Had he really been that wrong?He’d thought they’d made a connection.He’d seen past her shyness to the passionate, adventurous woman underneath.Neither of them had been faking it in the shower or in that big bed.Yet this morning, her hesitation about them had been clear.
He could still feel the kick that had left in his gut.
Lights were flashing as he came onto the scene, and his thoughts focused.Shit, it was bad.
A crane was sitting cockeyed, its front right outrigger jutting out past the edge of the bridge.Its boom was swaying off-center in the hot summer breeze.Construction workers were rushing around, while others peered over the side of the bridge.Policemen from Freeman had already arrived and were trying to create some sense of order.One thing was clear, the danger hadn’t passed.
He parked alongside the road and radioed in.He’d worried that something like this would happen.The construction company had been pushing to meet its schedule.He’d seen the pressure the workers were under, only he’d been dealing with the results of it in the form of fights and drunken binges.While this turn of events was surprising, he couldn’t say it was unexpected.
He hurried to the bridge and found Dodd talking to the fire chief.
“What do we have?”he asked.
The Sergeant pushed back his cap.“Hey, Sheriff.Looks like they’ve been rushing and trying to cut corners.I’ve got witnesses who say the driver of that behemoth was tired this morning.He took quite a jolt when the accident happened.The ambulance has already taken him to the hospital.”
“Is there anyone else who can drive that thing?”
“A couple, but the wind is making things tricky.Besides, we have something even more urgent that needs to be taken care of.”Dodd nodded towards the side of the bridge, and his expression turned grim.“We’ve got another one down there.”
“Ah, hell.”Taking care with his footing, Zac peered over the edge.A dusty, worried construction worker looked up at him from about twenty feet down.He was on an I-beam, holding on for dear life.How he’d gotten there, Zac didn’t want to know.All he was sure of was that every time a gust of hot wind blew up, the guy’s face turned a little greener.
His mind working fast, Zac checked out the scene.The bridge seemed solid, except for the section of railing the crane had taken out.The embankment where the bridge connected was stable.What wasn’t steady was the heavy-duty crane rocking over the construction worker’s head like a metronome.
“What’s the plan to get him out of there?”
“We’re waiting for the fire department’s rig to show up.The chief thinks he might be able to maneuver it down the hill a bit so the ladder can reach the guy.”
Another hot breeze slapped Zac in the face.They’d had nearly a week of stale, heavy air.Why, today of all days, did the wind have to pick up?
“I don’t think we have time to wait for that,” he said, looking at the way the metal boom was swinging back and forth.
“You got any other ideas, Sheriff?”
“Yeah, I do.”Zac stood upright and brushed off his hands.“Someone has to go down there and get him.”
Chapter Thirteen
What was happening?
Maxie sat at her kitchen table worrying, thinking, waiting, and worrying some more.Martin and Becky had been updating her with news on the bridge accident, but that was a mixed blessing.Half of her wanted to know what was going on, while the other half was scared silly.To make matters worse, she didn’t know how much truth the reports contained.
Had someone really fallen off the bridge?How dangerous was the site?Was Zac okay?Why was it taking so long?
It was getting dark outside.She bit her lip as she watched a June bug bounce against the window as it tried to get to the light.Her sisters had been positive he’d come to her, but she wasn’t as confident.They hadn’t witnessed their fight.She knew she should be the one to reach out.She should go to his place to talk things through, but with the long day he’d had, she didn’t want to pile on.He had to be tired, and he’d already been grumpy.
She got up to get rid of her tea.She’d made chamomile in an attempt to calm her nerves, but it wasn’t working.Besides, it was too hot for tea.The air conditioner was trying to keep up, it was so muggy outside.She poured the liquid down the sink and watched the June bug do its desperate dance.The light from her garage showed her driveway was empty.
What should she do?
Raking a hand through her hair, she returned to her seat.Should she go over to his place?Maybe drive by to see if he’d made it home, safe and sound?No, with the way her nerves were coiling, she couldn’t let the situation go on much longer.She had to talk to him to clear things up—or just apologize.
Her stomach squeezed.
She hoped there was still a chance for them.Roxie and Lexie insisted there was.They’d developed a plan of action for her, but she couldn’t implement it if he didn’t show up.
What if there was a reason why he couldn’t?
The worrying kicked in again.There’d been news that the wind had hampered efforts.And there was all that heavy equipment…
