Page 61 of Pepper, the Biker & the Vanishing Body

Ever thoughtful, Ian looked at me.

“Go ahead. I’ll keep myself busy,” I said, getting used to the attention he received. Well, almost used to it.

“I just shelved some lightly used prepping books and magazines,” Dottie said.

I grinned at Ian. “You know where to find me.”

Ian smiled and kissed me. “I won’t be long.”

Dottie placed the books we had selected in one of the wire baskets kept for customers and I followed them to the top of the stairs. Seeing the line already waiting for Ian proved that I had plenty of time to explore the prepper section and maybe a few others.

I went to the far back of the second floor where the prepper books were kept and glanced over the generous selection and spotted one that I didn’t have by Stu MacMillan. He was more a survivalist than a prepper, living off the grid on one hundred acres in North Dakota with his wife and five children. It was no hardship from the pics he posted on an exclusive prepper social media site.

I was engrossed in the book, but not that engrossed that I didn’t overhear whispers coming from the aisle over. I strained to hear the conversation.

“He could be a problem?” a gravelly voice said.

I could barely make out the response. “Find—who—is.”

“And?”

I hoped to recognize the voices, but the gravelly one was not familiar at all, and the other voice was much too faint to make out.

“Do what’s ne?—”

“Good, Lord, Pepper! What happened to you?”

Vera Andrews, Amy’s nosy neighbor, was nearly on top of me. I heard rushing footsteps and raced past Vera, trying to reach the stairs before the two people did. I wasn’t so lucky. I hurried forward hoping I could get at least a partial look at them.

My phone.

I might be able to get a picture with my phone which everyone constantly reminded me about. I rushed to pull it out of my back pocket. Not an easy task since I still held the MacMillan book and the phone slipped from my hands, flying end over end toward the stairs. I lurched forward to grab it, stretching my one hand out, my fingertips grazing it and momentum taking hold. I went tumbling down the flight of wide stairs, feeling every bump of every step as I was propelled to the bottom where I found myself reliving a similar moment. Only this time instead of landing between the legs of a Highlander, my biker scooped me up before I hit the last few steps, and the bookstore erupted in cheers.

I heard Mo’s bark from somewhere close by and Ian held me so tight I could hear his heart hammer against his chest. As the cheers and applause began to settle, I heard snippets of comments.

“Did you see how fast he reacted?”

“Didn’t hesitate.”

“True hero.”

“Be still my heart.”

“Who knew that someday phones could cause such accidents.”

That voice I recognized. Vera.

“You really need to be more careful, Pepper,” Vera cautioned. “Sir Galahad here isn’t always going to be around to save you. And don’t bother to give me the I-can-save-myself attitude, obviously you couldn’t, and you didn’t and that proves my point. Here’s your phone.”

Vera shoved it in my face, and I took it from her.

She walked away, grabbing her phone from her purse, eager to spread the news of my embarrassing fall.

“Are you all right?” Dottie asked, hurrying toward us.

“Aye, are you?” Ian asked, still cradling me in his arms.

“I’m good. My fault for not watching what I was doing,” I said to Dottie, then whispered to Ian. “You can put me down now.”

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