“Feel free to call me sugar, honey.” He waggled his brows in a teasing leer.
She rolled her eyes, but that couldn’t hide the amusement twinkling inside them as she took a long lick of the ice cream cone. “It’s peach.”
“I was thinking about you. What else could I have chosen?” He stared her straight in the eyes and took a long, slow lick of his ice cream. Her cheeks flushed, and satisfaction washed through him. His purpose accomplished, he backed off. “How has business been today?”
“Slow until the cyclists made their way out of town. Then I got so busy I couldn’t keep up. It slowed down again once they were due back and people began collecting near the finish line.”
“Bet you sold a lot of soap to cyclists’ spouses. A shower is one of the first things I want when I finish a long ride.”
“You ride a bike?”
“I love mountain biking, though I’m not into races like we had today. I like to ride the back roads and explore. It’s great exercise, a wonderful way to see out-of-the-way places.” He paused, considered asking her to go on a ride with him, but decided against it. It was too soon. He had a plan and he needed to stick to it. “Well, enjoy your ice cream.”
He hadn’t intended to kiss her, but she had a little dollop of peach at the corner of her mouth that needed to be licked. So he did it. Then followed that with a quick press of his mouth against hers. “I’ll see you around.”
He whistled as he exited Heavenscents, leaving Savannah standing with a stupefied look on her face. “My work here is done.”
For today, anyway.
The following day he didn’t stop by her shop, but he did send her flowers. The day after that he dropped by with a bone for Inny. Savannah appeared genuinely impressed by that effort.
Like most Eternity Springs merchants during tourist season, she worked ten hours a day, seven days a week, closing only Sunday mornings. As much as Zach would have loved to spirit her away for a scenic alpine picnic on his day off, he knew that June was not the time to do it.
June was a good time to give her some pampering, however, so he arranged to have the masseuse from the spa at Angel’s Rest take her mobile table to Heavenscents at the close of a workday. At the end of the hour scheduled for her massage, Zach showed up with a bottle of port and a tin of chocolate-covered blueberries. He found Savannah sprawled bonelessly in her outdoor swing wearing a white spa robe and a languid smile.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“I’m not stupid, Zach Turner. I know you have an ulterior motive for being so nice to me. Massages and dog bones and flowers—you’re not fooling anyone.”
“An ulterior motive?”
“You want to get beneath my spa robe.”
“Well, of course I do, but I’ve made no effort to hide the fact.” He sat beside her. “This is something you need to understand about me, Peach. I’m a straight shooter, too. Unless I’m on the job and you’re under interrogation, I won’t lie to you.”
She wrinkled her nose in disbelief. “You’re a man.”
Zach hated to upset her relaxed state, but she’d served the opportunity on a platter, and he couldn’t pass it up. “I’m not Kyle Vaughn.”
At the name, she sat up. She clutched her robe at the neckline, set her mouth, and narrowed her eyes. “You read up on me.”
“I sure did. I read the trial transcripts. Guy was a real ass.”
She studied him, meeting and holding his gaze for a long minute. “You really do believe me, don’t you.”
“Crazy, isn’t it? I never believe the claims of innocence of—”
“Convicts?” she drawled in that slow molasses accent of hers that he found so arousing.
He rolled his tongue around his mouth. “Law enforcement clients.”
She snorted a little laugh. “I can’t make up my mind about you, Sheriff. You confuse me.”
“Just don’t confuse me with the d-bag.”
Savannah tilted her head and studied him. “Sarah said you’ve dated more women than any other guy in town. Ski instructors, summer residents …” Her brows dipped in a frown as she added, “Her and Nic and even Ali. And Ali was married!”
Showing interest. Excellent. “Now, that’s not true, Savannah. Ali and I didn’t date. We just flirted a little, and this was during the time that she was separated from Mac. She’ll tell you I was good for her. I’m a nice