Julianna Morris - Bachelor Protector

“Um, are you done yet?” Sarah asked, wanting to push him out the door.

“I have a bit more to do. Your candy chef said she takes a break at eight, so I’m waiting till then to finish my measurements in the smaller kitchen.”

* * *

TYLER FOUGHT BACK a smile at the harried look on Sarah’s face. She hadn’t agreed to accept his advice, but the more she resisted, the more he wanted her to take it. The situation was unusual for him, to say the least. He was no longer accustomed to pursuing clients and certainly not to being turned down for a free consultation.

“Fine. I’m going to the bank with the night deposit.”

Sarah unlocked the door and went outside. Tyler found himself watching as she walked up the street, her hips swaying gently. The late sun glinted like platinum fire on her hair, and he shifted uneasily, more physically aware of her than he wanted to be.

As she turned to cross, a motorcycle came roaring up the street and veered toward her. Tyler jumped to his feet as the rider reached for the thick envelope she carried. The biker missed, but pushed Sarah hard enough that she went down.

Tyler ran outside as he dialed 911 on his cell. The emergency operator answered on the first ring.

“A motorcyclist just tried to rob Sarah Fullerton, half a block southeast from her business,” he said concisely. “Across from the bank. They hit her and drove off.”

“Yes, sir. Please stay on the phone while I dispatch officers to the scene.”

Sarah was sitting up when he got there, dazed, but still clutching the envelope.

“I’ve called the police,” Tyler explained, trying to determine if she was badly hurt. “Do you need an ambulance?”

“No, and I don’t need the police, either. It was just a motorcyclist who doesn’t know how to steer.”

“Somebody tried to rob you, Sarah,” he announced bluntly, anger burning through him. “I was watching, and there’s no question the biker was reaching for the envelope. He also struck you and left. That’s hit-and-run.”

A hum of agreement came from the onlookers who’d gathered.

Sarah tried to get up, and he insisted she stay put. “You need to be checked first.” Tyler heard a voice from his phone and put it to his ear. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I’ve dispatched paramedics, sir,” the dispatcher said. “May I have your name, phone number and address?”

Tyler was providing them as a police car and paramedic unit came screaming to a halt nearby.

Two uniformed officers and a paramedic team came over, and it was clear from the way they greeted Sarah that she was either family or a good friend. One officer started directing traffic while the second took a report, speaking to the different witnesses.

A third vehicle arrived, and a tall, solemn-looking man got out, striding over to Sarah. She was now sitting at the end of the paramedic vehicle while they treated an abrasion on her elbow. Though he wore plain clothes, he had a badge attached to his belt.

“Hey, coz, what happened?” he asked.

“A motorcyclist brushed against me and I got knocked over. I wouldn’t have even fallen if I hadn’t been off balance. Everyone is making too big of a deal about this, Zach.” Yet her voice had risen, suggesting she was more agitated than she wanted to let on.

“Somebody tried to snatch the bank deposit she was carrying,” Tyler interjected. “I saw it clearly.”

Sarah remained pale as he described the rider, which wouldn’t help with identification. Despite the warm day, the biker had been wearing a bulky jacket, gloves and helmet. Tyler couldn’t even confirm the person’s sex. On top of that, nobody had spotted any distinguishing insignia on the rider’s clothes or motorcycle.

“We have a bulletin out to watch for bikes of that description, but it’s probably long gone now,” Zach said.

The paramedics advised Sarah to see a doctor but didn’t think she needed to be transported to the local medical clinic.

“Hey, Millie,” she called, waving to a woman hovering at the edge of the crowd. Tyler recognized her as one of the cooks he’d seen working in the kitchen. “I’m all right and I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Though Millie nodded and walked back toward Sarah’s Sweet Treats, it was clear that she’d rather stay. Frankly, Tyler thought they had too many onlookers. The officers seemed to agree because they were urging the crowd to disperse.

Sarah was keeping a death grip on the envelope and looked at Tyler blankly when he offered to put it in the bank’s night drop box, just a few feet from the paramedic’s vehicle.

“Oh. Yeah.” She glanced down, then held it out to him.

“Just a moment,” ordered Zach. “Sarah, how much cash is in there?”

“Twelve hundred seventy-two dollars and fifty-three cents. Also some local checks.”

“Who knew you were bringing the deposit down here?”

“Practically everyone knows I take care of it around the same time each evening.”

Zach looked exasperated. “Routines make you an easy target, Sarah. Until we get this sorted out, call the station and I’ll send an officer to escort you or come myself.”

“I really don’t think the rider was trying to steal it,” she protested.

“That’s your Pollyanna nature speaking. Witnesses say otherwise, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Tyler took the envelope and dropped it in the deposit slot. If he’d thought a small town like Glimmer Creek couldn’t provide any excitement, he’d obviously been wrong. But this was one form of excitement he could do without.

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