He grinned at that. “I don’t doubt it, after seeing you fly through windows.”
Preferring not to discuss last night, she moved toward the chestnut gelding a groom was holding for her. “Hello there, sweetie,” she crooned, stroking its satiny neck. “Are you ready for a nice long run?” She knew enough about horses to appreciate the quality of this one. The chestnut blew through his flaring nostrils, turning his head into Brig’s chest, asking for more affection. Brig laughed, stroking him again. She’d always been a natural with animals, figuring their acute senses perceived and responded to her paranormal side.
“His name’s Roscoe,” Duncan told her. “He’s very well behaved and easy to ride.”
“Easier than him, I imagine,” Brig remarked, catching sight of the gorgeous black stallion, dancing friskily as a groom led him forward.
“Ah, this is Aberdeen,” Duncan said proudly, reaching out to catch hold of the reins.
“He’s magnificent,” she said. “Aberdeen’s a city in Scotland, right?”
“Yes, on the east coast. It’s spaceport is one of the busiest in the universe.”
Brig watched him stroke the stallion’s shiny coat, trying not to think of those long tanned fingers caressing her skin.
“Can I help you to mount, ma’am?” The groom cupped his hands in front of her. Though she didn’t need the boost, she went through the motions, gripping the horn of the saddle as she swung nimbly onto the seat. At the same time, she caught sight of Duncan’s fine backside as he mounted up. She averted her gaze, looking down to adjust the length of her stirrups. Moments later, she followed Cameron out of the palace grounds through a side gate. Ahead of them was a tract of undulating grassland, punctuated by patches of pine forest. In the distance, the May sky framed a long range of black mountains. Ever mindful of her job, Brig glanced over her shoulder to check that the ten guards Alistair Hay had assigned were following. She hadn’t argued when Duncan had instructed them to maintain a discreet distance. She would pick up danger signals soon enough to alert the sentries.
They rode in silence for a while, listening to the horses’ blowing breath and the creak of saddles as they moved along a wide path bordered by colorful spring flowers. “The countryside is beautiful,” she said to break the silence. “Does it bear a resemblance to Scotland?”
He surveyed the soft sweep of spring landscape though narrowed eyes. “No, the flora and fauna are different, because Nevis has a milder climate than Scotland.”
“Hmm, I suppose that means I won’t see any purple heather. I was hoping to pick a sprig. They say it brings luck.”
He glanced at her. “I wouldn’t have suspected you of whimsy, Monroe.”
She smiled. “I have my moments.” To keep the conversation going, she added, “Will I be able to watch the ore drilling process at the new mine?”
He glanced at her again. “Certainly, if it interests you.”
It did, geek that she was. “Do you still manage the mines yourself?”
He nodded. “Effectively, yes, though, I’ve hand-picked my team, I like to put in an appearance when commitments permit, particularly when we’re digging a new shaft.”
While he spoke, Brig’s keen ears picked up the distant sound of voices and the thump of machinery.
“To reach the camp from here, we’ll have to ride through some rougher terrain. Are you all right with that?”
She gave him a look that said, “Are you serious?”
He grinned. “Forgot who I’m talking to.” Urging his horse into a canter, he headed toward an incline.
Brig followed close behind, enjoying the faster pace, thinking she might buy her own horse when she got back to Earth. Long minutes later, they reached the top of a slope and Brig saw the drilling site below.
Duncan dismounted. “We’ll leave our mounts here, away from the clamor.”
Brig slid off her horse, and removed her helmet, stowing it in her saddlebag. “Will the horses stay?”
“My black will, and I’ll hobble the gelding.”
While he tended to that, Brig turned to study the worksite below. There were people everywhere, milling around the mountain area, or sitting at long wooden tables near a mobile catering unit.
Brig was startled
w
hen she felt the warm pressure of
Cameron’s hand on hers,
as if to guide her down the hill.
“We agreed no touching.” She pulled her hand free, annoyed to find she was breathless from the quick contact.
Duncan smiled into her eyes. “No, I don’t believe I did agree to that, but in this case, I was merely trying to be courteous.
There are a lot of naturally occurring potholes in this area. I don’t want you to trip and hurt yourself.”
She gave him a droll look, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.
As they entered the worksite, a tall auburn-haired man approached. Brig noted that he walked with a slight limp. “Good morning, boss. Everything’s set to go.”
Duncan patted the man on the shoulder. “Malcolm, let me introduce you to Brig Monroe. Brig, this is Malcolm Finlay, my team leader.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Finlay.”
“And you, ma’am.” He doffed his cap.
“Why don’t you grab yourself a drink, Brig,” Duncan suggested. “And I’ll call you when we start to drill.”
She wanted to insist that she should go with him because he was vulnerable out here in the open. His warning look stopped her. She blew out a breath and nodded. Sitting down at the first table she came to. Once Cameron and Finlay moved away, she stepped up her psychic feelers to scan the surrounds. At the same time, she noted the palace guards walking toward a table off to her right.
With nothing else to do, she reached for the thermos of coffee in the center of the table to pour herself a cup. Sitting opposite her was an auburn-haired boy, who looked to be about ten years old. Though it was still early for lunch, the lad was hungrily consuming a mountainous sandwich, stopping only to wash it down with deep glugs of milk.
He paused to nod politely at Brig. “Good morning, ma’am. I’m Jamie Finlay.”
Charmed by his freckled face and his milk mustache, Brig smiled broadly. “Good morning to you, Jamie Finlay, I’m Brig Monroe.” As she looked him over, she asked teasingly, “Are you one of the workers here?”
He grinned hugely, obviously tickled at the idea. “I hope to be one day, ma’am. It’s really somethin’ out here, ain’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” She looked back toward the drill site where Duncan and Finlay and another operative were crouched down, examining a piece of equipment.
“I want to work as a geologist like my dad,” Jamie continued.
“Good choice,” she said. “It’s a fascinating profession.”
“Yeah, but I have to go to college and everything first, and that’s like light-years away.” He shrugged his small shoulders, and took another bite of his sandwich.
Enjoying him, Brig made sympathetic sounds. “Yeah, being a kid can be tough, when everything seems to take forever to happen.”
“Why is that?”
Brig widened her eyes. “That, my friend, is one of life’s mysteries. All I can say is things will speed up considerably as you grow older.”
He nodded. “That’s what Mom says. I have to be patient.”
Brig was curious. “Why are you here and not in school? Is it a holiday?”
“Yeah, spring break.”
“Right.” Similar to Earth, she thought.
“So I came to work with my dad because my Aunty Lil just had a baby, and mom had to go and see it and stuff.” He paused to drink more milk. “That’s my dad over there, talking to Prince Cameron.” He pointed toward the
drill-hole area. “
Dad’s the foreman on this job.”
Brig glanced toward Cameron and Finlay as she spoke, “It’s clear, the prince thinks highly of your father.”
“Yeah, the prince is great. He let me ride his horse last time I was here.”
“I bet that was exciting.”
He gave her another toothy grin. “It was the best. The prince walked beside Aberdeen, but I held his reins and steered and stuff. Afterward I was thinking that if I don’t become a geologist, I might try to be a jockey.” He paused, looking behind him toward the catering area. “They have cherry pie for dessert. Would you like a slice? There’s ice cream to go on top.”
She smiled. “No, I’m good, thanks.”
While he hurried toward the catering tent, Brig smiled after him, wondering if she’d ever have any cute kids of her own.
Her attention snapped to the drill site when Cameron shouted her name. Rising quickly, she hurried to the work area, pleased he’d remembered to let her watch. She could see that the drilling
rig
was in fact a train with three cars attached, but they were empty.
Cameron stepped away from the other men to speak to her. His eyes were sparkling. “Looks like this will be a very profitable excavation for us. Test probes have highlighted some sizeable veins of ore.”
“Congratulations.”
She saw the train had air jets beneath to keep it hovering a few centimeters from the tunnel floor, so it could adjust easily to the ground’s inclinations.
“Is the unit unmanned most of the time?” she wanted to know.
“Yes, but miners are needed to chip out the smaller
veins of ore.
For maximum efficiency, the ore has to be removed in selected sizes. If it’s crushed the energy will be is lost.”
“Have any of your miners been trapped during a fall in?”
“Luckily, no, but if that should happen, the driller train is reinforced, plus it has a three day auxiliary air supply and a fully equipped medi-car to treat injuries.”
It was interesting to see this side of him. She liked it.
“Help!” someone shouted. “The boy’s gone down.”
Spinning around, Brig saw a man pointing to a spot about ten meters away. “Jamie, oh God,” Finlay cried. His face was white as he rushed forward, making his limp more pronounced. Brig and Cameron got there ahead of the father. Others had gathered, peering down into a large rocky hole. Even with her excellent eyesight, Brig couldn’t see the bottom. She knew she was better cut out to try and rescue the boy than anyone else, but she waited as men rushed forward with ropes, and someone shouted, “Get the medics.”
The frantic father moaned, “Oh, God, Kate will kill me.” He knelt and peered down into the darkness. “Jamie, can you hear me…Jamie…”
When Finlay started to tie a rope around his waist, Brig was about to take it away from him, but Cameron moved in and spoke to the distraught father in a low voice, “Let me do it, Malcolm. Your bum leg will hinder you.” He patted the man’s arm as he took the rope away from him.
With raw fear in his eyes, Malcolm opened his mouth, then nodded, his gaze flickering back to the crevice.
In short moments, Cameron had the rope tied around his waist, and was being lowered into the cavern with several men holding the other end of the line. Despite the tense circumstances, Brig’s gaze admired the shape of Cameron’s long back beneath his white shirt, and his wide strong shoulders.
“Hold on, Jamie,” Finlay shouted. “We’re going to get you out of there.”
As Cameron went deeper into the pit, his body started to swing back and forth, forcing him to use his feet to stop his body from hitting the sides of the rocky crevice.
Seeing through the darkness, Brig watched the prince closely, in case she had to intercede. Several minutes passed before Cameron called out. “I see him. He’s lying on a ledge. He’s alive.”
The father made a joyful sound of relief amid muted cheers from the onlookers.
Brig’s keen ears picked up Cameron’s words as he spoke reassuringly to the youngster. “It’s all right, Jamie. Don’t move. I’ll lift you.”
The onlookers fell silent, their gazes riveted on the opening while Finlay leaned further over the cavity, as if he could reach down to his young son. Moments later, when Cameron appeared out of the dimness, holding the boy tightly against him while Jamie clung to his neck, loud cheers went up. They were both covered in dirt. Cameron’s forearms and knuckles grazed and bleeding in places, where he’d obviously protected Jamie from hitting the rock.
Finlay was almost sobbing as he rushed to hug his son. Jamie’s face was grazed on one side from the fall.
“Easy,” Cameron said as he handed the boy over. “I think his right leg might be broken.”
“It only hurts a bit,” Jamie said. Perhaps believing that downplaying his injuries might offset any parental discipline coming his way. “I’m sorry I worried you, Dad. I saw a ferret with kits, and I wanted to see where they were going.”
“Oh, Jamie.” Finlay kissed the boy noisily on his unhurt cheek.
Then the medics went to work, tending Jamie and immobilizing his broken leg. Half an hour later, Finlay and his son were on their way to hospital in a high-speed vehicle. Brig stood near Cameron while he spoke to a youngish blond-haired man. “We’ll shut the mine down for the rest of the day, Hamish, but tell the men they’ll still receive full pay.”
Hamish nodded respectfully. “Thank you, sir. What arrangements should I make for tomorrow?”
“Since I ordered Malcolm to stay home with his son for a few days, and he’ll be disappointed if we drill this one without him, we’ll leave it in abeyance and move the crew over to mine seventeen.”