Page 38 of Snowed In with her Mountain Men
Just looking at it struck me with all new inspiration.
~ 20 ~
OAKLEY
“Alright,” I shouted over the roar of the skid steer’s engine. “Let her rip!”
Jaxon punched the machine into reverse, its whole frame shifting forward beneath the weight of the massive tree stump. The chains groaned, literally screaming with the unsustainable tension placed upon them. I turned my head away, in case they snapped. They could still cut me in half, but at least I’d stay pretty.
“MORE?”
I peeked between my fingers, watching as the roots of the giant tree started to give way. They ripped reluctantly out of the soil, protesting the whole time. Frozen dirt flew everywhere. Rocks too.
I was wincing so badly I could hardly see when the chain finally gave way. It snapped back in the opposite direction, banging so violently against the cage that protected Jaxon it left another massive dent.
Cursing like a drunken sailor, he finally killed the engine. I joined him at the root ball, as he hopped down to inspect the damage.
“This is horseshit,” I declared, wiping dirt from my face. “The ground’s too frozen, and it’s only going to get worse.”
My friend grunted in either agreement or disagreement. It was always impossible to tell.
“We’re done until spring,” I coughed.
“No.”
“No?” I threw my hands up. “Really? Unless you pull a Caterpillar 6090 out of your ass, there’s no way—”
“We’re done with the skid steer,” Jaxon agreed. “That much is obvious. But we still have dirt. We can still sift.”
I shook my head. “We’ve sifted everything we have.”
“Then we have to sift our spoils,” he countered, pulling off his gloves. Blowing into his hands, he rubbed them together for warmth. “The first couple of trees, the ones we did too quickly? We can sift that dirt again. Maybe we missed something. The screens we used were bigger back then. Too big, maybe.”
I barked out a laugh. “If Sarge buried somethingthatsmall, he used a container. You already know this. We would’ve found it by now.”
“Not if we broke it.”
I threw back my head and growled at the night sky in frustration.
“If we broke it we would’ve found pieces of it,” I shot back. “C’mon, man. Use your head.”
Jaxon stared back at me from beneath two dirt-caked brows, delivering the type of deadly scowl that made most men take three steps back. I took a step forward instead, and placed my hand on his shoulder.
“Look, I want this every bit as much as you and Ryder. But we’re spinning our wheels, here. Big snow’s coming, and theground’s turning to cement. We’re at the point of diminishing returns.”
He looked down at the frozen earth, at least partially acknowledging the truth of the matter. But in his stubborn mind there was more to it, more avenues to consider. I knew he wouldn’t let it go.
“And what about our friend from the woods?” he challenged. “The one who’s visiting more than once a week now. Thinkhe’sgiving up? Don’t you think he’s sifting our spoils, looking for anything we might’ve missed?”
“Cameras,” I growled. “I keep telling you we need them.”
“And what will catching him on camera prove?” Jaxon demanded. “Will it stop him, whoever he is?” His lip curled back in disgust. “We need to catch him in the act. It’s the only way.”
The sound of a snapped twig caused us both to whirl in the same direction. I raised the shovel I was holding. Jaxon raised his two giant fists.
“Easy there, you filthy barbarians,” Ryder’s voice floated in. “It’s only me.”
He stepped from the shadows, and into the arc of the skid steer’s halogen lights. He hadn’t come empty handed, though. He was holding a beer for each of us.
