With one last scared yip of protest, Bubbles tore away.

Sophie was closest to the stairs, so she jumped up to try and head Bubbles off. All she managed to do was run into the nice woman who’d been teaching Harrison how to knit, almost knocking her over in the process. The skitter of puppy nails on wood stairs indicated that Sophie was going to have to move faster if she planned on catching Bubbles before the animal escaped somewhere with real hazards.

She was halfway up the stairs before she realized she wasn’t alone in her pursuit. Harrison’s tread was surprisingly light for a man his size, and he reached the door at the top of the stairs the same time she did.

“You’d better let me.” His hands came down on either side of her waist and lifted her neatly out of the way. The ease with which he was able to physically set her aside, his palms almost spanning her waist, was impressive. “I’ll be able to catch her faster on my own. She won’t want a search party after her.”

“Now isn’t the time to play hero, Harrison.” She clutched at his forearm. “The street.”

He caught her meaning in an instant. The church was located on a fairly busy street off the freeway, which meant cars zipped by much faster than they would have on an ordinary city road. With everyone filing in and out of the building, it would be all too easy for Bubbles to head outside and straight into traffic.

“She won’t—” he began, his face pale.

“She might.”

Without another word, they both pushed through the doorway, heedless of the way their bodies pressed together, fitting so perfectly they might have been built to squeeze and slide as one.

“I’ll take the north exit,” Harrison said, his voice clipped. “You go through the back hallway and take the south. She won’t go in the direction of the kitchen—not while there’s smoke. Two long whistles if you find her. Three if she makes it outdoors. I’ll do the same.”

He turned on his heel and moved off in the direction he’d indicated, not checking over his shoulder to make sure Sophie was following his instructions. There was no need. Harrison’s abrupt manner might not have made him the easiest man to get to know, but there was no denying its power. Sophie had been attending knitting circle in this church for two years and couldn’t have mapped all the exits if she wanted to. He had appraised the building at a glance.

It was impossible not to feel reassured by his commands, empowered by his confidence. Whatever else one could say about the man, he knew his fire safety.