Page 35 of A Perfect Target

“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.”