Page 5 of Rescuing His Kitten
Chapter Three
BELLAROSE
My fingers are starting to cramp as I cling to the branch. I’m pretty sure my dignity is lying somewhere down there next to my missing shoe. I lost it when I nearly slipped off a branch. Seriously, how do I manage to always get myself into these situations?
“You still doing okay up there?” he asks, his tone warm and calm but also confident. That makes me relax marginally. If I’m going to be rescued, I hope the person has confidence because I’m at a net zero with mine at the moment.
“Great. Fantastic, honestly. I was thinking of redecorating. Maybe a couple of bird feeders,” I say, trying to find the humor in this.
I risk a peek down, even though I’m pretty sure that’s the last thing you’re supposed to do. He’s already climbing, making it look easy, like he’s done this a hundred times.
While he climbs, I get a better look at him. He has dark hair, strong shoulders—hell, strong everything. A face that looks like it knows how to smile at life’s absurdities. Hi, it’s me, the absurdity.
He stops on a branch beneath mine, close enough that I can see his eyes. They’re a dark blue and appear kind. Not annoyed about helping me. If anything, he’s amused.
“Hi,” he says, giving me a charming smile that makes all my insides tingle, or maybe I’m just getting lightheaded and closing in on a panic attack. I’m going with the latter.
“Hi,” I chirp back and shift my weight. The branch creaks ominously. I freeze. I’m now regretting that second lunch, but I didn’t know when we would get dinner!
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” He shifts, positioning himself beneath me. “All you have to do is let go. I’ll do the rest.”
What did he just say? Let go?
“I don’t even know you.” Not sure why that matters. I’d probably jump into Jason Voorhees’s arms right now if he came up out of that lake.
“I’m West. That’s a start.”
I suppose it is. I look down at him. At the ground. At my own white-knuckled grip. My fingers can’t hang on much longer, so I decide to do what he says. I close my eyes and let go.
He catches me, then jumps the rest of the way. He lands gracefully on his feet while keeping a firm hold on me. He made that look way too easy.
For a moment, we’re just...close. I can smell cedar and something clean and masculine. There’s laughter in his eyes, and he’s looking at me like I hung the moon instead of getting myself stuck in a tree.
“Hi,” I breathe. He fights a smile.
“Hi,” he says again like we haven’t done this part already. He’s looking at me, but he hasn’t put me down yet. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Embarrassed. Sore. But intact.” I wiggle, and he puts me down on my feet. Then he surprises me by straightening my glasses that slipped forward. “Thank you. For the rescue. All of it.”
“Anytime.” He doesn’t step back right away. “A dog didn’t chase you up there, did it?” I snort a laugh and hit his chest playfully.
“Ope, sorry.” Did I really hit the man who saved me? West is still smiling down at me, so he must not be mad. He’s probably entertained and is planning on telling everyone this story. At least I wasn’t crying in the tree like I did in the supply closet. “Thank you, really. I was getting scared.”
“No more climbing trees,” he says, and I nod as I wrap my arms around myself.
“I think I can manage that.”
“There’s a bonfire tonight,” West says, his smile still there. “It’s down by the lake. You should come.”
I look at my dress and try to brush off a few leaves. The climb has left smudges of bark and dirt across most of it, and one of the buttons has popped loose. “I was planning to. But maybe I should change first.”
West’s gaze travels over the dress, and when he looks back at me, his expression has softened into something almost endearing. “I hope it’s not too bad because I love this dress.”
He bends down, and I realize he’s going to help me with my shoe. I brace a hand on his shoulder as he slips it onto my foot. When he straightens, he opens his hand, and my button is there.
It’s all so sweet that I have to blink a few times.
“I’m dirty,” I blurt out, suddenly frazzled. What’s happening here? Are we flirting?
