Chapter 7 #2
Sammy zoomed back into the room with several pieces of paper in his hand.
He handed them to her as he sat in the chair next to her.
There was a total of four pencil drawings of Lady in various positions.
He had captured Lady’s puppy playfulness in each pose, and the skill shown was far more advanced than a nine-year-old.
“Sammy, these are wonderful. You are such a talented artist,” Suzanna said.
Sammy beamed. “Thank you, I do like to draw.”
“You do it very well. Now why don’t you take your pictures out of the kitchen so they don’t get spilled on during breakfast,” she suggested. The last thing she would want was for his artwork to be ruined by pancake syrup or a spill of something else.
By the time Sammy returned to the kitchen, Seth had breakfast ready. The pancakes were light and fluffy, and Sammy kept them laughing through the meal with tales from his imagination.
Thank goodness she was here with the warmth of laughter filling her heart and the love of a father and son rippling in the air. If she wasn’t here, she knew she would be at her house curled up in the corner of her sofa, overthinking things and being terrified of another attack happening.
There was such a strong sense of family here despite it only being Seth and Sammy. And for a few minutes while they’d been eating, she’d felt as if she belonged to their family.
When Sammy smiled at her so sweetly and Seth gazed at her so warmly, there was a part of her that wanted to belong here, not just for a few days, but forever.
Suzanna insisted she help with breakfast cleanup, and then the two of them moved into the living room, where she sat on the sofa and he sank down in his recliner.
“Please don’t let my presence here stop you from doing chores or whatever you normally do,” she said.
“I usually don’t do much of anything on Sundays,” he replied. “I have two good men who help me keep up with the fields, but Sundays I always spend the day with Sammy. Sometimes we will play games or watch a movie, but the day is usually pretty laid back.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “Or are you lying to me?”
He laughed. “I’m positive. Trust me, Suzanna, if I had things to do around the farm, I’d go do them. But I really don’t work on the weekends when Sammy is home from school.”
“You are such a good father, Seth. I so admire how you parent your son.” At the moment, Sammy was back in his bedroom getting dressed for the day.
A warmth of pleasure swept through Seth at her words. “Thanks. I try, but sometimes I don’t think I’m enough for him.”
“I think every parent feels that way,” she replied.
“I’m hoping he’ll outgrow his obsession about getting a mother. That’s one thing I can’t deliver on.”
She looked so beautiful this morning. The jeans fit her to perfection, and the blue sweater she wore showed off her incredible shape.
Would a good father have been thinking about the very hot kiss they had previously shared while he cooked breakfast?
Would a good parent have been thinking about how much he wanted to kiss her again while he flipped pancakes for his son?
There was no question that he was on a slow burn for her. The more he got to know her, the more he wanted her. He hoped like hell they heard something from Chief Calloway about who was terrorizing her. No woman deserved to live with the kind of fear he knew Suzanna was feeling.
The morning and early afternoon passed pleasantly.
The three of them played games of Memory and Go Fish.
Sammy crowed triumphantly when he beat the two adults at Go Fish after the adults had won the games of Memory.
There was a lot of laughter, and Lady added to the fun by chasing her tail, making Sammy fall to the floor and dissolve into giggles.
They had sandwiches for lunch, and then for dinner Seth fried up hamburgers and warmed a can of baked beans. There were also potato chips to add to the meal. They had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when a knock sounded at the door.
Before going to answer, Seth reached up on the top of the refrigerator where he’d placed his gun when he’d first gotten out of bed that morning. Suzanna gasped in surprise as he grabbed the weapon and went to answer the knock.
He held the gun in front of him, determined to protect Suzanna if danger was on the other side of the door. He immediately lowered the weapon when he saw Chief Calloway on the porch.
“I stopped by Suzanna’s place first, and when she wasn’t there, I figured she was probably here,” Chief Calloway said.
“You figured right. She’s here. Come on in.” Seth opened the door so the lawman could enter the house.
“If you want to have a seat, I’ll just go get her,” Seth said and gestured to the sofa. He went back into the kitchen, where he placed the gun on the top of the refrigerator.
“It’s Chief Calloway, I told him to have a seat in the living room,” he said to Suzanna. She got up from the table and followed him.
“Good evening, Suzanna,” Dallas greeted her as she sat on the opposite side of the sofa from him and Seth sat in his recliner.
At that moment, Sammy and Lady came running into the room. Sammy stopped short at the sight of the lawman. “Are you a real policeman?” he asked Chief Calloway with wide eyes.
“I am,” Dallas answered.
“Is that a real gun?”
“It is,” Dallas replied.
“Daddy says police officers are our friends,” Sammy replied. “And we should always be nice to them.”
“That’s a good thing to remember,” Dallas said.
“Sammy, take Lady and go play in your room until bath time,” Seth said. The last thing he wanted was for his son to hear anything Dallas Calloway had to say about the attacks on Suzanna. And hopefully he brought them good news.
“Okay.” Sammy managed to pick up the wiggly pup in his arms. “This is my new dog. Her name is Lady, and I got her yesterday for my birthday.”
“She’s a fine-looking dog,” Dallas replied.
“Thanks,” Sammy said with a bright smile, and then he raced out of the room and back down the hallway.
“Sorry about that,” Seth said once Sammy was gone.
“Don’t apologize. He’s a cute kid.” Dallas turned and looked at Suzanna, who was slightly pale and anxious looking. “I figured I’d come by and give you a bit of an update.”
Suzanna leaned slightly forward. “What have you found out?”
“First of all, we searched all around your driveway and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything to identify the perpetrator.
I spent today catching up with the three men you mentioned to me last night.
Of the three, Arlan Barlow was the only one with an airtight alibi for the time of yesterday’s attack.
He was at the Farmer’s Club at that time and was seen there by a dozen people.
I also confirmed his presence there with Ranger. ”
“Ranger?” Seth asked curiously.
“Ranger Simmons, he’s the owner of the Farmer’s Club,” Dallas explained.
“And what about the other two men?” Suzanna asked.
“Unfortunately, neither of them has much of an alibi for the time of the attack. Both of them told me they were at home alone, and there is nothing to substantiate those alibis.”
“So what happens now?” Suzanna asked.
“I keep investigating,” Dallas replied. “Trust me, Suzanna, I intend to keep at this until we have the guilty person behind bars.” He stood. “I just wanted to come by and let you know what I’ve learned so far.”
“I appreciate it,” Suzanna said, and both she and Seth stood as well.
Seth was grateful to see that some of the color had returned to her cheeks.
But he wished Dallas had come with some real answers for them.
He wished Dallas had been able to tell them that the perpetrator had been identified and was now behind bars.
The three of them walked to the front door. “I’ll continue to keep you updated as I get more information,” Dallas said. “Have you thought of anyone else you think I need to check out?”
“I’ve certainly thought about it, but no, I haven’t been able to think of anyone else,” she replied.
“If you do, make sure you immediately give me a call,” Dallas said.
“Suzanna is staying here with me until you get this threat to her behind bars,” Seth said.
“Probably a good idea,” Dallas replied. “The last thing you need is to be alone and vulnerable in your house right now,” he added to Suzanna.
She nodded. “Thanks again for coming by.”
“I’ll be in touch.” With that, the lawman left the house. Seth closed and locked the door behind him and then turned to find Suzanna gazing at him intently.
“What?” he asked.
“Why didn’t you tell me you had a gun?” she asked.
“I didn’t think about telling you. Do you have a problem with it?” he asked.
“No, as long as you don’t leave it lying around for Sammy to find,” she replied.
“That’s why it’s on the top of the refrigerator, and when it isn’t there, it’s locked up in the gun safe in my bedroom. Trust me, Suzanna, I definitely think about gun safety when it comes to my son, but I also want the weapon somewhere that I can grab it quickly if trouble arrives. Okay?”
“Okay,” she replied.
“I need to tell Sammy it’s time for his bath. I’ll be right back,” Seth said.
Seth certainly knew the dangers of kids and guns.
The news was filled with tragic stories concerning children who got hold of their parents’ weapons, but he also knew there would be no reason for Sammy to look on top of the refrigerator.
He rarely had the gun out, but in these particular circumstances he felt it was warranted to have it close by.
He got his son moving in the direction of the bathtub, and then he went back into the living room, where Suzanna was once again seated on the sofa.
He sank down next to her. “It’s a damned shame Chief Calloway couldn’t get solid alibis for all three of the men you work with,” he said.
She frowned, causing a tiny wrinkle to dance across her forehead. “I just wonder how awkward it’s going to be in the morning when we’re all at work together.”