He could hear him whimpering and making loud, sucking sounds with his thumb in his mouth, and Cole thought those were the most beautiful noises he'd ever heard, for it meant that Caleb was unharmed.

He lifted the baby into his arms and rolled to his knees. Caleb threw himself backward and grabbed his baby doll off the floor. A forked flame of fire leapt up from between the floorboards as Cole pulled Caleb back.

"Let's get out of here, " he whispered to the baby, his voice hoarse and raw from smoke.

He wanted to wrap Caleb in a blanket from the bed, but when he reached for it, he saw the embers raining down from the ceiling on top of it.

The blanket ignited and rapidly burned. In desperation, Cole tucked Caleb's head under his chin, wrapped his arms around him, and doubled over, his hope that his own body would shield the baby's.

He figured he had only a couple of seconds left to get out. The bedroom was closing in on him. Flames where shooting up from the cracks in the floor and dropping down from the ceiling above.

And then the walls began to move as though they had suddenly come alive. They bulged forward, hovered, then, with an eerie swooshing sound, they slowly receded before throbbing forward once again. It was the spookiest damned thing he had ever seen. He could hear the heart of the fire beating behind those walls. It pulsated and throbbed as it sucked every breath of air it could find.

Cole knelt near the floor, took a deep breath, rose to his feet, and raced for the window. The monster chased him. He heard a snapping sound behind him, felt the floor shift under his feet, and leapt through the opening as the floor collapsed. The room's walls exploded a heartbeat later. Shards of glass and fragments of burning embers blew out the window. The force of the explosion slammed Cole forward, but he turned in midair so he would land on his back and not crush the baby in his arms. The heat pouring out from the hot roof burned his skin, and he knew he had only seconds left before the whole house collapsed. Staggering to his feet, he turned in one direction and then the other, looking for a way down.

Flames, like serpent heads, were creeping toward him from below and closing in on him from the eaves above. Fire cut off the route Daniel had taken with Tilly, and Cole knew he wouldn't be able to go down the way he had come up on the opposite side, for the tree branches were too high for him to reach with a baby in his arms.

He was trapped.

He could hear the faint clanging of a fire bell in the distance. Then he heard a shrill whistle. He turned toward the sound just as Daniel whistled again. Squinting against the black smoke, Cole spotted him straddling the heavy branch.

It was too damned far away. Impossible to reach.

There wasn't any other alternative. "Hang on, Caleb, " he whispered.

Taking a deep breath, he let out a roar and leapt over the ring of fire directly in front of him. He could feel the wood cracking under his feet and hear the beams crashing behind him, but on he ran until he felt as though his lungs were going to explode.

Daniel watched Cole coming toward him. When Cole was halfway across the roof, Daniel flattened himself on one branch and braced his legs in a wedge of a lower branch. He wrapped his left arm around the limb holding him, then reached down as far as he could extend and put out his right hand.

It was a leap of faith. The distance from the edge of the roof to Daniel's hand was considerable. Cole felt as though he were flying, and for a brief second, he did exactly that. He vaulted out into the night, reaching for Daniel.

Their hands connected. And held.

Cole closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

Daniel grunted from the weight but held tight. When Colehad stopped swaying and Daniel was sure he wasn't going to drop him, he reached down with his other hand to get Caleb, and let go of Cole who dropped down to a lower branch. The baby was screaming as Daniel gently pulled him up in his arms. A few seconds later, they were all on the ground and running for safety.

Jessica ran to Daniel to take Caleb from him, but Cole intercepted her.

Looping his arm around her waist, he lifted her up and carried her with him as he continued to run.

Just as they reached Grace and Tilly, the walls of the house and the roof caved in. The horde of townspeople who were running to and fro with buckets of water suddenly stopped to watch the dazzling display of fireworks. Sparks shot up as high as fifty feet and spiraled downward in a popping, cracking arc that was so impressive some of the townsmen actually oohed and aahed.

It was a night none of them would ever forget.

The reporter was rushing around trying to find someone he could interview, while John Cletchem, the photographer, set up his equipment so that he could capture the destruction before the flames stopped feeding.

Tilly was sitting on the grass, quietly weeping. Grace was still unconscious, but Tilly had lifted her up so that her head rested in the older woman's lap. She was gently stroking Grace's forehead while she cried. Daniel knelt down beside the two women. He awkwardly patted Tilly's back in an attempt to comfort her, but his attention was centered on Grace. He was watching her breathe and thanking God every time she drew a breath.

She looked so young and innocent and vulnerable. Daniel shouted for someone to go and get the doctor. The sound of his voice jarred Grace, and she flinched in reaction. He'd almost had himself convinced that his heart was safe, then she opened her eyes and looked at him. His heart started pounding, and his own eyes stung with tears of relief.

What in God's name was the matter with him? He couldn't stop himself from reaching for her. He gently took her into his arms and stood up.

"Daniel? Your face is covered with dirt."

"Yeah, I know. How are you feeling? " "My head hurts, " she said.

"I'm not sure why, " she added, a puzzled look on her face. She reached up and trailed her fingers down the side of his cheek. "How did you get so dirty? " He turned around so she could see what was left of the house. She wasn't looking anywhere but at him however, and so he explained. "There was a fire." She turned her head, grimacing from the pain the movement caused. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she was suddenly clearheaded again.

"Where's Jessica and Caleb and Tilly? " "They're fine, " he assured her. "Every one got out of the house in time.

No one was hurt . . . except you. Do you remember what happened? "

She put her head down on his shoulder. "No, I don't remember. Please put me down. I need to . . . " "You need to see a doctor." He looked over the crowd and was about to shout for the physician once again when the man suddenly appeared at the head of the townspeople watching the fire. Rebecca was dragging him toward Tilly and Grace.

"Daniel? " Grace whispered, drawing his attention once again. "How did I get out of the house? r "Jessica pulled you out. If she hadn't . . . Cole and I would never have found you in time."

"She saved my life."

"Yes." As Grace began to cry, Daniel tightened his hold and tried to comfort her.

Jessica was also crying. She had Caleb cuddled in her arms and was so relieved and thankful her baby was unharmed she kept kissing him and hugging him. Fully recovered from his adventure, Caleb squirmed and wanted to get down and play.

Rebecca found the two of them in the crowd. My God, Jessica, you could have been killed, " she cried out as she lifted the baby. "Are you all right? " Jessica forced herself to stop crying long enough to answer her friend.

"Yes, I'm fine, but Grace is hurt. A beam must have fallen on her head, " she explained.

"The doctor's looking at her now, " Rebecca said. "She doesn't remember anything? " "I don't know, " Jessica answered. "Will you watch Caleb? Don't let him out of your sight. I have to find someone.

" "Jessica, we need to cover you first. Where's your robe? " "It caught on fire, " Jessica said as she turned to search the crowd for Cole.

"I'll find something for you to put on, " Rebecca promised.

Jessica didn't hear her. She had finally spotted Cole and hurried toward him. He stood well away from the crowd and was watching the house being devoured by the fire. He looked exhausted and was covered from head to toe in soot.

She thought he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. "Cole? "

She stopped and simply stared at him. Suddenly he seemed bigger than life to her. The fire blazing in the background enhanced the fantasy, for Cole was silhouetted in a hazy, burnished gold glow. It was as though God had blessed him because of the courage he had shown in the face of such danger.

"Did you want something? " he asked, puzzled by the look of joy and wonder on her face.

She hurried toward him once again with the intention of thanking him for saving Caleb's life, but when she finally reached him, a simple thank-you didn't seem sufficient. She threw herself into his arms.

He buckled under the impact and instinctively put his arms around her.

Leaning up on tiptoe, she embraced his neck, whispered, "Thank you, "

and kissed him passionately.

It wasn't a chaste kiss by any means, and Cole wasn't about to let the opportunity slip past without taking full advantage.

He would have kept right on kissing her if he hadn't felt her tremble in his arms. He pulled back then and tried to move away, but she tightened her grip, and that was all the provocation he needed. He kissed her once again and held her close.