I’m surprised I didn’t hear any gossip about their arrests.”
“They’re already out of jail.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I figured. How much was the bond set for?”
“No bond. There weren’t any charges.”
She stopped shelling and gawked at him. “No charges? You caught them in the act. How could there be no charges?”
From her perspective, he could see where she’d think letting them go was stupid. Yes, he lawfully could have charged them and they might have even served a few months in jail, depending upon which judge drew the case. But Zach saw no purpose in that. The crimes had been against him personally, not anyone else. When Zach had told Henson that a requirement for his release was to call his insurance company and withdraw the claims, he’d been pleased to learn that Henson had never filed any. Maybe the man wasn’t as stupid as he looked. Insurance companies took a very grim view of insurance fraud.
“I let them go with a warning. Didn’t see a need to take it further.”
“That’s ridiculous, Zach. After what Henson did to you? And Dayton is an officer of the law. He should be held to a higher standard.”
“What Henson did years ago has no bearing on this case. And Dayton’s no longer an officer of the law. Both he and Henson know what will happen if anything similar occurs.”
She shook her head. “I never thought you’d be such a pacifist.”
“I’m a person who doesn’t see everything in black or white. These men learned their lesson.”
“How can you not want revenge against Henson?”
“Henson means nothing to me, then or now. Would I want to smash his face in? Hell yeah. There was a time when that’s all I could think of … I even concentrated on getting stronger and trained like a demon with the intent of coming back here and beating the hell out of him.”
“What changed your mind?”
“I grew up, Savannah. The man is more than twice my age and has arthritis. I could beat the shit out of him with one hand, but if I did, just who the hell wins? Henson, for making me lower my standards? Me, for being able to knock some old man down who did the same thing to me ten years ago? What’s the point? To make myself feel better? Hurting a man who is nothing to me would mean absolutely nothing. I don’t see a point in violence for violence’s sake.”
She was silent for so long, Zach figured she was probably not only questioning his judgment as chief of police but also his manhood. He didn’t care a lot what people thought of him, but he did care about Savannah’s opinion. Hopefully she would understand someday, even if she didn’t agree with his methods.
“What did you tell your deputies about the arrest? Surely that’s going to get out.”
“I told them that if I heard any talk, I knew exactly who had spread the rumors and they would be fired.” He shrugged. “It’s over and done with as far as I’m concerned.”
“And you really believe Henson and Dayton will keep their noses clean from now on?”
“If they don’t, they know I’ll be on them like white on rice.” Zach leaned forward and caught her gaze. “I’m not a fool, Savannah. I realize that letting them go isn’t without risks. But I also believe in redemption.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. He knew she heard the double meaning, as he had intended. Did she believe in redemption, too? He sure as hell hoped so.
“So, what are we going to do with all these peas?”
Breath eased from him as he relaxed back against the rocker. Maybe she didn’t understand completely, but she wasn’t going to challenge him. “I have the makings for a fine Southern dinner in the car. If you want, I’ll cook and you can keep me company.”
“You want to make dinner here?”
“Yes, if that’s okay.”
She stood and, holding the bowl of peas in her hand, said, “Then what are we waiting for? I’ll start the water for the peas and you go get the rest of your stuff.”
Zach stood, too. What he wanted to do was drop everything he had in his hands and fill his hands with her. He wouldn’t. He needed to go very slow. Every instinct he had to rush her had to be set aside. This was too important to hurry. He was fighting for his future with the woman he had never stopped loving. Nothing was more important.