Page 41 of Home to the Cowboy

Silence. “What about you?” Abby asked after a few seconds.

“Oh, Abby, what do I know about relationships and love? Besides, my life is back in Seattle. Look, I’ll call you again, I’m at the yarn shop where we have our book club.”

Abby chuckled. “A book club at a yarn shop? Yarn shop? Don’t tell me you’re knitting as well now?”

June laughed. “I am actually. Ellie is teaching me. I know, it’s hard to believe. I go to a book club in a yarn shop in a small town and I knit. Since my first visit to Marietta, though, my whole mindset of how things are supposed to be like has been changed.”

“My friend June is knitting. Well, now I’ve heard everything,” Abby giggled. “I think I’ve been transported to a different reality!”

“When you come to visit,” June said, “you should join me. Call you soon!”

She quickly ended the call as she opened the door of the yarn shop.

All eyes turned to June as she entered.

“Come on in!” Ellie hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“And look at those bright eyes,” Rose chuckled. “You look happy. I assume that has everything to do with Dylan?”

“Yes, I’m happy,” June said as she sat down, “and yes, Dylan and I will spend time together. But please, this is only for as long as I’m here. My life and work are back in Seattle.”

“That’s what I said,” Rose smiled.

“And I was supposed to only stay for a while as well,” Ellie grinned. “But then Becket and I fell in love and everything changed.”

“Well, see,” June said, “that’s the whole thing. Nobody is talking about love.” As the word love left June’s mouth, the whole room tilted. Catching her breath, she put out a hand to steady herself.

“You’ve fallen in love with him?” Vivian asked gently.

“Of course not,” June said quickly and emphatically. “It hasn’t even been two weeks since I met him. It’s ridiculous to even think it’s possible.”

“Only took me a minute,” Annie giggled.

Riley laughed. “I like to think it took a while for me to fall in love with Mitch, but actually, I lost my heart the first time I saw him snarling at my brother and cousin.”

“And I fell hook, line, and sinker,” Laura smiled, “the moment an angry cowboy knocked on my classroom door.”

“I didn’t listen to my heart,” Janice said. “I missed my chance in life to get a happy ending. Looking at all of you, I’m so glad to see you’ve been brave enough to grab onto love. What about you, Arlene?”

Sighing, Arlene rubbed her neck. “I knew straight away. But for me to be happy, I had to break someone else’s heart.”

Willow inhaled sharply. “Mom …?”

“No,” Arlene interrupted quickly, looking down at the book in her hand, “you don’t get to read my mind. Not now.”

“Talking about reading minds,” June said quickly, sensing Arlene’s near panic. “Tell me about what Cooper does. I was feeling so poorly on Monday, that’s why I canceled dinner with Ellie and Becket. I had a fever, my throat was sore, but when I woke up Tuesday morning, I was completely fine.”

Rose smiled. “He’s a healer. I can’t tell you how he does it, but he has the gift.”

“As Mom has told you, we got it from our grandma,” Willow said. “It’s not something you can explain. Coop chooses to channel his instincts toward healing animals, but he can connect with humans as well—if the person allows us, of course.”

“Okay, people,” Ellie laughed. “Let’s dive into Shirley before the stories about our weird and wonderful family send June packing.”

Everyone opened their books, and as the discussion of Shirley’s and Caroline’s romances with Louis and Robert swirled around her, June exhaled slowly.

It was probably all the talk about love and happy endings that had her seeing things that weren’t there. Besides, neither she nor Dylan was interested in forever.

It was nearly ten when she drove home. As she neared her house, the butterflies in her tummy woke up, her heart skipped a beat. Dylan’s truck was in the driveway.