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hugged her briefly. His brother did the same.
    “Bye, Lainey,” Tommy said as great tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving trails of white where the coal dust had washed away.
    “I’ll miss you,” she had whispered. He could still remember her forlorn figure as she clutched her ragged, dirty skirt, picked up her lamp, and headed home.
    Morgan smiled and dropped his other boot on the floor. Elaina was certainly not the ragamuffin he remembered, though her circumstances remained a mystery.
    Not for long, he thought, vowing to begin looking for answers in the morning. Reaching for the black leather vest that hung at the head of the bed, Morgan removed a small address book, a newspaper clipping, and several business cards—the only papers that could identify him—from the inside pocket. Carefully, he slid them beneath the mattress. His encounter with Elaina had shown him the need for care, but Morgan wasn’t worried. Being careful was part of his job.
    The new day dawned clear, though a harsh spring wind bit with icy spines into anyone unfortunate enough to be out-of-doors.
    On the street below her window, the breeze blew bits of paper and tugged at the skirts of the women who passed by, their heads together in quiet conversation. Everyone in Keyserville had heard about the miners’ meeting at the town meeting hall. After her encounter with Morgan, Elaina had decided it was time she made her own feelings known. It wasn’t like her to speak out, to voice her opinions, especially to a roomful of men, but that was exactly what she intended to do. She’d already cleared the time with Ada, who secretly sympathized with the miners.
    Pulling her window closed against the chill that suddenly shook her slender frame, Elaina thought about the darkhaired stranger who looked so much like Ren. Black Dan had been the talk of the town when rumor leaked out that he’d been sent for. Morgan was a hard, cruel man, and she wondered how she could ever have mistaken him for the lighthearted, carefree Ren.
    At least he forced me to take a stand, she thought as she battled a fresh jolt of nerves. Choosing a warm blue wool jersey dress with a ruffled front and simple gored skirt she hoped would help her make the right impression, Elaina closed the door to the old armoire. With trembling fingers, she pulled the dress over her head, adjusted the lacy cuffs and the modest neckline, then used her mother’s silver-handled brush to arrange her hair, pulling it up on the sides and securing it with combs, but leaving it loose in back, hanging almost to her waist.
    After grabbing a woolen shawl, she pinched her cheeks, said a short prayer the miners wouldn’t notice how nervous she was, and headed down the stairs. She knew Redmond and Dawson would be furious, but there was always the slim hope she’d get by without them finding out she was going to the meeting. Whatever happened, she’d worry about the consequences tomorrow. Just this one time, in memory of her father, she had to let the men know how she felt.
    Chapter 3
    H EAD HELD HIGH , Elaina walked down the two flights of stairs, out through the double mahogany doors, and along Broad Street toward the meeting hall.
    Though Keyserville was a small town, two-story brick buildings, false-fronted shops, and canopied mercantile establishments lined the street. She could see J. P. Sidwell’s Livery just up ahead, and noticed several miners’ wives whispering in hushed tones in front of Walzheimer’s General Store.
    By the time Elaina reached the town hall, the meeting had been under way for more than an hour. She figured her timing should be just about right. With the wind whipping her skirts, she paused for a moment at the top of the stone steps to bolster her courage; then she straightened her shoulders, tossed back her head, and opened the door.
    Josh Colson, who headed the grievance committee, stood at the lectern. Every seat in the hall was filled, and miners stood along both