Midnight Secrets (13 page)

Memories, uninvited but inevitable, flooded her mind. She and her sisters had been at camp when it had happened. Their grandfather had arrived to break the news and bring them home. She still remembered her surprise and then immediate anxiety at seeing him there. Instantly, she had known something was wrong. How Daniel Wilde had been able to hold it together still amazed her. Not only had he been grieving for the loss of his son and daughter-in-law, but he had to deal with the knowledge that his son was a murderer. He’d had to put his grief on hold to be there for his granddaughters.

Eighteen years ago, she and her sisters had left home excited, happy, and secure ten-year-olds; their only concern was having a good time. One day later, they had returned traumatized and devastated, their whole world crashing around them.

Shaking herself from the unhelpful introspection, Savannah pulled the small overnight bag from the trunk. She’d take her larger suitcase out tomorrow, when she had more energy. The minute she slid the key into the lock and turned the knob, more memories swamped her. Grim determination kept her feet moving forward.

She threw her keys on the table beside the door, briefly noting that the lilies in the vase were fresh. Twice a week, a local florist placed lilies, her grandmother’s favorite flower, throughout the house. It was something her grandmother, Camille Wilde, had adopted when she was newly married. Her husband Daniel had kept that tradition even after she died. Neither Savannah nor her sisters had the heart to discontinue the custom.

She walked across the shiny hardwood floor and then up the winding mahogany staircase, smiling faintly at the memory of sliding down the banister and bruising her bottom when she had landed abruptly halfway across the foyer. She quickly squelched the other part of that memory. The one where her father had laughingly picked her up and hugged her hard until she stopped crying.

When she got to the top of the stairs, she turned around on the landing and peered down into the grand old house. The expected desolation didn’t come. This was a beautiful home and deserved to have a family love it the way she and her family once had. Despite the difficult days ahead of her, she was suddenly glad she had come home. This was the final step in putting the past behind her. After seeing Zach’s reaction, it was obvious he’d done that, too.

The ringing of the doorbell had her running down the stairs again. She had hoped to have one night alone before the inevitable visiting began. Of course, maybe if she had been able to sneak in without being seen, that could have happened.

Shrugging tiredly, Savannah opened the door. The polite smile of welcome froze on her face as she stared at her visitor.

Zach stood on the porch, feeling like the awkward, gangly kid he’d once been. Maybe he should have waited until morning, given her a chance to rest. He’d told himself he just wanted to get this over with. He would explain that her boss had called and advised him of the threats against her. That he’d be on the lookout for anyone new or suspicious looking. That he was here to help her if she needed it. Yes, those were the reasons he’d told himself he was here, and up until now, he had almost believed them. The instant the door opened and she stood before him, Zach knew all of those reasons were lies and excuses. How could she possibly be more beautiful than before?

Surprise flared in her eyes but she quickly recovered and gave him the blandest stare he could imagine. If he hadn’t seen the quick flash of emotion, he’d almost guess she didn’t recognize him.

“Hello, Savannah.”

“Zach.” She gave a nod of acknowledgment and maintained her hold on the door.

“Can I come in?”

Her grip on the door tightened noticeably. She wasn’t even going to bother to pretend she didn’t want him there.

“I really don’t feel up to company right now.”

It’d been a long time since Zach had felt inferior. After an upbringing that no one in their right mind could call pleasant or normal, he’d worked hard at recognizing that wealth had nothing to do with the quality of a person. Funny thing was, Savannah was the first person to help him realize that. Even though their backgrounds couldn’t have been more different, she and her family had always treated him as an equal. And she had always treated him as if he was something special.

Until now.

“This is official business, not a social visit. It’s about the X-Kings and the threats against you.”

Her eyes narrowed and a frown of both confusion and suspicion appeared. At least she was giving him something besides that cool composure. Before he could appreciate the change, the bland expression returned. “How do you know about that?”

“Your boss called me.” Tired of waiting for an invitation that was apparently not going to come, Zach put his hand on the door and pushed it open. “This won’t take long.” He stepped inside, giving her the choice of either staying put and being within inches of him or backing away. And damn him for being disappointed that she backed away.

Her arms crossed in front of her, she now stood at least three feet away, leaving no doubt that she didn’t want to be anywhere close to him. “I don’t see that it’s any of your concern. It was a pointless threat made by an idiot.”

“It’s my concern because you’re in my town now. All residents, whether they’re permanent or not, have a right to protection. You’re no different.”

Ice replaced the bland expression that’d been irritating him. “Believe me, I’m more than aware of that, Zach.”

The words stung but the coldness hurt even more. “Then we need to talk about your safety.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. This house has an excellent security system and I have a handgun that I’m quite proficient with. There’s nothing you can do for me that I can’t do for myself.”

“That’s good … I’m glad you’re trained. I’ll still keep an eye out. Make sure you’re safe until you leave.”

Her lips, full and naked of anything but her natural pink color, trembled slightly before they stretched into the most fake smile she’d ever given him. “That’s very solicitous of you.” She started toward the front door. “I’ll be sure to let you know if anything comes up.”

“That’s it?” Zach blew out a sigh. “Hell, Savannah, you act like we’re strangers.”

“We are strangers, Zach. It’s been ten years. We’re different people. Very different.” She opened the door. “Good night.”

She was right. They weren’t the same people. So why the hell was his gut twisted with disappointment? Had he really expected anything else? Maybe he was lucky she didn’t use her gun to force him out of the house. Did he deserve anything less?

Shrugging off the odd, inappropriate feelings of hurt, Zach gave her a curt nod and went through the door. He heard it close behind him and then the locks clicked. Yeah, that sounded about right.

Chapter

Ten

Savannah leaned back against the closed door, imagining Zach on the other side, just standing there. For the first time in years, he was within touching distance. Not that it mattered. He might as well be as far from her as the sun was from the moon. Much more separated them than mere distance.

When at last she heard him move away, she slid bonelessly to the floor with a resounding thud. That had gone about as badly as it could have. The only things she hadn’t done were cry or throw something at him. She hadn’t expected to see him this soon. After the cool nod in town, she figured they’d run into each other in a few days. By then, she would have built up her defenses and been nonchalant about the whole thing. She would have exchanged pleasantries with him and acted like a mature, rational, and sophisticated woman greeting an old acquaintance. But now, there was no way he didn’t know that she had never forgotten or forgiven him.

Her boss was too thorough; she should have realized Reid would notify the local law about the threats. Of course, he didn’t know that the local law was once the love of her life. Not that it would have made a difference. The welfare of his employees was more important than matters of the heart.

She only wished she’d handled their first meeting better. She could turn on or off any kind of emotion when she was trying a case—be passionate or icy cold with little effort. But she had never been able to fake anything with Zach. So much in her personality had changed, yet apparently that one thing had remained consistent. And now, she had to figure out how to regroup. Show him that she truly felt nothing for him, nor did she hold a grudge.

Maybe it would have helped if he’d become unattractive. Why couldn’t his thick blond hair have thinned out and become straggly? Or that strong jawline gone saggy and jowly? At the very least, a stomach paunch or stooped shoulders to lessen his appeal. None of that had happened. If anything, maturity had only improved Zach Tanner. At twenty, he had been tall and on the slim side, with ash-blond hair and clear gray eyes. A thirty-year-old Zach was broad shouldered and muscular as if he lifted weights on a regular basis. The light golden streaks in his hair told her he spent a lot of time in the sun. That square jaw she’d once covered in kisses seemed as hard as granite, and those lips she’d once let devour her were sensuous, sexy, and so very male. Everything about him seemed bigger, bolder, and even more fascinating

She sighed. Why oh why couldn’t he have at least gotten a wart or two?

Sharp pounding on the door behind her jerked her from her thoughts. Had Zach come back? Savannah jumped to her feet, grateful that the strength had returned to her legs. She’d made the mistake earlier of not checking the peephole. This time she would check, and if it was Zach or anyone else she didn’t want to talk to, she’d simply not answer.

Standing on her toes, she peeked and then resignedly shook her head. No way could she not open the door. No matter how tired or dispirited you were, you never turned away family. Shoulders straight, she braced herself and opened the door.

“Hey there, Aunt Gibby.”

“Land sakes, Savannah Rose, why’d it take you so long?”

Before Savannah could respond, the woman was pulling her forward for a hard, quick one-armed hug. Aunt Gibby didn’t do anything slow, including hugging.

Savannah never even considered offering the excuse of being too tired for company. Not that the statement would stop Gibby. The older woman strode into the house with the confident air of one who knew she was always welcome. In one hand, she held a casserole—that had most likely been in the freezer since the millennium—and in the other hand, a jug of sweet tea.

Savannah followed the elderly woman into the kitchen, searching for a way to shorten the visit without hurting her feelings. She was coming up blank.

Aunt Gibby, who had been part of the Wilde sisters’ lives since their birth, was neither their aunt nor was her name Gibby. She was Granddad’s second cousin twice removed and her real name was Lorna Jean Wilcox. She’d been Gibby for so long, very few people even knew her actual name. Everyone called her Gibby.

Her eyes round with a seemingly innocent curiosity, Gibby asked, “Was that Chief Tanner leaving?”

Savannah didn’t bother to answer. One of the many things she had always appreciated about Gibby, especially in this instance, was that she rarely required a response, because she answered most of her questions herself.

“Of course it was.” Gibby nodded knowingly. “You two probably had a lot to talk about. Not seeing each other for all these years. Didn’t look like you visited long, since he just finished taking care of that nonsense at Gertie’s. I swan, I don’t know what this world’s coming to.”

Savannah allowed the older woman’s chatter to flow around her. Not having to answer was a blessing, since she was still reeling from her previous visitor. It didn’t help to know that Zach might not even have come over at all if it hadn’t been for her boss alerting him to the threats made against her. He’d come to tell her he would protect her, just as he would any citizen of Midnight—she was no different. How stupid to be hurt by something she already knew.

“And with the rash of crime we’ve had lately, I’m surprised he had time to visit at all.”

Savannah tuned in at that comment. “Midnight has a crime spree?”

As if she realized she’d finally caught Savannah’s attention, Gibby’s expression grew livelier. “Well, mostly just vandalism so far, but there have been a couple of break-ins, too. I’ve heard more than one person say that Chief Tanner’s job could be in jeopardy.”

Silly, since she knew nothing about Zach anymore or his competency as a law enforcement officer, but she still felt the need to defend him. “Criticizing is a lot easier than being part of the solution. I’m sure Zach’s doing everything he can to catch the people responsible. He needs the town’s support, not their criticism.”

Instantly, she knew she’d said the wrong thing. Aunt Gibby’s sherry-brown eyes were almost glowing as she exclaimed, “Bless your heart, honey, you still love him, don’t you? Even though you were both so young and he broke your heart, I don’t know how many times I told Esme and Beth-Anne that the love you two had was the forever kind that just don’t die. I remember how you used to look at each other when you thought nobody was watching. It was just the sweetest thing.”

Refusing to get into a discussion on her feelings for Zach, then or now, Savannah shook her head. “Law enforcement officials get a bum rap a lot of times. They’re often overworked and underappreciated. It’s nothing more than that.”

Salt-and-pepper eyebrows arched over Gibby’s twinkling eyes, the doubtful look saying she wasn’t one bit convinced. Considering how weak and ineffectual her words sounded, Savannah wasn’t convinced either. She felt nothing for Zach, other than a lingering sense of disappointment. But that was only natural. She had trusted him and he’d let her down.