Page 25 of Chasin' Cole

Cole's hand grazes my cheek before weaving it through my hair and twirling a strand of blond between his fingers. "We have now. Let's focus on that."

"Yes," I smile. "Let's focus on the here and the now."

Something vibrates in Cole's front pocket, interruptin' the moment.

He groans as he pulls it out of his jeans and holds it up so I can see it's Brock callin'.

"Answer it," I tell him.

“Are you sure?”

“I don’t want you to ignore him for me. Answer it.”

Cole keeps one arm around me as he puts the phone to his ear. "Hey."

I can hear Brock's frantic voice on the other end of the line.

"Just slow down," Cole tries to calm him down. "Where is it? Did you call the fire department?"

There's a long pause as Cole listens to my older brother.

"OK, I'm on my way," Cole finishes up the conversation and hangs up.

"What's wrong?" I swallow hard as he slides his phone back into his pocket.

"Fire on Della Ray's property," Cole says. "They need more manpower. Brock asked if I'd come help."

"Well, what are we standin' here for then?" I ask. "Come on! Let's go!"

Cole and I lock hands as we push through the throngs of people, remindin' me once again just how much I hate crowds. Too many people and no clear-cut path to the exit in the event of an emergency.

My hand sweats as I hold tight to Cole. Della Ray’s property sits right next to Brock’s. We need to put the fire out before more than just Della Ray's property is ruined. And since our fire department is volunteer only, they need as many hands as possible.

Once we reach Cole's old truck, it's another 45-minute drive to the ranch. I pray like crazy the whole ride, askin' God to keep everyone safe, to keep the fire away from the cattle. They’re Della Ray’s livelihood.

Cole keeps his hand in my sweaty one as he races down the highway with me sittin' right beside him in the center seat. One of the things I love most about him is how calm he stays during emergencies. He's always been that way.

Once, when we were much younger, Brock fell out of a tree and broke his arm. Cole remained calm while I wailed and carried on in a panic. He managed to get Brock up off the ground while convincin' me to run up ahead to the house and let Mama know what had happened.

My phone goes off, interruptin' the bittersweet memory.

It's Mama.

I nervously answer it, "Hello?"

"Rose," she cries into the phone. "Where are you?"

"I'm almost to Brock's."

"We were so worried about you. No one knew where you were," she exhales before saying, "Yeah! Got ahold of her," to someone.

"I'll see you when I get there, Mama. We’re hurryin’," I tell her before hanging up.

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger. Cole lets go of my hand and snakes his arm over my shoulder. The action sends a wave of peace through my body. Cole's here. He makes everythin' better.

When we finally pull up to Brock's ranch, dark, grey smoke billows off the plains and fills the afternoon sky.

Cole puts the truck in park and opens the door. I slide out after him. His hand rests on my waist to make sure I'm steady before he slams the car door shut and grips my fingers with his.

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