got her to shore. Prettiest sound I ever heard was when she began to cough.”
“So you saved her.”
“Her brother saved her. That cat was in full attack mode. The wildlife guys will test it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was rabid. I don’t think it got to either child, but I’m not certain.”
“How is the boy doing?”
After a long, silent moment, Zach rolled to a seated position. He scooped up a handful of gravel and began tossing the pebbles, one by one, into the water. Savannah sat with her legs tucked primly to the side. The quilt was large and a full three feet separated them. Nevertheless, he could smell that unique citrusy scent she used, and it floated past him on the evening air like a song. He wanted to reach for her and hold her. To be held. Comforted.
Turner, you’re an idiot.
“I don’t know. Head injuries are tough. We life-flighted him to a trauma center. Last I heard he’s touch and go.”
“I’m so sorry, Zach.”
“Me too.” He threw a marble-sized pebble into Hummingbird Lake, and as twilight faded to night they sat in silence. When the last glimmer of sunlight was extinguished, leaving a spattering of lights from the houses across the lake to cast a silver shadowed illumination over Reflection Point, the burden of Zach’s day slowly eased. Talking to Savannah had helped, he realized, but what had made the difference was the quiet understanding she offered with her silence.
Her company eased him. She brought him peace.
I should return the favor.
He thought the idea through for a couple of moments, then said, “Listen, Peach. As far as I’m concerned, your conviction is your private business. If you want to share it with folks around here, fine. If you don’t, that’s fine, too. Unless you do something stupid that brings your past into relevancy where my job is concerned, no one will hear about it from me.”
No one will hear about it from me.
Savannah wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe him.
Everyone she’d met in town sang Zach Turner’s praises. Celeste Blessing said he was trustworthy, and after their meeting at Angel’s Rest, Savannah had learned to accept that just because Celeste looked like Francine Vaughn didn’t mean she had Francine’s black heart.
Just because Zach was in law enforcement didn’t mean he was a lying, thieving gutter rat like Kyle.
Zach had saved a life today. Today he’d been a hero to a tourist family from Kansas.
Tonight, by claiming he’d keep her secret, he’d offered her the moon—if only she could accept it.
Trust. She hadn’t trusted anyone other than herself in a very long time. Dare she do it now? Could she believe him, considering that he didn’t know the whole story?
Tell him. Tell him and see how he reacts. If nothing else, maybe it will provide him a distraction from his crappy day.
Savannah drew a deep, cleansing breath, then exhaled in a rush. “I was engaged to a cop.”
Full night had fallen and the moon had yet to rise. Reflection Point lay in shadow, so she sensed rather than saw that he’d turned his stare toward her.
“My dad was a boat mechanic in a little town in Tennessee. He ran the service department of a marine dealer. He met my mother when they were both hiking part of the Appalachian Trail. They got married and had three boys and then me. I was eight when my mother was killed in a car accident. My dad did his best, but money was tight and the boys were in and out of trouble. In and out of jail. My dad turned to an old family tradition to make ends meet.”
“Drugs,” Zach said.
His assumption was understandable considering what he knew about her conviction, but annoying nonetheless. “Moonshine. It was the family business, and my brothers helped. I was sixteen when Gary asked me to make a delivery for him because he had a date. Turns out the law was waiting for him. I got arrested.”
“So you have a juvie record, too?”
“Not anymore. I served my probation and it was expunged. I’m telling you this part of it because it’s the reason I went to live with my grandmother, my mother’s mom. My father wasn’t a bad man. He was an independent man who didn’t like anyone—especially not the government—telling him what to do. My brothers took after Dad, but when I got into trouble … they didn’t like it. They wanted better for me, so they sent me