The Holiday Swap(35)

Come on, Charlie. Stop acting like you have a high-school crush. But the truth was, even in high school, Charlie had been more levelheaded about her crushes than this. She needed a day off, even though that was impossible at the moment. It occurred to her that she hadn’t taken a proper day off in . . . She couldn’t even remember the last time.

Charlie startled when a lumbering figure moved toward her. “Oh, hey, Bonnie.” She’d forgotten that Jake’s rescue dog was in the yard, burning off some energy while Jake and Charlie worked inside. Bonnie’s tongue lolled from the side of her mouth, and she looked like she was smiling. Charlie laughed when Bonnie put her furry head under Charlie’s hand and nudged, requesting some attention. She obligingly rubbed behind Bonnie’s ears.

Suddenly Bonnie pulled away, barking and taking off like a shot after something running through the yard. At first glance Charlie thought it was a large black squirrel, until she got a closer look.

Oh no—

That was no squirrel. That was . . .

“Gateau!” Charlie shouted, pushing off the tree and running across the yard after the black streak that was her sister’s cat. But Bonnie was ahead of her, giving gleeful chase. “Bonnie, no! Stop! Halt? Come! Arghhh!”

It was no use. Charlie had no clue which commands might work to stop Bonnie chasing Gateau, who now jumped from the snow-crusted ground to the trunk of the monumental oak, scrambling up it with surprising speed. Gateau hovered in the tree’s upper branches, swishing her shiny black tail while Bonnie stood on her back legs, front paws scrabbling uselessly against the gnarled bark, howling out her indignation that the game was over.

“Bonnie, sit!” Jake’s voice bellowed in the yard. Bonnie immediately came down on her haunches, her long pink tongue hanging out of her mouth again as she panted. She looked at Jake, waiting for his next command.

“What happened?” he asked.

He glanced up to where Charlie pointed, her arm trembling with the cold and adrenaline.

“Oh no,” he said. “Okay, hang on while I put Bonnie in the truck. We’ll get Gateau down, don’t worry.” Jake grabbed Bonnie by the collar. “Come on, girl.”

“It’s too cold in the truck,” Charlie protested. “Go ahead and put Bonnie inside. Just close the door to the bakery.”

“It’s my fault,” Charlie said when Jake returned. “I must not have closed the door all the way. I didn’t even think about it! I completely forgot about Gateau.” Cass would kill her if anything happened to the cat. Tears sprung to her eyes as she imagined admitting to her sister what she’d done.

“Hey, take a breath,” Jake said, putting an arm around her. He was warm and strong, and she relaxed against him. “I’ll get her down. It’s kind of what I do, remember? Cats in trees are no big deal for firefighters.”

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

Jake chuckled, releasing her. “Well, if I wasn’t here, Bonnie wouldn’t have chased Gateau up the tree, so . . .”

“Fair point,” she conceded, her teeth chattering.

Jake took off his hoodie and handed it to her. “Here. You’re freezing.” As she zipped up the garment, she caught a mild whiff of something unfamiliar . . . Was it smoke?

“I know, it smells like a campfire. I started a fire for Gran before I left.”

She sniffed deeply. Yes, it was mild, but it was there. Smoke. The relief at realizing her sense of smell was returning nearly overwhelmed her, but she fought to keep it hidden. She put the hood up and grinned at Jake. “Thank you,” she said, her teeth already chattering less.

“You’re welcome.” He smiled and tugged gently on the strings on either side of the hood, cinching it closer to her head. She probably looked ridiculous, but she didn’t even care.

“So,” Jake added, looking around the yard. “We should do this before we lose the last bit of light. Is there a ladder somewhere?”

“Leaning against the side of the bakery,” Charlie replied, hoping that was still where her dad kept it.

“I can’t believe this happened. I’m such an idiot,” she said once Jake returned with the bulky aluminum ladder. It was ancient and unwieldy, though he handled it like it was nothing more than a plastic garden chair.

“Are you kidding me? It’s my dog who’s the idiot. Listen to her in there, still barking like a fool.” As if on cue, Bonnie let out another series of high-pitched barks. They both laughed. “I love her, but . . .”

“Hey, she’s a work in progress, right?” Charlie moved out of the way so Jake could place the extendable ladder against the tree’s sturdy trunk. “Maybe we’re all just works in progress.”

Jake settled the ladder, testing it to make sure it was secure before glancing back at her. “Feeling philosophical today, are we, Cass?”

She shrugged. “Panic over possibly losing your pet will do that to you, I guess.”

Jake held the ladder with one hand and reached for her with his other. His green eyes held hers as his fingers wrapped around her hand, giving a gentle squeeze. “You’re not going to lose Gateau, Cass. I promise. I’ll have her down in a few minutes. You don’t have anything to worry about. Okay?”

Then he let go of her hand and started climbing the ladder. Charlie held the rails against the tree, keeping it secure as he climbed. Her head was spinning as she watched Jake go higher, one rung at a time. But this time she knew the slight dizziness had nothing to do with her concussion and more to do with the handsome and kind-hearted firefighter climbing the ladder in front of her.