Page 1 of Bidding on a Second Chance
ChapterOne
The moment Graham Lockhart glanced at his phone, all his experience navigating crises failed him. The bustling grocery store checkouts disappeared from around him, and his vision tunneled down to one name: Piper Wells.
Other than Sunday mornings, when they both attended Redemption Bible Church, Piper hadn’t tolerated being in the same room with him since she’d refused his marriage proposal two years ago. Even at church, she never so much as looked at him.
Now she had texted?
A troubling blend of skepticism and hope—hope for what, he couldn’t even say—tightened his mouth and jammed up his breath. He tapped the notification.
I promise this is not as big of a deal as it sounds, but I can’t come to dinner. I’m at the walk-in clinic because I was hit by a pickup.
A grunt escaped his throat.
Another message appeared below the first.But seriously, no alarm. Nothing vital was broken.
He prided himself on being able to see through the half-truths and outright lies he encountered as a police officer. In emergencies, he knew what to do, when, and how. But Piper’s messages left him as confused as a university-level logic puzzle. Should he worry? Brush it off? Skimming the words a second time, he checked off facts.
He hadn’t had dinner plans with her since the fateful night at Ridgeline Grill when she’d severed their relationship for reasons he still didn’t believe. Therefore, the message wasn’t intended for him.
If she’d checked in at a walk-in clinic, rather than the emergency room, she hadn’t been transported by ambulance. Yet his muscles tensed at the phraseI was hit. Did she mean her vehicle or her body had taken the blow?
Based on her specification thatnothing vital was broken, he guessed something she deemed not vitalhadbeen. Though any car accident could cause injuries, the likelihood skyrocketed in a pedestrian-versus-vehicle impact. His stomach churned at the idea of Piper—petite, beautiful Piper—in such danger.
A cart bumped his groceries, and the noodles he’d purchased for tonight’s lasagna rattled. A girl of eight or nine peered over the handlebar and shouted an apology. The mom added a regretful smile as the pair left with a swish of the doors.
“My own fault.” But they were already gone. Graham moved out of the center of the walkway but, in the process, stepped on someone’s foot.
“Easy there, Graham.” A hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to find retiree Chaz Buchanan’s silver eyebrows tented with concern. The man had moved to Redemption Ridge to help on his brother’s ranch a few years ago and had quickly become a part of the community. “Everything okay?”
Graham’s focus dropped back to Piper’s message. Her fine features and small build had inspired protectiveness in him from the first time he’d met her, when she’d caught her foot on the corner of a display in this very store. She’d always been accident-prone, but this incident, whatever the details were, took it to a whole new level. His body stood on edge at the idea of a truck even getting close to her. The driver had better hope Graham never learned his identity, or he’d be in for a lifetime of speeding tickets and whatever else Graham could catch him at. No leniency.
“Graham?”
He blew out a breath and surveyed the store to bring himself back from the brink of a vendetta. He probably shouldn’t look up the incident report.
But what to say to Chaz? The man had recently found love and might have sound advice to offer, but Graham’s breakup with Piper was the stuff of Redemption Ridge legend. It wasn’t every day people witnessed a proposal—let alone a refusal. He never should’ve chosen to pop the question in a popular restaurant, but he’d learned his lesson. He refused to reignite the rumors by mentioning her now.
Not that Chaz would spread it around, but Agnes Hawthorn, a waitress who served up at least as much gossip as food, would. She finished paying for her basket of groceries and headed their way.
“Sorry, Chaz. I just got a notification about an accident that requires my attention.” He offered a polite smile and made a quick exit.
The text did require attention. The question was, what kind? He could call the station and ask about the accident. Or he could check on Piper himself.
She may have done the equivalent of running over his heart with a pickup, but he didn’t wish her harm.
He was a public servant, under oath to protect and serve. He ought to make sure she had handled the incident correctly. See to it that she, a citizen of Redemption Ridge, Colorado, made it home safely.
He sent a reply.Which clinic?
ChapterTwo
Crutches. Again.
Piper had been forced to rely on the contraptions twice before—no, wait, make that three times. Pastor spoke sometimes about God’s protection and loving care, but she always struggled to understand how that fit with days like today.
“Got it?” The nurse opened the exam room door.
She nodded, adjusting her balance. What she didn’t have was a ride home, and she needed to get there as soon as possible. Teddy was there alone, and her nephew, Bryce, was due in an hour. Unfortunately, Lucy, her best friend, hadn’t answered her request for a lift.
