “This isn’t about me, Garrick.”

  He turned to look at her with one eyebrow raised superciliously. “It’s not?”

  “No.” Becky gripped her hands behind her back to give herself courage. There was too much at stake to let him leave without resolving this. “I don’t want to be a widow, Garrick. If I have to sit here every day and worry about whether you’re going to make it home again, I’ll go crazy. I can’t survive married to a man who flirts with death for a living.”

  He stared at her angrily for a moment then turned to go.

  “Garrick, don’t you dare leave without answering me.”

  As he stopped in the open doorway, Garrick suddenly remembered how he’d held onto the image of Becky when he thought he had only moments to live. He glanced over his shoulder and gritted his teeth against the stricken look on her face. He wanted to make her happy, but she asked too much. “Jeg elsker deg,” he muttered in Norwegian.

  “What does that mean?”

  “You don’t want to know,” he said, then walked out into the night.

  Chapter 12

  Garrick was so angry that he was a hundred yards from the house before he realized he was barefoot. Feeling foolish, he pulled on his boots and buttoned his shirt. He hadn’t even thought to grab his coat, and the walk to town in the cold mountain air didn’t improve his humor any. By the time he reached The Green Garter, he was in a thundering rage.

  His entrance into the casino caused quite a stir. The story of his bravery down in the mine had grown to astounding proportions. The fact that it was well after midnight and most of the patrons were drunk added to the mystique of his heroism. No one seemed to share Becky’s belief that it had been a stupid thing to do.

  If he hadn’t been so angry, their adulation would have gone a long way toward soothing his wounded feelings. As it was, the crowd around him only irritated him further as he searched the room for Angel. He finally located her dealing Blackjack at a table in the back. Shedding his admirers like an unwanted garment, he stalked to her corner.