Maxie (Triple X) (24 page)

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…

The chair scraped against the flooring as she sprang out of it. Why had she worried that he’d be bored at his job in Indigo Falls? Bored was safe.

But that showed no trust in his capabilities.

She paced about the kitchen. He knew what he was doing. He was trained, he was in top physical condition, and he was smart.

She pushed her phone where it sat next to the sink. “Come on, Becky.”

It had been over thirty minutes since her last text.

Maxie leaned back against the counter and stared at the floor. He wasn’t coming. He was probably already at home, forgetting about her. Her fingers curled around the counter’s edge. She should go over there and knock on his door until he opened it. That’s what Roxie would do. If he wasn’t there, she’d wait on his doorstep.

Maxie glanced down at herself.

She was in her robe.

If she went over there, she’d have to change the plan her sisters had set for her—and she was clinging to that plan with her fingertips. She didn’t want to get in front of him and draw a blank again. There were things that needed to be said. There were misunderstandings that had to be straightened out. Without her plan, there was a strong possibility she’d get knotted up even more and tongue-tied.

What if he’d had enough? What if he didn’t want to listen? What if he’d decided she just wasn’t worth it?

She jumped when she heard a door slam and twisted so fast her hair flew over her shoulders. A pair of headlights was reflecting off her garage door.

She flew to the back door. Her fingers fumbled as she tried to unlock it, but she still managed to tear it open before Zac had made it to the steps.

She launched herself at him. Simply ran down the steps and leapt at him. He stepped back, unprepared for the impact, but he caught her. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tight. “Are you okay?”

His arms hesitantly looped around her. “I’m fine.”

“I was so worried. I didn’t know what was happening. Was anybody hurt?”

“Just the crane operator. They think he had a mild stroke.” He held her for a moment longer. The motion of their breathing pressed their bodies against one another. In the shadows behind her house, in the warm summer night, it was intimate. His hand stroked through her hair, but then he tightened his hold around her waist. Picking her up, he carried her up the steps and into the house.

Maxie’s feet were dangling as he closed the door behind him. She didn’t want to let go of him, but she did when he set her back on her feet.

In the real world.

She stepped back, uneasy and uncertain. Once again, impulse had taken over and she’d just gone with it. She laced her fingers together and retreated to lean against the counter. She was so happy he was out of harm’s way and that he’d chosen to come here, to her home.

“Is the bridge safe?” she asked.

“Yeah, but getting that crane stabilized took all day.”

“I heard somebody fell.”

He rolled his shoulders, and her mouth watered as she watched all his muscles shift under his uniform. “He didn’t exactly fall, but he did end up trapped on a girder underneath.”

She shivered. God, how awful. “How did you get him out?”

“I went down after him.”

She froze. “You did what?”

Zac’s gaze glided over her and stuck. She realized that she’d been fidgeting, rubbing her toes against her opposite shin. As a result, her short robe had slipped open. Her toes paused halfway to her knee. The air in the kitchen became as soupy as it was outside.

“I’ve got rock-climbing experience, so it made sense that I be the one who harnessed up.”

She set her foot sedately back on the floor. “So all in a day’s work?”

She’d worried so much, but she hadn’t worried enough. Too many movies and bad TV shows had her thinking of the worst possible outcomes.

Something dark flashed in Zac’s eyes. “I didn’t say that.”

She shivered again. There was so much going on underneath the surface, so many things that neither of them were saying. The emotion and tension were there, though. She could feel them bubbling over her skin and slithering down her spine. The two of them might be talking about the accident, but that wasn’t the reason why he’d come here.

Yet she was nervous to talk about anything else. “Becky missed that bit of info.”

Zac’s eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms across his chest. He knew she was stalling.

Maxie bit her lip and gestured to the phone. “The dangers of texting.”

His head cocked slightly. “Sometimes face-to-face communication is best.”

Her heart began beating unsteadily. That was why he’d come, then, to have it out. She wanted everything out in the open too, but he seemed so big and intimidating. He was dressed in his uniform, armed, and he took up most of the space. She shifted and bumped against her empty teacup. It clattered as it rolled around on its base, going faster and faster until it settled back down.

She stared at him. The time was here. It was now or never, but like a thousand times before, she couldn’t summon any words. She knew what the plan was. She knew what she’d been told to do, but her body had become leaden.

What if he didn’t want her anymore?

The room was deafening in its silence, and she yearned to bump the teacup again. Anything. A cough or a sniffle. If only she knew where to start.

“It’s awfully quiet around here.” His gaze didn’t drift from her.

She licked her lips, and they pulsed when he stared. “Everyone’s staying at the Blue Morning tonight.”

“Did something happen?”

She wrapped her arms around her waist. Her robe felt slick and thin under her fingertips. Her body was still warm from where she’d pressed against him. “They thought we should have some privacy to talk.”

A muscle in his jaw clenched. “What do you think?”

She’d thought they were right, until now. Now, she was under the spotlight, pinned in its glare and heat. It was where she was weakest and most vulnerable.

“Because you’re not talking,” Zac said flatly.

Maxie’s nerves were singing. She tried to let out a long breath to calm them, but she had barely enough oxygen in her lungs as it was.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He raked a hand through his hair, and his breath was deep enough to lift his chest. The air came back out in a low curse, and he turned on his heel. “I’ll see you around town, Beauty.”

“Wait.” She took a step towards him but stopped when he looked over his shoulder. Her hand was reaching out towards him. She curled her fingers into her palm. “Why did you come here tonight?”

“Hell if I know.”

His tone was dispassionate, and her hopes dipped.

“I was about to drive over to your place,” she admitted softly. “I wanted to apologize.”

“
Apologize
.” He planted his hands on his hips and stared at the ceiling. “An apology is not what I’m looking for, but if that’s all you’ve got—”

“No, I…” God, that hand of fate was clawing at her throat and closing like a vise around her chest. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You know how much trouble I have putting myself out there, Zac.”

He wouldn’t look at her. “But you have no problem letting me flap around in the wind.”

“Yes, I do. Believe me. I…I just freeze up when things are important to me.”

Muscles in his back jumped.

“And this might be most important of all.” The only way she got the words out were by digging her fingernails into her palms and curling her toes against the floor.

He turned around, but the look on his face did nothing to encourage her. His eyes were blue ice, and his jaw was made of granite. “I asked you if we had something going, Maxie. That’s a simple enough question, but you couldn’t answer.”

“I know.”

“I’m a big boy. I can handle the truth, and you know I’d never hurt you. By now you should trust me enough that fear shouldn’t be able to touch you.”

“I do trust you.”

“No, you don’t,” he snapped. “What do I need to do, Maxie? I’m tired of proving myself to you.”

“You don’t have to. It’s me. I need to prove something to myself.”

“Then do it, damn it.” His expression went steely. “Tell me what you feel for me. Good or bad, I don’t give a shit. Just have the backbone to be upfront with me. I deserve that much.”

He did. He deserved more.

But her throat was choked up, and she was on the verge of crying. She cared more for him than she could put into words. He was the only one who’d gotten close enough that she sometimes forgot herself.

And was finally free.

He’d been with her at the pool, and she’d swum around naked, happy as a little otter. He’d been there when her world had fallen apart, and he’d helped her put it back together again. He’d become her rock. His gaze searched her face, and then he closed off entirely. “I never should have come here.”