Page 10 of A Family With the Cowboy

“Really? You keep telling yourself that.” Without looking in her direction again, he got into his truck. What the hell had gotten into him? Muttering, he stepped on the pedal, forcing himself not to look in the rearview mirror.

He should stay the hell away from Luke’s teacher.

Chapter Four

By Friday afternoon,as Laura was driving down Main Street, she was still ticked off. She hadn’t “put her hands” on Hayden-freaking-Weston, as he’d described it. All three times were accidents. There was no way she’d willingly touch such a cranky, difficult guy. Granted, like his two brothers, he was drop-dead gorgeous—a woman would have to be dead not to notice—but the man managed to push all her wrong buttons.

He was making his poor son’s life miserable. Yes, he’d lost his wife, but that didn’t give him the right to make everyone else around him unhappy.

She parked her car in front of the bank, close to all the stops she had to make. Her cupboards and fridge were bare, so she needed food. And if she wasn’t mistaken, she’d caught a glimpse of what looked like a yarn shop between the pharmacy and Marietta Western Wear when she drove down Main Street the previous week. At the time, it hadn’t been opened yet. But hopefully, the owner had settled in by now.

Knitting and crocheting were both crafts she loved doing, but since the decision to move to Marietta, Laura had been so busy with all the new things in her life she hadn’t had a chance to even think about a new project. Her fingers were itching to start something, and she’d been so pleased to discover there was actually a yarn shop in town.

Being an only child, she’d quickly discovered things she could do on her own. Reading had always been her way to try to make sense of the world around her, and after her mom’s death, she’d lost herself in the pages of books, where she didn’t have to deal with her own grief and her father’s.

Before she went to high school, her maternal grandma, Laura, had taught her to knit and crochet. Since then, she’d never been bored. She’d never been one for crowds or parties and preferred listening to audiobooks while knitting or crocheting. It was a much more relaxing way to spend her time.

It also trumped dating. Seriously. Sitting in her jammies, not having to wear a bra, listening to a book, creating something with her hands—all way more fun than trying to stroke a man’s ego just to make him feel good about himself. Not her job, she’d realized after only a few boring dates.

She’d also made an appointment to see the real estate agent today, so she’d pop into their offices when she was done with her shopping.

As she picked up her bag, her mind went back to Tuesday night’s dinner at Arlene’s. She still felt so uncomfortable that she’d asked about Walker. Goodness, she didn’t know these people. She should’ve just listened. From everyone’s reaction around the table, it had been clear it wasn’t a subject the Westons liked to talk about.

Arlene’s eyes had been bright with tears, Willow had tensed up, and the brothers had fallen silent. It was something that had happened five years ago, yet everyone was still in pain.

Sighing, she got out of her car. Every family had their secrets, their burdens. It’s not as if she was getting involved with any of the Westons. When Luke moved to the next grade later this year, there would be no reason to mingle with them again.

Becket had texted and they were having dinner tonight at the Graff. She was looking forward to it. She liked him, and there were no strange vibes when she was with him. He was easy to talk to, so different from his grumpy brother.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to see Grumpy anytime soon. Also, she could do with a good meal. There simply hadn’t been time this week to buy or cook food. She’d ordered pizza one night and ate the leftovers the other night.

It was just after four, bitterly cold, and already nearly dark. Huddling in her coat, she looked at the shops on the other side of the street. Ooh, look—the lights were on inside the yarn shop. Delighted, she stepped into the road only to jump back quickly when a truck horn honked.

Lifting her hand to apologize to the driver, she quickly dropped it. Who’d be glaring at her through the front window? None other than Grumpy, of course. Ignoring him, she quickly crossed the road, exhaling when his truck drove away.

“Hello!” she called out as she opened the door of the yarn shop.

A beautiful blonde woman, more or less her own age, stood up from behind the one counter with knitting in her hand. A big smile lit up her face when she saw Laura. “Welcome, you’re my first customer! I’m new to town and I’ve just opened the doors. I probably should’ve waited for tomorrow, but then I would’ve missed you.” She held out her hand. “Eleanor Campbell, Ellie for friends.”

Laura couldn’t help smiling. She shook the woman’s hand. “And I’m Laura Anderson. I’ve also just moved to Marietta.”

“Then I want a hug!” Ellie smiled, and the next moment, her arms went around Laura and she was given a proper hug. “It’s so good to meet another stranger. I was feeling a little bit lost among the townsfolk, who all seemed to know one another since forever. Are you looking for something specific? If I don’t have it, I’ll get it.”

Laura laughed. “I am, actually. I’m a teacher at the elementary school and need another project for all the cold, winter evenings still ahead of us.”

“Well, let me show you what new yarn I got in today…” She turned away and moved the box behind her to the side. “Books. I was a librarian for a long time.” She smiled. “I have so many books.”

“I don’t believe one can ever have too many books,” Laura said.

Ellie’s face lit up. “A soulmate—how fabulous. I love books, always have. If you tell me your favorite author is George—”

“Eliot? Or rather, Mary Ann Evans?” Laura laughed.

Ellie gasped, then laughed. “Yes! I love, loveMiddlemarch, don’t you? I try to read it every year. When re-reading books I’ve enjoyed when I was younger, I find a whole other book living under the one I thought I’d read. Oh, I hope we can have long talks about it? We can start a book club, we can sit and crochet or knit and talk books—what do you think? There is a space at the back we can use. After hours? What day? Who do we invite?”

Laura’s head was spinning. Ellie’s enthusiasm was infectious. “It sounds perfect. I’ll ask around at school. I’m sure we’ll find more people who like books and knitting…”

“Those are always the best people, don’t you think?” Ellie handed Laura a business card.” I got these today—what do you think of the name?”

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