Tangled Love on Pelican Point (Island County Series Book 3) (30 page)

She nodded, and I grabbed a towel from her. My plan to snatch Coco was to do a sneaky lean-in toward the dog, followed by a graceful drape of the towel, ending the ordeal with a silent snag of the eight pounder once I got close enough to her.

There were a lot of holes in that plan.

“Okay, let’s bring Coco down to safety.” I said.

Mrs. Coleville slowly walked over to where Coco sat in the tree, and I moved my ladder quietly, propping it in position. She scattered most of the towels on the ground around her and kept one over her shoulder. I put my foot on the first step and took in a deep breath before quickly climbing each rung.

The ladder bounced with each step, letting a squeak into the silent air, but I reached the top in seconds. Coco’s yips had turned into panting, and my stomach clenched. With all my heart, I hoped Coco wasn’t badly injured, but it didn’t sound good.

I adjusted the towel over my shoulders and climbed over to the sturdy limb that suddenly didn’t seem so sturdy. I was in the thick of the rescue with branches poking my scalp and leaves tangling my hair. I glanced down, and my palms immediately got sweaty.

This had been a horrible idea.

Forget Coco, I doubted I’d even survive a fall from this height. I was way higher than the tree fort from twenty-plus years ago, which only gifted me with a broken arm.

This would be a career ender. There would be no Jewels to issue library cards, organize author events, or review my favorite books of the week on my blog,
Island Reads
.

Slowly shifting my weight, I straddled the limb and began inching my way toward the branch Coco made home. I could no longer see Coco’s ear, only the twitch of her tail.

I glanced down again and let out a silent gasp. The strength of my core vanished, turning me into a squishy sponge, my arms barely able to haul my weight forward. Fear pummeled through me.

With every scoot forward, I felt like a spineless amoeba waiting to become one with the earth.

“You doing okay up there?” Mrs. Coleville asked in a whisper that was more like a shout.

Even though I had been using both hands to clutch onto my one and only lifeline, I freed a hand and flashed a thumbs-up sign and quickly reattached my hand to my safety branch. I didn’t need her collapsing from a heart attack on top of everything else.

Coco’s panting stopped, and my heart froze.

Did she stop breathing?

Was she okay?

Well, “okay” was probably a relative term at this point. She was a dog trapped in a tree after being carted around by a coyote. If I thought my morning was going bad, Coco’s took the cake.

By the time I reached the center of the moss-covered branch, I was about a foot away, clutching the limb—no longer able to sit upright—as terror took over.

Apparently, Coco had also been afflicted with the same paralyzing fear because she’d sprawled herself lengthwise and teetered precariously on the branch. Her head was pointed in the opposite direction, but my eyes focused on her tiny ribcage, hoping I’d spot movement. There wasn’t a speck of blood on her, but I also didn’t see her tiny chest heave in the slightest.

The strength of a coyote’s jaw could be deadly against an eight-pound Yorkie. I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath as I pushed myself up and away, no longer able to hug my safe place. Twigs jabbed my skin, and the burn from the coffee incident still seared my stomach and thighs.

I thought about the irony of the situation. For years I’d joked about the woman who spilled coffee on her lap and sued, and here I was feeling every bit of that pain from too hot of coffee.

This really wasn’t the best way to begin my week. I forced my eyes open and pulled the towel from my shoulders and readied myself.

The limb next to me shook from a slight breeze that began mustering its strength, and it felt like the world was dropping out from underneath me. It was now or never. With a quick fluid motion, I curled the towel around Coco and brought her into my arms. Her brown eyes fluttered to mine, and I quickly checked her tiny body for wounds while simultaneously squeezing the limb with my legs with a strength I didn’t know my thigh muscles knew about. I nestled her back into my chest and hugged her, uncertain of what to do next.

“Coco doesn’t seem to have any teeth marks or puncture wounds,” I called down. “No blood.”

“The vet is waiting for her.”

“Okay, I’m figuring out how to get down.” I hadn’t thought that far ahead. My motto had been one step at a time because I probably didn’t think I’d get this far.

I held onto Coco with both arms, which made me not want to move even a fraction of an inch. One wrong turn, and my entire body would catapult over the limb like a wannabe Olympian. My thighs gripped the limb as I worked my body backward. It wasn’t until I got back to the crook of the tree that I realized I was doomed.

“Do you know how you’re going to get to the ladder?” Mrs. Coleville asked.

“Nope,” I hollered back, squeezing Coco and refusing to look down.

The idea of swinging my leg back over the limb made my head swirl. My thighs were the only things locking me onto the tree.

“I hear sirens,” Mrs. Coleville said, walking directly under where Coco and I were perched.

I strained my ears in search of the sirens, but I only heard my pulse thumping between my ears. It wasn’t until I heard a man’s calm voice that I realized backup had arrived. I’d been sitting in the tree for who knew how many minutes clutching Coco and daring myself to move from my roost.

“We’ve got ya. Just slowly draw your leg in and turn your body,” the man said from behind me.

He’d apparently climbed up the ladder with the speed of a professional, and we’d be eye-to-eye if I could only manage to follow his instructions, but therein lies the problem. I was paralyzed with fear. The moment my thighs stopped gripping was the moment I’d go overboard. I could feel it.

“Miss, can you hear me?” he asked, his tone softening even more.

I nodded, afraid if I spoke he’d hear how terrified I was.

“If you drag your leg over, you’ll be more stable. You can even hold my hand.”

I shook my head and let out a slow breath. “Take Coco. Save her before me.”

“I’d like to save you both.” It sounded like the man might have held in a chuckle.

Still clutching the limb with my thighs, I turned at my waist and came face to face with the most compelling mix of features I’d ever laid eyes on in one human being. Even behind his goggles, his eyes were beautiful and as blue as a glacier. Not to mention the twinkle in his eyes made my already weak knees useless as he stood perched in the nook of the tree without so much as a finger wrapped around a limb for balance.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

He smiled and reached out for Coco, and I let her go into the man’s grasp.

“Welcome,” he responded before quickly working his way down the ladder and handing Coco to Mrs. Coleville, who was busy giving her kisses before she even had Coco in her arms.

My head was spinning, and I knew I was about to go over so I leaned forward and hugged the limb underneath me as the world around me moved at lightning speed.

“You doing okay up there?” the fireman asked, already climbing back up the ladder.

“Not really.” My eyes were focused on the grass beneath me as one man dressed in a full fireman’s uniform, turned into several men. I wasn’t seeing double or triple, I was seeing quadruple as my stomach churned, and my world twisted into the unsettling turn of events. “But I’ve got it. Just give me a second.”

“Whatever you need. There’s no rush.”

Forever Love on Fireweed Island (Book #4) will be available May 2016, and we’ll get to see who Jewels falls for! I’m so excited to share her story with you.

Have you read Tori or Natalie’s story?

Check out Finding Love in Forgotten Cove (Island County #1) and Love Redone in Hidden Harbor (Island County #2)

Or keep reading for a glimpse of Beyond Control . . .

“Knock. Knock,” Brandy hummed, tapping on the door lightly. “You ready?”

“Not really,” I replied, pointing at the stack of papers piled on my desk. “But I guess that probably doesn’t matter.” I smiled and pushed myself away from the desk.

“Not when it comes to your father.” She grinned. Brandy stepped into my office, and I gasped when I saw her. She was in the most gorgeous blue dress, and her dark brown hair was piled in loose curls on top of her head. With every movement, her dress shimmered and clung to all the right places, highlighting the beautiful caramel color of her skin.

“Whoa,” I said, grinning, suddenly feeling completely underdressed for tonight’s function. I looked down at my silver blouse, black pencil skirt, and red stilettos. I was proud of myself for wearing what I thought was a day-to-evening outfit like I always saw in the style magazines… and then Brandy steps into my office, blowing my wishful thinking to smithereens. It must be wonderful to always be so stunning.

“Your assistant cleans up nicely, huh?” she teased. Brandy was my best friend, who I’d met in college, and she knew me better than anyone.

“Your father figured this would happen,” she laughed. “So he sent something over. A courier brought it about an hour ago. I didn’t even peek.”

“You mean my stepmom knew this would happen,” I laughed.

“Same difference.”

I blew the stray hairs out of my face and couldn’t help but smile as I thought about my father. He always took such good care of me, especially since my mother’s death. Actually, that wasn’t completely true. His money always took very good care of me. I only saw him more now because I worked for one of his companies.

“Okay, let’s see it,” I sighed.

“Don’t even pretend you don’t want to play dress up.” She left my office and returned in a heartbeat with a garment bag and a Nordstrom sack dangling around the hanger.

“I honestly didn’t know it was such a big deal,” I said, tucking my hair behind my ear.

“That’s what black-tie means, dummy.” Brandy extended the garment bag toward me and gave an exasperated huff.

I peered nervously through the glass wall that looked over the sea of cubicles. This wasn’t something I wanted the rest of the employees to see. I’d already caught the animosity in the air about the fact that I worked here and didn’t have to start at the bottom. Brandy saw my apprehension and quickly closed the door and shut the automatic blinds.

“It’s not like I got an invitation. I’m his daughter. I just show up,” I replied, unzipping the garment bag to reveal a beautiful flowing chiffon dress. The fabric was soft lavender with tiny pearls stitched at the waistband, and beautiful lace appliques spreading from the hem up the skirt of the dress.

“I wanna see,” Brandy whined.

“It’s amazing and so… me,” I replied, taking the hanger from Brandy so she could take a look.

I loved Brandy’s dress on her, but it was so not me. Why? Because it was really tiny! One false move and nothing’s left to the imagination, but that was exactly how she liked it. I, on the other hand, built a world that kept ‘em guessing. That was my motto.

“Suddenly I’m no longer the belle of the ball,” she laughed. “Holy. Shit. Is this Valentino?”

I shrugged and felt the familiar heat run up my face. My fingers instinctively ran up the scar along my breastbone as I eyed the neckline. There was no hiding it in this dress.

“Nobody will care what’s being auctioned off tonight. They’ll all want you,” she gushed, noticing where my hand stalled. I could always count on her to make me feel better.

“Oh, please. This covers me all the way up. You’ll definitely be the one who everyone’s looking at,” I assured her.

“Doubtful,” she whispered, running her fingertips along the dress. “Let’s get you in this. We’re running late.”

I laid the garment bag across my desk, careful not to knock any of the papers onto the floor, and worked the dress cautiously out of the bag. Brandy unhooked the shoe bag and opened the box up.

“Of course, Jimmy Choo,” she said, dangling the lace pumps from her fingertips.