Dark Solace (9 page)

“The hell I can’t,” I retorted.

“This will be fun. How much you want to bet?”
he hissed with a grin.

Yes, it would be fun. “What are you
offering?”

“What do you want?”

Hmm. “I want you to tell me you are glad of
my help.”

“That’s it?” he hissed in confusion, giving
me an odd look.

“Yes,” I said with fake pleasantness.
“You?”

“I want you to come an extra day this week to
Hayden, plus an extra day next week.”

Always, it was about Dev. Oiy. “Deal,” I
agreed. “Now send all of them on a break. I need to concentrate
without onlookers.”

Lash nodded. “Guys,” he said loudly. “Go
inside and have an early lunch.”

“But it’s not even ten—” Nick said in
confusion.

“Shut up and go inside,” Lash hissed. “One
hour.”

The bears muttered and dropped their tools,
then began walking up to the house. I walked over to the stuck
tractor and climbed on, taking a few minutes to familiarize myself
with the controls. They were similar enough to my tractor that if I
went slow, I should be okay. The problem was what to do. I’d never
been stuck before as bad as this. I’d always steered clear of
ditches this deep.

“The clock is ticking, Sar,” Lash called
mirthfully. “Fifty-six minutes left.”

“Shut up!” I called back sweetly.

First, I needed to get rid of the rock. I
extended the loader as far as it would go, and deposited the rock
on the far bank of the ditch. It was a foot back, so it shouldn’t
roll back in.

From here on, it was trial and error. Since
going backward hadn’t worked for the bear, I’d try to go forward.
Putting the tractor in drive, I pressed gently on the accelerator.
While the tractor went forward a foot, it wouldn’t climb the far
bank, even with the help of the loader. The sides of the ditch were
too steep. But down about twenty feet, the ditch sides began to
slope more gently. If I could get down there, I could climb
out.

I turned the steering wheel, and began to
work the controls. With a lot of going forward and going backward
the few feet possible, I managed to turn the tractor about thirty
degrees. Suddenly, the bank behind me gave way, the back tires
sliding into the ditch.

Laughter and clapping sounded. Lash was
laughing his ass off and giving me a round of applause. “Bravo,
Sar! Now the whole tractor’s in the ditch!”

My face flaming, I ignored him and put the
tractor in drive. Carefully, I turned the wheel, and drove the
tractor down the ditch to where the walls were sloped. As I moved,
the wheels sank down deeper in the mud, the front wheels more than
half buried when I stopped.

Oh, shit. A spring joined the ditch here.
Instead of the foot of mud I’d been in, now I was in a foot and a
half at least. I was going to be a dirt queen by the time I got out
of this hole. Resigned, I began turning the tractor to face the
side of the ditch. By the time I had, the place I was maneuvering
in was a mud pit, and I was covered in it, my face, hair and body
spattered. Angry, I pressed the accelerator too hard, and spun the
tires, big chunks of mud scattering and spraying me in the
process.

Lash began laughing again. I restrained my
urge to curse him out, and/or find a gun and shoot him. Instead I
forced myself to breathe calmly, and take it slow. Reaching out
with the front-end loader, I dug the edge of the bucket into the
bank in front of me, then pulled back on the lever. The loader
shifted, pulling the tractor up as expected. But the front tires
were smooth. They couldn’t get any purchase, slipping in the mud
sideways. When I reached out with the bucket again, all four tires
slid back down into the ditch. Now I was partly sideways again, and
the front tires were almost completely buried in mud.

“Shit!” I screamed.

Lash began laughing again.

Prick. I collected myself and tried again,
with the same result. This time, I overloaded the engine, and it
shut off. Tears welled in my eyes from frustration. Putting my head
in my hands, I let myself cry a little. Until I did, I was going to
be frantic and useless. I needed to get past this failure if I was
going to have any chance of finding success.

“Sar, get off the tractor,” Lash said gently
from the bank. “Losing isn’t worth crying over.”

I raised my head and glared at him proudly.
“I haven’t lost!” I said angrily, wiping away my tears. “Stand
back.” Determined, I cranked the key, and started the tractor
again. Letting it run, I dismounted and began grabbing some rocks
from the far side of the bank. I inserted two rough ones under the
front edge of the front wheels, then put two more in front of
those. After a few minutes of searching for more, I located two
final large rocks. After setting them in front of the back wheels,
I got back on the tractor.

Again, I dug into the bank and levered up.
This time, all four tires moved out of the muck and onto the rocks.
Carefully releasing the loader from the bank, I extended the loader
as far as possible, then dug in again. Slowly, I pushed the
accelerator. With a roar, the tractor eased up and over the bank.
Suddenly one front tire slipped off the rock. I dug in and
accelerated slowly. The back tires found the front tire rocks then
and held. With another throaty roar, the tractor and I were clear
of the ditch.

Ecstatic, I let out a cry of pure delight.
Proudly, I drove the tractor a good ten feet from the ditch and
parked it, shutting off the engine. The sound of clapping filled
the sudden silence.

Lash came toward me, giving applause. I went
to take a bow in my triumph and smugness, and slipped in the mud. I
went down hard on my side, hitting my kneecap on a rock. I cursed
again, blinking back tears from the pain.

Lash took my hand, and hauled me to my feet.
“You okay?” he hissed, grinning widely.

I gave him a rueful smile back, rubbing my
smarting knee. “God was teaching me some humility, after helping
me,” I said, laughing. “I should have thanked Him for His help
straight off. I’m okay.”

“Good,” Lash hissed gently. “Because I want
you to stay. I would be glad of your help, Sar.”

The respect in his tone moved me. While Lash
had never treated me with disrespect—except the time he’d kissed me
out of turn—this was different. There is the respect a man shows a
woman because she’s a woman, and he thinks she needs his
protection, guidance, or help lifting something heavy. And then
there is the respect a man shows a friend or a coworker when he
actually values their capabilities, reasoning, or skills. It was
the second kind of respect I’d heard in Lash’s tone.

He believed I had something to contribute.
That mattered to me a lot, maybe because it felt like years since
I’d last heard that kind of respect from any man in my life.

“You sure you’re okay?” Lash hissed.

I smiled quickly. “I’m fine. And I’d be glad
to help—”

“Shit! She got it unstuck!” one of the bears
called incredulously as the lot of them walked up.

“She did,” Lash said, looking at me intently.
“Just as she said she would.”

And thank God it hadn’t taken longer. I’d
have been mortified to be crying in front of that crowd of hardened
men. “So what do you want to focus on?” I asked him.

“My saw is still bound,” one of the bears
said grumpily. “Why don’t you fix that?”

I nodded, then went over and examined the
bound saw. “You’re in a depression,” I said. “First, is there a log
roller here? It would be about four feet long. It should have a
spike on one end, and a hinged hook.”

“There’s one in the garage,” Lash hissed.
“Nick, go get it now.”

Nick took off at a run.

I took out my saw, and made sure that the gas
and oil caps were tight. I got it started after only a few tries,
then motioned the bears out of the way. I cut into the log at an
angle about three inches away from the bound saw, then made another
cut down, breaking out a large slice of wood.

“How is that going to help—?” one bear began
sarcastically.

“Shut up, Keith,” Lash hissed dangerously.
“She knows what she’s doing.”

Trying not to feel drunk with his praise, I
made another cut in the open slice spot, cutting towards the saw
and the center of the log. When I was within an inch of it, the
bound blade loosened.

I pulled out my saw, letting it idle. “You’re
free.”

Keith lifted his saw out slowly. “I don’t
believe it,” he said incredulously.

I grinned. “That is why you fail,” I said in
my lowest tones, then began laughing.

Lash laughed, but most of the bears looked
confused, glancing at one another.

“Star Wars?” I said finally, rolling my eyes.
“Know Yoda? The scene with the X-Wing and the Force?”

“They’re too young,” Lash hissed with a
smile. “Start instructing, Jedi Master.”

“Start with the branches first, then the
tops,” I said. “Work your way down the trees. If you cut in the
middle again, the saw will bind just like it did before. We’re in
an uneven patch of ground.”

Several of the bears began powering up
chainsaws. Keith and I started in, quickly severing branches, then
cutting pieces to length as the majority of the bears began
stacking and mulching. When we reached the trunk, I showed Keith
how to work down it using the logroller for support and
leverage.

“I’m not cutting straight!” Keith said with
irritation.

“Neither am I,” I replied. “And I’ve been
doing this for years. Just do the best you can.”

By six p.m., all the trees had been taken
care of, plus a load of wood had been stacked in my truck for me to
take home.

“I appreciate this,” I said to Lash. “It’ll
save Theo and me a lot of work. It’s all ash and maple, good
hardwood. We were behind on wood cutting anyway with me being
pregnant.”

Lash nodded. “Dev has no use for it anyway,
other than for bonfires. He’s only got the one fireplace.” He
turned to the bears around us. “We’re done for the day, unless
you’re on duty.”

The group of us began slowly walking towards
the house. All of us were tired, and covered with sweat, including
Lash. He’d pitched in with the rest; he’d been the one to load my
truck with wood.

I wiped at the layer of dried mud on my face,
tired and satisfied. I was a disaster to look at, but I felt
absolutely wonderful. I’d done something today that mattered. My
helping had made a real difference, not only in saving time and
effort, but in getting to know the men guarding me. I’d learned
their names today. That already made me feel more like someone who
belonged here and less like a visitor.

The group of bears was now ahead of Lash and
me. I’d thought we were just slow until I caught on that Lash was
making sure they kept moving ahead of us, keeping eye contact with
any who lagged behind until they sped up.

“Titus will teleport the rest of the wood for
you tomorrow,” Lash hissed. “And I thank you again, for your help.
I didn’t expect us to finish today.”

“Why did you want me to come to Hayden an
extra day?” I asked. “Dev’s been swamped all this week with more
Canadian loose ends. Something’s always coming up he has to
handle.”

Lash didn’t reply.

“I’m just saying that he’s been busy,” I
added. “An extra day doesn’t seem—”

Lash suddenly stopped walking and turned to
me. “He likes you here. And it wasn’t just for him.” He looked away
and began walking again. “I like to get sushi with you, Sar, and to
talk about the movies we both like. There is a rock near the pond
where it’s good to lie and be warm in the afternoons. Summer is
ending. Soon it will be fall. I’m not looking forward to
winter.”

Lash sounded depressed. I felt his pain. I
was not looking forward to winter myself. “I’ll come on Sunday,” I
responded. “It’s supposed to be nice that day.”

“You won the bet,” Lash said coolly. “Why
would you come anyway?”

“Because you asked me to,” I said simply.
“You’re right, winter is coming. Lying in the sun sounds good. I
need to soak up all the rays I can get.”

Lash looked at me out of the corner of his
eye. “I don’t suppose you’d bring a swimsuit?” he asked,
grinning.

“Don’t press your luck,” I said, making the
both of us laugh.

* * * *

I did bring my swimsuit the following Sunday,
but I needn’t have bothered. Lash led me to the rock he’d spoken
of, and then laid down in his T-shirt and jeans. The only thing he
took off were his weapons, which he put within reach.

Glad to relax, I applied sunscreen to my face
and hands, then laid down a few feet from him. I ended up falling
asleep from the heat. It was too beautiful out here not to relax
utterly, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as it radiated
through my clothes. We didn’t talk at all, the only sounds from the
crickets in the tall grass and the bullfrogs in the pond.

Late in the afternoon, Lash woke me with a
nudge. Then he clipped his weapons back on his belt, and uttering a
groan, he got to his feet.

“Are you sore?” I asked, as he helped me
up.

“Just old,” he said with a grin, wiping some
dust off himself. “Come on. Sushi awaits. I picked some up for us
yesterday.”

After we walked back to the house, we ate
some sushi in the kitchen. We were discussing the important
properties of the devil from the movie The Ninth Gate when Devlin
came downstairs in his robe.

“Hello, Sweetheart,” he said, giving me a
kiss.

“Hello yourself,” I said, kissing him back.
“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Is this dinner?” he said, going to the
refrigerator to prepare Venus’s bottle.

“Yes,” Lash said, grinning. “We’re talking
about horror movies.”

“Ah,” Devlin said. “We should go to a movie
tonight, the three of us.”

“You two go,” Lash said quickly, getting to
his feet. He put his plate into the sink. “I’ll stay and watch over
things here.”