Page 8 of A Perfect Target

“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.”