Second Chance in Hawk Ridge Hollow

He left his heart in his hometown. Will he get a second chance with his first love?

Sadie Collins has spent more hours than she'd like to admit rehearsing what she'd say when she came face to face with her ex again. It is not, "I’m stuck.” After the elevator rescue, her day goes from bad to worse when her boss discovers a glaring error in a project that she was in charge of. Worse, the mistake is mortifying.

Tripp Hawkins returns to Hawk Ridge Hollow after several years to find much is the same in his hometown: the quaint village, good friends, and the world-class ski resort owned by his family. Almost everything is the same except the girl he’d once called his sweetheart.

Sadie plans to spend Valentine’s Day alone. She has enough responsibility as it is. A romcom plus some chocolate sounds like the perfect date. Tripp wants nothing more than a second chance with the girl who stole his heart and he’ll do anything to win her back.

But it might be too late. Has she moved on? Or did she never let go?

This is book 1 in the Hawkins Family Romance series. Each book stands alone but reading them in order provides a deeper, richer experience. It is a sweet, “clean and wholesome” romance without swearing or mature content and contains a happily ever after.

Chapter 1: Sadie

They say Valentine’s Day is for sweethearts, but Sadie Collins was feeling rather anti-love as she strode through the lobby of the Hawk Ridge Hollow Hotel and Resort.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like love; she wasn’t a monster. Nor did she particularly want to be single. It was just that the bouquets of red, pink, and white flowers reminded her that roses had thorns. The strawberries arrayed beneath the fountain overflowing with melted deliciousness for guests reminded her that chocolate could be bitter. And the garlands strung around the lobby along with twinkly lights set against the backdrop of the ski and winter recreation town reminded her of how dim her life had become.

Sadie didn’t want to see blatant reminders of what she didn’t have, what she’d lost.

Even though it was still days until the holiday, she was already planning on hiding under the covers with a book or movie about anything that didn’t have to do with romance: conventions of cheese-making during the nineteenth century, gardening in zone 7a, or perhaps a sports documentary. She was definitely a hockey fan.

The clock, audible indoors and ringing from the town’s square, prompted her to quicken her pace because she was already late returning from her lunch break. Her boss’s assistant, Danielle, wouldn’t cover her. If anything, she’d be sure to let Morgan know that Sadie was late—again.

Leaving the house wasn’t easy and not because she was busy scrolling her social feed (with everyone crowing about their Valentine’s Day plans—she was on a phone detox). She didn’t hate her job (it wasn’t her dream job, but the benefits were necessary), and she wasn’t irresponsible. Quite the opposite, all things considered.

A little girl skipped alongside her mother, holding a heart-shaped balloon. It started to float away. Sadie raced after it, anticipating the little girl being upset if she lost it. Even though Sadie was short, she managed to grab the end before it was out of reach. She held it out to the little girl who thanked her with a big smile and a hug.

She smiled and continued on her way. She hadn’t gotten far when someone called her name.

“Sadie.” Michael, her coworker, flagged her down in a polite, hushed way so as to not draw the attention of guests in the lobby.

The hotel was five stars and known for providing the perfect vacation experience. Above and beyond their regular duties, employees were expected to ensure guests felt comfortable, at ease, and relaxed. Shouting across a room would’ve been frowned upon.

“Sadie,” he repeated.

She slowed her stride. Even though Michael was in her department (guest experience development and promotion), this would make her even later.

Morgan, her boss, didn’t make exceptions for extenuating circumstances or sob stories—not that Sadie thought of her situation that way, nor did she tell anyone at work about her personal life. No, she’d made that mistake three years ago at her old job, about a different situation involving a shiny ring she’d hoped to find on her finger. Now, she knew better than to hope or dream. What happened outside the workplace, stayed outside the workplace.

Michael took a deep breath and his eyes pinched at the sides. “I need you to review the specs on the Valentine’s Day couples’ package. It seems there’s a computer glitch and an error of some sort. We’ve been getting calls all morning from guests trying to book, and something isn’t right. I tried texting and calling you —” It was obvious he knew but was too polite to say.

She’d put her phone on airplane mode so it didn’t interfere with things while she was on her lunch break. Her stomach dropped. If there was a problem on the website, it was entirely on her. She couldn’t afford to screw it up.

Morgan had given her exclusive control over the project as a challenge—a chance to prove she was the right person for the job and not the flighty and flakey employee they’d pinned her as. Danielle had wanted it, but Sadie had more experience. Despite the past and the fact that she’d been given Valentine’s Day to work with, Sadie cared deeply about making people happy, providing them with opportunities to have great memories, and about the resort itself. She’d practically grown up there. Plus, there were matters in her life far more important than couples massage deals, romance room packages, and rose-petal strewn pathways during candlelit walks under the stars. Ones reliant on her salary.

She sighed. “I’ll see that it gets fixed right away.”

“It’s bad.” Michael brushed his hand across his blond brow.

“I’m sure it is.” She swallowed hard as she pressed the button for the elevator.

The Hawk Ridge Hollow Resort, owned by the famed Hawkins family, was a top destination in the world for skiing, snowboarding, and other outdoor activities. The village was quaint, friendly, and had a chalet-style vibe that visitors and residents alike loved. The mountain itself was world-class and also owned by the Hawkins family. They didn’t tolerate mistakes and she knew this one, whatever it was, risked her job.

“No, it’s, like, bad,” Michael hissed.

The elevator dinged and she got inside. “You know me. I’ll fix it.” She plastered on a reassuring smile. It seemed like her entire life revolved around putting bandages on broken things: her family, her love life, her car, and now her job.

Sometimes literally. Gone were the days of living a free-spirited lifestyle.

Michael continued to fret and warn her but the elevator doors sealed her inside and whatever else he said was lost.
Sadie flipped her phone out of airplane mode and waited for it to find a signal before clicking to the resort website. She figured she’d better be prepared for whatever fires she had to put out. When it came to Morgan, preparation and pacification were key because that woman sure knew how to make things blaze.

The phone loaded slowly despite the Wi-Fi. She huffed at the same time the elevator suddenly jerked to a halt. Her hand caught the polished rail on the wall and she knocked into the mirror with her shoulder. The lights flickered.

She rubbed her arm. “Are you kidding me?” Sadie groaned.

She pounded the buttons. “Come on.” The carriage didn’t move. She tried the door open button repeatedly. Nothing.

“Hello,” she called.

The higher-ups and owners emphasized a smooth and pleasant experience for their guests, anticipating potential problems and preventing them, and maintaining their top-notch reviews as the perfect getaway locale. Surely, that meant routinely servicing their elevators. Then again, she wasn’t a guest.

A guest package problem and now the elevator stopping was not going to go over well, particularly because it seemed they were both related to her. She knew it wasn’t her fault the elevator stopped but it was just her luck to have a delay in getting the website problem fixed…if she still had a job when she got to the office.

Minutes passed and she tried the buttons again. Still, no movement.

Sadie suddenly wished she’d taken the glass elevators closer to the reception area that overlooked the mountain—but she hadn’t wanted to draw attention to her tardiness. At least then she’d be able to bang on the window and someone would go for help.

Although, management wouldn’t be pleased if she caused a fuss. It was a no-win situation. Her chest tightened.

The four walls started to close in on her and her pulse began to race. She didn’t realize she suffered from claustrophobia.

Then again, she’d never been stuck in a small space like an elevator. Panicked thoughts drove in like a storm.

What if she was stuck in there forever? She wasn’t sure how many flights she was up. But there were twenty in that building since it housed the resort's operations on the upper floors but what if she fell? What if she was fired? What if she was needed at home and no one could alert her?

Sweat pierced her hairline and she rushed to the bank of buttons and pressed the one with the flames on it. This was an emergency. She couldn’t bear to be stuck there for a moment longer. Bells rang sharply and if no one had noticed the elevator had stopped they would then. It also meant the reception desk would get dozens of calls and visits of concern, wondering if there was a fire, if they were safe, and some people might even demand a refund because their stay was interrupted by a disturbance bell in the remote elevator lobby.

She pounded the button again. Panic set in. Her breathing became shallow. She had to get out of there.

She didn’t hear anything other than her ragged breath. The carriage didn’t budge, siphoning away her hope that she’d soon be out of there.
She flipped on her phone and texted Michael. Can’t fix the web problem because I’m stuck in the elevator. SOS.