Page 49 of Bidding on a Second Chance
She nestled her head against his chest, her arms banded around his waist like she didn’t plan to let go anytime soon. Suited him.
Cradling her to himself with one arm, he drew her inside and shut out the cold. Vying for attention, Banjo nudged Piper’s thigh. Graham snapped his fingers twice, got the dog’s attention, and pointed for him to go lie down. With a longing look at Piper, the dog obeyed the silent command. That done, Graham bent his head and brushed her hair back from her face where it remained against his chest. “Tell me.”
She squeezed her eyes tighter. “Someone said you got shot.”
“That’s awful. Who?”
She shook her head, her cheek bumping against him. “I knew it wasn’t … I mean, I thought …” She sniffed and shifted until she could smooth both palms over his chest. The warmth of her touch registered through the fabric of his shirt over his heart. “I knew it wasn’t true, because he said it happened during the Quick Stop robbery, and I had seen you since then. Besides, he said it hit your vest, so even if you had been shot, it would’ve been okay, right? But he asked if you have a bruise.”
The way she glided her hands over his heart made more sense. “The only bruise I have from Quick Stop is the one on my elbow, from where I fell on the ice.”
“Because you were wrestling with an armed man?” She bit her trembling lip.
He cupped her cheeks. When her brown eyes blinked up at him, he fought the urge to kiss her and draw her in. Instead, he wiped away one of her tears with his thumb and started from the beginning. “I was called to a robbery in progress. I was close, so I arrived first. The 911 caller said the subject had a gun, so we—me and the others who were called—would normally gather information before determining how to proceed. As I pulled up, the subject ran from the building, a grocery bag in one hand and his handgun in the other. That night was icy, and he slipped two steps out the door. Fell, dropped the bag of money and the pistol. I had a small window to grab him before he would’ve recovered the gun and run off into the surrounding residential areas. He was cooperative as I approached, put his hands behind his head, didn’t try to get up. As I was putting the cuffs on, the other officers arrived. Partway to the car, he did try to pull away, and we both fell. That’s how I bruised my arm. I also hit my head, but neither injury required treatment. I was not shot. By the time I approached him, the man wasn’t even armed.”
Her chin bunched. “You never said it was you.”
“What was me?”
“When we talked about the robbery, you didn’t say you were there or that you arrested the robber. You also didn’t say he was armed.”
Falling on the ice had been less disorienting. “I thought you knew.” The word robbery more or less implied a weapon. And he’d had no idea she didn’t understand he’d been involved. As he’d told Cody, the press release hadn’t included his name, but word of his role in the arrest had spread far and wide. How hadn’t she known? Yet ignorance explained her calm reaction.
Here he’d thought the relaxed response had demonstrated how far she’d come.
He’d thought it was proof the Lord had cut the cords of fear.
The tendons of her neck were rigid, and her pulse fluttered against his palm.
He tucked her hair behind her ear and rubbed her shoulders. “I’m okay.”
Piper touched his arm. At first, he thought she wanted another hug, but instead, she guided him to rotate it. Cooking had warmed the house, so he’d opted for a short-sleeved polo for the evening. Until she sucked in a breath, he hadn’t thought about the choice leaving his still-angry bruise exposed.
“I am okay.”
A fresh flood washed into her eyes. “What if he’d overpowered you?”
“When I fell? Casper and Hughes were on site by then.”
“He could’ve gotten your gun, and then—”
“Highly unlikely. He was already cuffed.”
“Falling could’ve really hurt him too. You could’ve been sued.”
He could answer the fear with reason, as he had with the other concerns, but she might have a long list. Each individual worry wasn’t the true problem here. Haunting fear was dragging her back again. “You’re spiraling into worst-case scenarios over something that’s already over. Everyone is safe and well.”
She exhaled, shoulders drooping. “Everyone except me.”
“Piper.” He wanted to crush her into another hug, but she stiffened when he tried to draw her in. She did allow him to take her hand, so he squeezed her fingers. “Let this be another example of God’s protection and faithfulness. The situation could’ve been dangerous, but He worked it out peacefully.”
She blinked and tears raced down her cheeks. “I know I’m supposed to have faith. I keep trying. But I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you. What if you had been shot?”
He’d thought she’d broken his heart when she’d rejected his proposal, but this was tearing him in two. First, because of her suffering. Second, because he knew where this line of reasoning had led her two years ago. How had he set himself up for another rejection? He’d tried to be careful. “Why are you back to worrying about the bad things instead of being grateful for the good ones?”
“I thought God was turning my life around and the worst was behind me. Behindus. But you burned the candle at both ends, helping me while maintaining your own full-time job—an important but dangerous full-time job. You weren’t operating at one hundred percent because of me. How can I let you risk continuing that?”
“The parking lot was slick. My fall had nothing to do with how I wasoperating. But for the record, I’d never let something come between me and doing my job well. Too much rides on me being at one hundred percent.”
