Page 13 of Montana Groom of Convenience
“Can’t or won’t?”
Carly went to Sawyer’s side. “Can you go up there and get her to hand you the dog?”
“I don’t think the branch will take the weight of both of us.”
He was right. Only one thing to do. She pulled the back of her skirt up and fixed it at her waist, forming a pair of loose trousers. Not for the first time and certainly not for the last, she wondered at the impracticality of women’s wear. Thus girded up, she quickly climbed the tree until she came alongside Jill and reached for the dog. “Let me hand him down before he falls.” She managed to pluck the animal from her arms and shinnied down far enough to hand Happy to Sawyer.
“Are you coming?” she called up to Jill.
“No.”
“Do you want us to leave you here?”
“You can’t leave her,” Annie protested. “It isn’t safe.”
“I’ve climbed lots of trees. Never got hurt. Besides, she got up there. She can get down.” She jumped to the ground, freed her skirts, and shook out the wrinkles as best she could. Then she faced Sawyer. If seeing her like this was going to shock him to the core, best they all find out now.
“Thanks for getting the dog.” He put Happy in Evan’s arms.
Carly headed for the house. When she realized no one followed, she turned. “Anyone coming?”
The two adults remained rooted to the spot, watching Jill.
“I can’t leave her,” Sawyer said. “What if she falls?”
Carly slowly retraced her steps. “I don’t think someone who climbed a tree with a pup in her arms will have any trouble getting down with her arms empty.”
Sawyer gave a low sound of disagreement that could be best described as a grunt. “I have no desire to stand by and do nothing and then see harm come to her.”
“Me, either. But I simply don’t think Jill needs help.” Was the child playing games with them? Perhaps testing them to see if she could make them jump to her tune? Like Carly had done when she was younger. Before she learned it was easier to do what needed to be done without waiting for or expecting approval.
“Then why isn’t she coming down?” Sawyer moved closer to the tree and looked up through the branches and spoke to his sister. “You can get down easily. Just lower your foot to the branch below you.”
Jill kept her gaze locked on the distance.
Carly studied the child. There was something about her expression that made Carly change her opinion. Jill’s knuckles were white and she clung to the branch. Her lips were pressed into a narrow line. Perhaps the bump on her head had affected her balance. Whatever the cause, Carly knew the child feared to climb down and she nudged Sawyer aside. “I’ll help her down.”
“I should be the one.”
“As you already pointed out, the branches aren’tstrong enough to take your weight.” Already, she had her skirts tucked out of the way and began to climb. Again, she came alongside Jill. “Can you let go of the branch?”
“Not going to.”
Even though Jill tried to sound tough, Carly caught the thread of fear in her voice. “Okay then, let’s try something else.” She edged closer to Jill and pushed herself to her tiptoes. “Climb on my back, and I’ll give you a ride down.” If she made it sound like fun, maybe Jill would forget her fear.
“Don’t want to.”
So she wasn’t going to let go of that branch. Praying the branch would hold the weight of both of them; she hoisted herself up beside Jill. “Will you let me carry you down? It will be fun. Just like when I carried you off the street.” She pried open the fingers of one hand as she talked, hoping her conversation distracted Jill. She freed the hand and pulled one arm around her neck. Then talking softly to Jill, as she would with a frightened colt, she pulled the other arm around the other side. “Hang on.” She needn’t have told Jill to do so. The child’s arms almost choked her.
Carly began to inch toward the trunk.
The branch upon which she sat creaked, cracked, and bent.
Sawyer heldhis breath when he saw the branch under Jill and Carly bow. He would not stand here and be a spectator. Hecouldn’t live with that sort of memory to add to another he could not erase. He reached the trunk of the tree in seconds and pulled himself upward from branch to branch, ignoring the way they creaked under his weight. He drew even with Carly’s foot and clamped his hand around her ankle. He would stop her from falling no matter what.
“I have you,” he called.
“I’m on my way down.”
