Free Autumn Bliss by Stacey Joy Netzel Page A

Just to be safe, she carried the platter and mashed potatoes to the kitchen to put everything away. Then she felt bad, and as the sounds of Levi working in the bathroom reached her, she divided the food into two plastic containers. One for her brother, one for Levi. She could always make another next week.
    “So, what brings you out here tonight?” she asked over her shoulder.
    “I thought you’d want to know your former bosses were arrested late this afternoon.”
    She whirled to face him. “Seriously? Both Ron and Claire?”
    He nodded as he chewed.
    “Wow.”
    “They’ll be arraigned tomorrow to set bail. Not sure if they’ll enter a plea then or at a separate hearing in a couple days.”
    She secured the lids on the containers and put one in the fridge, then carried the other over to set next to Shane’s plate. As she took a seat kitty corner, he gave a subdued grin. “Thanks.”
    “Yeah. You’re lucky I love you.” Her answering smirk faded as she braced her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her hand. “It’s bad if they were actually arrested, isn’t it?”
    “It’s not looking good,” he agreed. “The Chief and the DA made sure they had enough for a strong case on this one.”
    “I know the investigation’s been going on for a month, but I still find it hard to believe. I swear, I had no clue something like that was going on.”
    Shane reached over and pulled her arm down so he could cover her hand with his. “Mal, I believe you, remember? Good news is, once the trial is over, you’ll be free to go wherever you want without being worried about it looking suspicious.”
    She pulled away and sat back with a sigh. “If I can ever afford it.”
    “I told you, I’d lend you the money. So would Dad if you asked.”
    “I know, and thank you, but I’m going to see what I can save again this winter. If I don’t have to get a new car, I should be good by spring.”
    The urge to look toward the clinking noises coming from down the hall was hard to resist. But she’d refused the offer of money weeks before meeting Levi, so it wasn’t like she was making her decision based on the past couple weeks.
    “In the meantime, any chance you can help me with my car tomorrow?” she asked as she rose and grabbed her bag from the couch.
    “Sorry, but I’m scheduled to ride along on a prisoner transport to Madison. I won’t be back until Thursday.”
    “That’s fine. I’ll figure something out.”
    He watched her set up her laptop at the table. “I could call Reid, if you want. He’d probably come out and take a look at it. Or Keller—he’s working at a shop in Green Bay these days.”
    “That’s okay, I’ll check with Mark first. If I can at least get it running, I can take it back to the garage. I shouldn’t have issues only a week after they fixed it.”
    “Good point. Remind them who your brother is,” he joked as he stood to take his dishes to the kitchen sink.
    “You sound like the mafia or something.”
    He laughed, then headed toward the bathroom. As he disappeared inside, she forced her butt to remain in the chair even as she heard Levi’s voice respond to her brother’s offer of help. When he didn’t come out again right away, she couldn’t help but head to the kitchen for a glass of water.
    Standing near the island counter that jutted out between the kitchen and the dining table, she listened to the two men talk. Nothing but technical stuff about the plumbing. Levi had been right—nothing exciting about that unless she was watching him.
    Deciding her time was better spent getting her own work done, she returned to the table and opened the spreadsheet she’d been working on at the lodge.
    A half-hour later, Shane said his goodbyes and went home with his coveted leftovers. After closing the door behind him, she sat back down and stared at the document she’d read three times in the past ten minutes.
    Not only was she distracted by the news about the Bertrands being