Page 29 of The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge

‘Like this?’

‘That’s it.’

‘Ah. I think I have it now.’

Lou’s fingers began moving more confidently, and stitches appeared on the needles. They weren’t the best stitches Rose had ever seen, but they were recognisable. A low masculine chuckle from the other side of the table drew her eyes to where Vicki and her father sat. Their heads were close together as they shared the puzzle that was knitting. For them, it seemed, the rest of the group didn’t exist. Matt’s cream knitting project looked to be well in hand, but Vicki was in the throes of sorting a pile of knotted wool on the table in front of her. She looked so happy to be sharing this with her father. Less than half an hour ago, Rose had caught a glimpse of something else behind the little girl’s face as she had pleaded with her father not to leave. She’d seen a frightened child who had lost one parent and was now scared of losing the other. Rose’s heart had ached for both of them. But this little girl was different. Happier. More confident. It was good to see.

Bree joined them, pulling a chair next to Vicki to give her some guidance. She’d been giving everyone equal attention and, watching her, Rose thought her granddaughter looked as relaxed and happy as she had seen her in a long time. Rose sometimes wondered if she was to blame for the lack of love Margaret had bestowed on Bree, though, deep down, she knew she wasn’t. She and Margaret had been close when her daughter was younger. But university, law school, the firm and marriage to a man just as driven as she was had consumed Margaret’s life. There was little of the girl Rose had known in her now. And she’d had so little of herself to spare for Bree. That little cluster on the other side of the work table looked more like a family than Margaret, Gary and Bree ever had.

Rose realised she wasn’t the only one looking in that direction. The women of Wagtail Ridge were missing nothing of what was going on at the table. Rose’s eyes met Kelly’s and she understood—these women were Vicki’s surrogate mothers and Matt’s helpers. They walked Vicki safely to and from school with their own children, and looked after her when Matt had to work. They wanted a better future for their charges, and were already beginning to wonder if Bree might be that something better.

Rose wasn’t one to interfere, especially not in relationships, but those other women were not necessarily wrong. She’d only met Matt a couple of times but already knew he was much more the sort of man she’d want Bree involved with than those career-focused, stupidly self-involved and busy city types she had occasionally dated, but never for very long. It had always seemed to Rose that those young men were dating Sydney’s most prestigious law firm, rather than a woman. Not one seemed to understand that inside Bree was a warm, creative and caring soul. Well, Bree had kept that side of herself hidden for far too long.

The woman sitting to her right interrupted her thoughts. ‘So, Rose, that’s a lovely pattern you’re working on. Is it terribly hard?’

‘Not really. It’s all just knit and purl, but there is a lot of counting involved.’

The woman nodded, her rather alarming orange hair bouncing. ‘It’s pretty. Is it for you? You’re Bree’s grandmother, aren’t you? It’s so nice to meet you. What a marvellous thing this is, this knitting club. And imagine Bree running an alpaca farm! Where on earth did she get that from? Did she inherit it from you or some other family member?’

Rose knew a gossip when she saw one. Especially a gossip so unsubtle about pumping her for information. Rose could deal with that. Maybe the orange-haired woman had forgotten that gossip can go two ways. Not that Rose was a gossip, but she would like to know more about the community her granddaughter had joined.

The knitting club broke up an hour later. As various members promised to bring cake for the next session, Rose decided she might be back again sooner than she planned. Not only to see Bree—Rose had enjoyed the afternoon far more than she had expected.

CHAPTER

12

The next day, after feeding the alpacas, Bree waved her grandmother off on her drive back to Sydney then settled down to do some paperwork and answer emails. The first email she opened brought a smile to her face. Her neighbour had agreed the details of the gate she needed onto his land, ready for the walks to begin. Sheep grazed those hills, but Bree had assured her neighbour they would not be disturbed. There was a fee involved, which she would start paying immediately. Then she could map out the walks and take some of her animals along the trails to get them accustomed to the surroundings. With inquiries already coming in, it wouldn’t be long before one money-making part of her venture would be up and running.

The second email was a response from a breeder who had a couple of young females Bree was interested in buying. Now she had her own place, it was time to increase her herd. The breeder’s price wasn’t totally out of the question, so she replied, arranging a day to come and look at the animals. The next email was from her mother. Bree skipped over that without reading it. After all, this was a work day and she didn’t work for her mother any more. That could wait until she was off duty tonight. If nothing else, she wouldn’t allow her day to be ruined by whatever her mother had to say.

When she read the next email in her inbox, Bree’s day was far from ruined.

Bree,

Thank you so much for a wonderful afternoon yesterday. The knitting club is a great idea. You can count me in as a regular.

Deb.

It wasn’t the only one. Two more of yesterday’s knitters had emailed their thanks and made offers of cake for the next meeting. She was just starting to think about setting up that meeting when her phone rang.

‘Bree, hi. It’s Matt Ambrose here.’

‘Hi, Matt.’ The smile on her face grew a little broader as she pictured Matt yesterday, showing Vicki how to knit. Who knew the real estate agent should have such a natural talent for knitting? And such a nice smile. And a cute bum …

‘I wanted to say thanks for yesterday. Vicki had such a lovely afternoon.’

‘I hope you did too.’

She heard a deep chuckle down the phone.

‘Well, yes I did. I never saw myself as a knitter, but it was very satisfying. I plan to finish that scarf for Vicki. And hopefully so she can wear it before the winter is over.’

‘I’m very pleased to hear that.’

‘Although, between the two of us, I’m not so sure I’ll ever get to wear the one she’s knitting me. My daughter does not seem to have a natural talent for this.’

‘Now, now. Careful. I’ll take that as a personal challenge for the next session. I do hope you’ll both be coming back.’

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