Page 21 of Tanner

Tanner felt shame burn inside and he pushed it down hard. Shame didn’t feed Savannah. “I’ll figure it out.”

A small sound came from behind Tanner, and a couple of seconds later there were soft footsteps along the floor. Tanner’s whole body shifted as his attention moved toward Savannah.

“Tanny?”

Tanner turned fully, blocking the doorway with his body as Savannah appeared at the end of the hall in her pajamas. Her hair stuck up on one side, and she clutched her rabbit under her arm as she rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

Tanner’s chest squeezed as he smiled down at her. “Hey, baby.”

Savannah padded closer, then paused when she saw Miles.

Miles lowered himself slightly at the knees so he wasn’t towering over her. “Hi,” he said, softly. “You must be Savannah.”

Savannah stared at him, then looked up at Tanner. Tanner scooped her up without hesitation and held her tight against his chest. “Yeah,” he murmured into her hair. “It’s okay.”

Savannah’s arms looped around his neck, then buried her face against him for a second before she peeked at Miles.

Miles watched the way Tanner held her. The way Savannah clung to him. Something in his expression tightened, and Tanner didn’t like that. “She looks healthy,” he said quietly.

Tanner clenched his jaw. “She is.”

Miles shifted his gaze back to Tanner. “I’m going to ask a few questions about her. Basic stuff.”

Tanner’s stomach churned and he tightened his arms around Savannah. “Why?”

“Because if you don’t have answers ready, you’re going to get steamrolled when someone else asks,” Miles said. His tone was still calm, but there was a warning in it. Not a threat exactly. More of a fact. “And they will ask. You already know that.”

Tanner stared at him. He didn’t like that the deputy understood him, but maybe he’d dealt with this kind of thing before. He swallowed before nodding.

Miles kept his voice level as he asked, “Is she in school or preschool?”

Tanner’s mouth went dry. They’d just returned. He hadn’t sorted anything out yet. “No. We just got here.”

Miles nodded like he expected that answer. “Doctor. Does she have one in town?”

Tanner swallowed. “Not here.”

“Who was she registered with where you were?”

Tanner’s jaw clenched. He could feel his face heating up and he ignored it. “I took her when she needed it.”

Miles nodded then asked, “Vaccinations up to date?”

Tanner’s eyes narrowed. “She’s fine.”

Miles held his gaze. “That’s not what I asked.”

Savannah shifted in Tanner’s arms and whispered, “Hungry.”

Tanner’s throat tightened and he kissed the top of her head. “Yeah. I know.”

Miles heard it and didn’t pretend he hadn’t. He looked past Tanner’s shoulder toward the dim hall. “There’s no power, so you’re probably not cooking right now.”

Tanner’s voice came out rough and he coughed to clear it. “I’ll get food.”

Miles nodded. “Okay. There’s a grocery store on Main. They’ll help you out if you ask, and there’s a clinic on County Road. If you’re staying here, that’s where you need to register her. School office is at the elementary. You’ll need proof of address and some kind of ID.”

Tanner’s heart hammered harder with every word. Proof. Register. Forms. It all sounded like the start of losing her, and now he wondered why the hell he’d returned.