Reclaimed Love: Banished Saga, Book Two Read Online Free

anyone hiring finish carpenters or cabinetmakers?”
    “I’ll be hiring in a few months, but if you want something now, I’d go to the Thornton Block, down Broadway near the McDermott. Ask for Jeffers. If you’ve the skills, he’ll be eager to hire you. Can’t seem to keep able-bodied men healthy on his site.”
    “I don’t know as that is a recommendation,” Gabriel said.
    “His workers keep injuring themselves in bar brawls.”
    “I thank you for the advice,” Gabriel said as the other man paid for his meal and prepared to leave.
    “Tell Jeffers that Cassidy sent you.”
    “I’m obliged,” Gabriel said with a nod.
    “Welcome to Butte, young man.”
    ***
    “HEY, MATTHEW!” Gabriel called out at the Never Dry Saloon on Main Street in Centerville just down from the boardinghouse. The din from conversations among off-duty miners almost eclipsed the sweet music from the fiddle player tooling away in the corner. He was taking requests but only agreed to play songs that he liked. Some patrons tapped their feet on the plank wooden floors.
    The tables were three-quarters full, and two bartenders were busy with the patrons crowded along the long oak bar. The majority of the area behind the bar held casks of gin and whiskey stacked nearly to the ceiling. One small area was framed by intricately carved mahogany columns.
    Gabriel set aside the paper after reading about two miners who had been blown up past recognition in one of the mines. He shivered as he recalled the frank description of the bits of red-and-blue cloth and body parts found at the scene.
    “Hi, Gabe. Didn’t see you there,” Matthew said.
    “You look like hell.”
    “Oh, I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” Matthew said, his hand shaking so hard beer spilled from his glass as he attempted to take a sip. He quickly wiped away the beer, then swiped at beads of sweat from his forehead. His black hair was rumpled, and, in his agitation, he continually ran his fingers through it. He seemed to have lost weight, his lanky frame now bordering on wiry.
    “Matthew, what happened?” Gabriel demanded.
    “I had my first underground shift at the Mountain Consolidated Mine today, Gabe,” Matthew murmured. “By God, I tell you, when I stepped onto that cage and realized seven other miners were to be crammed in there with me, I almost begged to get off. Before I had the courage to speak up, the cage jolted into motion, and we were belowground. Then I realized it would be twelve hours until I could get out of there.”
    Gabriel quelled a shudder at the thought.
    “I knew the ride only lasted a few minutes, but it felt an eternity. The man across from me hadn’t bathed in days and had eaten onions recently. When I finally arrived at my level, I soon understood why the seasoned miners laughed as I got off. My level is known as purgatory, ’cause it’s so hot that we must be at risk of going to hell. And the smells were worse than I could have imagined. You think it stinks aboveground?” Matthew shook his head from side to side. “The stench from the mules, the men not using the piss pots, and all of us crowded together in so tight a place for hours on end. You have no idea what it’s like.
    “The light from the candle on my hat did little to illuminate my way, and I stumbled into the wall. I could barely see where my partner wanted me to drill. Somehow I got through the twelve hours, my partner ensuring I didn’t get blown up. But, I tell you, Gabe, I’ve never been more afraid than when we were told to go back to dig out the blown-up ore when we hadn’t heard all the charges go off. I thought for sure I was going to be the one to pick at the pile with the unexploded dynamite. Instead, Tim Daly did.”
    Gabriel listened, understanding Matthew’s need to talk.
    “Oh, Christ, Gabe. The blood. His screams. And it took forever to get the cage to our level. By the time he left, he was comatose. They don’t think he’ll make it.”
    “Jesus,”