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 wearily 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