Epilogue #4
Most people would’ve rolled their eyes, but Nathan was paying attention.
He looks through the windshield.
Then into the driver’s mirror.
Then at me.
I can almost see him calculating whether there’s another answer. Finally, he holds out the keys. “I think…” A resigned smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “This may be outside my area of expertise.”
His fingers brush mine as I take the key fob, and my attention catches on the contact for a fraction longer than it should. Then I step around him and open the driver’s door.
He climbs out without another word, dusting the gravel from the back of his jeans as I slip into the driver’s seat.
The Mercedes feels impossibly smooth as I ease it backward down the hill, following the same line I’ve driven a hundred times in tractors, pickups, and the occasional combine.
Nathan stays behind the car where I can see him in the mirrors, lifting a hand now and then to guide me around a rut or a rock, although by the second switchback I’m fairly sure he’s following my lead instead of the other way around.
When we finally reach the wider turnout near the cattle guard, I swing the front end around in a single motion and pull to a stop.
I climb out and hand him the keys.
“From here it’s easy. Stay on the dirt road and you’ll be fine. And in about a kilometer you’ll get to the main road—when you turn left it will take you to the bridge and into downtown Paradise.”
“I appreciate the rescue.”
“You haven’t been rescued yet.” I point up the hill toward the side-by-side. “I still have to walk back for my ride.”
A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll try not to create another crisis while you’re gone.”
“That would be appreciated.”
I leave him turning the Mercedes toward the main road and start the climb back to the side-by-side.
By the time I reach it, I’m already thinking about harvest again.
Tank Four still needs to be emptied before lunch, the north crew will be waiting on bins, and somewhere in the middle of all of it I’ll have to explain to Josie why a neurosurgeon from Vancouver suddenly owns Lloyd Franklin’s land.
I start the side-by-side and head back down the hill. As I’m about to hit the road that divides our property, I see Nathan is standing beside the Mercedes before I reach him.
He’s standing fifty feet from the municipal road beside the Mercedes, and my stomach sinks.
“I’m beginning to think I’m cursed.”
I shut off the engine and climb out. “What happened?”
He points toward the front passenger side. The sidewall has a hole the size of my thumb. Well, that tire isn’t getting patched.
I look up at him. I looked at the tire.
Then at him.
Then back at the tire.
“You know…”
He waits.
“Most people only try to destroy one thing per visit.”
A laugh escapes him. “I didn’t actually see the pothole.”
I stand and unclip the radio from my belt. “Jamie.”
His voice crackles back almost immediately. “Go ahead.”
“I need the tow truck up on the upper access road.”
A pause. “The tow truck?”
“I got the Mercedes down almost to seventeen, but it blew a tire.”
He doesn’t even try to hide the laugh. “I’ll be there in ten.”
I clip the radio back onto my belt before pulling out my phone.
Nathan watches curiously. “Calling a tow company?”
“No. We’ll tow you to the shop, but I’m not sure who works on Mercedes here.”
“Actually Mercedes recommends a flatbed because—”
“We own one.”
He blinks. ”Oh. Umm” He looks at the car and there is no way he can drive on that. “Right. Do you have any suggestions of a shop who might have a new tire for me?”
I supposed I could take it to Kevin’s place. “My second cousin owns an auto repair place. I don’t know of anyone who will have a tire for you though, so chances are he’ll have to order it. It’ll probably take a couple of days to get a tire.”
“That’s all right.” He shrugs. “I’ll make it work.”
I pull my phone out of my back pocket and call Kevin.
The phone rings twice before a familiar voice answers. “What did you break now?”
“I didn’t break anything.”
“You only call me on Sundays when something’s broken.”
I glance at the Mercedes. “I’ve got one with a flat.”
Kevin confirms what I already suspect. He won’t have the right tire for at least two days, which leaves Nathan Pierce stranded in Paradise with twenty acres he hasn’t seen properly and no idea what he intends to do with them.
I watch Jamie load the Mercedes onto the flatbed while Nathan thanks him for his help.
Harvest has a way of teaching you that one unexpected problem is rarely the only one coming.
By noon, the north crew will need bins, Josie will need an explanation, and Nathan Pierce will need a way back to Vancouver. Only two of those problems belong to me.
I already know that won’t stop me from trying to solve all three.