Chapter 7
Suzanna awoke just after dawn the next morning. It took several moments for her to orient herself and realize that she wasn’t in her own bed, but rather she was in the bed in Seth’s spare room.
After the attack, she had expected nightmares to plague her all night long. However, she had slept peacefully and without dreams. She rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling, myriad thoughts rushing through her head.
Thank God for Seth and the friendship she shared with him. And again, she thought that she didn’t know what she’d do without him. Still, as she thought of the reason she was in Seth’s house, her heart beat an accelerated rhythm.
She breathed in and out several times and reminded herself she was safe here, although her wounds all hurt more than a little bit.
Still, she had survived the attack on her and was now safe and sound.
Once her heartbeat was back to a more normal pace, she slid out of the crisp white sheets and pulled on a pair of jeans and a lightweight blue sweater.
With her toothbrush, toothpaste and hair brush in one hand, she quietly opened the bedroom door. The scent of coffee wafting in the air let her know that Seth was awake. Surely she wouldn’t be here in his home for too long. Hopefully Dallas would find the person after her very quickly.
Across the hall was the bathroom, and she darted in there to finish getting ready for the day. Once she was finished, she went down the hallway, through the living room and into the kitchen.
Seth sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee before him. He stood at the sight of her and smiled. “Good morning. Have a seat, and I’ll get you a cup of coffee.”
“Thanks.” She sank down in the same chair she had always sat in for their after-tutoring cups of coffee.
Seth was clad in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt that stretched taut across his broad chest and shoulders and exposed muscles she’d only guessed he had. He not only looked handsome but he also looked sexy and hot. He could definitely be a pinup in a hot farmer calendar.
“I didn’t expect you to be up so early. Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Thankfully I slept like a baby. The bed is very comfortable.” It was true, last night the mattress had seemed to envelop her into a soft cloud of comfort.
“Good,” he replied. He set a cup of coffee before her and then joined her at the table. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“Better than last night, but I’m still frightened about what might happen next time,” she admitted.
“As long as you’re with me, there isn’t going to be a next time,” he assured her with a smile. “In fact, I’ll be taking you to work in the mornings and picking you up when you’re finished for the day.”
“Oh, Seth, I hate for you to do that,” she replied. She was already disrupting his life and she hated that. But she had to admit she’d feel much better if he was taking her to work each morning and she wasn’t driving in on her own. She felt so incredibly vulnerable right now.
“I don’t mind it at all. Suzanna, all I want to do is keep you safe until this creep is arrested. Hopefully Chief Calloway will have some answers for us in the next day or two.”
“I’m sorry he has this to deal with while he has the scarecrow murders to investigate.” She fought a sudden shiver as she remembered the human scarecrow that had been left in her classroom.
Was it possible it was the serial killer who was after her? Did he want to make her his next scarecrow? With her blond hair and blue eyes, there was no mistaking that she definitely fit the type he liked to kill. Was she going to be the next victim?
“What’s going on in that brain of yours right now?” Seth asked, pulling her from her frightening, morbid thoughts. “Suddenly you look very frightened.” He gazed at her intently.
“I was just wondering if it was possible the Scarecrow Killer is after me.” Again, a shudder of fear tried to take hold of her.
“In what I’ve read about that killer, nothing has indicated that he goes after his victims in the way your assailant has come after you. Chief Calloway told you that. I don’t believe the killer would act so out of character to get to you.”
“You’re probably right.” She wrapped her fingers around the warmth of her coffee cup.
“There might be a serial killer working in Millsville, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other dangerous creeps lurking around,” he added.
“That’s a dreadful thing to think about.” She took a sip of her coffee, grateful that the brew warmed her. “How’s the new puppy doing?” she asked in an effort to change the subject.
“She’s already bonded to Sammy. I sneaked in his room earlier and got the pup to take her outside. She did her business and then curled right up next to Sammy and fell back asleep. I think she thinks that Sammy is her daddy.”
She smiled. “That’s nice. Did you have a dog when you were young?”
“Actually, my mother had a snappy, yappy little Chihuahua that terrorized me as a young child. She would chase me down the hallway and nip at my heels. She would sit in my mother’s lap and snarl like she wanted to rip my face off. Her name was Precious, but I secretly called her Devil Dog.”
Suzanna laughed. “You give Chihuahuas a bad name.”
“I’ve only experienced one, and that was more than enough for me.” He smiled at her, the warm caring smile that stirred her on all kinds of levels. “What about you? Any dogs in your past?”
“No, I had a cat. She was a sweet, loving kitty who I named Fluffy. I got her when I was seven, and she died when I was seventeen. I was absolutely devastated by the loss.”
“That’s the bad thing about pets. We usually outlive them,” he replied.
They continued to talk about a variety of things and drink coffee as the sun rose outside. It was about eight o’clock when the pitter-patter of footsteps sounded coming down the hallway.
Sammy entered the kitchen with Lady at his heels. He was clad in a pair of pajamas with pictures of dancing dogs on them and a pair of black bedroom slippers. With his sleep-tousled hair, he looked as cute as could be.
“Mrs. Michaels,” he said in obvious surprise. “You’re here and it’s morning time.”
“Mrs. Michaels has run into a little trouble, so she’s going to be staying here with us for a little while. Is that okay with you?” Seth asked his son.
“It’s better than okay with me,” Sammy replied with a beatific smile at her, but then he frowned. “You’ve got boo-boos,” he said as he pointed to the bandages on her arm. “Do they hurt?”
“A little bit, but they’ll be just fine with a little time,” she replied.
“I’m sorry.” Sammy looked at her with mournful eyes. “My daddy always kisses my boo-boos to make them feel better. Want me to kiss yours?”
“I’m sure a kiss from you will make them feel much better,” Suzanna replied.
Very gently, Sammy leaned over and kissed her bandage. Affection for the little boy welled up inside her. “Thank you, Sammy. That was very nice of you.”
He started to sit in the chair next to her, but before he could, Seth stopped him.
“Whoa, don’t you have a chore to take care of?” Seth asked.
“Oh yeah.” He walked over to the dog leash hanging from a hook next to the back door. The puppy had already backed up from Sammy, as if knowing what was about to happen.
Suzanna couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Sammy tussle with the pup to get the leash hooked to her collar. “Come on, Lady,” Sammy pleaded. “Just sit still for a minute.”
Sammy finally succeeded in getting the leash on. “I’ll hold her for you while you go get a coat on,” Seth said. Finally, Sammy took Lady out the back door.
Suzanna laughed once again. “That’s going to be something of an ordeal until Lady gets trained to the leash.”
“You’re telling me,” Seth replied dryly. “Let’s all pray that Lady is exceptionally smart and trains fast. Now, I was planning on making some sausage and pancakes for breakfast. Does that sound okay to you?”
“It sounds delicious. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing, just sit there and look pretty,” he replied.
A blush warmed her cheeks, and a slightly embarrassed burst of laughter escaped her at his words. “I’ve never mentioned this before, but you are a very pretty woman, Suzanna,” he added.
“Stop it, Mr. Daniels, before you turn my head,” she replied in mock sternness. Their gazes locked, and as always, she found herself wanting to fall into the warm, blue depths of his eyes.
Their deep gaze stopped as Sammy came back inside. Seth got up from the table as Sammy unleashed Lady and hung the leash back on the hook.
As Seth started breakfast, Sammy fed Lady and then regaled Suzanna with stories about the puppy’s antics the night before.
“I was sleepy and I was trying to go to sleep, and she kept licking and licking my nose and my chin. It tickled me and kept me awake. Then she finally fell asleep and so did I.”
“Is she a good cuddler?” Suzanna asked as the scent of cooking sausage filled the air.
“She’s the very best,” Sammy replied as Lady danced around his feet. “She cuddled with me all night long. I still can’t believe I have a dog, and I love her so much.”
“Have you drawn her picture yet?” Suzanna asked.
“Yeah, you want to see?” he asked.
“I’d love to see your pictures,” she replied.
“’Kay, be right back.” He left the table and ran out of the room with Lady once again at his heels.
“You’re very good with him,” Seth said softly.
“It’s easy to be good with him. He’s a great kid,” she replied. “And very lovable,” she added. It was true. There was something sweet and vulnerable in the little boy, and she had come to care about him very much.
“Thanks, I think he’s pretty special,” Seth replied. He took the last of the sausage links out of the skillet and placed them onto an awaiting plate. He then went into his pantry and returned with a large griddle. “Are you hungry?” He plugged the griddle into a wall outlet to warm up.
“I got hungry when the smell of cooking sausage filled the air,” she replied.