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'I'll see if he's in the garden. Perhaps he's been in a fight—he may be hurt.'
Her voice shook slightly, but Jared gave a brief laugh. 'Honey, if he's been in a fight I'd worry about the other guy if I were you. He'll be the stretcher case. OK—sorry,' as she scowled at him over her shoulder.
'Sam.' She stood on the p a t h , listening intently, and Jared p u s h e d open the gate.
'I'll take a walk along the cliffs—see if I can spot him anywhere.'
'Please.' She bit her lip. 'I know you think I'm a fool, but if anything's happened to him . . .'
She looked up at him, her vision blurred, and saw a strange, w h o l l y unexpected softness in his eyes. He lifted a hand and very gently, with one fingertip, flicked away a large tear from her cheek. But then he stopped, hi s finger still on her face. 'Did you hear that?'
'N-no.' Just for a second she had only been conscious of the feel of his skin against hers, and that expression in his eyes. 'I can't—'
'Sssh. Listen.' And this time she too heard the faint miaow. 'Come on.'
Catching hold of her arm, he ran her round to the rear of the cottage. There was another, louder miaow, and Jared glanced up sharply, shading his eyes against the pale February sunshine.
'Look—he's on the roof.
He pointed, and Petra saw the cat, perched precariously on the tiles just below the ridge.
'Sam!' As she gasped in horror the cat, his green eyes huge with fear, saw them and went to move, then jerked back.
'Damn—he's got his paw trapped,' Jared muttered.
'But how did he get up there?' She was all but wringing her hands.
'How do you think? Up that.' He indicated the huge old apple tree, which, planted too near the cottage, nudged some of its branches against the roof. 'It should have been cut back years ago.'
'Yes, I know, but the blossom's so pretty in spring from my bedroom window.'
'Have you got a ladder?'
'N-no.'
As she swung round he caught her by the wrist. 'Where are you going?'
'To ring the fire brigade. They'll get him down.'
'They won't thank you for fetching them all this way just for a wretched cat.'
'But he isn't a wretched cat—he's Sam.'
'I know, I know.' He heaved an exaggerated sigh. 'Nothing for it, I suppose. The Tremayne Animal Ai d Service to the rescue.' And, catching hold of a lower branch, he swung himself up. She snatched hold of his foot. 'But he's terrified—he might scratch you again.'
'Not if he knows what's good for him,' he said grimly, and hauled himself up a branch. Petra, her hand to her mouth to silence any cry of fear that might make Sam — or Jared—lose his balance, watched as he heaved himself level with the cottage roof, then began inching himself up the sloping branch. It creaked, then sagged gently under his weight, and as she bit into her palm she saw Sam, his eyes green saucers of terror, trying to retreat. His paw wrenched free, he scrabbled frantically then began sliding helplessly down the roof, his claws rasping against the tiles, Jared would never get to him—he'd be killed!
And then, out of thin air, Jared flung himself forward, his arm snaked out and he grabbed the cat by the scruff of the neck, just as he reached the guttering. Clutching the struggling animal to his chest, he ducked back and began an awkward one-armed descent. He was two-thirds down and a few of the knots in her stomach were starting to untie themselves when, without warning, a branch snapped and, unable to save himself, he came slithering down the rest of the way. Sam squirmed out of his arms, and Petra snatched him up, his fur standing on end, his heartbeat vibrating his whole body.
'Oh, baby.' She clutched him c o n v u l sively to her. 'I've got you—you're s a f e now.'
'Delighted to hear it,' Jared's c a u t i o u s voice broke in, and she turned to see him leaning up against the tree trunk. 'When you can spare a few seconds from crooning over that damned animal . . .'
'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said guiltily. 'Are you all right?'
Pushing open the back door, she carefully dropped Sam on to the mat, then went over to Jared.
'Are you all right?' she repeated, a sudden tremor in her voice as she realised that his face was quite pale.
