Chapter 2
“Thank God Halloween has passed and now all we have to deal with is the little monsters in our classrooms,” Arlan Barlow said.
“Now the kids will start thinking about Christmas, and they’ll soon all be bouncing off the walls,” Ray Stedman added.
“As if they don’t bounce off the walls already,” Boone said with a snort.
Suzanna laughed. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you three didn’t like your job as teachers.”
There were a handful of teachers having their lunch break in the teachers’ lounge. Some ate lunch here while others drove home to eat or ran through one of the hamburger drive-throughs in town.
Suzanna usually got a tray from the cafeteria and ate the same lunch the students did. Today was Taco Tuesday, and so she had two beef tacos, a side salad and applesauce.
“I hear you’re spending a lot of time with Seth Daniels,” Ray said, his dark eyes looking at her intently. Ray was another man who had asked her out a number of times in the past. Needless to say, they were invitations she’d declined.
Suzanna laughed once again. “I’m spending a lot of time with Seth’s son. I’ve been tutoring him two nights a week for the past two weeks.”
“How’s that going?” Vanessa Jones asked. Vanessa was one of Suzanna’s closest friends, but the two hadn’t touched base with each other lately other than on their lunch breaks. Vanessa had a new boyfriend who was taking up all her free time in the evenings.
“It’s going surprisingly well. Sammy is a very bright, sweet child who wants to please, but we’re still working on controlling his emotions in the classroom,” Suzanna replied.
“I’ll tell you one thing, I’d take a Sammy over a Holly Dayton any day of the week. That girl is already a little snot who thinks she’s better than anyone else,” Arlan said. While Holly was in Suzanna’s classroom, Arlan, as the physical education teacher, had Holly for an hour every other day.
“During parent-teacher meetings, I told her mother that Holly was having some social issues that needed to be addressed,” Suzanna said.
“Social issues.” Ray laughed and shook his head. “That’s a nice way of saying your daughter is a mean-spirited bully who thinks her stuff doesn’t stink.”
“Have you met her mother?” Arlan asked. “I’ll tell you, in this case the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.
” Arlan took a bite of the ham sandwich he’d brought from home, and then continued, “In fact I heard a rumor that they moved here from Plain Point because Eva didn’t like the way the teacher there treated her precious Holly.
” Plain Point was another small town near Millsville.
“I knew they were new to the area. But actually, I found Eva Dayton to be pleasant enough at my meeting with her, although certainly no mother wants to hear that their daughter is a bully,” Suzanna said. “She did get more than a bit defensive by the end of the meeting.”
“So how long do you think your tutoring job is going to last?” Ray asked.
“I don’t know…as long as it takes to get Sammy up to speed,” Suzanna replied and looked at the dark-haired man. “Why?”
“I don’t like the idea of you being out after dark so much. You know there’s still a serial killer walking among us,” he said. “And you’re definitely his type.”
“Way to ruin a lunch,” Vanessa said dryly to Ray.
“I’m just saying she has to be very careful. She fits the victimology that the killer likes,” Ray replied.
“I am being careful. On the nights when I tutor, Seth always walks me to my car, and other than those nights I rarely go out after dark,” Suzanna explained. “Besides, I’m a grown woman who can take care of myself.”
“That’s good to hear,” Arlan said. “We all kind of like having you around.”
Suzanna laughed. “Thanks, I kind of like being around.”
Not long after that lunch was over, and the teachers all scurried back to their classrooms. As the afternoon unfolded, Suzanna found herself thinking of Seth again and again.
She was enjoying her work with Sammy, but she had to admit she was especially enjoying her coffee time with the handsome farmer after her sessions with his son were finished.
Through their small talk, she had learned that Seth liked country music and dancing. He also liked barbecue ribs, peach pie and old Western movies.
She’d told him about Murphy’s, a popular bar in town where country music was often played and the dance floor was never empty. Although the idea of him dancing with another woman caused a little tinge of jealousy to rear its head inside her.
The jealousy had positively shocked her.
She didn’t like Seth that way, she told herself.
But she did like him. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he seemed like a very kind man.
What she admired about him most of all was how much he loved his son and how committed he was to being the best parent he could be to the little boy.
She had also learned that his parents had perished in a house fire when he was twelve and he’d been raised by an aunt, who was now dead. In turn she had told him her parents had passed due to illnesses each of them had suffered. So, both she and Seth were orphans with no siblings.
Tonight, he had invited her to come early and eat dinner with them. The invitation had surprised her, but what really surprised her was just how much she was looking forward to it.
Of course it meant absolutely nothing. Davy would always be the man in her life, the man in her heart.
He had been her one great love, and she wasn’t looking for a new one.
However, she was definitely enjoying Seth’s friendship.
With Vanessa no longer having time for her, Suzanna had to admit the tutoring time filled the long empty hours two days a week.
It was quarter after four when she took off for Seth’s place. She had bought a peach pie at the bakery after work to bring with her for dessert, and it now rode in the passenger seat of her car.
She tried to ignore the spark of excitement that danced through her as she pulled into his driveway.
But the truth was she was definitely physically attracted to Seth.
And what woman wouldn’t be? With his dark hair and blue eyes, and his broad shoulders and muscled chest, the man was an absolute hunk.
She parked, grabbed her purse and the peach pie, and got out of her car. It was a cold evening with a wind blowing from the north, a reminder that winter was coming, and winter in Millsville, Kansas, could be brutal.
She hurried to the front door and knocked. Seth answered, looking as hot as ever in a pair of jeans and a bright blue polo shirt that brought out the blue of his eyes.
“Come on in and get out of the cold,” he said as he ushered her inside.
“I brought dessert,” she replied and held the pie out to him.
“You didn’t have to do that.” He took the pie from her. “Take off your coat and get comfortable.”
Sammy came running up the hallway from his bedroom. He flew into the living room and then smiled at her. “Hi, Mrs. Michaels. Dad made some chicken stuff for dinner. It will be good ’cause he’s a really good cook.”
“The chicken stuff is chicken parmesan,” Seth explained.
“Sounds good, and it smells wonderful.” She took off her coat and placed it on the arm of the sofa. “What can I do to help?”
“You can come into the kitchen and sit and talk to me while I finish things up,” he replied.
“I can definitely do that.” She followed him into the kitchen, where the table was set for three, as Sammy ran back down the hallway to his room.
The kitchen was large, and the first time she had seen it, she noted that it was a very pleasant space.
The wallpaper was a medium gray with bright yellow stripes, and sunflower magnets held some of Sammy’s artwork on the refrigerator.
The appliances were all black, and the overall appearance of the room was cheerful.
Seth placed the pie on the gray granite countertop and grinned at her. “You brought me a peach pie.”
She returned his smile. “In one of our previous conversations you mentioned that it was your favorite kind of pie.”
“It is, thanks for remembering.” He gazed at her for a long moment and then turned back to the oven. “This should be ready in about ten minutes. So, how was your day?”
“It was good, except you know Sammy didn’t get the necklace today.”
“Yeah, I know. He’ll be going to bed right after your session with him, and I’ve already taken away his tablet for the night.” Seth turned to look at her once again with obvious dismay. “And I thought he was doing so well.”
“And he is still doing well,” she protested. “We’ve had way more good days than bad. Today was just a small setback, and I’m sure he’ll be right back on track tomorrow.”
“I hope so.” He opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a fresh-looking salad and set it on the table. He then added a basket of sliced garlic bread.
“How was your day?” she asked.
“It was good…busy. I’ve been trying to prepare everything for the winter months ahead. The barn was a mess when I bought the place, so I’ve been spending a lot of my time trying to sort things out there.”
“Winters here can be fairly harsh,” she said.
“That’s what I’ve heard.” He opened the oven door, pulled out a large baking dish and set it in the center of the table, where two potholders awaited.
“Oh my gosh, that looks positively delectable.” The plump chicken breasts were not only resting in a rich tomato sauce but also were covered with melted mozzarella cheese.
“Let me just holler for Sammy, and we’re ready to eat,” he said. He stepped out of the kitchen and called to his son, who immediately came running.
Within minutes they were all seated at the table with food on their plates. “This is delicious,” she said after tasting the chicken.
“I told you Dad is a good cook,” Sammy said. “And he even does the dishes,” he added, making both Suzanna and Seth laugh.
In fact, Sammy kept them laughing and entertained throughout the meal. He talked a lot about getting a dog.
“Have you decided what kind you want?” Suzanna asked.