Page 126 of Caught in the Axe
More and more, I hoped that, when this was over, wecould stay close. Despite how close in age we were, it felt as though I was just beginning to get to know him.
“We’re doing this.” His smile was so broad I could see his teeth through his thick beard. A rare occurrence. “If we stay on schedule, we’ll get it done.”
With a hum of agreement, I surveyed the guys. Cole was checking the numbers and fuel, while Mike, the driver, secured the load Jude had packed with the crane. It was like a symphony of lumberjacks, everyone doing their jobs in harmony.
“I’m proud of you,” Gus said.
My chest tightened at the compliment. “Me? I’m just a bystander.”
“No, you’re not. We got so much done yesterday because of you. Someone needs to check the lists and yell out the directions. You’re a natural.”
I shook my head. My goal was to stay out of the way and make sure the work got done.
“I had my doubts about you, city boy. But you’ve surprised the shit out of me. Since you got here, you’ve worked damn hard. I know you hate this place, but you’ve done right by us. I’ll always be grateful to you for coming back when we needed you.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from teasing him. In all my life, I didn’t think my older brother had ever spoken that many words to me at once.
“Thank you,” I said with a small nod. “And for the record, you are fucking phenomenal at your job. I’m sorry Dad kept you out of leadership for so long.”
He shrugged. “I’ve made my peace with it. I just want our guys taken care of.” With a small cough, he clapped hishands and shifted back into work mode. “Good talk. Now get your ass to work so we can celebrate at the Moose tomorrow night. I’m buying.”
The hours passed quickly, each of us taking our shifts and breaks. We were moving through the orders, and yesterday’s trucks had returned, ready to be reloaded.
I was on the loading platform, level with the truck bed, counting the trees as they were loaded, making sure they were the right sizes, and radioing Jude, who was operating the boom log loader, when weight or balance needed to be adjusted.
Cole was on the ground, signaling to Jude with safety flags about how to place the trees in the truck bed. His height and long arms lent themselves perfectly to the job.
We’d found a good rhythm, and Cole seemed different after our heart-to-heart the night before. It was such a cliché, but being out here in the wilderness was good for all of us. I was connecting with my brothers in ways I’d never expected, and we were even having some fun.
Cole had a long way to go, but at least he was getting help.
Maybe it was Lila’s influence, or maybe it was the camaraderie we were developing out here, but I felt some sympathy for him. He’d lost his entire identity almost overnight.
And he’d lost Lila. That alone was a devastation I couldn’t fathom.
That kind of loss would break me.
So I was glad that we had started to mend fences. It would take time, but I hoped that he could figure himself out. And I’d be ready to helpif he needed me.
He signaled that the next tree was incoming, and I stepped back, noting the size and approximate circumference of the pine.
Jude slowly lifted it and swung the boom around with precision.
Then I heard a deafening crack.
And the world went dark.
Chapter 42
Lila
Icouldn’t think, and I couldn’t breathe. From the moment I’d answered the call, dread had enshrouded me.
Gus had called in the early afternoon. Said there had been an accident.
Owen had been hurt and taken by helicopter to the hospital.
Fuck. Fuck.
