Zach she had known had been a gentle man through and through. Sometimes awkward and shy and always, always considerate of her feelings. Never would he have issued commands or given her steely-eyed looks. So why did a shiver of excitement zip up her spine whenever he did it now?
Savannah veered away from rationalizing the unexplainable. She took another sweeping glance with her binoculars and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Settling back against the soft leather of the seat, she took a sip of the strong black coffee she’d brought with her. Early in her career, she’d done some surveillance. “Boring” and “uncomfortable” were the only descriptions she could come up with. However, she was known for her patience, so boring though it was, she had usually gotten what she needed. The sooner the vandals were caught, the sooner she could get back to the real reason she’d come home.
Though she still had tons of work to do, she’d taken part of the day to meet with a real estate agent. Oddly, she’d gotten emotional a couple of times. She told herself she was ready to move on and say goodbye to the house forever, but now that the time was drawing near to do just that, it was harder than she’d thought it would be to let go.
One would think she would be anxious to get rid of the location where her mother was murdered and where, just a couple of yards from the back door, her father had hung himself. The place should be a morbid reminder of all the violence, heartache, and misery she and her family had endured. Instead, as she went from room to room, pointing out different aspects of the house to the agent, wonderful memories had come to her.
Christmastime had been a big deal for her mother. The house was always decorated to the nth degree, turning it from a beautiful old home into an enchanted wonderland. During the holidays, there had been parties galore, and she and her sisters always stayed up an hour past bedtime to be able to attend the festivities. And at every party she could remember, her mother and father had been front and center, seeming to adore each other. When had it all gone wrong?
The walkie-talkie beside her sputtered, startling Savannah from her memories. “Anything yet?” Zach asked.
They had chosen not to use cellphones since the light might attract attention. She pressed the talk button. “Nothing. What about you?”
“A couple of cars have passed by but nothing suspicious.”
“It’s only a little after two o’clock. Maybe they wait till later, when they’re sure no one will be around.”
“Maybe, but Dayton’s working tomorrow. As lazy as he is, I don’t see him staying up this late,” Zach answered. “Let’s give them a few more minutes and then call it a night. I’m sure you’re exhausted and want to go to bed.”
Had his voice deepened, gotten huskier, with those last words? Savannah told herself to ignore the flare of heat. When he’d come by this evening, she had wondered if they would discuss the incident that had occurred at the dinner party. She’d left the Kilgores’ house in a state of arousal she hadn’t felt in years … all because of a little hand-holding and thumb action. The hurt he’d dealt might still be there but so was the attraction and the need—things that only Zach had ever made her feel.
Savannah gave herself a mental shake. Okay, so she didn’t hate him as she had once thought, but neither did she intend to feel anything warm toward him. He had broken her heart, abandoned her when she’d needed him the most. How could she just let that slide?
“Savannah, you there?”
“Yes … yes, I’m here.” Remembering his comment, she added, “And I am tired.”
“Everything okay?”
“Fine.” She winced. Going from warm and friendly to cold bitch in mere seconds was sure to bring about more questions. With Zach, it had always been about extremes.
“Okay.” Even with the distortion of his voice caused by the walkie-talkie, she detected the doubt in his tone.
Savannah dropped the walkie-talkie on the seat beside her and tried to tell herself she felt no guilt for being cool to Zach. They weren’t friends and she was helping him out. That was all. In fact, she shouldn’t even be here. She should—
The knock on her window caused her to jump a foot off her seat. Coffee splattered everywhere. Zach stood at the passenger door, peering in the window.
Savannah