Free The Miner's Lady by Tracie Peterson

unknown boy. Surely someone—somewhere—loved this boy-man.
    â€œDo you know him?” she asked Dante.
    â€œHe was new. His name is . . . was Samuel.”
    She nodded. “Does he have no family?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Dante admitted.
    â€œYou know that explosion could have been set early on purpose,” Chantel heard someone say behind her.
    Someone else picked up the conversation, apparently not seeing Chantel and Dante. “You know them Panettas and Calarcos have been fighting for a long time, and them Calarcos handle explosives.”
    â€œSeems a foolish gamble just to get rid of your enemy,” another man joined in. “Makes no sense to risk everyone’s livelihood that way.”
    Chantel swallowed hard, then noticed Dante was watching her closely. She bit her lip to keep from asking him about the comments. It was clear he had heard the men talking, just as she had.
    She gestured toward where her family had gathered. “I should get back to my mother,” she said, feeling awkward.
    Making her way through the crowd, Chantel resumed a place beside her mother. “It’s a young boy named Samuel.” She then looked to Isabella. “Orlando is all right. Dante told me.” Isabella closed her eyes, relief washing over her face.
    Mama took hold of her daughters’ hands. “We must keep praying for your papa.”
    â€œI am.” Chantel turned back to where Dante stood. His dark eyes seemed to look right through her. “I am, Mama.” Her voice barely sounded, while Isabella, eyes closed, appeared to already be in prayer.
    Nearly an hour later they announced they were bringingup another man. Chantel’s feet and face felt frozen, but there was nothing to be done. None of her family would leave the area until they knew the truth about her father.
    Again the body was brought up from the shaft and laid out on the cold ground. “He’s alive!” someone called. “Get Dr. Shipman!”
    â€œIt’s Panetta,” someone else declared.
    Chantel felt her mother tremble. “I must see him,” she said. Marco and Alfredo were nowhere to be found, so Chantel took hold of her mother’s arm. “Come, Mama. I’ll get you up there.”
    She pushed through the onlookers, pulling her mother behind her. They were very nearly to where her father lay, when Marco appeared. “He’s alive, Mama. He’s unconscious, but he’s alive.”
    He took over and led their mother to her injured husband. Chantel felt strangely alone. She crossed her arms and tucked her frozen fingers under her arms. She again found Dante watching her from across the way. She couldn’t explain the look in his eyes, but for just a moment, it resembled guilt. Surely he didn’t have anything to do with this accident.
    Dr. Shipman ordered several men to take Chantel’s father to his office and makeshift hospital. Chantel and Isabella followed after their brothers and mother. Neither spoke, but they held each other’s hand like they might have when they were young.
    â€œHe will be all right, won’t he?” Chantel heard her mother ask Marco.
    â€œThe doctor doesn’t know, Mama. We have to be strong and wait,” he replied.
    Chantel noticed how much he sounded like their father. Taking charge the way he had, she could almost imagine her father as a younger man. She thought again of young Samuel. Poor boy. It could just as easily have been Marco or Alfredo. The three of them generally worked close together. If someone had wanted to end their lives, it would be relatively simple—just wait until the trio was isolated and working alone. She felt disgusted by her thoughts and pushed aside the growing suspicion she felt.
    At the doctor’s they sat in an outer waiting area while the doctor and his staff worked to save Giovanni Panetta. The family members alternated between pacing and sitting, but