Libby's Fireman by Tracey Steinbach Page B

ways to get the little
girl out of the tree.
    “Oh! I remember you! You showed mommy where
the bathroom was. I’m playing with my Barbie. She has wings, so I
wanted to see if she could fly. Catch!” Libby dropped the Barbie
doll from her hands. Her little eyes were watching intently to see
if Barbie could fly—and if not, to make sure Jack caught her. He
did.
    Libby’s shoulders sagged a little bit and
she blew out a breath. “Thank you for catching her, Jack.” Her
disappointment was plain to see.
    Jack opened his mouth to speak, but was
interrupted. “Elizabeth!" a woman's voice shouted. "What are you
doing in that tree again? I told you it’s too high!”
    Jack pivoted to the side, keeping one eye on
Libby while he watched the little girl’s mom come running up. A
teenage girl that Jack hadn’t noticed came running over with tears
streaming down her cheeks. “Miss Fields! I only went inside to get
us popsicles, and when I came out, she was up there! I didn’t know
what to do!”
    “Tiffany, honey, calm down. I don’t blame
you for this. Libby knows better.” Miss Fields turned back to the
tree. “I think you’ve scared everybody quite enough today, don’t
you?”
    Libby looked contrite for the first time
since Jack had arrived. “Yes, Mommy.” Libby started to turn around
and shimmy her way back down the tree.
    Jack walked over and plucked her off when
she was within reach. He knelt down in front of her. “Climbing
trees is fun, right?” Libby nodded, grinning. “I think so, too. But
it can be dangerous. You need to be a little bigger before you
climb so high, okay?”
    Libby considered for a minute and then
nodded. “Okay, but when I get bigger, I’m going to climb the trees
again.”
    Jack smiled. “I don’t doubt that for one
second.” He stood up and ruffled her hair.
    Libby skipped over to her mom. “I won’t
climb no more, mommy. Not until I get big.”
    Jack walked over to Miss Fields. “Everything
seems to be back to normal. We’ll get out of your way.”
    Miss Fields stuck her hand out. “I’m so
sorry that you had to come over here for no reason.”
    Jack shook her hand and smiled. “No problem,
ma’am.” He headed for his truck, got in, smiled and shook his head
as he turned the key. That little girl was a handful, but damned if
she wasn’t the cutest kid he’d ever seen.
    The mom— Miss Fields—wasn’t too bad,
either. Her wavy brown hair had highlights of red when the sun hit
it just right and brushed her shoulders. Her eyes were a rich
chocolate, which he just knew would sparkle when she smiled.
     
    * * * *
     
    The next day, Jack was finishing up the
dishes from lunch when the dispatch officer came around the corner.
“Jack, you have a call on line two. She says her name is…Libby?” He
gave Jack a grin before disappearing back around the corner.
    Jack frowned. He only knew one Libby, and
she was six years old. Why would she be calling? He walked to the
nearest phone and hit line two. “Hello?”
    “Jack, this is Libby. Do you remember me?
You catched my Barbie yesterday.”
    “I do remember you, Libby. And I remember
your Barbie. Is something wrong, honey?” he asked, with his brow
still furrowed.
    “No. Can you come play with me? You said you
liked to climb trees. Could you see if my horse can fly? He has
wings like Barbie…” Her soft voice trailed off.
    Jack was grinning. “I would love to come
play with you. I have to work for a little while longer, but when
I’m done I can come over. Will it be okay with your mom?”
    Libby squealed. “It’s okay with my mom. I
already asked her. I’ll see you in a little bit, Jack!” Libby hung
up before Jack could say another word.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jack climbed into his truck when his shift
was over. He’d had some time to think about the phone call from
Libby, and he thought he had a plan. He drove the truck toward the
hardware store before he went to meet Libby.
    Jack pulled in the Fields’ driveway,