Patricia Johns - The Lawman's Runaway Bride

“I’m sorry,” Sadie said. “But there was no kind or easy way to call off a wedding the morning it was supposed to happen. I made my peace with that a long time ago. At least I didn’t marry him and break his heart after two kids and a mortgage.”

Lucy’s Diner was located at the corner of Birch Street and the highway, an old brick building with a red roof and a large sculpture of a bull that stood between the highway traffic and the parking lot. Lucy’s Diner had been in that exact spot for the last sixty years, when Comfort Creek was nothing more than a gas station, a church and a grain elevator, and as they approached the front door, Sadie heaved a sigh. This was past the point of discomfort, and the last thing she wanted was to sit in a diner and rehash old hurts.

“Do you really want that coffee?” she asked as they stopped in front of the diner. “We could do this another time. No pressure.”

“Of course, there’s pressure,” he retorted. “We have to work together. We have a deadline.”

He was right about that. Chance pulled open the door and stepped back. What was with him and those perfect manners? He’d always been like this—proper, disciplined, always the cop. She sighed and walked into the warmth, then headed toward a booth in the back. He followed, accepting a couple of menus from the waitress on his way past.

Once they were settled with glasses of ice water in front of them and their coats piled beside them, Chance leaned forward in his chair.

“I have to ask this—” Chance swallowed. “Was it because of me? I was out of line that night on the porch. I shouldn’t have confused you like that. I should have—”

“Confused me?” Sadie shook her head. “You make me sound like a half-wit. I wasn’t confused or in a muddle, Chance.”

His face colored, but he’d hit a nerve there. That was a question she’d asked herself a hundred times since. Had she dumped Noah because of Chance? Was that moment of butterflies and tenderness enough to unhinge a five-year relationship with a good man?

“I just...” Her stomach had flipped. Her breath had caught. She’d stared up into Chance’s blue eyes and she’d felt weak in the knees—none of which she’d ever felt for Noah. But there was no way she could confess that to Chance.

“It wasn’t because of you,” she said, and that was the truth. “Noah and I weren’t strong enough together. That’s all.”

She’d wanted what Noah had to offer. He was a carpenter who was doing very well for himself in Comfort Creek. He had a large extended family who were close and supportive. He’d already built their future home on an acreage outside of town. He’d offered her everything she thought she wanted...

The waitress arrived just then, and Chance ordered a coffee and a piece of pie.

“Just coffee for me, thanks,” she said with a tight smile.

The waitress left them in peace once more and Sadie fiddled with the napkin-wrapped cutlery in front of her. She’d been to this diner countless times over the years, but the first visit that she could remember had been with her nana.

At the age of eight, her mother had brought her to Comfort Creek to visit Nana for a few days. That night, Sadie watched from the upstairs window of Nana’s house as her mother loaded a suitcase into the back of her musician boyfriend’s car. She remembered being confused. Why was her mother outside at this time of night? Why was Angelo here? Her mom had looked up, seen Sadie in the window and blown her a kiss. Then she’d hopped into the front seat and the car roared off.

No one blew a kiss and left forever, but that was what Mom had done, and that was how her life with Nana had begun. The next morning, Nana had brought her to the diner for a special breakfast, and she’d laid it out for her. Mom had gone away. Nana would take care of her from now on.

So Comfort Creek was home—the only home she had—and if Chance thought she’d stay away because they had some complicated history, then he had another think coming.

“I thought if I gave Noah some space, he could move on more easily. I owed him that much, at least.”

“He didn’t,” Chance said.

Noah only died a year ago, so he’d had enough time to move on. He would have been one of the most eligible men in Comfort Creek. He would have had his pick of women...especially after what Sadie had done to him.

“There must have been girlfriends...” she said.

“Nope.”

Her heart sank. “I know I hurt him, but—”

“It more than hurt him. It crushed him, Sadie.” Chance’s voice was low. “He wasn’t the same after that.”

And then he’d joined the army. Was Chance blaming her? Noah had mentioned an interest in the army before they got engaged, but she had no interest in being a military wife, and he’d let it drop. She’d assumed that was the end of it.

“I didn’t know he’d do that,” she said, hoping he’d believe her. “I thought I was doing us both a favor. I thought he’d move on with Melissa Franco or Melanie Brooks.” Both women had been halfway in love with Noah, throwing themselves in his path every chance they got.

The waitress arrived with a coffeepot and the slice of pie. She poured them each a steaming cup.

“Anything else I can get for you two?” she asked.

“No, thanks.” Chance’s tone was curt, and the waitress retreated. “So why are you back, then? I thought you’d made your life in Denver.”

Sadie’s gaze wandered toward the window—the familiar stretch of highway, the faded sign out front promising the county’s best burgers next to the black-painted sculpture of the bull with its horns down. A dusting of snow fell from the gray sky.

Sadie dragged her gaze back to Chance and smiled sadly. “I wanted to come home.”

And maybe Comfort Creek wouldn’t be the respite that she’d imagined it would. She’d wanted the comfort of Nana’s advice and home cooking. She’d wanted to come back to the only place that knew her—the good and the bad. She wanted to settle down, not with a man, but on her own terms.

“And you’re starting up a business, I take it,” Chance added.

“Yes,” she said, grabbing a sugar packet and tearing it open. “I am. Mayor Scott is being very supportive. He has friends who need a good event planner, and his daughter Trina’s wedding is coming up. I have a good chance of making a go of this here. In Denver, I was working with a big event planning firm and I got some great experience.”

“And if you do well with this remembrance ceremony, he’ll pass your name around with a glowing recommendation,” Chance concluded.

“Something like that.” That was how businesses got started—word of mouth. This was a priceless opportunity. If she was going to support herself here, she needed the boost. She stirred the sugar into her coffee.

“So basically, you’re back to make some money,” he concluded.

“That isn’t even fair!” Her anger sparked to life. “I need to make a living. What do you expect me to do? I’m good at this, Chance. I’ve got some great experience, and I really think I have a lot to offer Comfort Creek. So yes, I need to make a living, and yes, I want to grow my business and succeed. What’s so wrong with that?”

He heaved a sigh, then shook his head. “Nothing. I hope it works out for you.”

Did he really? She wasn’t so sure. But a single woman didn’t have the option of laying low if she wanted to support herself, so if Chance didn’t like seeing her around town, he’d have to sort out his feelings on his own. She was tired of feeling guilty. She deserved a fresh start as much as anyone.

“Chance, I’m asking you—” She paused, unsure how to say this. “I get that you’re mad at me, and I know that we won’t be friends like we were before...but I’m here. And we have to work together. I just need to know if that’s going to be possible.”