Read And Then Came A Lion (Lions and Lambs Book 1) for Free Online Page A

start.”
    “The other part, I saw that pedophile at the lake.”
    “You’re kidding.”
    Susannah shook her head. “I wish I were. We reported it to the sheriff’s office but by the time the officer did a search, he was gone.”
    “That’s really creepy. He couldn’t be following you, could he?”
    “I don’t see how. He doesn’t know who I am or where I live, I don’t think.”
    “I can’t imagine how he would. Still, that’s pretty creepy. What does Mark want to do?”
    “Well, since we filed the report, if I see the man again, I’ll call again and maybe they’ll catch him before he disappears. In the meantime, I need to be careful about where I go alone.”
    Rachel rubbed her arms. “That’s so scary. Hopefully, he’s long gone now.”
    “Hopefully.”
    “But at least it sounds like you and Mark have resolved your issues? It sounds like it was pretty romantic time, in spite of the bad guy showing up.”
    “It was. So, I’ll just focus on that and try to ignore the other.”
    There was always something to ignore, wasn’t there?

***
    Buddy shoved Susannah’s leg with his nose.
    “What is it Buddy?”
    He licked his lips.
    She looked at the clock. “Oh my, I forgot to feed you breakfast. I’m such a bad mom.”
    He licked her hand, winked, and wriggled his stumpy tail. At least he was the forgiving sort.
    She fed him and glanced back at the clock, still a half hour before she had to shower and dress. Enough time for another cup of coffee. Hump Day, only two more days, and then the weekend. She planned to do nothing but putter, take long naps, and try not to wonder if the pedophile was lurking in the brush along the trail or in the timber in the park ― waiting.
    After draining her coffee, she hurried upstairs, showered, dressed, and drove into work. Rachel wasn’t at her desk, which meant she was already in the breakroom making coffee. Susannah stored her purse and lunch in her drawer and walked down the hallway toward the breakroom. Aaron’s office was still dark. Good for him. He’d been working too many long hours recently.
    Rachel was leaning back against the break room counter, coffee still dripping into the carafe.
    “Good morning. Any word on that creep?”
    Susannah pulled two mugs down from the upper cabinet. “None. But, there haven’t been any more kidnappings either, so Mark might be right. Maybe he’s moved on. That would be good, except for the children.”
    She checked the coffee. It had stopped brewing. She poured coffee into both mugs, handing one to Rachel.
    She stirred in creamer into hers and sipped. “Oh that’s good.”
    Rachel asked. “So, you’re doing okay”
    “Well, I’m jumping at shadows, thinking he’s lurking in the brush along the trail, or hiding in the timber around the park. Last night I swore I saw him on the back deck, but Buddy didn’t act like anything was out there.” Susannah shrugged. “I guess my nerves are frazzled. Sure looking for a quiet weekend.”
    “I guess.”
    “I wonder if it is just nerves or if I’m going nuts.”
    “I’d go with the nerves.” Rachel said, and then added, “I’d be scared out of my mind to see someone like him staring at me. It was a good thing you had Buddy with you.”
    “Yeah, bless his heart. He might not be the biggest dog, but he sure can look ferocious.”
    ***
    Brian stared at the peeling ceiling. At least it wasn’t raining. From what he could see, he’d be drenched before morning. He should have dealt with the dog and grabbed the woman. But, it would have been messy with the husband so close. Yet, had he taken care of her, he wouldn’t have had to dodge another police search. With only one deputy, it wasn’t too tough, but missed opportunities rarely repeated. He’d just have to make his own luck.
    That might include whatever Charlie was doing. Evidently, he was doing something unbelievably lucrative. Perhaps he’d take Charlie up on his offer to check it out, next week, after he