Hungry Heart: Konigsburg, Texas, Book 8 (28 page)

“Come on.” Harris started trotting up the road toward the lean-to.

Darcy followed him as quickly as she could, given that her boots were a size too big and the mud sucked at the soles like rubber cement. When she made it to the lean-to, she found Chico and Andy tossing the short logs into the back of the truck. Harris stood at the side of the lean-to, tossing wood up the hillside.

For a moment, she wondered if he’d lost his mind, but knowing Harris, that seemed unlikely. “What are you doing?” she shouted above the noise of the rain.

“Trying to save some of this wood. This is the two-year-old stack. If I can throw it far enough up the hill, it may not end up under water.”

Darcy blinked. He was throwing the wood higher up the hillside than the roof line of the lean-to.

“You think the water’s going to get that high?”

He shrugged. “Who knows? But I’d rather overestimate than underestimate.”

After a moment, she grabbed a couple of logs and began tossing them herself. She couldn’t get them as high as he could, but she could still get them farther up the hill than they were at the moment.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood throwing logs. Her arms were aching and there was a sharp pain in one shoulder. The rain hadn’t let up. In fact, if anything, it seemed to be falling harder than it had been before.

Chico stepped up beside them. “We got most of it into the truck. The rest of it’s up the hillside. We need to get out of here now before the bridge goes.”

Harris turned, staring back toward the river. Darcy caught her breath. There was definitely more water across the road than there had been before.

“Yeah. We do.” He grabbed her arm, turning her back down the hill toward his truck full of meat.

She splashed through the mud after him, her pulse hammering in her ears. The sound of the river was louder now, water rushing around her feet as it ran across the meadow.
Please, please, please let the bridge hold for a few more minutes.
If it didn’t, they’d have to climb up the hillside and hope for the best.

And Harris would lose everything instead of just mostly everything.

She heard the sound of Chico’s truck pulling onto the road below them as they scrambled into the truck. In the glare of his headlights she could see the bridge was still in place, but the water was running across it now. Chico rolled slowly toward the flowing river as Harris turned the truck to follow him. Darcy grabbed the panic bar, chewing on her lower lip.

He pulled the truck to a stop beside the trailer. “Be right back.”

Darcy opened her mouth to ask what he was doing, then shut it when he sprinted back with Porky in his arms.

“Sorry, you’re going to have to hold him. I can’t put him in back with the meat.”

She nodded wordlessly, taking the shivering pup in her arms. At least Porky didn’t seem to want to bounce for once.

Chico’s truck moved slowly forward across the bridge. The water flowed around his wheels, reaching halfway up his hubcaps. He accelerated slightly, pushing through the water to the other side, then up the slight incline to the top of the rise, turning at the gravel road so that his headlines shone back down onto the bridge again.

“Our turn.” Harris gave her a grin he probably meant to be reassuring. She’d seldom felt less reassured in her life. She hugged Porky tight, ignoring his attempts to lick her face.

The truck rolled forward, bumping across the rocky road toward the bridge, then moving into the swift-flowing water. Darcy wasn’t sure, but she thought there was a greater flow now than there had been a few minutes ago. She tightened her hold on the puppy.

Harris pushed down on the accelerator, moving more quickly to counteract the flow against the wheels. “We’re doing it,” he said quietly. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Sure.” She took a deep breath. “No problem.” Porky whimpered slightly in protest as she squeezed.

She could see the end of the bridge ahead. Their headlights and Chico’s illuminated the slope of the hill on the other side. The front wheels of the truck bumped across the end of the bridge, then the rear wheels.

Darcy realized she’d been holding her breath. She let it out, easing her hold on Porky as the truck began the climb up to the road.

And come to a stop.

She gave a half squeak before locking her teeth together. Harris let the truck roll backward slightly, then hit the accelerator again, moving up a few more feet. Darcy did her best not to think about what would happen if they stalled. Rolling back down the hill to the bridge didn’t strike her a great idea. Missing the bridge and hitting the river would be even worse.

The rear wheels spun against the mud as the truck seemed to zigzag halfway up. Harris pulled the emergency brake when they came to a stop again, maybe a little farther up the hill than they’d been before.

“Take Porky and go on up with Chico and Andy,” he said.

“No.”

“Come on, Darcy, you don’t need to be here for this. Just please go up the hill so I don’t have to worry about you.”

She drew a breath to refuse again, but just then Chico appeared in their headlights, sliding down the hill toward them.

“Shit,” Harris muttered, rolling down his window.

“I’ve got a winch on the front of my truck,” Chico said. “Don’t know how much good it’ll do in this mud.”

Harris shook his head. “I can make it if I can just get a little farther up the hill. There’s a bump in the road here and I can’t get enough traction to go over it.”

Chico shrugged, pulling his ball cap farther down over his eyes. “I’ll give you a push.”

Darcy felt ice drip down her spine. The truck was loaded with frozen meat and miscellaneous foodstuff. If it rolled backward while Chico was pushing, it was likely to flatten him.

Harris’s jaw flexed. “Go on up with Andy, Darce. Take Porky.”

This time she didn’t argue, climbing out and clambering through the sucking mud to the top of the hill where Andy sat hunched in Chico’s truck. Porky whimpered in her arms, pushing against her chest. Andy rolled down the window, leaning out. “What are they doing?”

“Chico’s going to push. Harris thinks he can get the rest of the way up the hill if he can get over the rise.”

Her eyes widened. “Chico’s going to push?”

Darcy nodded, looking away. She didn’t think telling Andy everything was fine would do much good. Besides, she’d be lying through her teeth.

Andy opened the door and hopped down, stepping to the edge of the hill and staring toward the stalled truck. Chico had taken a position at the rear corner on the driver’s side, both arms braced against the side and back.

Andy hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god. He’s going to get hurt.”

Since that seemed like a real possibility, Darcy kept her mouth shut. She pushed Porky into the truck cab, then closed the door.
Come on, Harris. Do it.

The truck motor revved again, and they watched as the nose came straight. They could see Chico leaning forward, his shoulder pushing hard as the wheels spun.

“He’s getting muddy,” Darcy muttered. Andy kept her gaze glued on Chico and the truck.

The wheels spun for a moment longer and then the truck lurched upward suddenly, the front tires getting purchase on the gravel above.

“Oh no,” Andy breathed.

Darcy glanced back at Chico. Or at where Chico had been, but wasn’t any longer. She stepped forward and saw him face down in the mud.

“Chico!” Andy screamed and began to run down the slope toward him just as the truck crested the hill.

For a moment, Darcy was afraid they’d collide, but then Harris jerked the truck to the right and Andy sped by. The food truck rolled to a stop a few feet up the road from Chico’s. Harris opened his door and stepped out into the mud, then turned back toward the road.

Chico was sitting up now, his legs in front of him. Andy knelt at his side, wiping at the mud on his face with a tissue. Which was sort of like trying to clean the Augean stables with a toothbrush.

Harris headed down the slope again, with Darcy following. Her boots slid in the mud halfway down, but she managed to stay upright. Harris’s boots had less tread. He slid partway down the hill, then landed more or less beside Chico on one knee.

“Are you okay?”

Chico raised his muddy face, grimacing. “Oh hell yeah. Just muddy and pissed. Help me get out of here.”

Harris took his arm, pulling him to his feet with some difficulty. Darcy heard Andy catch her breath. Apparently, she wasn’t quite as reassured. Harris started back up the hill with Chico climbing behind him.

Andy stared after them, then turned to Darcy. “Goddamn men anyway.”

Darcy closed her eyes for a moment, then started climbing after Harris and Chico. “Amen, sister.”

Chapter Nineteen

It took the rest of the night to get everything straightened out. Darcy got Joe LeBlanc’s permission to store some of the meat in the freezer at the Rose since it was close, and Chico put the rest in the walk-in at the Faro. Chico offered the King and Darcy the empty side of his duplex, although he didn’t have any furniture there, but the two decided to go to Darcy’s place instead. Once Chico and Andy were alone, he offered to go to his place to get cleaned up instead of messing up her shower, but she gave him a look that would have seared the hide off a less confident man.

He took that as a no.

He managed to wash off most of the mud, hoping he wasn’t doing any lasting damage to her plumbing. If he did, he’d corral his cousin the plumber over in Kerrville. He figured he owed her for the unnecessary distress. He’d seen her expression when she’d come barreling down that muddy hill toward him.

She’d been terrified. For him. His chest clenched tight remembering, even though there’d been no need for it. He hadn’t gotten hurt, just a face full of mud.

He came back into her bedroom, toweling off his hair. Fortunately, he had some clean underwear in her dresser.

Andy lay on the bed in her nightgown, watching him, one arm flung behind her head so that her breasts rose up beneath the thin cotton. This time more than his chest tightened.

“You should get some sleep,” he muttered. “You’re the one who has to get up and go to work later. And your office is likely to get a lot of calls about the flood.”

“You scared me to death,” she said softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that frightened before. Over anybody.”

“It wasn’t…” He paused—no reason to insult her. She’d been frightened. For him. “I know it looked scary, but it wasn’t so bad. Just messy. Thank you, though.”

“Thank me for what?”

He gave her a slightly wry grin. “For giving enough of a damn about me to care that I ended up in the mud.”

She blinked, her forehead furrowing. “I love you.”

Chico froze, staring. His heart thumped hard. “What?”

“You heard me.” The corners of her mouth edged up. “I love you, Chico.”

He sat down heavily on the side of the bed, still staring down at her. “I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me who wasn’t already related.”

“I don’t know why not.” She took a deep breath. “It’s true. I’m sorry if it bothers you.”

He shook his head slowly. “It doesn’t bother me. It clarifies things. Sort of.”

“Clarifies how?” She turned toward him, resting her head on her hand.

“Clarifies…things. Like we should get married.” He hadn’t known he was going to say that until he did.

“We should?” She didn’t sound opposed, just a little surprised.

“Yeah.” He sighed. “I guess we need to do some other stuff first, though.”

She nodded. “Get the license, find someone to perform the ceremony. I guess we could do it at the County Clerk’s office, though. I know the County Clerk, as a matter of fact.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of letting our families know,” he said dryly.

“Oh. Yeah.” She grimaced. “Well, you’ve met Eddie. You need to meet Lorraine too, I guess. That’s pretty much it for me anymore.”

He sighed again. “I’m related to half the county, but we can start with my folks. They’ll probably take care of the rest of it. Be prepared to meet more people than you’ll be able to remember in this lifetime.”

“Okay.” She nodded again. “We can sort this all out later. Let’s get some sleep for now.”

“Right.” He pulled down the sheet, then turned back to her. “One thing, though.”

One eyebrow went up. “What’s that?”

“I love you too. And that’s definitely the first time I’ve said that to someone who wasn’t already related.”

She broke into one of those luminous grins that did odd things to his chest. “Very good to hear. Now get some sleep.”

Harris guided Darcy’s SUV up the road to his place. He hadn’t wanted to come, hadn’t really wanted to see what was left of his business, but the fact that he hadn’t wanted to had goaded him into doing it. Darcy was working lunch and dinner, although LeBlanc had given her breakfast off since she’d had a late night.

Risking her life and all.