Blossom Street Brides Read Online Free

Bethanne asked, her curiosity mounting.
    “Easy. The price tag had A Good Yarn stamped on it.”
    “Really?” Lydia’s eyes rounded in surprise. “I wonder who put this together.”
    “Can’t tell you,” Margaret returned, “but I wish I’d been the one to think of it.” She started toward the office and then abruptly turned back. “I nearly forgot. When the yarn runs out, the project is finished and the last person knitting needs to bring the scarf to the shop.”
    “Here?”
    “Here,” Margaret answered. “It specifically says to deliver the finished project to A Good Yarn. Kind of fun, isn’t it?”
    “Kind of. I just wish whoever thought of this would’ve taken the time to clue me in.”
    Bethanne glanced at her watch. It’d been a long day at the office and she was ready for her tea break. Besides, shewas waiting for Max to return her call. “I better head home. I’ll stop by on Thursday for the yarn for the baby blanket.”
    “Do you mind if I tell Margaret your news?”
    “Please do.”
    Bethanne drove home to the very house where she’d raised her children, the home she loved. At one point, not long ago, Grant had tried to lure her away from the house and from Max. He seemed to think that if they could start over and put the past behind them the world would right itself again.
    She loved this colonial-style home with the green shutters and the spacious rooms. It was much too large for her now, but she couldn’t bring herself to sell it. After Grant moved out, she’d struggled to hold on to the house. At the time it had seemed an impossibility, but she couldn’t let it go. Her children had already lost their father, and she was determined they wouldn’t lose the only home they had ever known. It wasn’t their fault their father couldn’t keep his pants zipped. Bethanne was proud that she’d survived those first torturous months following her divorce. At the same time, she realized she’d never have been able to do it without the encouragement and emotional support she got from her friends.
    Once inside the kitchen, she put on water for tea. She’d found that she enjoyed a few minutes’ respite at the end of the day. The house was quiet, and she turned on the television for the early news broadcast simply for the noise. When Andrew and Annie, her children, had lived at home, they seemed to be constantly coming and going, music blaring, cellphones ringing. These days there was silence. Itwas more peaceful, but she missed the chatter of her children. Within a few months she would again hear the noise, only this time it would be from a newborn.
    A baby.
    It’d been a lot of years since this house had heard a baby’s cry. A lump filled her throat as she carried her tea to her preferred spot in the family room off the kitchen. Her favorite chair sat close to the fireplace, and a container with her knitting rested on the Oriental rug next to the overstuffed chair and ottoman. She automatically reached for it. While she currently had two or three projects going, she would put them all aside and immediately start the baby blanket once the yarn arrived.
    She hadn’t taken more than a sip of tea when her cell rang. Seeing that it was Max, she eagerly grabbed the phone. She’d left a message with Rooster, Max’s friend and business partner, for Max to call her as soon as he was available.
    “Honey, what is it?”
    “Andrew called me this afternoon, and Courtney’s pregnant,” she blurted out in one quick breath.
    “She’s pregnant? Well, congratulations to Andrew and Courtney. I imagine you’re walking on cloud nine.”
    “That doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel. When I heard the news I wanted to laugh, and at the same time I had to hold back tears. It’s been so long since there was a baby in the family.”
    “You’re gonna be one sexy grandma.”
    “I knew you’d say that.” A warm, happy feeling stole over her. “I wish you were here right now.”
    “So do I.”