I thought those Baptists had snared you for sure.”
The too-infrequent smile lit up Zach’s face. “Actually, I just go there to keep an eye on them. I figured y’all had it all together over here.”
Gibby cackled. “You got that right.” She winked at Savannah and grabbed her arm. “Let’s get out of here as soon as possible so we can snag a good spot at the park.”
Knowing many eyes were on her, Savannah gave Zach what she thought was a cool but pleasant smile of acknowledgment and then led Gibby down the aisle toward the entrance.
* * *
Zach blew out a ragged sigh as he watched Savannah walk away. The wariness was back and he cursed himself for letting that happen. He should have figured out a way to see her last night so they could have had the discussion that needed to take place. Now he felt as if he was starting at square one, right where he’d been the first day of her return.
“It’s so nice to see you here, Chief. Are you going to the social?”
The sugary sweetness of Lindsay Milan’s voice gave Zach chills. There was such a desperate neediness to her tone. When she grabbed his arm and tightened her fingernails into his skin, he had to grit his teeth not to jerk away.
His mind on the beautiful woman who had just left, Zach nodded an acknowledgment and pulled away gently. “Mrs. Milan.”
Lindsay was having none of it. She held tight to his arm and asked the same question, only louder: “You going to the social, Chief?”
Something in her tone grabbed him. Pulling his thoughts away from Savannah, he took a moment to assess the woman still hanging on to his arm. Dark circles shadowed worried-looking eyes.
“Let’s go, Lindsay.”
The growling voice came from Carl Dayton, Lindsay and Clark’s father. Zach had had few dealings with the older Dayton. He was a not-so-successful farmer whose wife had left him years ago. Rumor was that she had finally gotten up the courage to leave him after years of abuse. Was Lindsay getting the same treatment? There was no proof that anything like that was going on, and coming right out and asking would only cause problems. However, he couldn’t ignore the possibility.
Well aware he might pay for this later, he turned back to Lindsay and said, “Actually, I am going to the social. Would you like to ride with me?”
Relief and something like gratitude gleamed in her expression. She nodded eagerly and held on to his arm tighter.
Carl gave a seemingly warning glare to Lindsay before he walked away.
“Thank you, Zach,” she whispered.
“What’s going on? Are you in trouble?”
“I—”
“Zach Tanner, as I live and breathe. I thought it’d take handcuffs and a gun to get you inside this church.”
They both turned as Reverend Simmons practically shouted at him. Zach couldn’t blame him. Not only had the man taken every opportunity to invite him to attend services, the minister was almost totally deaf. Shouting was the norm for him.
Grinning, Zach shook the man’s hand and exchanged small talk. All the while, he kept a close eye on Lindsay. Something was definitely going on with her. When one of the parishioners interrupted them, Zach took the chance to walk away, Lindsay at his side.
More than aware of the whispers and sideways glances of those they passed, Zach made it outside without anyone else stopping him. He stopped abruptly when he saw Savannah in the parking lot with her aunt, helping her into the car. In that instant, she looked up and saw him. He watched as her eyes shifted to Lindsay, whose hand was still on his arm, then her face stilled and became expressionless.
For the first time in a long while, Zach felt helpless. Every time he made any kind of progress with her, something happened to diminish it.
With the knowledge that there was nothing he could do right now, he walked with Lindsay to his car. Knowing that others could still hear them, he waited until they were both in the car, then said, “Okay, what the hell’s going on?”
Seeing Lindsay Milan’s hand on Zach’s arm as if she had a claim on him cut Savannah deep. She had believed he was sincere, that he still had feelings for her. Was she being a fool once again?
“You’re not worried about that one, are you?”
Aunt Gibby’s voice broke into her thoughts. Savannah hadn’t even realized she was just sitting in the driver’s seat, staring out the window. She