walls.
“We’ve got to stand together!” Josh was saying. He banged the lectern with his fist, and a murmur of agreement filled the hall. As the door creaked shut behind Elaina, he glanced up, his pause drawing the miners’ attention. The room calmed to a quiet hush as the men realized a woman had entered the room.
“What’s she doin’ here?” Jacob Vorhees wanted to know.
“Yeah,” another took up the cry, “who invited her?”
Elaina’s heart pounded. This was going to be even harder than she’d imagined.
“She’s Chuck Dawson’s girl. Git her outta here!” a burly, bearded miner demanded.
“She’s probably a company spy!” one of the younger men chimed in.
Elaina gripped the folds of her jersey dress, feeling close to tears. Why had she come? They weren’t going to listen to anything she had to say. All she was doing was making a fool of herself. She bit her lip and turned to leave but stopped when she heard Josh Colson’s voice above the noise.
“Wait a minute, boys, wait a minute. I know Miss McAllister, and so do a lot of you. She wouldn’t have come here without a darned good reason.” The men quieted a little. “I vote we hear what she has to say.”
“He’s right,” Mike O’Shannessy and some of the others agreed.
The room began to still as the men settled back down.
“You got somethin’ to say, Miss McAllister?” Josh asked.
Elaina swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, she marched up the aisle to the front of the room. When she reached the lectern, Josh smiled at her reassuringly. With her heart pounding so hard it thumped against her ribs, she turned to face the men. It was one of the toughest things she’d ever had to do. Her palms were damp, her knees shaking, and the remaining color had drained from her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” she said hesitantly. “I just thought . . . I mean . . . some of you knew my father.” When she heard the men’s muttered acknowledgment, a bit of her courage returned. “If you worked for him before he took on Redmond and Dawson as partners, then you know working conditions weren’t always as bad as they are now. My father was concerned for the miners’ safety. He knew long hours only increased the risk of accidents. He kept the equipment well maintained; he didn’t believe in taking shortcuts that might cost lives.” Before she could continue, a flash of light at the back of the hall signaled the opening door. The tall man who entered settled his broad-brimmed black hat a little lower across his brow. His pale blue eyes held hers, and for a moment she couldn’t remember what she wanted to say.
Why had he come? she wondered. Did he intend to stop the meeting? She forced her mind back to the words she wanted to say, and her heart resumed its uneven beat. The rumble in the crowd ceased as she picked up her train of thought.
“I came here today because I wanted you to know that I think what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to achieve, is right. You deserve a day’s pay for a day’s work. You have the right—no the obligation—to insist on safe working conditions.” The men shouted their approval. Elaina stiffened her spine and went on, determined just this once to speak her mind. “My father believed that—and so do I!”
She glanced toward the back of the room and saw the tall man lean nonchalantly against the wall, his big .45 resting ominously on his hip. His cool look infuriated her. How dare he come here and try to intimidate these men!
Lifting her chin, she leaned over the lectern, searching each man’s eyes. “And if you have to fight for what you know is right, then so be it!”
Cheers and whistles of approval thundered through the hall. Josh Colson grinned at her and squeezed her arm. Gathering her skirts, she headed back up the aisle to the entrance, hearing the miners’ applause and feeling shaky all over. Dan Morgan, his eyes unreadable, flashed her a mocking smile and
“We’ve got to stand together!” Josh was saying. He banged the lectern with his fist, and a murmur of agreement filled the hall. As the door creaked shut behind Elaina, he glanced up, his pause drawing the miners’ attention. The room calmed to a quiet hush as the men realized a woman had entered the room.
“What’s she doin’ here?” Jacob Vorhees wanted to know.
“Yeah,” another took up the cry, “who invited her?”
Elaina’s heart pounded. This was going to be even harder than she’d imagined.
“She’s Chuck Dawson’s girl. Git her outta here!” a burly, bearded miner demanded.
“She’s probably a company spy!” one of the younger men chimed in.
Elaina gripped the folds of her jersey dress, feeling close to tears. Why had she come? They weren’t going to listen to anything she had to say. All she was doing was making a fool of herself. She bit her lip and turned to leave but stopped when she heard Josh Colson’s voice above the noise.
“Wait a minute, boys, wait a minute. I know Miss McAllister, and so do a lot of you. She wouldn’t have come here without a darned good reason.” The men quieted a little. “I vote we hear what she has to say.”
“He’s right,” Mike O’Shannessy and some of the others agreed.
The room began to still as the men settled back down.
“You got somethin’ to say, Miss McAllister?” Josh asked.
Elaina swallowed hard. Taking a deep breath, she marched up the aisle to the front of the room. When she reached the lectern, Josh smiled at her reassuringly. With her heart pounding so hard it thumped against her ribs, she turned to face the men. It was one of the toughest things she’d ever had to do. Her palms were damp, her knees shaking, and the remaining color had drained from her cheeks.
“I didn’t mean to cause any trouble,” she said hesitantly. “I just thought . . . I mean . . . some of you knew my father.” When she heard the men’s muttered acknowledgment, a bit of her courage returned. “If you worked for him before he took on Redmond and Dawson as partners, then you know working conditions weren’t always as bad as they are now. My father was concerned for the miners’ safety. He knew long hours only increased the risk of accidents. He kept the equipment well maintained; he didn’t believe in taking shortcuts that might cost lives.” Before she could continue, a flash of light at the back of the hall signaled the opening door. The tall man who entered settled his broad-brimmed black hat a little lower across his brow. His pale blue eyes held hers, and for a moment she couldn’t remember what she wanted to say.
Why had he come? she wondered. Did he intend to stop the meeting? She forced her mind back to the words she wanted to say, and her heart resumed its uneven beat. The rumble in the crowd ceased as she picked up her train of thought.
“I came here today because I wanted you to know that I think what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to achieve, is right. You deserve a day’s pay for a day’s work. You have the right—no the obligation—to insist on safe working conditions.” The men shouted their approval. Elaina stiffened her spine and went on, determined just this once to speak her mind. “My father believed that—and so do I!”
She glanced toward the back of the room and saw the tall man lean nonchalantly against the wall, his big .45 resting ominously on his hip. His cool look infuriated her. How dare he come here and try to intimidate these men!
Lifting her chin, she leaned over the lectern, searching each man’s eyes. “And if you have to fight for what you know is right, then so be it!”
Cheers and whistles of approval thundered through the hall. Josh Colson grinned at her and squeezed her arm. Gathering her skirts, she headed back up the aisle to the entrance, hearing the miners’ applause and feeling shaky all over. Dan Morgan, his eyes unreadable, flashed her a mocking smile and
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