Kisses With KC (Cowboys and Angels Book 11)(34)
Mr. Anders looked smug. “I’ll come by tomorrow, and you can take me to see it.”
MayBelle was bugling out back, and the angel shook his head emphatically.
“I’m not giving you a chance to tell folks in town about this before we make a deal. We go now or not at all. I’ve got plenty of witnesses here, and if we talk business, I’ll require plenty more. I don’t trust you, Mr. Anders.”
“And yet I’m the one with guns trained on me.”
“That’s right, but you came to my house,” Mr. Turley said. “We’ll be following you and provide those witnesses KC talked about. Ellis, remove Mr. Anders’ guns before we go.”
“Well, I don’t believe I’ll go under those circumstances,” Mr. Anders said. “Mr. Murray, we’re at an impasse.”
KC addressed the rest of the room. “Mr. Anders and I will go alone.” Then he turned to the man. “You can have your guns back when we return.”
“I’ll have my guns at my side if you will,” Anders said.
“No. I’m taking all the risk in this business proposition. Take it or leave it.”
“KC, you could always talk to Mitch Barkley. He’d be interested in another silver mine,” Ellis said from across the room.
“I’ll see it first.” Mr. Anders stared into KC’s face. “I accept your terms, but none of your men follow us.”
“Fair enough,” KC said, and the men shook hands. He didn’t know how much silver it took to buy secrets, but he hoped there would be enough in that cave.
14
Eliza Turley
As Eliza listened to the men’s conversation in the kitchen from the other side of the door, she had decided to follow the men to the mine. She would stay well behind and only be there to help if things went very wrong. KC wouldn’t be breaking any promises he’d given Anders. Eliza would only look like a man and not be one.
She changed into some borrowed trousers, packed plenty of ammunition, and started out half an hour after the men. The earlier tracks were easy to follow since they stuck to the trail she had been on a few days ago.
As she rounded the last corner, Eliza noticed some tracks veering off the trail to a different one. The current one was wide enough for a small wagon while the new one was more like a deer path. She stayed on the worn trail. She’d take the new one another day.
It wasn’t long until Eliza turned the last corner and saw the opening of the cave. She looked down into the gulley where they’d watered their horses a few days ago and been shot at. When she looked back toward the cave, she saw two men working among the rocks with fat saddle bags hanging over their shoulders.
She’d never seen anyone use dynamite, but, living in a mining town, she’d heard plenty about it. The miners would drill holes and plant the sticks inside them, then light the fuses, and the successive explosions would collapse the rock. From what she could see, she’d bet these men might be doing just that.
Panic flared. How would she get KC out of there? If she tried to go through the opening of the cave, they’d shoot her. She pulled her rifle from the scabbard. She could shoot one of them before he finished his work, but the other could still light the fuse and collapse the mine on KC. Just then, a donkey walked over and nudged her foot out of the stirrup. She looked closely. It sure looked like KC’s donkey. It took a couple of steps away from her and looked back, swinging its head as if inviting her to follow it.
She’d seen it go with KC when he left, so he must be nearby. The donkey ran, and Eliza decided to follow.
The angel had taken KC to a different opening than he’d used when they came to see the bodies. Inside the cave, the old miner led KC through winding passages into the open area. KC knew the bodies were down the passage to his right, but this time the angel went to the one on their left.
The prospector walked confidently through the darkness. “We’re near the opening we took the other day, but that way wouldn’t have been any good for us today.”
“You sure you’re leading me to a silver vein, Mr. Murray?” Anders couldn’t hear the angel and spoke over the top of the last few words he’d said.
“It’s right here,” the angel said and KC echoed him. They slipped into a narrow opening. KC was sure they’d stood near these very rocks the other day, and he hadn’t seen it at all. They were also very near the other opening. The angel stopped where that passage widened.
Mr. Anders held up his lantern to the wall. The whole thing winked with a thousand points of silver reflection. KC realized that the old prospector had been modest when he said there was still some silver. Even the rocks broken off and piled on the ground didn’t diminish the silver yet to be mined.
Mr. Anders began stuffing his pockets with silver rocks. “What I want to know, Mr. Murray, is this. Are we partners, or do you still plan on selling to me?”
Suddenly, KC could hear what sounded like a gunshot. “KC, get out. It’s going to collapse.” Eliza’s voice echoed off the walls and seemed to come from everywhere.
When KC heard the warning, he moved back the way they’d come as did the angel while Anders continued collecting rocks.
“Let’s go,” he said to Anders, but the man continued to pocket as many stones as he could.