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Sophie appreciated the guys’ banter as it gave her a minute to collect her wits. She was on the ground. She was glad she was on the ground.

“Wasn’t there something about a cat being in the tree, too?” Andrew asked, obviously tiring of his conversation with Ben.

“Sophie’s cat abandoned her,” Cole told them.

“I hope he’s okay,” she fretted, looking around but not seeing any sign of him. “I don’t understand how he just disappeared.”

“You’re sure a cat was there, and you didn’t imagine that there was an animal stuck in the tree? Maybe the wind or something sounded like meowing?”

She glared at Ben. “Don’t ask me what I’m imagining right now.”

Andrew laughed.

Wrapping her arms around herself for added warmth, Sophie sucked in another steadying breath. “I’m sorry y’all had to come out to rescue me, but thank you for doing so. I’m so glad to be out of that tree.”

“Broke up an otherwise boring shift,” Andrew admitted.

“Not that we don’t appreciate boring,” Ben added.

Sophie’s gaze went to Cole. He’d grown quiet, distant. Nothing of that earlier light in his eyes was visible now that they’d returned to earth.

“Thanks. I don’t even know where to begin to repay you for saving me.”

Cole looked uncomfortable at her praise. “We were just doing our job.”

“Well, thanks for doing your job.” Her gaze went back and forth between the three men. “I guess I’ll head home now.”

Because the longer she stood there, the more awkward the moment was becoming, and her shivering was getting worse.

“Which house is yours?”

Sophie pointed down the street. “I, uh, thanks, again. Y’all are my heroes.”

“What are you doing?”

“Baking cookies.” Sophie didn’t turn to look at her sister, just kept doing what she’d been doing prior to Isabelle coming into the kitchen.

“Okay, let me rephrase my question. Why are you baking cookies first thing in the morning?”

“I’m bringing them to the firehall as a thank you for rescuing me the other night,” she admitted, cutting another cookie, tweaking the shape with a fork tine, then placing it onto the buttered cookie sheet.

“For Cole?”

“For Andrew, Ben, Cole, and whomever else is there today.”

Sighing, Isabelle shook her head. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Showing my appreciation?”

“Looking for an excuse to see Cole Aaron is more like it.”

“That’s not why I’m baking cookies. Besides, if that was what I was after, I wouldn’t need an excuse. I’ll see Cole this weekend when our group meets to go over what still needs to be done for the toy drive.”

True. She would see him that weekend. It was also true that she hadn’t seen him since he’d rescued her. For whatever reason, it felt as if weeks had gone by instead of merely a couple of days.

“So, thank him. Send a card. Write a letter

to the newspaper editor about how great our fire department is. Email Chief Callahan singing praises about his crew. There’s no need to go there.”