Page 28

“Hurry, okay?”

“I’m on my way.” He disconnected the land line and then punched the number she’d given him into his cell phone. Relief filled him when she immediately answered. “Come on,” he told the guys, pointing to the ladder truck. “We’ve got a cat stuck in a tree.”

“You’re all worked up over a cat in a tree?” Andrew gave him a surprised look. “That’s why Sophie called? For us to rescue a cat?”

His friends must have been listening in on his side of the phone conversation.

“More like we’ve got to rescue the person trying to rescue the cat. Sophie’s stuck in the tree, too.”

“Did you have to tell them that?” she said as all three men got into the ladder truck.

“The more the merrier,” Cole quipped, hoping to keep her distracted from her fear. He’d never forgive himself if something happened.

“You’ll be surprised to hear this, I’m sure, but I’d rather no one know about this.”

“Too late for that. Ben’s already called the Pine Hill Herald. They may beat us there, cameras in hand for a live feed. No doubt you and your furry climbing friend are going to be social media stars by morning.”

“The man’s got jokes,” Andrew snorted as he drove the ladder truck out from the firehall. “Sirens?”

Cole shook his head. Part of him wanted the sirens on so his friend could drive as fast as possible to the corner of Main Street, but they weren’t that far away, and for safety reasons, they wouldn’t go much faster through the town streets even if the sirens were blaring. Besides, there wasn’t really any traffic to have to worry about at this hour. The sirens would only wake everyone who lived on that side of town and draw a crowd.

How high up was she in the tree? With the way she’d talked about feeding the cat, he was pretty sure she’d have climbed to the top of a redwood had it meant saving the furry critter. Good thing there were no redwoods in Pine Hill; just some decently tall oak trees right off Main Street.

Sophie sniffled again and Cole’s ribcage crushed in on his lungs. What had she been thinking to climb a tree after a cat who wasn’t even hers? Her impulsiveness was going to get her into trouble one day.

Today. Her impulsiveness had gotten her into trouble today.

“You’re going to be okay, Sophie. Just stay put, and I’ll get you out of the tree.”

God, please let her be okay.

Not that God had heard any of his prayers in years.

Not true, his conscience reminded. You’re here, aren’t you? Alive and healthy and making a decent, peaceful life for yourself? You’ve got a home, friends, a job you love.

Sophie.

No, he didn’t have Sophie.

“I’m here and I’m not going anywhere,” Sophie assured, her voice sounding small and jittery. “You’re bringing a ladder, right? You’re going to need a really big ladder, Cole. The longest ladder the fire department has.”

“How high up are you, Sophie?”

“I don’t know.” Her teeth chattered. “It didn’t look like much from the ground, but now that I’m up here, I feel like I’m in the nosebleed section…I see the firetruck!”

“Slow down,” he told Andrew, his gaze skimming the shadowy, lamplit trees. The Christmas lights that already had been put up all over town helped in finding her right away. She stood on one branch while clinging to another nearby smaller one. “There. Pull over.”

Andrew pulled the truck to the edge of the street just in front of the tree where Sophie was. Not waiting for his friends, Cole was out in a flash.

“I see you. Oh, Cole, I’m so glad I see you.” Her voice sounded choked, and he couldn’t quite tell if she was crying or laughing. “You really came.”

“Did you not believe me when I said I was on my way?” He stared up the tree at where she appeared precariously perched.

“I believed you. You’re too honorable to have left me stranded. It just felt like forever before you got here.”

Honorable? She knew better, but he wasn’t going to argue with her.

He knew what she meant about feeling as if the drive had taken forever. The past five minutes might have been the longest of his life, and that was saying something.