In Love With The Firefighter. Amie Denman

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ his helmet up and nodded to Nicole.

      “Thanks,” he said. He turned and trudged back to the front porch where a man in a red helmet was giving orders.

      The little girl got up and followed him, her blanket dragging on the ground. Her parents didn’t notice, but Nicole did. She waited, watching. The girl wasn’t in danger. Kevin was talking with the man who appeared to be in charge of the fire scene, and the worst seemed to be over. The girl pulled on the edge of Kevin’s coat and looked up at him. He leaned down and put his ear as close to her as he could manage with his helmet on, listening and nodding. Then he turned the girl around by her shoulders and pointed at her parents.

      “Where did you go?” the mother asked, panic and despair in her voice as her daughter approached. “I told you to stay close by, honey. It’s dangerous.”

      “I was asking him to look for Eddie,” she said, and started to cry. “I can’t find him. What if he died in the fire?”

      The parents exchanged pained looks.

      Oh, God, Nicole thought. Who is Eddie? Her brother? She felt tears stinging her eyes as she relived the pain of losing Adam.

      “He was sleeping on my bed when the smoke alarm woke me up,” the girl continued.

      “Maybe he followed us out,” her father said, putting an arm around his daughter. “He can see really well in the dark.”

      Nicole let out the breath she was holding. Okay, we’re obviously talking about a pet. Breathe.

      “I asked the fireman to look for him and he promised he would,” the child continued.

      “I’m sure he will, baby,” her father said.

      “I’ll help you look,” Nicole offered. “Is Eddie a dog or a cat?”

      “Cat,” the girl said.

      “Maybe he followed you, just like your dad said. We could stay out of the way and look around together.”

      Nicole had no idea why she was insisting on searching for a cat that probably perished in the fire. But in a way, she understood the girl’s grief. Knew what it was like to hope someone or something you loved had somehow survived against the odds.

      “I’m Nicole,” she told the girl’s parents. “I’m staying with my friend Jane who owns the art gallery in town.”

      “We know Jane,” the mom said. To her daughter, she said, “If you stay far away from the firemen and the trucks, you can go with this nice lady and look around.” Her face softened. “Maybe he climbed a tree to hide and he’s just waiting for you to come get him.”

      Nicole took the girl’s hand. “What color is your cat?”

      “Black. He’s all black.”

      Great. Looking for a panicked black cat that may or may not even be alive. In the darkness. At least it was better than watching the firefighters systematically carry out smoldering furniture and other belongings. Anything was better than that.

      “I’m Julia,” the girl said, her voice small. Her dark hair fell around her face and she looked tiny under the rough blanket. “Do you think we’ll find Eddie?”

      “Yes,” Nicole said, trying to sound convincing. “He could be sound asleep in the mailbox.”

      “Or my sandbox.”

      “I’ll bet you’re right. We’ll check those places and then start looking under plants and in trees. Is Eddie a good climber?”

      Julia wrinkled her forehead. “He never goes out of the house. He usually sleeps all day unless I’m playing with him.”

      “So,” Nicole said. “He’s a beginner climber. That’s good. He won’t be too far up. But we’re going to need a flashlight.”

      Nicole took the child’s hand and approached Kevin, who was now digging through a cabinet on the side of one of the fire trucks.

      “Excuse me,” she said. “Do you have a flashlight in there we can borrow?”

      At the sight of Nicole and the little girl, his brows came together in a skeptical look. “What are you planning to do with it? You can’t go in the house.”

      “I’m not a fool,” Nicole said. “We’re looking for Eddie.”

      Kevin glanced at the little girl. “The cat?” he asked.

      “Uh-huh,” Julia said. “Nicole is helping me find him. We’re looking in the mailbox and up in the trees.”

      Kevin smiled. “That’s really nice of Nicole, and I’m sure you’ll find him. He’s probably just scared. Fires are scary.”

      He took a flashlight from the large front pocket of his heavy coat and handed it to Nicole.

      “I’ll bring it back,” she said.

      “I know where to find you,” he replied, smiling at her and holding eye contact as if he wanted to emphasize that they were on the same side.

      “Thank you,” Nicole said. She took the child’s hand and they crept around the edge of the property, checking every hiding place they could find on the lawn. Trying to ignore the damp, smoky smell of the fire, she swept the flashlight into trees, under shrubs and beneath the swing set. Nicole smiled encouragingly at the little girl even though it seemed hopeless.

      One set of searchlights went off. A fire truck left, and neighbors went home. It had to be two in the morning at least, but there was no sign of Eddie. Nicole felt tears of frustration, exhaustion and something she didn’t want to think about well in her eyes. Julia’s mother found them in the backyard and claimed her daughter’s hand. “Sorry we didn’t find Eddie tonight,” Nicole told the girl, “but I’m sure he’ll come back tomorrow.”

      “We’re staying with my sister across town,” the mother said. “If you happen to see a lonely black cat around, here’s her number.”

      Nicole took the scrap of paper and promised to keep an eye out. She watched the family climb wearily into an SUV with only the clothes and blankets on their backs. The fire chief and another firefighter put up yellow caution tape across the doors.

      Nicole still had the flashlight and most of the trucks had left, so she approached the man in the red helmet. “Please give this to Kevin Ruggles,” she said, her voice faint with disappointment and unshed tears.

      “He’s right here,” the chief said, handing the light over Nicole’s head to a man behind her. She turned and faced him.

      Although he was covered in black grime, the light from the remaining fire truck illuminated his smile. “Did you find the cat?” he asked.

      She shook her head, not wanting to talk about the cat or anything else related to the fire.

      “Hope he didn’t die,” Kevin said, “but I’m afraid it’s pretty likely. Animals tend to hide and the flames go right over them.”

      Nicole СКАЧАТЬ