*****
Charlie was up before dawn, and had Sunbeam saddled at first light. By the time the sun broke over the eastern horizon, he was at the splintered remainders of the dam, in a fever to have the rest of it down before nightfall.
It wasn't only Lily's promise to him which had him straining at the bit. As much as he loved her, his motivation sprang from a deeper well. The dam offended him. At a visceral level, he had reacted to its presence with hatred and disgust. He had not returned from a war which, at its core, had been about freeing the oppressed peoples of Europe, to see a river shackled and chained, made a slave to the petty desires of a small-minded man.
He drove a broad-headed spike into another water-soaked log, wrapped a chain around it, and climbed out of the chilly waters o
