Free Apple Turnover Murder Bundle with Key Lime Pie Murder, Cherry Cheesecake Murder, Lemon Meringue Pie Murder, and Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke Page A

said.
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause something will fall out. It’s overflowing with stuff I should have packed off to the thrift store years ago.”
    â€œBut someone might be …”
    â€œHiding in there?” Hannah gave a little laugh as she interrupted him. “Impossible. There isn’t room for one more thing.”
    â€œOkay. If you say so.” Mike moved on to her bedroom. The first thing he did was head for her closet. “Is it okay to check in here?” he asked.
    â€œYes. Everything I cleaned out of here is in the guest room closet.” Hannah was silent as Mike opened her closet and checked for intruders. When he’d slid the doors closed again, she followed him to her bathroom and waited while he checked that. “You made Jack feel good, asking him about the little animals he carves.”
    â€œIt was interesting. He knows a lot about wildlife.”
    â€œWell, thank you for being so nice to him. Everybody there appreciated it.”
    As they walked back down the hallway, Mike slipped his arm around her and gave her a little hug. “You don’t have to thank me for being nice to Jack. I like Jack. It’s true he’s losing it a little, but he’s still got more on the ball than a lot of people.”
    â€œThat’s true.”
    â€œI like everyone who was at The Cookie Jar tonight. Lisa’s like the girl next door. She’s sweet, and nice, and … and wholesome. And Herb’s a true-blue Minnesota guy.He’d give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. And then there’s Marge. She’s got a big heart and she wants to help everybody. And I think Patsy’s the same way. It makes me feel good to be around people like that.”
    Hannah smiled. “So you changed your mind about living in Lake Eden?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œWhen you first moved here, you thought it was too small, that it would be like living in a fishbowl.”
    Mike shrugged. “Well, it
is
like living in a fishbowl. But I really don’t mind. I like almost everybody here in Lake Eden.”
    â€œEverybody?” Hannah couldn’t resist teasing him a little.
    Mike shrugged. “I said almost everybody. I even like Bertie Straub … in small doses.”
    Hannah laughed. Bertie wasn’t shy about giving people advice, and she didn’t have a tactful bone in her body. She’d decided that her niece was the right woman for Mike even though Mike wasn’t interested. And every time she saw Mike, she tried to force the issue.
    Mike opened the hall closet, glancing inside, and shut it again. Then he checked out the kitchen and the laundry room. “Everything looks good,” he told her.
    â€œGreat. Thanks for coming in to check.” Hannah led him to the door, but she didn’t open it. Instead, she stepped closer and gave him a little hug. It was intended as a thank-you hug, the kind of hug you’d give your brother-in-law if he’d just fixed your garbage disposal. But Mike must not have recognized the imaginary blue band around the generic hug, because he pulled her up tight against him and tipped her face up to kiss her.
    Uh-oh, he’s got the wrong idea
, Hannah thought as their kiss deepened. And a few seconds later, she thought,
Uh-oh, he’s got the RIGHT idea!
And she knew she’d better break things up quickly.
    â€œSorry,” Mike said, stepping away before she could even consider how to achieve the same result.
    â€œThat’s okay,” Hannah said, hoping the little quaver in her voice didn’t give away how captivated she’d been.
    â€œI’d better go now, while I still can.” Mike walked to the door and turned. “You know I love you, don’t you?”
    Hannah nodded. She knew Mike loved her … in his own way. She loved him too, but Mike’s love wasn’t exactly monogamous. Of course her love wasn’t exactly monogamous