Bachelor Protector. Julianna Morris

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.