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“Three years,” Tanner snapped.

Miles held up one hand. “Alright. I’m not going to dig into where you’ve been right now. Sheriff will want to talk to you later, but I’m first contact because he didn’t want this turning into something it doesn’t need to.”

Tanner sucked in a breath. He could picture it too easily, given how this town liked to gossip. He continued to watch Miles but said nothing.

“I need to ask about your parents.”

Tanner’s mouth went dry. He stared past Miles’ shoulder at the porch rail instead of his face. “They’re dead.”

“I know,” Miles murmured. “I’m sorry.”

Tanner forced himself to look at Miles again. He didn’t need any sympathy. What he needed was to be able to keep Savannah safe. “Whatever.”

“Do you have any next-of-kin in town? An aunt, uncle, grandparents?”

“No,” Tanner murmured. “No one.”

Miles watched him for a second, then nodded. “Okay.”

Tanner’s fingers were numb from gripping the door. He slowly loosened them but didn’t let go of it. “What do you want?”

Miles took a slow breath. “There’s some paperwork that needs handling, Tanner. The house has been sitting empty while you’ve been gone. The utilities were cut. Taxes and ownership stuff gets messy when no one’s dealing with it. If you’re here to stay, you’ll need to get things sorted out.”

Tanner licked his lips. He had no idea about taxes and ownership or how to get the utilities turned on. “I don’t have much money,” he blurted out then, and hated how it sounded. Like he was a kid. He’d come back with a little cash, enough to get by for a bit if he kept it tight, but not enough for everything the house needed.

Miles nodded. “I’m not asking for money. I’m telling you what you’re going to run into.”

Tanner swallowed. “You said paperwork.”

Miles nodded. “There’s a form for the department. Basic contact info and who’s living here. It’s not a CPS thing or anything to do with the courts. It’s a ‘we made contact and we have the right address’ kind of thing.”

Tanner didn’t believe him and he leaned away, a move that Miles noticed.

Miles’ gaze sharpened like he knew exactly what Tanner was thinking. “You don’t trust that.”

“No.”

Miles watched him for a few seconds, then slowly reached into his jacket, making sure Tanner could see the movement, and pulled out a folded packet. He held it at his side as he spoke. “You can fill it in now, or I can bring it back later. Sheriff’s trying to keep this low-key.”

Tanner stared at the packet like it was some form of trap that would take Savannah away from him. “Later.”

Miles nodded. “Okay.”

Tanner didn’t say anything else, and the silence grew between them. He kept the door as close to shut as he could. He didn’t want Miles seeing inside.

Miles glanced toward the gap at the door, and Tanner tightened his grip on it. “Do you have heat in there?”

Tanner’s jaw tightened. “No.”

“Power?”

“No.”

“Food?”

Tanner didn’t answer. He stared at Miles.

Miles’ face didn’t change much, but his eyes softened. “Okay.”