by Pamela Tracy
Small town news spread fast. No wonder the local newspaper couldn't make it.
"Believe me, I tried to pull information out of her," Daniel said. "She shut down if I asked too many questions. I didn't hear much about how she found Abigail. Something about a television show and a small town in Arizona."
"I can never remember the name of that town," Gramma said.
"Applegonia?" Daniel suggested. "Rosareia? Timbuktu?"
"Oh, you. If ever there was a woman who was thrilled at having family, it was Abigail. She acted like it was Christmas every day. Amy was pretty much the same, except Amy always had this look about her, like she was afraid she could lose it at any moment. My heart bled for her."
"I know exactly what look you're talking about." It had so affected him that even now, he could see the look in her eyes, could remember how much he'd wanted to pull her in his arms to comfort her.
His grandma continued, "And, I'm not sure why she won't go to church. Abigail said Amy had it rough growing up, no real family, no one to depend on. Watching Abigail with Amy was like watching a gardener urging a flower to bloom."
Too bad that Abigail hadn't had time to finish the job. From what Daniel could tell, Amy's roots weren't as firmly planted in Craft Away the Day as she wanted them. Maybe because she needed a different kind of soil.
"The Nutty Knitters and I pray all the time for Amy's mother," Gramma went on, "She's a real lost cause, except to God. Speaking about God, either you take me to church or I'm calling Burt."
"Gramma, why do you think Burt hightailed it out of here so fast? He doesn't want to take you. He knows it's too soon."
"If you weren't here, he'd take me. He's afraid of you."
"No," Daniel said, "he's afraid of you."
Gramma harrumphed. "And you're not."
Daniel considered his options. "We'll leave at five-thirty."
"That's a good boy."
"With the wheelchair," Daniel added.
Gramma narrowed her eyes.
Yup, Daniel would have more luck against a thousand-pound bull.
#
At five-fifty, with ten minutes to spare, Daniel parked in front of the church's entry and then hurried around his grandmother's old, green Buick Skylark. The automatic four-speed didn't have the power of his truck, but it was low enough to the ground that Gramma got in and out easily enough, especially when ten people heading for the front doors detoured to assist getting the wheelchair out of the trunk and getting Gramma into the wheelchair.
Once Gramma, looking quite queenly except for the big black strapped boot encasing her left ankle, was safely surrounded by her bevy of friends, Daniel drove off to find a parking place. A few minutes later, he then entered the front door. It hadn't changed since his youth, except for the cell phones plugged into outlets by church members wanting them to charge during service.
"Good to see you again," Frank Williams said. "I'm glad Shirley's well enough to attend and that you could bring her."
"She didn't give me a choice."
Frank's wife beckoned from the auditorium's door, and Daniel followed the preacher inside. Not a chance he'd get to sit by his grandma. She was surrounded by the Nutty Knitters. Up front sat the young people and Bill Hicks, the youth minister. Daniel half wanted to sit up there, but he'd be amidst the little brothers and sisters of his friends.
There were no Starrs left to sit in the three pews preferred by the youth group. He and his brothers were grown and gone.
Daniel took a seat in the last row.
"Mind if I sit with you?"
Daniel turned to see Brittney Yarborough, looking much the way she had their senior year of high school except for her stomach, standing in the aisle. "Of course. I didn't know you were still in town."
He scooted over so his high school sweetheart could easily maneuver her obviously pregnant body into a comfortable position next to him.
She settled in and patted her stomach. "I've been coming back to help my mother organize my baby shower. She had a guest list of two thousand. I managed to get her to pare it down. Good to see your grandma here."
"She insisted on coming."
"She's asleep."
Daniel looked at his grandma. Sure enough, her head was bowed, but she wasn't praying. He should have put his cowboy boot down and said no.
"You taking off soon?"
Trust Brittney to ask the question everyone was probably wondering about.
"I'm not sure. Not until Gramma's one hundred percent." His gaze didn't leave his grandma.
Brittney patted his hand. "Let her sleep. It's where she wanted to be." After a moment, she said, "So, you were doing pretty well on the circuit. Mike says you might have made it to Nationals in Las Vegas."
"There's still time," Daniel said. "It will be a long shot, but I might be able to qualify."
The song leader headed for the podium and introduced the first hymn. Instead of a congregation reaching for hymnals, the words were displayed on a huge screen up front. It was a song Daniel knew from memory, but his heart wasn't in it.
Instead, he was thinking about the two rodeos his brother had just competed in and how missing them had put Daniel behind. Funny, he couldn't seem to remember where they'd been held. Then, he thought about the rodeos they'd planned for August and September. Nationals weren't until December.
He looked around the auditorium, at the faces he knew. Many had cheered him and his twin brother on. He had text messages with congratulations. He'd even signed a few autographs for the little ones who thought him cool.
There were only a few strangers in attendance. Near the front sat a new family: mom, dad, two children. Next to Terry Miller was the bride he'd brought home from college.
"She's not here," Brittney whispered.
"Who?"
"Amy Benjamin. That's who you're looking for, right? I hear you spent all afternoon helping her at Craft Away the Day."
"That hardly qualifies as a date," Daniel whispered.
"Ha, I remember our first date."
Daniel did, too. They'd built a sheep pen for Dusty's 4-H project. After they'd finished, Brittney hadn't offered Daniel cookies.
Frowning, Daniel settled back to listen to the rest of the song. It bothered him that Brittney had figured out what he was doing before he had.
#
July neared an end, and Amy took down the last of her red, white, and blue displays. The first half of July, Craft Away the Day hadn't been as busy as Amy would have liked. She'd felt concerned, yet she still was in a better place than she'd ever been. There was money in the bank and food in the fridge. Even better, a day didn't go by without a friend or two dropping by. Twice Daniel had dropped Shirley off to sew with the Nutty Knitters. Only for a short while. He hadn't stayed. Amy got the feeling he was avoiding her, but that made no sense. She'd asked nothing of him except that he care for his grandmother.
"Brittney's shower is this Saturday," Carol said. "Should be well attended."
Lynn glanced at Amy. "She got back in town last night. She was here over the Fourth, too. Had you come to the picnic or church that Sunday, you'd have met her."
Amy wasn't sure why it was important that she meet someone who used to live in Pecan.
"She's Daniel's old girlfriend," Michelle said.
"Ahhhh." Amy tried not to show any expression. But now she knew why there'd been an upswing in business at Craft Away the Day this past week. Not enough to make up for the first half, but still a nice surprise. Much of the female population of Pecan, Texas, had stopped by, and the Starr brothers had been the main topic of conversation no matter where Amy went: the grocery store, the library, and here at her shop. Much of the chitchat involved furtive glances in Amy's direction, as if there were something she should either know or possibly add to the discussion.
Really? It had been two weeks since Daniel had brought over the shelving. Except for when he dropped off Shirley, there'd been no contact, so why was everyone so interested in Amy's re
action to an ex-girlfriend?
No doubt the Nutty Knitters had something to do with linking Amy's name to Daniel's. They'd certainly talked him up. No doubt they were doing the same thing to him. Talking her up. Now Amy had even more reasons to avoid the man. She didn't need to give them any more fodder.
"I'm not sure Daniel will go back to bull riding," Michelle said. "Shirley says he's been going over some of his old school books and going online to research some of the new tax laws."
"We sure could use someone in town who could give financial advice." Carol studied the baby blanket she was working on, her fingers focusing on a corner and worrying the yarn. "I hate when I drop a stitch."
The other knitters murmured their agreement about financial advice and dropped stitches, and Carol told Amy, "Burt's an accountant. He's the one who recently moved back to town from Florida. I don't think you've met him yet."
Michelle grinned. "He doesn't sew."
Carol gave her a scolding look. "Before he retired, he was an accountant here in Pecan."
"We were," Lynn said, mounting stitches on her needle, "hoping Daniel would take over his business."
"We were also afraid," Michelle said, "that Daniel would get his degree and move away."
"That would have broken Shirley's heart," Carol said.
"Then, instead, he surprised us all and followed his brother bull riding." Michelle shook her head.
"Where he was more in danger of breaking his head than breaking Shirley's heart." Amy couldn't help but say the words she was thinking.
"I agree. Best Daniel get out now before he hurts himself." Lynn helped herself to another cookie. No matter how many she ate, she never seemed to gain an ounce. "Dusty's the real talent. He was born in the saddle and rarely bounced out."
"Not true." Carol said. "Luke was pretty good back in high school. He's a bullfighter now. Needs to grow up some."
"Forgive himself," Michelle added.
"Forgive himself for what?" Amy asked.
Lynn, Carol, and Michelle studied their yarn as if tiny bugs had suddenly appeared in the fibers. "There was an accident quite a few years ago on the Pecan Ranch," Lynn finally said. "Luke blames himself. Now, he seldom comes home."
"And half the time," Carol added, "Shirley doesn't even know where Luke is."
Amy knew there was more to the story. But no one seemed inclined to tell her, and Shirley only talked about the boys' accomplishments and her hope that they were attending church faithfully.
The ladies were saved from having to say more by the sound of the bell over the shop's door. A blond woman, taller than Amy by a foot and looking more pregnant than possible, stepped into the room.
Amy didn't need to see a name badge. Brittney Yarborough rubbed her belly and said, "I was told maybe you could teach me how to crochet." She looked at Amy. "It is easier than knitting, right?"
"Right."
After a few minutes, Brittney was sitting with the Nutty Knitters, talking about Pecan's past, and spreading good mood and good intentions throughout the store. The Nutty Knitters clearly loved her. But Amy figured she had more than crocheting a baby blanket on her agenda.
"Daniel's good too," Brittney said after Lynn repeated her thoughts that Dusty was the real talent. "This year he's made eight seconds more often than not, and all his scores have been above forty. He just thinks too much once the bull leaves the gate. Ohhh." She shifted in her seat, making a face.
"How you feeling?" Carol leaned forward. "You find out if it's going to be a boy or a girl?"
"Some people would rather not know and be surprised," Brittney said.
"Sure makes it easier to buy gifts for the baby shower," Lynn said.
Michelle held up the blanket she was knitting. "Yellow is a neutral color, but I've always thought it quaint to have pink for a girl and blue for a boy."
Brittney laughed. "We don't care. If it's a boy, we'll wrap him in pink. We're just thrilled to be having this baby."
Turning to Amy, Michelle said, "You will come to the shower this Saturday, won't you? It's at the church, and we're the ones throwing it, along with her mother."
Getting Amy to church had always been a goal of the Nutty Knitters. She'd walked through the doors once for her aunt's funeral. One more bad memory set in a church's confines. She didn't need such a building, didn't believe in God. If there were a God, why would he let someone like Jasmine have a child—no, not just have a child but raise a child? Why would he give that child a loving aunt for only a year?
Amy gazed at the floor. "Saturday afternoons are my busiest day."
"It's not until four. You'll just have to close two hours early. Besides, all your customers will be at the baby shower," Michelle said. "Truly, we want your help. We're hoping you'll make the cake."
Brittney nodded. "They told me you can create anything. And these cookies are to die for. I've downloaded a picture from the Internet of what I want. I'm hoping you can make it."
"By Saturday? Two days' notice?"
"It's not a difficult one, really, and I'll pay."
"Do it," Carol urged. "And come to the shower. Daniel will be there."
Amy psshed. No way would she let them think Daniel's attending the shower might inspire her to attend.
Brittney, however, continued with, "Daniel's coming whether he likes it or not."
Michelle jumped in. "I saw him purchasing diapers the other day. He's real creative when it comes to gift buying."
"They've known each other forever," Carol said, as if Amy didn't already know.
"Forever," Brittney said. "Our parents were friends. I have pictures of Daniel, Dusty, and me all sitting in a red wagon hooked up to a horse."
"I'll bet Dusty was holding the reins," Carol said.
Brittney nodded.
"And Daniel was in the back holding on to you while you were in the middle holding on to Wed-Wed," Lynn said.
"Wed-Wed?" Only in Pecan, Texas, would Amy be privy to such a conversation. "Come on, you Nutty Knitters, there has to be a story here." One that might not include Daniel Starr.
"Wed-Wed was my red blanket," Brittney said. "Apparently, I didn't let go of it until the second day of kindergarten when a mean little boy stole it and a nice little boy returned it."
Judging by the look on the Nutty Knitters' faces, Amy figured Daniel was the nice little boy. It was a cute visual. She smiled as the ladies shared their memories and discussed the Starr brothers, spending maybe a bit too much time on how Daniel had taught Brittney how to throw a softball, how to ride a skateboard, how to drive, and how to walk beside him to every dance and town function.
The Nutty Knitters' furtive glances couldn't seem to decide whether to land on Amy or Brittney.
As the stories continued, Amy wondered why the thought of Daniel with his arms around Brittney made her jealous. He was a man she'd just met a few weeks ago, and one who hadn't made much of a first impression on her. She could keep telling herself that… Except the second impression, the one of him coming to pick up Butterscotch and then catching the bookcase as it fell, and third impression—building her a new bookcase and delivering it—kept getting in the way.
It must go back to Amy's wanting roots, wishing she'd been part of a childhood so secure that even the neighbors remembered the name of her blanket twenty years later.
"I've not spoken to Daniel in a while, except for a few congratulation texts," Brittney said. "Then, a few months ago, he and Dusty were in Abilene for a rodeo and stopped by for supper. Mike hadn't ever met Dusty. He couldn't get enough of our stories."
"Mike knows that Daniel was the one who got away?" Carol asked.
"Of course." Brittney leaned back in her chair, her hand once again caressing her stomach. "Daniel introduced us."
The ladies sat back, and Amy got the idea there wasn't much they didn't know, but this had surprised them.
"Did Daniel know when he introduced you that you'd wind up with Mike?" Lynn asked.
"I'm pretty sure h
e did," Brittney said, "and what a gift. I'm the happiest woman alive."
"They both went away to college," Michelle told Amy. "Daniel majored in finance, and Brittney majored in English."
"I got a job teaching in Abilene," Brittney said. "I love it. Mike's a teacher, too."
Lynn looked at Amy. "We all thought Brittney and Daniel would get married."
Brittney grinned and rolled her eyes. "If that's what you guys are going to focus on, I'm leaving. Daniel and I parted as good friends. More brother and sister than anything else."
"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Carol said.
"Never occurred to me." Brittney sent Amy a conspiratorial look.
Before Amy could figure out how to respond, a customer came in—a tourist—and all conversation stopped. Turned out to be a woman driving from Louisiana to Arizona. She soon was in an animated conversation with the Nutty Knitters. Brittney came over to stand by Amy and say, "I had to laugh when you called them the Nutty Knitters."
"Why?"
"Growing up, we called them the guardians. One time I snuck out my bedroom window. My parents were out of town and my big sister was supposed to be watching me. I was sixteen and thought I was so cool. Daniel was going to come by in his pickup, and we were going to the park. Apparently, Shirley caught Daniel before he even got to the truck. She called Carol, who was standing at the end of the alley behind my house waiting for me. I about peed my pants when she said, 'Going somewhere, Brittney?'"
"How much trouble did you get in?"
"Grounded for a month. My cell phone was taken away."
At sixteen, Amy could have walked down a dozen alleys, and no one would have cared. She hadn't the money for a cell phone.
"Why did you choose Mike over Daniel?" Amy asked.
Brittney rubbed her stomach and hesitated only a moment. "Mike was all about laying down roots, building a life, and security. Daniel was already intent on following his brother and was filling up his calendar with rodeo events before the ink on his college diploma was dry. I didn't want to explore the world. I wanted to make my own, complete with an address and a picket fence."