WHEN BUNNY CAME AROUND, his face was on his dashboard. He felt the familiar edges and smooth surfaces pressing into his nose, mouth, and forehead. His headache was bad. Real bad. What had happened?
He opened his eyes. He could see the side window of the cabin. Outside, the air was dusty from his last round of excavation. He hadn’t been out long. His machine had cut out. He must have released his hold on the dead man’s lever when he passed out.
Wait. That was wrong. He hadn’t passed out. He’d been knocked out. He’d braked hard and been thrown forward. He hadn’t fastened his safety harness, and he hadn’t been wearing his hat. Dammit. Alun would be all over him like a sluglimpet after this. He might even be let go.
He’d braked because the excavator had flown forward all of a sudden. He’d b
