her baby, but Cole was suddenly pinning her down. Then he started
pounding at her legs with the palms of his hands, shouting to Daniel to
help him. She cried out and renewed her struggles to push him off
her.
Flames were greedily eating the hem of her robe. Cole was trying to
put the fire out and get the robe off her before she was burned. By
the time he had rolled her onto her stomach, Daniel was at his side,
helping. The two men were tearing at her clothes. Screaming Caleb's
name over and over again she struggled to get up, but they wouldn't let
her move until Cole had ripped her robe off her shoulders and Daniel
had pulled it free.
Cole lifted her up. She grabbed hold of his shirt and screamed, "I
can't find Caleb. You have to help me find him. He's with Tilly. .
.
She was taking him outside while I searched for Grace. They were
beside me upstairs. Where are they? I have to find them." She jerked
away from him and tried to run back to the house, but Cole grabbed her
from behind. She fought like a wildcat to get free, clawing at his
arms and kicking at his legs.
"I'll find him, " he promised. "Do you hear me, Jessie? I'll find
him.
You stay with Grace. Can you do that? " His calm voice cut through
her hysteria. "Yes, yes, I'll stay with Grace. Please hurry."
"The old lady and the baby are still inside, " Cole shouted to
Daniel.
He jerked Jessica around to face him. "Where are their rooms? " She
pointed to the center window above the porch. "Tilly's room is in the
middle. Caleb and I are next to her . . . on the left side . . . by
the tree." Daniel was already on the roof. He'd swung himself up from
the overhang above the porch. He used the heel of his boot to break
the glass in the center window and jumped back to avoid the flames and
smoke that billowed out. Then he dove, headfirst, inside.
The roof above the porch collapsed a second later. Cole had run to the
other side of the house to try to get in through one of the windows on
the first floor, but he couldn't get close enough, for the heat pouring
out was too intense. His eyes burned and watered as he backtracked to
the gnarled tree closest to the house. Thick branches hung down over
the eaves and he hoped he could get close enough to jump onto the
roof.
He began to climb. Seconds later he swung out, hand over hand, and
then dropped down to the roof. Daniel appeared at the window with
Tilly wrapped in a blanket and draped over his shoulder. Before Cole
could help him, Daniel jumped through the opening and sprinted toward
the opposite side of the roof. The branches on that side of the house
were lower and easy to grasp hold of.
"Caleb wasn't with Tilly. Get out of here, " Daniel shouted. "The
roof's going to go." Ignoring the warning, Cole headed for the window
Jessica had pointed out. Tongues of fire were hissing and spitting at
him from the opening, but fear lent him strength. He was so damned