She tried to memorize landmarks to help her retrace this route later.
Gravel crunched under the giant tires as they turned right off the state road.
Dust lifted around them, rocks popping against the wheel wells.
She could see why it wasn’t a great idea to drive the Mustang down here. The trees became more dense on this side of the mountain, shading the way, with magnificent oranges, reds, and golds peppering the landscape between the evergreen pines, but it wasn’t a smooth ride even in this big truck.
He patted the steering wheel while he talked. “This road isn’t nearly as steep as the other way. We’re climbing the mountain now, but we’ll cut back across. There’s a right-of-way on this side of the property now too. Jeremy had given me a power of attorney to take care of any cabin-related things while he was getting plumbing installed years back. Legal stuff with the city and all that. I requested the access after… you know. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.”
“It was finally granted by the landowners after about asix-month full-on press. People in this town spoke their minds and forced them into giving in after the news of his death. I doubt they’d have ever agreed to it for any other reason.”
“I knew about the power of attorney from my discussion with the lawyer.”
“Don’t worry. I’d never take advantage of it. We were buddies. Although we didn’t see each other often, when we did, it was like we hadn’t been apart a single day.” He looked over. “We really were the best kind of family.”
“I get it.”When you don’t have family, found family and friends are that much more precious.
“Okay, we’re going to take this turn right here. You can use that water tower as a landmark.” The white tower rose from the middle of nowhere. A mountain scene that had probably been beautiful at one time was painted on the old tower, but now the colors had begun to fade. “I could help you post some little signs along the way to help you navigate this, maybe even some with reflectors if that would help.”
He turned on a dirt lane that wasn’t much more than two rock paths enough for the tires to track.
“How much farther?” Nothing around here looked familiar, and for a fleeting moment she prayed she hadn’t just done something stupid, trusting this guy she’d never met.
“Almost there.” He drove just another minute and then stopped in front of a long wooden bridge, not quite wide enough for the truck. “This is it.”
“I don’t remember there being a bridge.”
“It wasn’t here the last time you came with Jeremy. The guys from the hunt club helped Jeremy work on it a few years before he died.” He opened his door and climbed out of the truck.“It was spring, and man, the biting flies were torture. Funny, I don’t ever remember them being a problem since.”
She got out of the truck and followed Tucker to the bridge. It looked sturdy enough. The silvered wooden boards didn’t have big enough spaces to see between them, and she was thankful for that, because she wasn’t one for heights.
He strode forward.
She slowed, peering over the edge. It wasn’t too far down, but still, she hoped the bridge didn’t wobble when she walked on it. The water rippled in the stream below.
The bridge itself was about five feet wide. She centered herself, preparing for the first step.
He turned back. “It’s safe. We drive four-wheelers over it all the time.” He jumped, landing with a thud. “See?”
“If it’s sturdy, why didn’t y’all make it big enough for the truck?”
“Well, if we made it for vehicles we had to go through a lot of red tape. By keeping it to UTVs we could do what we wanted. But it would’ve held a truck. I can promise you that.”
It would be an adjustment, and a pain in bad weather, but it wasn’t the end of the world. She took another step out onto the bridge. It didn’t even wobble.
Satisfied, she held her hand just above the wooden handrail so as not to get a splinter but to have something to grab on to if she needed to hang on for dear life, because it was still high enough to make her nervous.
It only took her a moment to get comfortable and jog forward to catch up to Tucker.
“Not so bad, right?”
“No. Actually, the bridge is sturdy as can be. That railing sure helps.” She turned around. “It’s even prettier here than I remembered.”
“Spring is beautiful too. The rhododendron and wild azaleas practically take over in some places. I’ve always loved fall the best, though. The trees shed lots of their leaves, and you can see things you didn’t see all spring and summer.”
And he wasn’t kidding. The land opened up on the other side of the bridge to a view that was like a painting. “It’s beautiful. How could I have forgotten this?”
