Reflection Point

chapter NINETEEN





For Zach, Boy Scout summer camp had been the highlight of every summer during his youth. That’s where he first enjoyed the activities he continued to love today. Hiking, fishing, orienteering. And, during the later years, sex.

The Girl Scout camp had been right next door.

Yet, despite all the fun he’d had, he’d never been as excited about a week of summer camp as he was about this one. In twenty minutes, TJ would board a school bus to take the short trip up to Jack Davenport’s camp on Murphy Mountain. It was the local kids’ week for fishing, hiking, and orienteering.

Zach got to stay home and have sex.

To say that TJ’s presence in Savannah’s household had put a crimp in his style was the understatement of the century. It impressed him that she tried to do the responsible thing in front of her nephew, but still …

“Man, I love summer camp,” he said to no one in particular at the sheriff’s office. Gabi and Ginger shared an amused look, then Gabi observed, “As grumpy as you’ve been lately, I’ve decided that I love summer camp, too—despite the fact that my boss asked me to give up my days off to accommodate his love life.”

“Now, hold on a moment. I didn’t ask you to give up your days, I asked you to switch. And I never said anything about my love life.”

Ginger snorted. “Like we all can’t tell that you are pawing at the barn door to get to your heifer in heat.”

“Heifer in heat?” Gabi chortled a laugh. “I can’t wait to share that one with Savannah.”

This friendship between his deputy and his lover made life awkward at times. However, Zach was in too good a mood to allow workplace teasing to bother him today. He glanced at the clock. Half an hour until the bus’s scheduled departure.

“I think I’ll do one more foot patrol before I call it a day.” He’d feel better about things if he actually watched TJ get on the bus and saw it drive out of town. “Buzz me if anything needs my attention … until ten o’clock. After that, Gabriella is in charge.”

“Ah, words that are music to my ears,” she said. “I have such plans for this little burg. Ginger, as soon as he leaves, let’s get to work on that town beautification idea we discussed.”

Against his better judgment, Zach asked, “Town beautification?”

“I noticed that the budget has three thousand dollars in surplus funds for that line item. We thought we’d use it for pedicures for local residents.”

“Very funny.” He strode toward the door, lifted his hat from the hat rack, and offered up a parting shot. “You girls be good.”

“Bet you don’t say that to Savannah,” Gabi called after him.

Zach grinned all the way to the school parking lot.

There he saw Savannah dressed in that yellow sundress of hers, the one that was his favorite, and—whoa, was that TJ? What had happened to his hair? It was … brown. And trimmed. Couldn’t even tell he’d had a Mohawk. Plus he only had one earring in one of his ears.

Savannah stood with Sarah Murphy, Ali Timberlake, and Cat Davenport. He joined them, indulged in the urge to give Savannah a quick buss on the mouth, then asked, “So who is that kid standing in for TJ?”

“Crazy, isn’t it?”

“What brought it on?”

“I’m not sure. He came downstairs like this, didn’t say a word, and with one of those mule-headed looks told me not to ask.”

“Where did he get those normal clothes?”

“Sarah brought them over. She said they were some of Devin’s things that he’d outgrown.”

“That was nice.”

“It was a lie. She and Gabi got together and bought a few things and washed them a half-dozen times. They even authenticated the shirt with a chocolate stain.”

“Your girlfriends scare me, Peach,” he said, meeting Sarah’s smirking gaze.

“I see nothing wrong with that sentiment,” Cat said.

Zach decided to bring the conversation back around to the boy. “Whatever the reason, we can be thankful for it. He looks good.”

“I think he has a crush on Gabi,” Savannah said.

“Oh-h-h. Yes. That makes sense. She told me she’d been shooting basketballs with him and Mandy West.”

If Savannah hadn’t been in his life and he hadn’t been Gabi’s boss, he probably would have had a crush on her, too.

Cat said, “Looks like our camp director is ready to load the kids up.”

Zach observed the excitement on the faces of the town’s children. “You and Jack are doing a wonderful thing here, Cat. Most of these kids’ parents couldn’t afford summer camp.”

“We are just as excited as the kids—excited and nervous. We’re happy to have these sessions for the local kids to give us time to work out the wrinkles. We want everything to go smoothly, but I know we’ll have our challenges.”

“According to Devin, not for lack of preparation,” Sarah said, speaking of her son. “Devin said that training for the Wounded Wings One Hundred bike race had nothing on what Jack put the counselors through during their training sessions.”

Cat shrugged. “Jack went a little overboard. It’s his background. Says you can never be too prepared.”

“True,” Zach said. Whatever work Jack Davenport had done for the government, he no longer did it. He and Cat had dedicated their efforts to the charitable foundation, Lauren’s Gifts, established in the name of their deceased daughter. Zach was glad to see the Davenports so happy after the bumpy road they’d traveled.

The children began filing onto the bus, and Cat said, “Okay, then. I’d better head on up there. I promised Jack I’d beat the bus so that we’re together when our first campers arrive.”

“Good luck,” Sarah and Savannah both said. Zach watched TJ break off a conversation with Aiden Marshall. The scowl on both boys’ faces gave the sheriff a bit of a pause, and he hoped there wasn’t anything going on there. Aiden was the son of one of the partners in the local bank. He was a good-looking kid, a talented athlete, and Mr. Popular at school. He was always respectful to Zach, but something about the boy made Zach’s radar go on alert.

He didn’t seem like the sort of kid who would make friends with TJ.

But then, it didn’t exactly look like they were friends, did it?

Mandy certainly looked a little concerned. Now, there was a sweetheart. Mandy was dyslexic and as a result had struggled in school both academically and socially. But she was as nice as could be, cute as a button, a blessing to her struggling mom, and a darn good basketball player. He hoped TJ would continue to treat her with friendship and respect.

Aiden let out a laugh and gave TJ a good-natured slap on the back. TJ grinned, and Zach thought, Well, good.

TJ stepped up into the bus, pausing on the stairs to give a quick, backward glance toward Savannah. She smiled and waved. Zach resisted the urge to give a fist pump.

The bus pulled out at 10:05. “You did make arrangements for Heavenscents, right? You still have the rest of the day off?”

“No.” Disappointment washed over him like a cold rain before he noted the teasing light in her eyes. “I have the rest of today and tomorrow morning off.”

Zach grabbed her hand. “Bye, Sarah.”

Grinning impishly, Sarah waved her fingers. “Ta-ta.”

Zach cursed himself for having walked to the park rather than driven, and he all but dragged Savannah out of the park. He didn’t realize he was close to breaking into a jog when she let out a little laugh, pulled her hand from his, and said, “Whoa there, big boy. If I trip and twist my ankle, that will compromise both of our styles.”

“Sorry. I’m just a little anxious.” His gaze fell upon the creekside cabins at Angel’s Rest, and for a moment he considered checking in, but his better sense prevailed. What he needed was privacy with his woman, not to become the lead item on the Eternity Springs gossip hit parade.

“I think I’m just afraid that my radio will go off before … well, before.”

She returned to his side and slipped her arm through his. “If I weren’t a good citizen, I’d see that the battery in your radio somehow got lost.”

“Sounds great, but then I’d have to arrest you.”

“Would you use your handcuffs? I kinda miss those days.”

His jaw gaped. “Savannah Sophia Moore. Did you just make a joke about jail?”

Laughter bubbled from her. “I’m happy, Zach. This was such a great morning with TJ. Didn’t he look great? No nose ring, and he’s down to one piercing—although I’m pretty sure those others were all fake. And now I don’t have to work and I can spend some time with you. My heart is singing.”

“Give me half an hour and the rest of you will be crooning harmonies.” He took hold of her hand and brought it up, pressing a kiss against her knuckles.

The look she gave him then was downright wicked.

He made it to Reflection Point in record time. What followed once he got her into his house, into his bed, rocked his world. Somewhere between the first fast, furious coupling and the second one, which was slow and sensual, a certain knowledge whispered through his mind that he wasn’t prepared for. One that actually frightened him a little bit. It almost had him reaching for the phone to cancel today’s events.

But then Savannah put her mouth on him and sensation drove all thought from his mind. It didn’t return until it was too late. He could hear the whop whop whop of the helicopter approaching Reflection Point.

He sprang out of bed. “Quick, Peach, we need to hit the shower and get dressed. I lost track of time and Logan will be here in minutes.”

“Who will be here?” she asked, sitting up, clutching the sheet to her breast. “What’s going on?”

Zach walked into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. “I intended to ask you, but then I got distracted by … you. You’re not afraid of flying, are you?”

“Flying!”

Zach stepped into the shower and called, “Helicopter. Since our time is limited, I didn’t want to waste time traveling. Logan McClure will take us over the mountains instead of around and get there quick.”

She stepped into the bathroom, all naked and glowing and gorgeous, distracting Zach all over again. He stared at her, felt himself stir back to life.

Savannah reached into the shower and shut off the hot water. “Zach Turner, what in the world are you talking about?”

Cold water blasted him back to attention. “Our date. I made plans for a special surprise. I’m taking you up to Silver Eden Lodge.” He switched the hot water back on. “Logan will pick us up in the morning and bring us home before work. Okay?”

She gaped at him. “Silver Eden Lodge? Isn’t that the one that’s so exclusive? It only has, like, ten rooms, and movie stars and royalty go there?”

“Yeah.” He stepped out of the shower and nudged her in.

“But … but … jeez, Zach. It’ll cost a fortune.”

He grabbed a towel and dried off with quick, brisk motions. “While I’d love to impress you with my ability to pay a stupid amount for a luxurious getaway, the truth is the owner was a good friend of my dad’s. He’s the one who helped me land the Eternity Springs job, and I get a special rate.”

“But … but … I can’t go. I don’t have any clothes. And what about the dogs?”

He flashed a wicked grin and tossed his towel over his shoulder. “The lodge provides a robe. You’re not going to need much else. Nic is going to swing by both our places later, pick up the dogs, and board them at the clinic.”

“Zach!”

“I have everything covered, Peach. Trust me.” With that parting shot, he exited the bathroom, dressed, grabbed the overnighter he’d prepared earlier, and went out to meet the helicopter.

Zach had discovered that the owner of the town’s grocery store had a pilot’s license when he volunteered to assist during a missing-person search. He’d called upon Logan in a professional capacity a number of times since then. The man had a nice little side business going, ferrying corporate folks from the airport to the conference center. This was the first time Zach had hired him personally.

“I appreciate your taking the time to do this,” Zach told him as the men shook hands.

“Glad to help. Your conference retreat business has paid my mortgage for the past couple of months. Are you two ready to leave?”

“Almost.” Zach glanced back toward the house, hoping he was right. Savannah never had responded to his question about flying.

Just as he made the decision to go in and check on her, Savannah exited his house carrying her purse and a tote bag she’d left at his house before TJ entered their world. She gave him a look that was part excitement, part trepidation, and part bewilderment before greeting Logan and letting him help her up into the helicopter.

The flight took thirty-five minutes. For the first five of them, Savannah held his hand in a white-knuckled grip. Then she relaxed and began to enjoy herself, especially when Logan flew them past Heartache Falls for a bird’s-eye view of the magnificence of nature, complete with rainbows in the waterfall’s mist.

They landed at Silver Eden Lodge, and by the time they’d exited the helicopter, a golf cart driven by a young man dressed in black slacks and a white shirt sporting the lodge’s logo was there to meet them.

“Welcome to Silver Eden,” he said, raising his voice to be heard over the helicopter as it lifted off for the return trip to Eternity Springs. “My name is Robert, and I’ll be your personal assistant while you’re here.”

Savannah’s smile was as bright as sunshine on snow.

The resort looked different from most of the luxury hotels nestled in the Colorado Rockies. Rather than traditional log cabins or Swiss chalets, Silver Eden’s architecture was modern with clean lines, lots of glass, and lots of water, with infinity pools and sophisticated fountains everywhere you turned.

“It’s the prettiest place I’ve ever been,” Savannah said.

“Gabe Callahan was the landscape architect on the project.”

“I love it.”

Their escort took them to an expansive third-floor suite that included cheery fires burning in fireplaces in both the sitting area and the bedroom. Frameless French doors opened onto a private balcony, where steam rose from the outdoor hot tub with a million-dollar view.

Robert pointed out the suite’s amenities, then added, “You’ll find the appointments you requested on the desk. If you wish to make any adjustments to the schedule, just let me know. Your lunch will be up in …” He checked his watch. “Ten minutes. I’ll leave you to settle in. If I can be of any assistance, please pick up the phone.”

Zach shut the door behind Robert, then turned to look at Savannah. She made a slow circle in the center of the room, her mouth a little agape as she studied the room. “I can’t believe this. Zach, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I wanted to surprise you. It’s been a tough few weeks, and I thought it’d be nice for us both to do something special. Who knows when we’ll have the opportunity to be alone together again.”

Tears sparkled in those big brown eyes of hers, and she gave him a tremulous smile. “No one has ever gone to so much trouble for me, Zach Turner. I’m a little overwhelmed.”

Me too. That little voice was back whispering the words he still wasn’t ready to acknowledge. “No need to be overwhelmed. The idea is to enjoy ourselves. That’s all this is about.”

She walked toward the desk and picked up the schedule. “Room-service luncheon … three-hour spa appointment?”

“Don’t tell Celeste. I’ll catch hell for going to the competition.”

“Dinner at …” Her voice trailed off, and she looked up in alarm. “Ali told me about this restaurant. Zach, we can’t go there. It’s fancy. My dress is too casual and you’d need a coat and tie.”

“Stop worrying. We’re all set. The boutique put some things in the closet for you to choose from. It’s part of the surprise and the only job you have is to enjoy yourself.”

“This is just unreal,” she murmured. “I don’t know whether to giggle, bawl, jump with joy, or throw you onto the bed and have my way with you.”

“I vote for number four.” A knock sounded on the door. Lunch had arrived. “Damn. What timing. Save that thought.”

While room service set out their meal, Savannah disappeared into the bedroom to check out the contents of the closet. The gasp of delight he heard from her made him grin.

Once the waiter departed, leaving them alone once more, Zach walked to the bedroom door. “Soup’s on, Savannah.”

She turned away from the closet. “There are no prices on these dresses.”

“That’s because you don’t need to know them. Just pick out your favorite and wear it for me for dinner tonight. Now, as far as what you wear for lunch goes, I’m partial to that hot pink bra you have on.”

“I’m not eating lunch in my underwear.”

“Spoilsport. I ordered scallops.” Her favorite seafood, he knew.

A wicked gleam entered her eyes. “I might … just might … flash you.”

“This was the best idea I’ve ever had.”

Over lunch, they caught up on local issues they hadn’t had a chance to discuss since TJ arrived. An unspoken agreement between them kept her nephew out of the discussion, but they did spend some time talking about the Davenports’ camp. Savannah said, “I’ve never seen so many children so excited for anything besides Christmas.”

“My office got a call asking if we’d have Jack Davenport Day like we had Cam Murphy Day last year,” Zach replied.

“Did you tell Jack?” Savannah asked, laughing.

“No. I told Cam he’s been replaced, and he called up Jack and complained. Said it was his mountain, after all.” Zach waited a beat, then asked, “So, the scallops were delicious, weren’t they? Maybe the best you’ve ever had?”

Savannah narrowed her eyes and set down her fork. “You have a one-track mind, Sheriff Turner.”

“It’s been a long dry spell.”

“Since nine o’clock this morning?”

He shrugged. “That appetizer had oysters in it.”

She smirked, then licked her fingers. Slowly. One by one. “If I’m going to go to the trouble to unbutton my shirt, I might as well get something for it.”

“You want dessert, Sugar?”

“Yes. Yes, I do believe I do.” She set her napkin on the table, stood, then turned away from him and walked, not toward the bedroom, but toward the balcony, dropping her clothes as she went. She stood for a long moment wearing only that lacy pink bra and matching thong and—Zach swallowed hard—her heeled sandals.

He didn’t remember throwing down his napkin, rising, or stripping off his own clothes, but by the time she shimmied out of her underwear and shoes and sank into the frothing water of the hot tub, he was naked.

As he pulled himself from the water half an hour later, Zach had decided that hot tub sex was just about his favorite thing in the universe.

They had time for a walk in the garden before Savannah’s appointment at the spa. Zach went for a run, then enjoyed his own massage. They met back at their room for a nap—another one of God’s gifts to mankind—and then, at Savannah’s request, Zach left her alone to get ready for their dinner date.

In the suite’s second bathroom, Zach showered and dressed in his freshly pressed gray suit, a white shirt, and the blue tie Gabi had given him for his birthday. As he tied the knot, he wondered if Savannah would notice that the pattern was made of intertwined handcuffs.

At five minutes to seven, he knocked on the door to their room before using his key to enter. The French doors between the sitting room and bedroom were closed. “Peach? Are you ready?”

“I’ll be right there.”

A moment later, the French doors opened and Zach all but swallowed his tongue. She wore that luscious blond hair of hers piled atop her head in artful disarray, a pair of soft curls trailing loose to frame her exquisite face. Her dark red lipstick matched her strapless dress. His gaze drank in the sweetheart neckline that revealed a mouthwatering amount of cleavage, the silky fabric clinging to her form before flaring at the waist into a flirty, filmy, gratifyingly short skirt.

She’d finished it off with red three-inch heels.

“You take my breath away, Savannah.”

“I feel like Cinderella.”

“You look like a fantasy rather than a fairy tale. I will be the envy of every man in the resort tonight.” He crossed to her and offered her his arm. “May I escort you to dinner, beautiful lady?”

“Absolutely, PC.”

“PC?”

“Prince Charming.”

Zach couldn’t help but laugh. “From Barney Fife to Prince Charming, hmm? So what did it? The helicopter? The dress? The hot tub sex?”

“No … I think it’s the handcuffs on the tie.”

“You noticed.”

She arched an imperial brow. “Ex-cons always notice handcuffs, Sheriff.”

Zach’s heart went kathunk kathunk. She was so beautiful, so spirited, so damned sexy. Once again, a certain knowledge fluttered in his mind, but still he resisted.

Dinner proved to be a feast for the senses, from the shadowed intimacy of the atmosphere to the sublime flavors of food and wine and the sultry piano music they danced to between dinner and dessert. Back in their room, Zach made love to Savannah with an intensity that was new to him, one that came from his soul. They drifted off to sleep locked in each other’s arms, and when Zach awoke to a golden dawn the following morning, that knowledge he’d spent the previous day avoiding echoed through his mind like a clarion.

He lay propped up on his elbow, his head resting in his hand, watching her. When finally she stirred, when those big brown eyes opened and those kiss-swollen lips stretched in a soft, welcoming smile, he gave voice to the truth he could no longer deny. “Savannah Sophia Moore, I love you.”