The Quarry by Laurie Loveman

The town of Woodhill is faced with the possible closing of Liberty Sand & Gravel, the local quarry that in better times employed almost a hundred men. Mining expert, Aaron Chandler, is hired to evaluate the quarry's future, and becomes a friend of Boris Hegerty, the quarry foreman. Boris is facing not only potential labor problems, so rife in the 1930s, but he must also come to terms with the colon cancer that is killing his mother, Maudie, who is being cared for by Dr. Jessica Malloy, the physician in charge of the emergency department at Woodhill Memorial Hospital. In the course of her work, Jess befriends Woodhill Fire Department First Aid Officer Eli Sheffler, who becomes her steadfast friend through the course of Maudie's illness. When trouble literally explodes at the quarry, seriously injuring Boris, Jess and Eli's friendship is tested and Aaron is suddenly and unexpectedly united with his past.