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As she made her way over the frozen ground, the man turned his head.
Goooolllyyy jeez. Megan had seen men as gorgeous as him in magazine, but had never encountered one out in the wild before.
“Hey.” His friendly grin was the first one she had received since entering Treepoint.
Megan couldn’t help but to respond, despite her unease at being in such an isolated spot. “Hey. Looks like your friend is in a predicament.”
The man’s hands went to his hips in frustration as his head tilted back to look at the cat. “Never met him in my life. I would have left him there if I wasn’t responsible for him being there.”
Grabbing a huge tuft of grass to heave herself up the slope to stand next to him, she asked, “What did you do? Bark at him?”
His appreciative laugh filled her with a warmth she hadn’t felt in a long time, if ever.
“Not exactly. He was sitting in the middle of the road. I was afraid he was going to get hit, so I pulled off. When I went to pick him up, he took off and climbed the tree.”
Megan lifted her chin, gauging the distance from the ground to the limb the cat was sitting on. “Wow. He’s pretty far up.”
“Yes, he is, and he doesn’t seem to have any intention of coming down anytime soon.”
“No, he doesn’t,” she agreed as the cat started to delicately lick its paw. “Any idea how you’re going to get him down?”
His eyes twinkled with laughter. “I go back and forth between climbing the tree or leaving his ass.”
Her lips twitched in laughter. “What side is winning?”
“Put it this way: if you hadn’t pulled off, I would have already been gone. Something about that cat makes me believe he’s not going to appreciate any effort I make.”
The cat lifted its paw to study it then continued to lick.
“I’m getting that impression, too.”
The man quirked an eyebrow at her. “Do you have any ideas? I’m open to suggestions.”
“I vote you climb the tree,” she suggested.
He gave her a strange look before shaking his head. “I’m afraid of heights.”
“Oh.” Megan gauged the distance again. “I guess I could try. The tree has a few knots. I climbed a few trees when I was younger.”
“Only if you want to give it a go. I can give you lift, if that helps.”
Nodding, she braced her hand on the tree as he cupped his hands for her to step on.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I think so.”
Placing her foot into his cupped hands, she found herself lifted upward. Grabbing at the tree trunk, she managed to grab two thick knots. She looked upward. She was just two limbs from the cat, who was staring at her balefully.
What in the hell was she doing? She hated cats. Hated them from the time she was a little girl and a neighbor’s cat would crap in her sandbox.
Digging the side of her shoes into the tree trunk, she managed to climb to the limb below the cat.
“Be careful.” the man called out. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Megan.”
“Mine’s Cole. It’s nice to meet you.”
Jesus Christ, does his voice have to match his looks? she complained to herself as she pulled herself higher.
“Here, kitty, kitty …” she crooned softly. When she reached the limb the cat was on, she gingerly extended her arm, expecting the cat to jump at any second.
The cat stretched on the limb before standing. Then, like a ballet dancer on a high wire, it walked toward her. Megan couldn’t believe it when the cat rubbed against her hand.
Carefully lifting the cat off the limb and into her arm, she held it to her chest. He rubbed his head under her chin, and a soft purr emitted from the feline, sending vibrations to her chest.
“Aw … He’s so sweet. He’s letting me hold him.”
Megan thought Cole said something under his breath, but she couldn’t make it out.
“What did you say?”
“How are you going to hold on to him coming down?”
“You couldn’t have asked that question before I climbed the tree?”
“I didn’t think of it. To be honest, I didn’t think you would be able to get him. I thought he would jump.”
Megan looked down to find him staring up at her. “I did, too.” She laughed. “I’m going to try to edge down.”
Slowly, she scooted one foot down, then her other one. Using the back of the forearm while holding the cat, she managed to snuggle the cat more to the middle of her chest, freeing her hand. Nervous, she waited to be scratched at any moment, but she was surprised when the cat remained still as she slid down the tree.
“I’ve got you.” Warm hands gripped her around the waist, lifting her off the tree.
“Should I put her down?”
Cole gave a wry grimace. “Not unless you want to climb the tree again.”
