Read Ever After (Love to the Rescue Book 3) for Free Online

fixed himself a meatball sandwich, which he brought to the couch to enjoy with some football. A few minutes later, Timber joined him, still licking his chops.
    After Pete had filled the gaping hole in his belly, he pulled out his laptop and typed in “Citizens Against Halverson Foods.” A website popped up, filled with photos that, even to his nonactivist eye, were disturbing.
    He clicked on a video. Three workers laughed as one of them tossed a chicken onto the concrete floor. It squawked as it lay there, unable to get up. What they did to it next made Pete’s meatball sandwich rise into his throat. Olivia was right. That was animal abuse.
    The website was filled with information on the efforts the group had made to have Halverson Foods’ chicken-processing plant shut down. There was a link to sign a petition and access to the group’s Facebook page, which had over four thousand “likes.”
    And the woman behind it all? Olivia Bennett.
    She was smart, all right. Smart enough to have known better than to break the law to further her cause. Smart enough to keep her pretty little self out of trouble from now on? He wasn’t sure about that. The fact was, she remained Sheriff Linburgh’s top suspect for a number of open vandalism cases around town.
    Pete had his doubts. Olivia seemed pretty singularly focused on Halverson Foods. If anything else went down on their property, he’d be willing to bet she was behind it. But he didn’t quite see her spray-painting a crude version of the Pillsbury Dough Boy with an erection on the front window of Beth’s Bakery.
    It was an election year, and Halverson Foods had backed Sheriff Linburgh in the last election. Certainly the sheriff’s interest in this case could be related to a need to keep the company happy, but it didn’t mean he was wrong about Olivia either. Had she turned loose Holloway’s cows?
    The sheriff had asked him to keep an eye on her, and hell, Pete’s gut hadn’t exactly been reliable lately, so he’d make sure she didn’t fly anything beneath his radar. He couldn’t afford another screwup.
    * * *
    Olivia kept her cheerful smile firmly in place as she approached Deputy Sampson’s table. Sure, local law enforcement stopped in here sometimes for a cup of coffee or a meal after getting off duty. But Pete Sampson? He’d never eaten here before that she could remember.
    Today he was here and seated in her section. He was checking up on her. Well fine, because that factory was cleaner than it had been when she’d found it. She’d done her penance, and she had nothing to hide.
    “Deputy Sampson,” she said politely, “what can I get you today?”
    He looked up, his dark eyes searching her face. He was in uniform, his slacks and shirt pressed to perfection. But up close, he looked…tired. “What’s good?” he asked, then gave her a devilish smile. “How’s the chicken?”
    She pointed her pen at him. “Ha ha, very funny. I would personally recommend the eggplant parm, but I hear the chicken is very good as well.”
    “So you’re a vegetarian then.” He leaned back against the red-patterned upholstery of the booth, his eyes never leaving hers.
    “Yes, and maybe if you had checked out my website, you’d understand why.”
    “Oh, I checked it out.” His gaze was steady and intent.
    “Really?” That caught her by surprise. “And? What did you think?”
    “Very informative.” His eyes revealed nothing. They might have been discussing the weather for all he seemed to care.
    “Informative? That’s the best you can do?” If his intent had been to piss her off, he was succeeding. Big time. “You seem like a decent human being, Deputy Sampson. Did it not bother you to see those birds being abused?”
    “I didn’t say that.” He looked down at his menu. “So the chicken parm, huh?”
    “Seriously, you came here to order chicken from me?” She propped her fists on her hips and glared at him.
    “You must serve chicken here every day. Do you