Read Online Indigo Blue by Catherine Anderson - Free Book Online

that look herself. Rare honesty seemed as good a way as any to describe it, though Indigo had always thought of it more in terms of goodness. Some of her reserve fell away. Maybe her father was right in trusting this man. She had a bad habit of being too suspicious of strangers.
    Still, there was something in Jake Rand’s eyes—a hooded look, as if he was hiding something. That bothered her. Lots of people were a little reserved with strangers, though. She shouldn’t form an impression too quickly.
    “Shorty is an old friend. My father trusts him, and so do I. I think whoever was trying to sabotage the mine weakened the timbers, hoping the shaft would collapse when the dynamite discharged. If a powder monkey doesn’t know what he’s doing, he can collapse an entire tunnel. Because I’m a woman, everyone would’ve figured I made a stupid mistake.”
    Her assessment of the situation didn’t sit well with Jake. Just as Jeremy had guessed, someone had been in the wrong place at the right time. “So, instead of causing anyone physical harm, you think the intent was to cause damage to shut you down?”
    “Some folks don’t like having Indians nearby, and they’re particularly leery of my father because he’s Comanche.” She gave a slight shrug. “I’m sure you’ve heard the tales about us, the most bloodthirsty of the lot. If you turn your back on one of us, you can kiss your scalp goodbye. If something comes up missing, they’re certain we stole it.” Her mouth turned down and deepened the dimple in her cheek. “They don’t want him dead, mind you, just out of here.”
    “One thing bothers me. How could anyone have known you planned to blast that particular morning?”
    “We don’t make a secret of it. To the contrary, on blasting days, no one’s allowed into the shafts until we’re finished, so we let the miners know in advance that they can come in to work a little later than normal that day.”
    “So everybody in town probably knew.”
    “Yes. Just as everyone knew nobody would be in the mine.”
    Jake focused on her lips. The little hoyden was fibbing about not being that cold. “They knew you’d go in, though. Correct?”
    She nodded.
    “Then it is possible that you were the target.”
    “Like I said, who’d want me dead? No, whoever took the axe to the timbers just weakened them too much. They probably had no idea anything would happen until the charge went off. By then, I would’ve been safely outside. Shafts are funny things. If the timbers grow weak, the earth above them can shift. Then the smallest vibration can cause a collapse. It was my father’s misfortune that he went down there and began moving things about, searching for the fuse spool.”
    It was Jake’s turn to take a deep breath. He tried to imagine how terrifying it must have been for her when she realized her father was inside the mine.
    “Is there anyone in particular you suspect?”
    Indigo hesitated. She already had revealed far more than she felt comfortable with. Jake Rand had a way of dragging out answers. She looked into his eyes and could detect only concern.
    “You can trust me,” he inserted, once again giving her the unsettling feeling that he had read her thoughts. She was used to it being the other way around. “I need to know everything if I’m going to be of any help.”
    “The Henleys, maybe,” she admitted. “It’s just a wild guess, and I wouldn’t want it repeated. It’s not right to accuse people when you haven’t any proof.”
    Jake considered that attitude pretty charitable since she had just admitted the same wasn’t true in reverse. “It won’t go beyond me. Why do you suspect them?”
    “It’s not a suspicion, exactly. They’re just likely because they have a mine not far from ours, and they don’t cotton much to breeds.”
    Breeds . Jake winced. The word had such an ugly sound.
    “Did any of the workers seem reluctant to help dig your father out?”
    She gave a bitter little