Page 24 of Head Above Water

“I sure as hell hope it isn’t going to stop.”

“It’s not. The water table and the underground flow are returning to normal now that the wells aren’t siphoning off the water upstream. See, I bet that because of the mountains to the east, the water runs underground toward the west. The flow was drained away by the deep wells, but that’s stopped. It just took time for the water to return to its more natural flow, and now that it has.” He smiled. “Where does the creek go?”

“It winds through this acreage over here. There’s a culvert about half a mile east where it used to cross the road, and eventually it joins with the creek that feeds the east pasture.”

“Then as much as I’d love to stay here with you and enjoy the quiet, I think we should follow the creekbed and make sure the water will have a clear path. It’s been a lot of years since anything flowed through here regularly, so there may be some brush and stuff to clear. Not to mention to ensure the old culvert hasn’t collapsed.”

Bryce kissed him. “Fine, let’s go. But just so you know, I expect you to take care of any aches and pains later.”

Hazard smiled softly. “I’ll kiss them to make then better. I promise.”

ChapterTen

He and Hazardrode the creekbed all the way to the culvert, which seemed to be in good shape but was filled with debris. Bryce called Danny and asked him to send a couple of the guys, while he and Hazard worked to pull limbs and a jampile of leaves and grass out of the tube.

The water hadn’t reached it yet, but it was only a matter of time now, so Dusty shimmied inside and was able to push a lot of the gunk to the other end, where the guys were able to get it out of the channel. Hazard helped Dusty out and up onto the side a few minutes before the water flowed under the road for the first time in years.

“This is really because of what we did?” Dusty asked.

“Yeah, it sure seems to be,” Hazard said. “The spring that fed this creek before is flowing once more, and that’s because of all the work we did to try to bring it back.” He shared a high five with Dusty.

“I never thought I’d see water in this channel again. Dad used to talk about playing in it when he was a kid. They’d build dams and make raceways and things like that.”

“So does this mean that we can move part of the herd to this section?” Danny asked. “It would take some of the burden off the other grazing areas.”

“Yes. Let’s make sure this isn’t a fluke, but the grasses are fresh, and we have water now. The cattle should be able to drink and eat on their own.”

“I’ll get the water tested to make sure there aren’t any issues with it,” Danny offered. “Then we’ll move part of the herd over to this section. We’re going to want to let it run to clear anysediment out of the old creekbed before we use the section. That should take just a few days.” He smiled as the border between wet and dry continued down the old bed, heading toward its meeting point with the creek to the north side of the property.

Bryce kept watching as the water flow picked up, swelling to nearly three feet in width and a couple inches deep. It wasn’t a raging torrent, but it would be enough. More than enough. “Let’s be careful, but yes, we can use this section of land for grazing, and we’re going to be able to keep the herd until the fall. And there aren’t going to be any cutbacks in staff.” The best thing was that with the additional water, he might even be able to expand the ranch to build on his father’s legacy. For the first time, it seemed things might be going right… and he didn’t feel like a failure.

“Mom, where’sDad?” Bryce asked once he and Hazard kicked off their boots and came inside.

“Resting. Why?”

“Hazard and I have something to show him.” He couldn’t help smiling. “I’m going to talk to him.”

“I’ll wait here,” Hazard said, and sat down.

Bryce nodded and strode to his parents’ room. “Dad,” he said as he slowly opened the door. “Are you awake?”

“Yes. Your mother seems to think I’m a complete invalid. What is it you need?” He sat up, and Bryce stood next to the bed. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. I have something to show you. Can you get up?” He helped his dad to his feet and got him into his shoes. “We’re going to go for a little ride.” He got his dad out of the room and to the living room before putting on his own boots. Then he and Hazard got his dad into his truck and across the road, bumping along gently as they rode across the open range.

“This is a lot easier on a horse,” Hazard said as they crossed the land.

“Why are you bringing me out here?” his dad asked. “We haven’t been able to use this section of land except in the winter and spring because there isn’t any water.” He hissed as Bryce hit a sharp bump. “I’m fine. It just took me by surprise.”

“Maybe I should just take you back to the house,” Bryce offered as he slowed down, worried that this was a bad idea.

“And maybe you should stop treating me like I’m going to die at any second. Your mother coddles me all day. I’m so sick of being in that bed that I want to scream. So, get us where you want to go before I smack you.”

Bryce sped up and they arrived at the edge of the trees. He shut off the engine and got out. “Do you want some help?”

“Fuck no,” his father growled, and Bryce shrugged and led his father carefully through the trees. “What’s so important out here?”

“That,” Bryce said as they reached the center clearing. The pool of water glistened in the late-day sunshine.

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