Unbreakable Bond (19 page)

Rebecca tried, but her arms were too weak, and Nina gasped as she missed and nearly plunged downward.

Fear threatened to immobilize her, but she refused to give up. She hadn't searched all these years for her child only to lose her now.

She hugged Rebecca to her. “Listen, sweetie, I'm going to climb first, then pull you up.”

Rebecca tugged at her arm. “No. Don't leave me, Mommy.”

Tears filled Nina's eyes, and she cradled Rebecca's small face between her hands. “Sweetheart, I love you. I will never leave you, you understand?”

Rebecca's chin quivered, but she finally nodded.

Smoke was growing thicker, and the blaze had inched up the steps and was eating at the wooden doorway of the bedroom.

They had to hurry.

She kissed Rebecca's cheek, then released her and dragged a chair to the window. She climbed in the chair, then lifted Rebecca up beside her. Then she hoisted herself through the window. She was shaking all over, but gripped the limb with all her might, testing it to make sure it would hold them.

Satisfied it would, she reached for her daughter. “Come on, sweetie.”

Rebecca stood on tiptoes in the chair and held up her arms. “I think I can, I think I can…”

Nina grabbed her and hauled her up beside her. It took every bit of concentration for her to steady them, but she wrapped Rebecca beneath her, and held on for dear life.

 

F
EAR STABBED
S
LADE AS
he raced up Nina's drive. He'd been at the sheriff's waiting on Mrs. Hood's lawyer when the 9-1-1 call had come in.

He'd run out and nearly had a heart attack as he'd driven to her house, afraid he would be too late.

Afraid he might lose her.

God, he loved her….

He couldn't let her go. And he sure as hell couldn't let her die….

Behind him, a siren wailed, but he beat the fire engine to the house, threw the vehicle into Park, jumped out and raced toward the house. The fire was blazing, the entire front burning wildly, smoke floating in a thick plume.

Where was Nina? Had she and Rebecca escaped?

Frantically he shouted her name over and over as he ran to the side of the house, searching the windows to see if she was trapped inside.

“Nina!” he shouted. “Nina, where are you?”

Wood crackled and popped, glass shattering as the porch collapsed and the fire spread upward. He coughed, the heat scalding him as he checked the back of the house. On fire, too.

Slade shouted Nina's name again, then Rebecca's. Frantically, he raced to the other side of the house and checked the guest bedroom window. It was ajar and flames shot through the opening.

Panic nearly made him collapse. There was no way they could survive….

“Slade!”

The fire engine wailed closer, but Slade was certain he'd heard Nina. Where the hell was she?

Suddenly a low, keening sound echoed from somewhere above. The tree branch shook. Leaves rained down.

“Nina?”

“Slade! We're up here! Hurry!”

Slade frowned and peered through the fog of smoke, then spotted Nina cradling her daughter huddled on a tree branch.

Thank God they were alive.

“Hang on, I'll be right there.” He studied the tree, gauging his path, then grabbed the lowest branch and hurled himself upward. He climbed as quickly as possible, testing each branch as he climbed to make sure it would hold him.

Rebecca looked pale in the light of the blaze, and both she and Nina were sweating from the heat. One branch, two, another… He climbed until he made it to the branch below them.

“Take Rebecca down first,” Nina cried.

Slade's gaze met hers, and he knew that she was afraid the branch was going to catch on fire. The flames were inching out the window toward her.

“I'm going to get you both down,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Please, Slade, take her,” Nina whispered.

“Mommy, I don't want to leave you,” Rebecca sobbed.

“I'll be right behind you,” Nina said softly. “I promise.”

Rebecca's fingers tightened around her for a second, then Slade stroked her hair.

“Rebecca, honey, listen to me. I'm going to save you and your mommy, but you have to trust me.”

Terror darkened her eyes as she clung to Nina. “Mommy…”

Nina lifted her daughter's chin and forced her to look at her. “You can trust Slade, honey. I'll be right behind you, I promise. But we have to hurry.”

Rebecca bit down on her lip. “'Kay.”

Slade smiled at her. “That's good, honey. Now I want you to climb on my back, and wrap your arms around my neck like a monkey. Then put your legs around me, too, and hold on as tight as you can.”

“Remember the little engine,” Nina said softly.

Nina helped her daughter wind her arms around his neck, then Rebecca squeezed her little legs to his waist, and he began climbing down.

The fire engine finally arrived and careened to a stop, and he shouted for them to help him. The men jumped into motion. Two men dragged a hose to douse
the flames while another spotted him as he dropped to the ground with Rebecca and raced over with a ladder.

“I'll get Nina, you try to save the house,” Slade shouted. He didn't wait on a response, but gripped the ladder and began climbing. Nina was trying to make her way down, but slipped and dangled from a branch above him. Rebecca screamed, and Nina looked down, hanging on to the branch with one hand and clawing to reach it with the other.

“Hurry, I'm slipping,” Nina cried.

“Hang on, honey.” Slade grabbed her just before she plunged to the ground.

Fear shot through him as he pulled her to him, and he silently vowed never to leave her again. Then together they climbed down the ladder.

The firefighter helped her off the ladder first, then Slade jumped to the ground.

Nina pulled Rebecca into her arms, and the little girl clung to her, both of them trembling. He ushered them away from the heat of the burning house.

Another siren screeched, and suddenly the sheriff's car roared to a stop. Sheriff Driscill climbed out and strode toward them. Slade saw someone in the back of the squad car and frowned.

“You all okay?” Sheriff Driscill asked.

Slade nodded. “It was close, but yeah.”

“I know who started the fire.” Driscill jerked his thumb toward the car. “The same person who kidnapped the baby.”

Nina pressed her daughter tighter into her embrace, and glanced at the police car. Slade saw the woman beating at the glass, screaming and crying.

“Mitzi…” Nina said in a stunned voice.

“I caught her racing away around the corner. She was hysterical, screaming that she had to do it. That she was afraid William would want you back now you found the child.”

“William gave up his rights a long time ago,” Nina said stiffly.

The sheriff nodded. “She also admitted that Hood's mother was in cahoots with her. Mitzi actually kidnapped the baby from the hospital, but Hood's mother paid for the adoption. They'll both serve time for this.” He paused. “And one of my deputies found Mansfield. He's bringing him in, as well. He'll be charged with conspiracy.”

Nina glanced at her house, the flames bursting higher.

“I'm sorry you lost the house,” Slade said.

“It doesn't matter.” Nina scooped Rebecca into her arms and hugged her. “I have all that's important right here.”

Slade's resistance completely shattered. How could he not love a woman like her? She knew her priorities and fought for them.

“Thank you for saving us, Slade,” she whispered.

He hesitated, remembered that he'd accused her of gratitude instead of love before, and shame filled him. He'd been a coward, had thought by punishing himself by being alone and denying himself happiness that he could atone for his guilt.

But Nina had taught him about courage. About really loving… “I don't want your gratitude, Nina.”

Fire crackled and popped, illuminating her beautiful face. But a puzzled look darkened her eyes. “Then what do you want, Slade?”

His throat thickened, and he knew he was taking a chance. Knew that he still might fail sometimes or lose them one day.

But he didn't want to lose them now.

“I want your love,” he said in a husky voice.

A slow smile softened her mouth, and she placed a hand against his chest. “You have that already.”

“And you have mine,” Slade said gruffly.

Nina smiled, a radiant look that he knew would be imprinted in his mind forever. A look filled with love and hope and promises of a happily-ever-after.

Then she glanced down at her daughter, who was watching them with big eyes.

Slade gently stroked Rebecca's hair. “You have a mommy now, Rebecca. How would you feel about having a daddy, too?”

Her eyes lit up and she nodded wildly. Moved beyond speech, he wrapped his arms around both of them.

“I love you, Nina,” he said against her hair. “And I will love you and your daughter forever, I promise.”

“I love you, too,” Nina whispered.

Then she closed her mouth over his and kissed him.