Free Cupcake Cutie (Plus Size Romance 1) by Lynn Cooper Page A

happening.”
    About two-thirds of the way up, Ella heard a sickening crack.  The limb she was standing on started to give way.  Quickly, she grabbed the tree trunk in a bear hug.  She wrapped her thick thighs around it and crossed them at the ankle.  The bark was digging into her sensitive flesh through the thin material of the yoga pants, sending shivers of pain down her legs.
    Catching sight of the sidewalk below, her breath caught in her throat.  In her anger, she had forgotten that she was terrified of heights.  She had been looking up the whole time and didn’t realize how far she had climbed.  Ella was just about to yell for help when she saw Beatrice disappear into her house.
     
    THE SEXIEST MAN TO ever take a breath propped the tallest ladder in the history of ladders against the massive oak.  Now, Ella found herself wishing she had chosen a different outfit.  Maybe one less form- fitting.  She wasn’t ashamed of her curves.  But had she known she was going to get stuck in a tree and be rescued by a hot, hunky fireman, she might have opted for a flattering sundress.
    While the tall, broad-shouldered man was locking the diagonal braces and securing the ladder on level ground, Ella breathlessly watched his chest muscles bunching beneath his tight, black T-shirt.  Talk about sexy! This man should be featured in a fireman’s calendar for all the world to see.  She sure wouldn’t mind hanging him on her bedroom wall.
    Ella’s fantasy was brought to an abrupt halt by Beatrice’s yammering. 
    Pointing at the tree with her boney finger, she said, “I warned Ella not to climb that tree.  I told her that the weight of a big girl like her would break those tiny limbs.  I told her, but she wouldn’t listen.”
    Ella’s face was burning with embarrassment.  Her cheeks were aflame with the humiliation of having her plus-size shape pointed out by an old hag who couldn’t control her cat or her mouth.
    Beatrice’s words stung.  Unkind comments about her weight always did.  Ella waited for the beautiful fireman’s response, but he just kept manipulating the ladder as if he hadn’t heard a word the old woman said.  He was concentrating intently on stabilizing the extension locks and pulleys on the aluminum rungs.  Her hero was focusing his attention on safety concerns and her imminent rescue, not on Beatrice’s mean-spirited drivel.  With a satisfied look on his face, he threw his gorgeous head back and called up to her, “Hold on.  I’ll have you down faster than you can say, ‘Pleasant View.’”
    Having now laid eyes on this Adonis, the name of the town finally rang true.  His ruggedly handsome face and sculpted body was the most pleasant view she had had in a long while. When she moved here three months ago, she wasn’t sure she had made the right decision.  At the moment, she was more than happy to call this place home. It wasn’t until he spoke again that Ella realized she had been so taken by his good looks she had forgotten to reply.
    “Almost there, little girl.”
    This time, her jaw dropped in disbelief.  Did he really say little girl to her ? Looking at him, he appeared absolutely perfect.  But, apparently, his eyesight wasn’t so good.  Even if he had paid no attention to Beatrice’s comments, anyone with eyes could see that Ella Skye was anything but little.  Still, she couldn’t control the pitter-patter of her heart.  Having him call her little girl felt wonderful.
    In her head she repeated the words Pleasant View and, by the time she finished, he had already confidently climbed the gigantic ladder.  Their faces were now only inches apart as he leaned against the top rung.  She caught the faint scent of his cologne on the breeze.  It was heavenly and manly and woodsy. 
    He smiled, revealing rows of perfectly straight, gleaming-white teeth.  “You enjoy tree climbing, do you?”
    “Only in my spare time,” Ella said, returning his smile.
    He nodded.