A Killer Stitch (23 page)

“Oh, really? Then why are you still blushing?” Jennifer teased with a wicked grin. “That must have been some kiss.”

Kelly felt her cheeks regain their heat. “I'm going to get you a whole plate of chocolate,” she threatened.

Eugene laughed softly, clearly enjoying the exchange. “Well, I'm glad I witnessed the escalation of the relationship. The young man is obviously captivated by you, Kelly. It radiates from him.”

“Oh, please…” Kelly said, rolling her eyes. “I'm going to get chocolate for both of you so you'll stop teasing. I swear the only way to stop Jennifer is to feed her something sweet.”

“See how cruel she is, Eugene,” Jennifer said plaintively as her fingers deftly worked the rows. “She knows I've gained five pounds already.”

“Serves you right for teasing.”

Jennifer pointed across the room. “See those two elderly ladies? They're Lizzie and Hilda von Steuben. Spinster sisters and retired schoolteachers. And master knitters, of course.”

“I'll be on my very best behavior, then,” Eugene remarked, glancing their way. “The taller one looks like my high school geometry teacher.” He gave a shiver. “She never did appreciate my sense of humor.”

“Lizzie is the mischievous one, who has a curiosity that knows no limits, I've found. She insists on hearing all about my dating exploits.”

Eugene stared at Jennifer in mock horror. “Are you sure that's wise, my dear? She has no heart problems, I trust.”

“Don't worry. I edit my adventures.”

“A wise decision,” Eugene said. Glancing around the table, he gestured to Mimi. “Mimi is a charming person, truly. Very sweet and talented, too, from what I've seen. And her husband, Burt, appears to be a stalwart sort. There's a twinkle in his eye, I've noticed. I must try his wassail. I make a mean wassail myself, so I need to compare.”

“Actually, Eugene, Mimi and Burt aren't married,” Kelly said, grinning. “But you've got a good eye. They've started dating recently, so we've got our fingers crossed. They make a wonderful couple.”

“Indeed, they do,” Eugene concurred. “They already have that ‘matched set' look that couples get when they belong together. Did they meet here at the yarn shop?”

Kelly nodded. “Burt's daughter sent him here to learn to knit after he had a heart attack following his wife's death. But Burt decided he'd take up spinning instead. He's a natural.”

“So this shop has turned into a veritable love nest, hasn't it?” Eugene commented. “Burt and Mimi fell in love over the spinning wheel, and Kelly and her young man were kissing in the corner.”

“Enough. I'm going to get that chocolate now,” Kelly threatened the two of them. “You two deserve to gain weight.”

“We'll sit here and gossip about you,” Jennifer threatened.

“Oh, let's.”

Deliberately ignoring the lighthearted banter behind her, Kelly proceeded to load two plates with a sample of every sweet dessert displayed. Carefully balancing it all, Kelly maneuvered around her friends, exchanging holiday greetings and accepting congratulations for gaining the canyon property at last.

“Here you go.” Kelly presented the dessert-filled plates when she returned. “Now you can eat and gossip and get fat all at the same time.”

“Kelly, you are truly evil,” Jennifer said, eyeing the decadent sweets.

“I'll get some wassail…” Kelly stopped when she spied Curt Stackhouse approach the edge of the gathering. She raised her hand in greeting, beckoning him over.

“As I live and breathe, it's John Wayne,” Eugene whispered to Kelly as he rose to greet Curt.

Kelly suppressed her laughter. “Curt, I'm so glad you could come and help us with all these desserts.” She gestured to Eugene. “Curt, I'd like you to meet Eugene Tolliver. He owns a gallery in Denver and was really hospitable to Jennifer and me when we visited last fall.”

“You mean when you went down there sniffing around for clues?” Curt said as he shook Eugene's hand. “Good to meet you, Eugene.”

“My pleasure, Curt. So you're aware of Kelly's sleuthing activities?”

“Oh, yes, I'm glad you kept an eye on them while they were in Denver. Kelly throws a scare into us from time to time.”

“Why does that not surprise me?”

Curt peered at Eugene for a second. “Kelly, Eugene's scarf looks exactly like the one I saw you working on a couple of weeks ago.”

“One and the same, Curt,” Kelly replied, sneaking a bite of a toffee bar.

“Kelly was sweet enough to send me a gift for the holidays,” Eugene said, holding up the gray and white alpaca wool. “It's lovely.”

“Well, that's mighty nice of you, Kelly,” Curt said. “Tell me, did you make a scarf for Steve, too? No offense to Eugene, here, but he works inside all day—”

“None taken,” Eugene said with a sly smile.

“And Steve works outside all day. In the cold, I might add. Building houses, supervising all those workers—”

“Building houses, how noble.”

“And I can't help but wonder why you didn't knit a scarf for poor, cold, hard-working Steve.” Curt folded his arms across his chest and peered down at Kelly, eyebrow raised.

Eugene squared off with Kelly as well, arms crossed exactly like Curt's. “That's an excellent question. Why is that, Kelly? Poor, cold, hard-working Steve sounds like he could use a warm alpaca wool scarf.”

Kelly knew where this conversation was going, and she already had her answer ready. “Rest assured, gentlemen, I wanted to knit a scarf for Steve, but they wouldn't let me.”

“Did I hear my name in connection with a wool scarf?” Steve called from across the table where he was talking with Greg and Lisa.

“Yeah, you did,” Curt announced, loud enough to stop all conversation around the table. “Eugene and I were wondering why Kelly didn't knit you a scarf for Christmas.”

“Yeah, why is that, Kelly?” Greg chimed in. “I've got a scarf from Lisa.”

“That's because you and I were already together,” Lisa replied matter-of-factly, then sipped her wassail.

“Huh?” Greg stared at her.

“They wouldn't let me make a scarf for Steve,” Kelly repeated.

“Who the Sam Hill are ‘they'?”

Kelly counted on her fingers. “Lisa, Jennifer, Megan, Mimi, Connie, Rosa. Lizzie. Hilda. Everyone. They told me it would jinx the relationship if I knitted something for Steve. It's the knitting curse.”

“
What?
That's the craziest damn thing I've ever heard.” Curt screwed up his face.

“Hey, I'll take it as encouragement,” Steve said with a wink, draining his cup.

“Strange as it may sound, Curtis, it is indeed true,” Hilda intoned from the edge of the room, punch cup in hand. “Anecdotal evidence proves the knitting curse time and again.”

“Oh, yes, yes,” Lizzie jumped in breathlessly. “As soon as a young woman knits a personal item for her gentleman caller, then the gentleman ceases to call.”

Curt stared at Hilda, then Lizzie and Kelly, then he rolled his eyes. “Women. I never will understand them.”

“Amen to that,” Jennifer pronounced from the corner.

“You need some wassail, Curt; don't worry about existential concerns,” Greg joked. “Besides, I hear your nephew Marty is coming, so you'd better grab food while you can.”

“Smart idea,” Curt said as he surveyed the table. “That boy will wipe us out.”

“Curt, could you bring us some wassail, please?” Kelly asked. “Eugene and Jennifer haven't had a drop and Marty could be here anytime.” Curt nodded in reply, then headed for the punch bowl.

“Fascinating,” Eugene remarked. “You weren't kidding when you said diversity, Jennifer. Incidentally, who is Marty?”

“A human vacuum cleaner when it comes to food,” Jennifer replied. “We forgive him because he's the first guy who's ever been able to sneak past our friend Megan's terminal shyness.”

“Surely shyness isn't terminal.”

“I'll explain the details later.” Jennifer sank her teeth into a lemon bar.

“Howdy, folks. Sorry I'm late. Had a ton of work up at the ranch,” Jayleen announced as she strode into the room.

“Oh, my word, it's Annie Oakley,” Eugene said, staring at Jayleen, who was clad in her usual Colorado casual—boots and blue jeans.

Kelly beckoned her over. “Hey, Jayleen, come and meet Eugene. He's visiting from Denver.”

Jayleen strolled up and gave Eugene's hand a hearty shake. “If you're from Denver, then you must be Kelly's gallery friend. So you know she can't stop sniffing around for clues any more than a dog can stop chasing cats. It's part of her nature.”

“Damn right,” Curt said as he joined them, offering wassail cups to Jennifer and Eugene. “I've given up trying to steer Kelly away from sleuthing.”

Eugene immediately offered his cup to Jayleen. “Please, I'll get some more.”

Jayleen held up her hand and smiled. “No, thanks. Can't touch the stuff.”

“Jayleen, have you ever heard about some cockeyed knitting curse?” Curt asked, sipping his wassail.

Jayleen looked up at Curt with a grin. “No, can't say that I have, Curt.”

“Kelly's friends told her she shouldn't knit a scarf for Steve because it would curse their relationship, or some tomfool nonsense.”

Jayleen hooted with laughter. “Curt, you know damn well men and women don't need knitting to curse their relationships. They manage to screw things up all by themselves. It's just their natures.”

Curt snorted. “Now, that's the most sensible thing I've heard since I got here.”

“Jayleen, come over here, I want to show you something,” Mimi called from across the table.

“Excuse me, folks. Nice to meet you, Eugene,” Jayleen said, backing away.

“You know, that wassail is mighty tasty,” Curt said. “I think I'll grab some more. I heard that Megan and Marty are driving here as soon as they finish their tennis match. They're going for club champions, I think. My advice is to fill your plates while you can, folks.” He gave them all a smile and headed for the table once again.

“Now, there's a matched set if ever I saw one,” Eugene observed.

“You mean Curt and Jayleen?” Kelly said, surprised at his observation. She'd had that thought herself, once or twice. “Hmmmm, what do you think, Jen?”

Jennifer glanced toward the targets and nodded her head. “Yeah, I have to agree with Eugene. However, Curt would have a time trying to lasso that filly.”

“Fascinating. Why is that?” Eugene asked.

Kelly spoke up. “Jayleen's had two bad marriages, plus she's a recovering alcoholic who's been sober ten years and is finally becoming successful in her alpaca business. I agree, Jen. Jayleen's gun shy.”

“What about John Wayne?”

“Widower for six months now.”

“Ahhhh, fascinating. I give him another six months before he starts practicing.”

Kelly laughed. “Practicing what?”

“With the lasso,” Eugene said. “Isn't that what cowboys do? Practice with cows, and…now who is this? I swear, this shop is a miniature Grand Central. People keep arriving.”

“And they all have stories,” Jennifer said.

Kelly zeroed in on the object of Eugene's attention and had to smile. There in the archway stood Megan and Marty, still wearing their tennis warm-ups and holding a silver trophy over their heads.

“I trust those are the tennis players you mentioned earlier,” Eugene said.

Jennifer nodded. “Vacuum-cleaner Marty and our shy friend, Megan.”

“Hmmmm, she doesn't look too shy now,” Eugene observed.

Kelly watched the victorious twosome and noticed Megan joking with her friends and Marty, clearly enjoying herself. “That's because Marty showed up in Megan's blind spot. She never saw him coming. He sneaked up on her. And she forgot to be shy.”

“Oh, I simply must come back,” Eugene said, sinking into his chair. “This place is a veritable soap opera.”

“Told you,” Jennifer said, offering Eugene a brownie. “Chocolate?”

“Definitely,” Eugene said, not taking his eyes from Megan and Marty.

“I
say we build a snowman with Marty inside,” Greg called over his shoulder as he bounded down the knitting shop front steps. “Payback for hiding that chocolate mint fudge.”

“Hey, it was in plain sight,” Marty said, holding Megan's arm as they negotiated the icy steps. “Everybody else was eating it, too.”

“That fudge was lethal,” Lisa said, catching up with Greg.

“Weapons grade,” Steve added, zipping his jacket.