“Two,” Theo said. “To dry it up properly. And to find where it’s getting in.”
“f**k me, Pat,” said Gunner. “Here we fuckin’ go.”
But that was mining. Two setbacks for every victory. An inch gained and another lost. Patrick thought they ought to be pleased they wouldn’t be bucketing it out by hand.
“Be thankful, brother,” he said, patting Gunner on the back. “The day is yours. You can sleep off that pounding in your head.”
Gunner turned for the shaft, grumbling under his breath about not being suicidal enough to return home.
Patrick turned to take Donny’s sleeve, but Nina was already there. She had threaded her arm with Donny’s. “If you topple me,” she told him, “I’ll trip you up on purpose.”
Donny grinned widely. “s**t. She sounds like you,” he said to Patrick, who scowled.
“If you
