Free OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE by Lindsey Brookes Page A

humiliation?”
    “Boy, someone ’s a little cranky this evening,” Joe muttered.
    Cole gave him a firm jab in the ribs with his elbow.
    “Oh, don’t mind her,” Nanci said, flashing Joe the same flirtatious smile she’d used on Cole that night at Casey’s.  Joe had better watch out.  “She gets that way once in a while.  It’s the red hair.”
    “Can we leave my hair out of this and get me down from here?”  Kelsie demanded impatiently, obviously having grown tired of her perch.
    “Hang on,” he calmly instructed.  “We’ll have you down before you know it.”
    Joe nodded.  “I’ll get the truck, but you’re going up after her.  I think she bites.”
    “I heard that!” Kelsie exclaimed, but Joe was already on his way across the yard to get the ladder truck, laughing as he went.
    Cole’s gaze shifted back to the China doll dangling above him.  It was hard to remain professional and keep the grin from his face.  Rescuing Kelsie from sticky situations seemed to be becoming a habit with him. 
    His friend eased the ladder truck up to the rear of the building until it was close enough to the sprawling tree for the bucket to access the branch Kelsie had somehow gotten herself stranded on.
    He signaled for Joe to stop and then climbed up onto the truck, making his way into the bucket at the end off the ladder.  Reaching for the control panel, he called out to Kelsie, “I’m on my way.  Don’t let go until I tell you to.”
    “Even if I did, this tree has other plans for me,” she told him as he drew near.  “My shirt is caught on the branch above me.”
    He raised the bucket, moving in her direction as quickly as he could.  There was no telling how long she had been up there and he didn’t want to risk exhaustion causing her to lose her grasp.
    The first thing that greeted him was her shapely, jean-clad backside.  Okay, so occasionally the job did have its perks.  Grinning, he raised the bucket just a little higher.  Sure enough, the lace shirt she wore was pulled taut by several branch tips that had worked their way in through the sheer material. 
    “Hooked you good,” he said as he reached out to un-snare her.
    “Tell me about it. ”
    “Just give me a sec and I’ll have you free.”
    He maneuvered one branch tip at a time out of the lace, ignoring the chorus of ‘Someday my prince will come... ’ ringing out below him.
    Kelsie groaned.  “Friends of yours?”
    “Yeah,” he admitted with a shake of his head.  Freeing the last bit of lace, he straightened.  “They appear to be bonding well with your friend.”  Nanci had just joined in with the all-male chorus below.
    “ Yeah, well, she’s dead when I get down from here.”
    He glanced down at Joe and his Merry Men in blue.  “I might very well be sitting in jail with you.”  Turning his attention back to Kelsie, he asked with a grin, “You work here?”
    If looks could kill...
    He chuckled.  “Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  Let’s get you into the bucket here before the news crew figures out a way to get close enough to snap a picture of you.”
    “News?” she shrieked.
    He nodded.  “Just pulled up.”
    “Oh, God.  I think I’d rather you just leave me up in this tree.”
    He gave another husky chuckle.  “I have no intention of leaving you up here.  If you’re worried about the media, you can hide your face in my shirt when I take you down.”
    “Are you always this accommodating?”
    “It depends.  Would that make me too perfect?”
    “ Sorry to tell you, but you’ve moved beyond perfect in my book,” she replied as he helped her into the bucket.
    “ Damn.  I was afraid of that.”  He kept a firm grip on her arm until she was safely inside.  “Almost there.”
    She nodded shakily.
    The second he released her to stand on her own, her legs gave way beneath her.  He caught her, bringing her up against him.  “You okay?”
    She clung to him.  “My legs are just a little weak from