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Who was the person after Suzanna? And what was going to be his next move? There was definitely no question that Seth expected danger to come at her again. He could only hope he was there to protect her from any harm.

The only place she was really vulnerable was at work. If one of the men she had named to Dallas was the guilty party then was it possible they could kill her at school? Maybe catch her alone in the supply closet or another place and stab her to death? The very idea horrified him.

And in his horror, the earlier emotion he’d refused to analyze came into his head…into his heart. As he thought of all the time Suzanna had been in his home…the deep conversations they’d had…the shared laughter…the lovemaking…he realized somewhere along the line he had fallen in love with her.

Stunned by this sudden awareness of his own feelings, he stared up at the dark ceiling of his room. When had his deep friendship with her turned into love?

Had it been when he’d made love to her? Had that intimate connection unconsciously pushed him over the edge into uncharted territory? Had it been the first time the three of them had played games when her eyes had sparkled so brightly and she’d shown such love and caring for his son?

It didn’t really matter when it had happened, the fact was he was in love with her and he definitely didn’t want to be. He’d thought he could protect her and not get his heart involved. However, the beautiful blonde with her big blue eyes and sweet smiles had slid in right beneath his defenses.

Yes, he was in love with her, but he didn’t intend to do anything about it. As deep as his feelings for her ran, he was still determined not to give a woman, any woman, a chance to abandon him and Sammy, and that included Suzanna.

Besides, Suzanna hadn’t indicated that she was in love with him, but even if she was, nothing would change as far as he was concerned. When she was safe, then she would leave here to go back to her life, and he and Sammy would go back to living their own without her presence in it.

Chapter 11

Another week crept by, and Suzanna found herself on edge every minute of every day. Since seeing the face in her window, she was now just waiting for something else bad to happen. She had no idea what direction the danger might come from, but she was certain it was coming soon.

If that wasn’t enough, her feelings for Seth were growing to enormous proportions, and more than anything she wanted to tell him that she was in love with him. But she knew it would only complicate things while she was here, and so she kept her love for him locked tight inside her. But it was growing more and more difficult to do that.

It was another day of work, a Thursday, and she had a feeling the kids would all be restless today. The skies were dreary, and there was a scent of snow in the air. Seth had bought extra groceries, shopping one day while she had been at work. The forecast was for a snowstorm coming within the next couple of days.

As usual Seth drove her and Sammy to the school. Just as she expected, the kids were all wound up, and it took her time and energy to get them settled down, behaving and working hard at the lessons.

She had come to hate lunchtime with Ray and Boone, who were still giving her the silent treatment. Today on the menu was pizza, a green salad and apple sauce. After getting the tray in the kitchen, it was with dread that she headed to the teachers’ lounge. She could have eaten in her classroom, but she refused to bow to the two men. Ray and Boone were already seated at the table, and at the moment it was just the three of them. She knew Vanessa wouldn’t be eating with them today. She had told Suzanna earlier that she was going home for lunch. Suzanna placed her tray on the table and then sat down next to Boone.

The silence in the room was positively stifling. She cut into her pizza to take a bite, but before she could get it in her mouth Ray spoke up.

“You and your farmer have gotten quite cozy, haven’t you?” he said snidely. “So, you don’t date, but you move into men’s houses and cuddle up with them. You know, you could have moved into my house.”

She felt the blush that rose up to warm her cheeks. “I’m sorry you two are hurt by my choices. Seth is my protection from somebody who seems to want me dead. Right now, everyone who is in my life is a suspect, except him.”

She drew in a deep breath and decided it was time for her to be perfectly honest, even though it was really none of their business. She gazed at Ray and then at Boone. “I certainly wasn’t looking for love when I started tutoring Sammy. I truly believed I would never date again, that my love for my dead husband would forever be in my heart and that would be enough for me for the rest of my life.”

Breaking her eye contact with Boone, she looked at Ray once again. “I’ve fallen in love with Seth,” she finally finished. It felt good to say the words out loud no matter how the two men would react. “I wasn’t looking for it and I certainly didn’t expect it, but it happened.” She also felt a little guilty over the fact she was telling these two men about her feelings before she shared them with Seth.

“Suzanna, I just want you to be happy,” Boone said.

“Me, too. But I’m not going to lie, Suzanna. I wish it would have been me,” Ray said softly.

“There’s no real sense when it comes to matters of the heart,” she replied. “Like I said, I certainly wasn’t looking to fall in love again, but something special clicked with Seth.” She raised her chin slightly. “And I’m not going to apologize anymore for anything.”

“You don’t need to apologize anymore,” Boone replied, his gaze soft on her.

“So, are you two ready to forgive me now or what?” she asked.

The two men exchanged glances, and then Ray looked at her once again. “Suzanna, we were just really hurt that you would ever think that one of us could harm you.”

“I never really believed that,” she replied. “But when Dallas asked me for names of who I worked closely with and the men who were in my life, I had to name you two, along with Arlan. But I have missed talking to two of my good friends and coworkers.”

“It was really hard on us not talking to you,” Boone replied. “But it’s all over now, and it’s time to get things back to normal around here.” He offered her one of his nice big smiles.

“I agree,” Ray said, although she was aware of a hardness in the very depths of his eyes.

Thankfully for the rest of the meal the tension in the room dissipated somewhat. But she hadn’t forgotten that Ray and Boone hadn’t had alibis for the night she’d been attacked.

Even though things had gone back to being pleasant, that didn’t mean she completely trusted them. Of the two, it was Ray that still disturbed her the most. There was a darkness in his eyes that she didn’t believe she had ever seen there before.