Free OUTNUMBERED (Book 5) by Robert Schobernd Page A

crews had made. In three days the first barn raising would begin. Then, while a crew finished that structure, prep work on a second barn would start. After those two buildings were complete, a small repair shop for Albert, Vince, and Brian would be built. I hoped the three buildings could be completed by Christmas along with the other tasks we had planned and scheduled.
    After our kids were put to bed, Kira and I reviewed the manpower needs for the coming week and squeezed out two people to go to Jefferson City to haul prefabbed buildings. We estimated they could haul ten buildings in ten days, but they might need another day or two if they encountered problems.
     
    Two days later, three more pickups pulling trailers arrived. When those trailers were emptied, Maria Gonzales and a helper would join the convoy and return to Deliverance the following morning for another run.
    Morgan approached me after supper. He'd come down on the supply run to see our progress first hand. He'd be going back on the return run. "I can see plowing the field across the road is behind schedule. Where does that stand?"
    I answered him. "Vince is finished with the bulldozer and ripper, and Tony is waiting for the rest of the tree stumps to be removed. Ed and his crew cut the last tree yesterday and cut it to be dried for firewood. There's a huge pile of big pieces to be split."
    Morgan grinned, "Yeah, you suckers are waiting for me to get down here and give me that splitting job, aren't you?"
    I said, "That's a hell if a good idea! I'll remember that." We laughed and then I continued. "This morning, Vince switched to the backhoe to dig around the remaining stumps for Ed to have access to set the explosive charges under the main stump. Ed plans to blast the last twelve starting tomorrow or the next day, weather permitting."
    Morgan nodded and said, "Thanks." I gave him a tour of the rest of the compound as darkness threatened to settle around us.
     
     
    My buddy Shane was still in Deliverance with his family. I missed him sorely. Luckily, I had Ed and John and Andrea with me. They were all great friends, but the best thing about them was that they could be trusted to do whatever they promised. Each had strengths that differed from the others and together, with Shane, we made a great team. In addition, we had wonderful people like Doc, Martin, Albert, Maria, Vivian, Verlie, and Anthony. The list went on an on until I could have added everyone in the group.
     
    Our small three-room cabin had two bedrooms and a larger central room where the family spent most of our time. The kitchen area was a corner of that larger room and bordered on miniscule; after all, it hadn't been designed for a family of five to live in full-time. After talking with John about tearing out part of a wall to expand the structure, Kira and I decided to add a third bedroom and expand the kitchen area to add more space for cabinets and a larger table. The small microwave and apartment-sized gas range would be scrapped and a relocated sink, without running water, would have its drain piped through the exterior wall to run on the ground. When the major buildings were completed, I intended to grab several people and start on our project.
     
    We expected the convoy making another run from Deliverance to arrive around dark. At nine that evening, they finally arrived. Despair set in immediately as we spoke to the crews of the three trucks parked near the entrance. Doc was called to examine Bryon Jones; he'd been a passenger in a truck driven by Maria. Jesse Pitchford spoke as the other drivers and helpers sadly gathered around him. "Maria's gone. She wrecked on a sharp curve this side of where Highways 60 and 63 split. The road was wet, and a big tree was down across both lanes. She was in the lead and tried to swerve to miss the biggest limbs; the truck and trailer slid off the road to the left and tumbled several hundred feet down a steep embankment to the bottom. Bryon said Maria