Autumn Bliss

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  “Hey.”

  “Hey.” Levi put a hand on his chest and backed him toward the living room with a mock-glower. “Man, you’ve got some serious bad timing.”

  “What?” Comprehension dawned and Mark glanced toward the hall. “Ah, you’re not alone,” he guessed in a low tone. “Mallory?”

  He gave a terse nod.

  “Sorry, buddy. I saw your truck and figured you were working on the rest of the remodeling.”

  “We were painting.”

  Mark grinned. “Until you weren’t.”

  “Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “Anyway, what’s up?”

  His former CO cocked an eyebrow at that question, and heat flooded his face even as he bit back a wry grin.

  Mallory joined them at that point. Levi loved the high color in her cheeks, but she still acted like they hadn’t been caught two seconds away from having their pants down. “Hey, Mark, what brings you by?”

  “I was on my way to talk to Levi and saw his truck here.” He cast him a pointed grin. “You should reconsider your aversion to cell phones.”

  Levi just shook his head.

  “Anyway, that lead you gave Janelle earlier? It looks like it’s going to pan out for all of us.”

  “All of us?” Mallory clarified.

  “Well, the lodge and the meat shop. But Bill West wanted to meet in person, so Janelle invited him and his wife to dinner tonight. Your sister’s also going to come, Levi, and we’d like you two to be there as well.”

  Didn’t that just screw up what could’ve been a promising evening? He glanced toward Mallory, saw her happy smile, and put all thoughts of sex on the back burner. “Sounds good,” he told Mark. “What time should we be there?”

  * * *

  Levi sat on the couch after glancing toward the clock on the wall in the kitchen. Since Mallory’s car wouldn’t be returned until tomorrow, he’d offered to give her a ride to the lodge. It was ten-to six and he’d been waiting for fifteen minutes.

  After Mark’s departure, as if by unspoken agreement, they didn’t say a word about what had almost happened. She threw a frozen pizza in the oven for lunch, and they finished painting shortly after two. He’d finished what needed to be done on the shower, then helped her set up her bed. That hadn’t been awkward at all.

  He rubbed his hands over his face and sat back against the cushion. Sitting there waiting for her, it felt like they were going out on a date. Nerves had his stomach all tied up in knots.

  He thought about turning on the TV, and spotted the remote on the coffee table. When he leaned forward to grab it, his gaze shifted to the small, clear fish bowl full of slips of paper. Seeing the writing on the ones that were right-side-up, curiosity got the better of him.

  What kind of things did she put in her personal goodwill jar? He scooted forward to fish inside and pull a couple out.

  The coffee machine didn’t break down at all this week.

  Saw four squirrels as I walked to work.

  Imagining her counting squirrels made his lips twitch, but when he got to the third slip, his heart jolted in his chest.

  Levi finally smiled today.

  He stared at the words, his pulse racing as he recalled the day she told the older couple at the coffee shop how she wrote good things that happened during her day to remind her of the little joys in life when she got down.

  The thought of his smile making a difference in someone’s day—her day—put a lump in his throat.

  “I’ll be right out—promise!”

  Mallory’s voice from the back made him jump. He quickly tossed the slips back into the jar and stood. Clearing his throat, he shoved his hands in his front pockets, then walked around to the back of the couch as she came out of the bedroom.

  Technically, her jeans fit the casual attire Mark had suggested, but paired with those tall boots of hers, and the clinging burgundy sweater, and with her dark mahogany hair in loose, shiny waves about her shoulders, the rest of her ranked high above classy.

  “Sorry you had to wait,” she said as he brought his attention back to her face. “But it took forever to get all the paint out of my hair.”

  He couldn’t have stopped his smile if he’d wanted to. “Considering some of it was my fault, it serves me right.”

  She laughed as she grabbed her coat. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  When he stepped up to help her put it on, he noticed her expression before she turned to put her arms in with a soft, “Thanks.” It wasn’t the first time he’d seen that flash of surprise, and once again, he guessed she wasn’t used to someone doing the little things for her. As he settled the wool onto her shoulders, he wanted nothing more than to pull her close and drink in her warm, clean scent. She smelled as good as she looked.

  Resisting temptation, he stepped back and joked, “I must say, you clean up real good.”

  She cast him a glance and a grin while reaching for the door. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

  As she walked outside, it felt like she took all the air with her. His chest seized, and it took him a moment to recover from the lightning bolt of realization that’d just struck dead-on.

  He’d fallen in love with a gorgeous, warm, funny woman—who made no secret of the fact she was leaving the one place his soul felt at peace.

  Chapter 17

  Janelle carried the last hot dish to the table as everyone took their seats. It was just the adults, with Anna’s kids home with a babysitter, and little Hazel in bed for the night already. Mallory glanced toward Levi’s clean-shaven face for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. Bill West and his wife Gretchen were to her left, Mark and Janelle at either end of the extended table, and Levi was seated diagonally across from her, next to his sister.

  He’d smiled a few times since they’d arrived, and it was still such a novelty to her, she couldn’t help but watch for those lips of his to curve enough to dimple his cheek. Forget eating, she’d be content to set her chin on the heel of her palm all night and just wait for it to appear.

  Then again, those lips were pretty damn talented, so maybe content was not the right word. Her entire body flushed at the memory of their earlier, fiery exchange. If Mark hadn’t interrupted—

  She tore her gaze away before Levi lifted his and saw her desire for a full and extended replay.

  Focus on the business at hand, Mal. You’re here to work, not stare at Levi.

  That was a tall order seeing how good he looked in that black sweater over a charcoal gray button-up shirt with the cuffs rolled at his wrists. The darker colors went well with his near-black hair and really made the green tones in his eyes stand out.

  “It sounds like the festival is going to be wonderful,” Gretchen said a few minutes into the meal. “I understand this was all your idea, Mallory?”

  She wiped her mouth and set her napkin back on her lap. “My idea, but I can’t take all the credit. Everyone here at the lodge, and a whole lot of people in the community, have pitched in to ensure its success.”

  “Don’t be so modest,” Janelle said. “Yes, we have an amazing and generous staff, but you’ve gone above and beyond.”

  “It’s been fun.” She exchanged a wry smile with her boss as she thought of Ed Holden. “For the most part. This is the first time I’ve done something like this on a large scale, and I can honestly see gearing my career toward things more like this in the future.”

  “You could probably do some freelance consulting,” Gretchen suggested. “I’d be interested in speaking with you about some holiday events if you want to give me your contact information later.”

  After another quick glance toward Janelle, she nodded. “We can definitely talk.”

  On the other side of his wife, Bill directed a military question toward Mark. With Levi sitting right there, Mallory’s whole body tensed in his defense, and she was unable to check a swift glance in his direction.

  His gaze shifted from the men across and next to him
and met hers. Mossy green warmed to brown, and he gave her the smallest of reassuring smiles. She smiled back in relief, then concentrated on her food when she noticed Anna’s gaze flick between the two of them.

  As dinner continued, the military and all things related continued to dominate the conversation. No surprise given the festival, the lodge, and the presence of two veterans and the family of an active duty, deployed soldier. She found herself wishing she could change the subject for Levi, until she realized he’d been sincere with his earlier silent reassurance to her concern.

  He appeared mostly relaxed as he ate, and participated more than she expected.

  Then it dawned on her that the people at the table all knew him, and had for at least a couple years, some even more. Topics remained fairly neutral, and not once did any of them ask specific questions related to his own service. They only engaged him when he freely offered a comment first, understanding exactly how to include him without pushing too hard. Because they knew what he’d been through.

  Would there be a day he’d trust her with that knowledge?

  Her heart constricted at the possibility that he might not.

  It was equally scary to think he might.

  She forced her mind back to business yet again. By the time everyone was done eating, Mark had covered the Wounded Warrior weekend they held every September, as well as the fifty-fifty ratio of paying guests to sponsored veterans and their families for vacations year around.

  Janelle took some time to explain her side of the operations with the animal rescue, and how they’d begun combining the two charity organizations to complement each other with animal-veteran therapy.

  Mallory prayed the Wests recognized that with their new location set to open in Sobieski in three weeks, the timing couldn’t have worked any better. They’d pay twice their food costs in advertizing to get the same amount of local community exposure.

  “What you two have done here in just a few years is nothing short of amazing,” Bill said as he set his folded napkin on the table next to his plate. He turned to his wife. “What do you say, hon? Are we in?”

  Gretchen smiled as she nodded. “Oh, without a doubt.”

  Bill turned to extend his hand toward Mark. “In that case, we’d be honored to partner with Whispering Pines and support all your efforts here for not only the festival, but future events as well.”

  Anna gave an excited little bounce in her seat. “I’m so glad this worked out. Pete will be thrilled.”

  As the two men shook hands at the far end of the table, relief flowed through Mallory. She looked across the table to find Levi watching her. She smiled and mouthed, thank you. He nodded as he leaned back in his chair.

  “I’m thrilled, too,” Mark said with a grin. “Your yes means we all get dessert.”

  “And if we’d said no?” Bill asked with raised eyebrows.

  Mark shook his head, gathering his plate as he rose. “You’d have missed out big time.”

  That got a laugh, and even a chuckle from Levi. Like the one other time she’d heard it, butterflies stirred in her stomach as she noticed swift glances in his direction from not only his sister, but their bosses as well.

  “Shall we meet tomorrow to discuss your needs for the festival, and what we have to offer?” Gretchen suggested to Janelle.

  “Mallory and I are available whenever works for you.”

  They set the time for ten a.m. just as the monitor on the counter behind them crackled to life with the baby’s cry.

  Janelle quickly rose to intercept Mark and take his plate. “I’ll dish up dessert if you get Hazel.”

  “I’ll help,” Mallory said, rising to gather a stack of dishes as well.

  Arms loaded, she followed her boss across the floor into the kitchen area. She set the dirty dishes by the sink, then turned to find Levi’s sister right behind her with the rest of the plates. One step back moved her out of the way, but before she could move past to gather more, Anna’s hand grasped her arm.

  Mallory paused in surprise as the brunette cast a furtive glance toward the dining room table as she whispered, “What did you do to my brother?”

  Alarm sunk her stomach. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “He’s smiling. And laughing.” Amazed wonder colored her voice, and her brown eyes swam with tears. “Mallory, I haven’t heard him laugh since he came home from Afghanistan. Not even with my kids.”

  Heat flashed through her at the implication of Anna’s words. Janelle had mentioned never seeing him smile, but she’d had no clue his reserve extended to his family as well. Could she really be the reason for the change the last couple weeks?

  “I…I haven’t…” Her heart hammered so hard she couldn’t even form a coherent thought.

  Janelle pulled a pan from the fridge and kicked the door shut. “Yes, you have. You don’t realize it, but you have.”

  Have what? All she’d done was spend a little time with him—by accident, really. They’d talked some—but she hadn’t pushed him. And they’d kissed. Twice. She wouldn’t mind pushing for more of that.

  “Whatever it was—is—thank you.” Anna’s hand moved to grasp Mallory’s, and she squeezed hard. “And please, keep doing it. You’re good for him.”

  Desperate for something to offset the rush of giddy excitement flooding her body, she gave a brief smile and quickly withdrew from Anna’s grasp to pull some small plates from the cupboard.

  Grabbing a handful of clean forks from a drawer, she insisted, “I didn’t do anything.”

  Janelle slid the first cut piece of Tiramisu on a plate, and dished up a second. Mentally cursing the heat still warming her face, Mallory put a fork on each one, and took a deep breath before carrying them back to the table as Mark returned. His arms were baby free, so he must’ve settled Hazel back to sleep.

  She set the desserts in front of Gretchen and Bill, but when Mark and Anna carried the rest over, Janelle suggested a move into the living room as she readied a tray with fresh coffee. After Mallory helped pass out the mugs of caffeine, the only place open was next to Levi on the couch. Hyper-conscious of Anna’s interested gaze, she took a seat.

  There was no way to avoid the brush of her leg against his, and she cast him a quick, self-conscious glance. Finding his gaze trained on her made her stomach do somersaults. Something in his eyes—she scooped up a bite of dessert and enthusiastically agreed with the others about how good it was.

  Shut up before you make a fool of yourself.

  “Definitely glad we said yes,” Bill West joked as he took another bite.

  Gretchen and Anna insisted they must have the recipe as Mallory sat in intense awareness of the man next to her. Conversation flowed around her, but it was his sister’s words that stuck in her head. You’re good for him. The thought of being the catalyst for whatever major change others noticed in him thrilled her.

  Since they’d met, he’d frequently been in her thoughts, and lately, it’d been more often than not. Their chemistry was off the charts—in her experience anyway, and whenever she was near him, her heart beat faster. Heck, even just seeing him across the lawn made her yearn to get closer.

  If she let herself, she could easily fall for him.

  Her stomach dropped. Falling for Levi would mean she’d be stuck here in Pulaski, walking the same road as her mother. Staying where she didn’t want to be, for a man. The ever-present memory of her mother’s bitter voice convinced her she could not spend her life like that.

  Yet, if what Anna said was true, and she’d brought out the happy in him, what would happen when she left? Knowing he’d gone though something bad in his past, she couldn’t stand the thought of getting closer to him, only to hurt him. It made her heart ache.

  Realizing she had to keep her distance from him hurt just as much. But it was her hurt, not his.

  “Everything okay?”

  His low voice next to her ear spiked her pulse. She almost got caught by his concerned gaze, but quickly directed hers down
to her dessert plate. “Yeah, why?”

  “You look lost in your thoughts. Not good ones, either.”

  She must’ve been frowning without realizing it. Forcing a quick smile, she said, “I’m just tired.”

  “Another headache? You want me to take you home?”

  His thoughtfulness made her feel worse, even as her mind suddenly rebelled at the designation of the cabin being home.

  “No, that’s okay. I think I might walk. Let the fresh air clear my head.”

  Confusion wrinkled his brow and a split second glimpse of his eyes revealed the hurt she’d wanted to spare him.

  Chapter 18

  She quickly rose to her feet and made her excuses about being tired. Janelle frowned at her, but didn’t argue as she said goodbye to the Wests. Anna’s gaze shifted toward her brother when Mallory took her plate to the kitchen and then grabbed her coat.

  Levi met her at the door and the kick to her pulse threatened to steal her breath. If she let herself, she could fall for him.

  Ha! She was already free-falling with no parachute, damn it.

  He reached for her coat. “I don’t like the idea of you walking in the dark.”

  “It’s a full moon,” she argued, keeping her coat out of reach to put it on herself. “It’s almost as bright as day out there.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I’ll be fine.” She wrapped her scarf around her neck. “Duke and Daisy are outside—they usually come with me as far as the dirt lane.”

  “How about I walk with you?”

  “No!” She sucked in a breath and gave him a bright smile. “Really, I’m fine.”

  His gaze narrowed in the shadowed entryway. He moved closer and lowered his voice. “Is this about what happened earlier?”

  The husky rasp of his voice made her skin flush with the memory of being held in his arms, mindless, aroused, wanting to feel every inch of him against her. What little oxygen she’d managed to get into her lungs was squeezed right back out.

  “N-no.” The waver in her voice flustered her even more, and judging by his expression, the denial did not convince him. On impulse, she reached up with one hand to palm his face while meeting his gaze. “Thank you for wanting to walk me home, but I will be just fine on my own.”