Mountain Man's Accidental Surprise - K.C. Crowne Page 0,15

his job first and foremost, and Mom pretty much raised the four of us alone, with Grandpa Curtis’s help. She eventually filed for divorce and freed Dad, but I think part of her always hoped he’d come back to her. Maybe he would have in old age if he hadn’t gotten into that accident.

Even with a sad ending, Mom would still smile while talking about Dad. All the bad memories seemed to fade away in time, and she only talked about the good times. She’d never remarried, and I was sad for her. We were all she had after her father died. Thankfully she enjoyed a lively social scene in Tennessee, or we might have never left her side. We still weren’t sure we were staying in Liberty, but the longer we hung around, the more likely it seemed.

We were even looking at some land on the outskirts of town. Instead of all of us staying cramped in this cabin, we could build our own homes. Maybe include one for Mom when she was ready to retire and move here. If she ever would.

I finished my coffee and told Mason and our mother I was heading out.

“Be careful,” Mom said, frowning in a way that said she would rather I stayed home.

“Lick Creek Bridge is looking a little scary,” Mason told me. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the water washes it out in the next day or two. You might need to find another way into town.”

“I’ll be careful, Doc,” I promised with a low chuckle.

My brother was a doctor, or rather, a medic from back in his military days, which was the reason we called him Doc. He might be younger than me, but sometimes, it felt like he wanted to step into the fatherly role. He was the cautious brother, the one who always weighed the risks and rewards before any action. It was a trait that worked out well for our company, Harvey Brothers Security and Private Investigations, but sometimes it got a little old considering I was just a few years shy of forty. I was pretty damned sure I could handle myself, but Mason couldn’t help himself.

I washed the coffee mug and placed it in the drying rack before heading for the door. The rain pelted the porch, mixed with a little bit of hail. I pulled the hood of my jacket up over my head and dashed toward my truck.

I climbed inside my old beauty and started the engine. I headed toward Lick Creek Bridge, mostly to take a look myself. I’d always been interested in civil engineering and liked to think I knew a thing or two about these sorts of things. If the bridge looked fine, it was the quickest way into town anyway. And if it didn’t, well, I’d make a call into Teddy and see about closing it and rerouting traffic into town.

It was about a ten-minute drive to the bridge, and I didn’t even have to get too close to see the dangers ahead. I parked a few hundred feet back and stood on the hill overlooking the bridge. The area was in a low-laying valley, and all around the bridge was already flooded. The old structure itself had water pouring over it, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if the support systems beneath were damaged - meaning it couldn’t withstand the weight of a car, let alone my giant truck.

And what most people didn’t know is that it only took a couple inches of water to wash a car away, especially with the force of the river. Since you couldn’t see the bridge until you approached it, unless you stopped on top of the hill like I did and really knew what I was looking for, you wouldn’t even notice the danger until you were in the middle of it.

I got back in the truck and dialed Teddy’s number. Teddy was the sheriff of the town and in a round-about way, extended family. He was a good guy, and though I knew he was swamped at work, he needed to close the bridge as soon as possible to prevent any casualties.

Teddy answered on the first ring.

“Hey man, it’s Graham,” I said. “Just wanted to let you know that the bridge on Lick Creek Road needs to be shut down.”

“We’re already on it,” Teddy answered. I should have known he would be on top of it. “I have some of my guys headed there now, but thanks for the