Chapter One
Giddy with excitement,Ellie peered into the box she’d just opened.Ooh, look at all the lovely yarn.She unpacked the gorgeous colors quickly, enjoying the sensation of the different textures.She’d ordered every type of yarn she could think of—from cotton to merino to kid silk and everything in between.
It was Wednesday, the third week of June.If anyone had told her a year ago she’d have her own yarn shop in Marietta, Montana, she would probably have laughed at the ludicrous idea.But here she was, happily unboxing luxurious yarns in every color of the rainbow in her very own shop.
She couldn’t help a shudder every time she remembered that, if she hadn’t left Phoenix, Arizona,—the only place she’d ever called home up until January of this year—she’d be married to Marcus Tate right now and he would probably have moved on from shoving her around to something much worse.
Stamping on his foot the first time he’d thrown her against the fridge, and leaving while he was still cussing, had been the best decision she’d ever made.She was her mother’s daughter, but she was never going to allow anyone to treat her the way her dad had treated her mom.If that meant staying single and being called a spinster for the rest of her life, so be it.At least it would mean she was safe.She didn’t mind being alone.In fact, she preferred her own company.Reading and knitting trumped trying to keep a man happy any day.
Love, that elusive sentiment described in romance novels and rom-com movies, was obviously not for everyone.Maybe it didn’t really exist.Maybe people marry because they think they’re in love, only to find out later it was a fleeting feeling.Anyway, during her one serious relationship, the one with Marcus, she hadn’t experienced any of those slightly off-balance moments she’d read about.No stars had ever exploded when they’d kissed, and the only thing that had ever made her shudder was a spider.
The overriding memory of the time she’d been with Marcus was feeling unsafe, scared and being anxious not to say or do anything that would light his very short fuse.
And that first time he’d lost his temper and had grabbed her throat, she’d known living in fear was not how she wanted to spend her life.Oh, he’d pleaded, but she never wanted to feel like that again.There was a nice ring to the word “spinster,” she’d decided.
When her beloved grandma Eleanor had died a few weeks later, she’d known it was time for a new beginning.Or two.Her first stop was going to be Marietta, Montana, a quaint town her grandmother had never stopped talking about.
She came, she saw and she fell in love.What sealed the idea of staying here for a while was the vacant shop space she’d noticed as she drove down Main Street.Owning her own shop had always been a dream.Because of her grandma, she now had the money to make that dream come true.
As a librarian, her first thought had been to open a bookstore, but Marietta already had a lovely one opposite the vacant store she’d seen.A yarn shop was her next choice.She loved knitting and crocheting.Her journey wasn’t at an end; staying in Marietta was just a temporary interruption.There was still time to do all the other things she’d been dreaming about.Maybe she could open a bookshop in the next town she drove through, when she took to the road again.
This was also the perfect time to get a cat.Or two.No respectable spinster could be without a cat, if everything she’d seen on the matter was true.Although she loved dogs.Always had.Her grandmother, who had raised her from the age of five, hadn’t had the energy for one, though.She’d always prevaricated when Ellie had pleaded for a pet.
In today’s technological world, there was a cure for just about anything, she’d discovered—even one’s craving for a pet.Social media was filled with entertaining pictures of cute dogs and kittens and any kind of animal you could think of.Scrolling through these kinda filled that blank that had been left after her beloved grandmother was gone, and made Ellie dream of having her own home one day.
The picture that came to mind every time she thought of owning her own home was the same one she’d dreamed about as a little girl on those days her father’s anger had seemed to fill every corner of their house.She’d dreamed of a white house with a big porch and bright blue shutters where she, her dogs and her cats could sit, enjoying the quiet.
She wasn’t really into social media, but she’d started an Instagram page for her shop.People seem to like her posts about yarn, as well as the knitting and crochet patterns she posted each day.And on the days she shared the magic of Marietta, she usually had even more comments.
It was while scrolling through Instagram that she’d recently discovered another page filled with cartoon-like sketches of the antics of three dogs—a Labrador and two Golden Retrievers—that always made her smile.The page belonged to ET Beck.There was no profile photo, so she didn’t know whether it was a man or a woman, but she eagerly scrolled to that particular page whenever she needed a fix of cuteness.
Ellie loved the drawings, but it was the expression on the faces of the dogs and the words accompanying the sketches that stopped her scrolling every time.And okay, yes, she’d read about the psychology of all the cute pictures of babies and animals on social media, but so what if it made her feel protective, caring and affectionate—all good feelings, right?
She sighed.But before this spinster could get her cat, she first needed to find a place to live.Her own safe place where she wouldn’t have to be afraid or worried.
Since she’d arrived in Marietta in early February, she’d been staying with Annie and Craig O’Sullivan in their beautiful B&B.Annie’s scrumptious breakfasts were probably the reason that, before now, the idea of moving hadn’t really been that tempting.But it was time to get her own place.She’d spoken to Annie and had already contacted the town’s Realtor.Hopefully he’d have something for her to rent sometime this week.It was time to finally get her own cat.
Her mind racing, she smiled.She even knew where to look for a pet.Four weeks ago, Laura Anderson—the first friend she’d made in Marietta—had married the love of her life, Hayden Weston, one of three seriously gorgeous cowboys who owned the Weston Ranch outside town.
From what Ellie had gathered from Laura, Cooper Weston, the youngest brother, had a kind of animal shelter on the ranch.Maybe he would have a stray she could buy from him.
Frowning, she arranged the yarn into colors.Her only concern in contacting him was the possibility of running into Becket Weston, the second brother.She’d only caught a glimpse of him at Laura and Hayden’s wedding, but it hadn’t been difficult to see why there were so many stories flying around town about that particular Weston brother.
He was a flirt, flashing his baby blues and killer smile at every woman he laid his eyes on.And yes, he’d tried that smile on her as well, but long before she’d seen him at the wedding she’d heard enough stories about the string of broken hearts he’d left behind him to know he was trouble with a capital T.
Okay, granted, like his brothers he was drop-dead gorgeous.Square jaw, wide shoulders, slim hips and a twinkle in his blue eyes that seemed to get him any woman he wanted.She could appreciate an attractive man like any other woman, but he was so not the type of man for her.Not that she was looking, mind you.
Irritated, she combed through her hair.There she was, thinking of Becket Weston again.Even when she was thinking of reasons why she shouldn’t be thinking about him, she did!
Her new life was about making sure she was safe and secure; being reckless was not in her plans and Becket Weston hadrecklessnesswritten all over him.
Focus, Ellie, focus.She had new yarn to display.The problem was, though, she didn’t have enough space for everything.Glancing up at the big cupboards she’d had installed right after she moved in, she had an idea.
It was summer and most of her customers were knitting with cotton.If she put away the winter yarn until later, she’d have more than enough space to display the new colors.
Chewing her lip, she stared at the top of the cupboard.On days like this, she wished for longer legs, but at five feet one inch she needed a ladder for most things she had to do in her shop.She could ask one of her neighbors on Main Street to help her, but it was lunchtime; everyone was either eating or serving lunch.
Well, the stepladder she’d bought online right after she’d moved in would have to do.It was a tad rickety, but so far she’d managed just fine.
