At the thought of what she had to ask, she shook harder. “Has he…have you seen him?”
The flash of pain across Neal’s face said everything she needed to know.
“Do you think there’s any chance Dad’s still…?”
His eyes blazed as bright as the flames. “There’s every chance, Cate. The fire is worse in one spot in the basement. I figure Joe yanked Wilma away from dumping buckets on it and dragged her to the safer area at the back. Don’t ever give up hope.”
The smile she tried to give him wobbled around the edges as his words registered. “So the blaze started down there, away from the patrons.”
“Looks that way. Don’t think we’re looking at kids smoking in the john or anything like that.”
“Does the theater have a problem with teen smokers?”
“Not really, but the high school seniors came to watch a film for English tonight. All one hundred twenty-nine of them were here. Them, and their chaperones.”
“But the fire didn’t start in the bathroom.”
Neal shook his head. “Gotta get back, Cate. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”
Another firefighter ran up. “If we don’t turn this around in the next five minutes, I’m going to call in the other counties’ departments.”
Neal glanced at the theater. “Maybe you shouldn’t wait.”
The flames bathed the newcomer’s face with an angry glow, but Cate still recognized him. In spite of the stress, soot and sweat, she had to acknowledge that the years since he’d left town had been good to Randall Mason. Then again, he’d always been drop-dead gorgeous, popular, athletic…
Everything Cate hadn’t been.
Rand had also been the person she most loved to hate in school.
“Any sign of Wilma or the chief?” he asked.
Cate dragged in a harsh breath.
Neal glared and jerked his head in the universal sign for let’s talk about this over there. “Not on our side—yet.”
But the captain didn’t seem to hear Neal—he was staring at Cate. Her instinctive response to his question had caught his attention. His blue eyes homed in on her. “I thought you guys had cleared the perimeter. We can’t have civilians this near to an active fire.”
Cate tipped up her chin. “I’m not your usual civilian. Neal called to tell me Dad had gone in after Wilma. We’re hoping they made it to the back of the basement, since Neal says the damage is not supposed to be as bad there.”
“Cate? Catey Caldwell…is that you?”
Her mouth curved up on one side. “The one and only.”
“You’ve changed—” He winced as he realized how his words sounded. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I have changed. Believe me, I know. Let’s face it. I think the last time you saw me I had green hair. Or maybe that week it was purple.”
“Something like that.”
She offered him a tentative smile, hard though it was to eke out. “You don’t have to dance around reality with me. I’m more aware than anyone else of the dangers you guys face. And even though it took hours of arguing, I finally got Dad to agree to have one of his men call me if…well, if there was ever any possibility of…” She waved toward the remains of the theater. “Neal did me the favor.”
Rand’s expression warmed with compassion. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s that your father’s one of the smartest, best-trained and most capable men I know. If there’s even the smallest corner left standing in the back of that place, then I’m sure he’s found his way there. Took Wilma with him, too. Have faith.”
The last two words rang in her heart. Faith…these days she had plenty of that. A glance at the theater encouraged her. It looked as though her father’s men had managed to contain the worst of the flames to the lobby. Until the blaze had erupted, that lobby had sparkled with the chrome and crystal Wilma had lavished on the place during the recent renovation.
Cate closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer.
“Hey!” someone called over the crackle of fire and rush of water. “We found them! They’re alive! Get the ambulances over here!”
Tears again poured down Cate’s face. “Thank you, Jesus.”
Rand looked at Cate, the surprise in his blue eyes mirroring what she had grown used to seeing over the years. Those who’d known her as a rebellious teen had trouble recognizing her as the responsible woman she’d become.
She forced another tight smile. “Surprise, surprise.”
As she hurried off in the direction of her father, she heard him say, “And how.”
Rand loped back to help the men pull out Joe and Wilma, both of whom were suffering with smoke inhalation, numerous burns and unknown internal injuries from the collapse of a portion of the theater’s ceiling.
He’d feared for his mentor’s life, in spite of the men’s training and their determination to save the popular chief, as they’d carefully removed chunks of ceiling off the two trapped victims. When they were finally freed, Rand realized his hands were shaking. It was far more gut-wrenching to fight to save people he’d known his whole life than strangers back in Charlotte. He’d wanted a more personal touch, and so he’d come home. He hadn’t expected this level of closeness.
Thankfully, Joe and Wilma were out. “Hang in there,” he told the older man as the EMTs strapped him to the gurney. “They’ll get you back to fighting form in no time at the hospital.”
Joe tried to grin, but instead grimaced as the gurney rolled away. Rand glanced at Cate. Sympathy swelled when he noticed her expression. It hovered somewhere between despair and hope.
He heard her sob, watched her bring a fist to her mouth. Her misery drew him.
As he approached, his steps slow and tired, he ran a hand down his sweat-dampened face. A glance at his hand showed traces of soot—a common job hazard. He swiped it against his tan gear, then realized the action might have made matters worse.
The closer Rand went, the more intently he watched her. With her tangled hair, long-sleeved Tarheel Basketball T-shirt, drawstring flannel pants and running shoes with a hole in the right toe, she looked appealing in a true girl-next-door way. She’d obviously changed into sleepwear before she’d received Neal’s call and had rushed out to her father’s side. It seemed Cate loved her father as much as Rand knew Joe loved her.
“Hey,” he said. “I just spoke to one of the EMTs. They don’t mind if you ride with Joe in the ambulance. I figured you’d want to.”
The breath she drew sounded ragged, rough and heavy, maybe with the dissipating smoke. “To be honest, I didn’t get so far as to think about that. I’m kind of numb. All I could think about was that Dad had survived. Thanks for getting him out.”
“No problem—and I didn’t do it single-handed.” He glanced toward the ambulance. “I’d like to go see how he’s doing, but I have to stay here and step into his shoes—an impossible challenge—but he hired me to be his number two, and I owe him my best on the job. That, and to make sure he gets to the hospital as soon as possible. With you at his side.”
A strange undercurrent flew between them. Cate stood taller. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to visit him soon enough.”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Well, thanks. Again.” As she started toward the ambulance, she gave him a last look over her shoulder, a slight smile on her lips. “I’m