Page 1

Chapter 1

Suzanna Michaels looked around her third-grade classroom with a sense of pride. The sounds of slamming desks, sniffling noses, shuffling feet and too-loud whispers were all absent as at the moment the classroom was empty.

Pictures the students had drawn in art class danced along one wall, while samples of penmanship and math tests hung on another. Last night and tonight the school belonged to the parents, who had appointments to meet with their children’s teachers and check on the students’ progress.

The evening before, the appointments had all gone fairly well, but she was dreading the last two she was about to have. She took out her notes and quickly read through them. She mentally reviewed what she wanted to convey. She had just finished that when Eva Dayton swept into the room and greeted her with a faint, cool smile.

Eva’s short, stylish black hair emphasized her bold, attractive features. She was clad in brown slacks and a leopard-print blouse that showcased her great figure.

“Mrs. Michaels,” she said with a curt nod of her head as she sat in the chair provided on the opposite side of Suzanna’s small desk.

“Ms. Dayton, it’s nice to see you again,” Suzanna replied. She had shared several town functions with her student Holly’s mother, but rarely was Eva particularly friendly to her. But that was okay, Suzanna knew she wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. And as this meeting went on, she had a feeling Eva would like her even less.

“Now, tell me about Holly,” Eva said eagerly, obviously not caring about any pleasant small talk. She leaned forward in the chair.

“First of all, I’m sure you know that Holly is a very bright girl,” Suzanna replied. “She has good grades in almost all of her subjects.”

Eva smiled with obvious pleasure. “That’s wonderful to hear, but I know she is very bright…she has always excelled in her school work.”

“I only see one area of concern with Holly,” Suzanna said slowly, knowing she was about to share Eva’s daughter’s biggest weakness.

The smile on Eva’s face immediately fell away, and her dark brown eyes narrowed a bit. She reared back in the chair. “And what would that be?”

“Holly is struggling a bit with her social skills,” Suzanna said.

“And what exactly does that mean?” Eva asked as her frown deepened.

“To be honest, she’s more than a bit of a bully with the other students.”

“That’s utterly ridiculous. She isn’t a bully,” Eva scoffed. “I’ve seen her with some of her little friends. She’s a leader, that’s what she is. You’re confusing leadership with something negative, and that isn’t fair.”

The conversation didn’t last long after that. Suzanna explained some of the troubling behavior Holly exhibited with her peers, and Eva grew more and more defensive.

The meeting came to an end with Suzanna knowing that Eva had no intention of addressing any of the issues with her daughter. It was a real shame because Holly had a lot of potential, but her bullying and superior ways would make it difficult for her to make any real friends.

She was still thinking about Eva and Holly when Seth Daniels, father to Sammy, walked into the room.

Her heart skipped a beat as she stared up at the tall, dark-haired man. Lordy, but the man was handsome. He definitely knew how to wear a pair of jeans, and the blue of his button-up dress shirt matched the brilliant blue of his eyes…eyes that momentarily pinned her to her chair. She drew in a deep breath and quickly re-centered herself.

She stood. “Mr. Daniels?” He nodded and she held out her hand. “I’m Suzanna Michaels, Sammy’s teacher.”

“I’m Seth Daniels, Sammy’s father, but I guess you already know that.” They shook hands, and then she gestured toward the chair in front of her desk.

He sank down and his gaze shot all around the room. He cleared his throat and raked a hand through his slightly shaggy, shiny black hair. It was obvious he was a bit uncomfortable in this setting.

She sat down and smiled at him. “I understand you are fairly new to Millsville.”

“Yes, we moved here a little over two months ago from the Kansas City area,” he replied.

“How are you enjoying our small town?” she asked.

“So far I like it just fine.” He smiled and a spark shot off inside her. Oh, he had a delicious smile that not only lit up his dark-lashed eyes, but also his bold, attractive features.

With the spark still fluttering warmth inside her, she quickly looked down at her notes and then gazed back up at Seth Daniels. “Let’s talk about Sammy,” she said. The smile immediately fell off his features. “I’m finding he can be quite a delight when he wants to be, but I’m having some discipline issues with him. He seems to be an angry little boy.”

Seth released an audible sigh and frowned. “Yeah, he’s having a hard time adjusting since his mother walked out on us a little over eighteen months ago.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry that happened. Does he see his mother at all?”