He had broad shoulders and muscular arms and thick sable hair under his wide-brimmed Stetson.
She could still feel the heat from his smoky blue-eyed stare. Great! For the first time in a long while she felt an attraction to a man, and he definitely wasn’t her type. She’d known too many rude and arrogant men like him, including her stepfather. No, she wouldn’t waste her time on someone like Evan Rafferty.
She thought back to what the girl had said about her mother being in heaven. Okay, so he’d lost his wife recently. She couldn’t help but feel for both of them.
Jenny watched the truck pull away from the curb and Gracie looked in her direction. She waved at her and Jenny’s chest tightened with longing. Admittedly the big cowboy had one thing in his favor. The sweetest little girl.
Millie came up beside her. “Don’t be too hard on that young man. He’s been through a lot.” The older woman turned to Jenny, looking sad. “He lost his wife, Megan, a year ago last Thanksgiving.”
“What happened?” Jenny found herself asking.
“She had cancer.” Millie sighed. “I know she suffered terribly. Then, not only did Evan have to deal with her death, he’s trying to raise a daughter and run his ranch. I don’t blame him for being upset when he couldn’t find Gracie.”
Jenny nodded. She didn’t have a child, but she knew what her friend, Allison, had gone through to get her daughter Cherry to walk again after an automobile accident that had nearly taken her life.
She’d probably be as protective if she had a child. She shook away the familiar longing that nagged her and put on a smile.
“Okay, we’d better get back to work,” she told Millie. “The beginners’ class is scheduled to start in two weeks.”
She walked through the store to the new opening in the west wall that led into the building next door. Allison had bought that property when the old tenant had moved out, and the carpenters had finally finished the improvements to expand the shop.
Jenny stood in the doorway and looked at the empty space. They still needed to paint, but new cabinets and shelving lined the far wall. There was plenty of room for class supplies and fabric. And they could bring in the portable sewing machines from storage.
Jenny walked to the area right at the front window. “What do you think about getting a big round table and some comfortable chairs for this area?”
A bright smile lit up Millie’s face. “Women can come here to socialize and quilt.”
Jenny shrugged. “A lot of the customers are friends and neighbors. Why not make a place where they can come and work on their projects together, share ideas and tips. We can call it Quilters’ Corner. What do you think?”
Millie beamed. “You won’t have any trouble filling that table.”
Jenny nodded. Good. She had one problem solved, but she was still being nagged by Evan Rafferty. Darn that man for stirring her up. The last thing she needed was a man to disrupt her life right now. She already had enough to deal with.
Yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about his daughter. She wanted to do something to help Gracie. An idea suddenly hit her.
“Millie,” she began. “If I moved the adult classes to Wednesday and Saturday mornings that would open up time on Saturday afternoons.”
Millie hesitated. “What do you have in mind?”
“Maybe a girls’ class.”
The older woman studied her a moment. “That’s a big undertaking because one little girl wants to finish a quilt.”
Was that all Gracie wanted? Jenny wondered, thinking back to her own childhood. She had been overshadowed by her stepbrothers and ignored by her stepfather. The worst part was that her mother had let it happen. Maybe that had been Gracie’s experience since her mother’s death—maybe she felt pushed aside. The big question was, was an eight-year-old too young to join a quilting class?
No.
Jenny looked at Millie. “Do you think some of our regular customers would help out with a mentoring class?
The woman shrugged. “Probably. Is this for any student, or are you talking about one in particular?”
“Maybe, but why can’t we help a little girl finish her quilt?”
Millie nodded. “If we’re talking about a quilt her mother started, it’s not a simple matter. Megan Rafferty was pretty close to an expert quilter. She’d sold several at the local craft fair. But you’re right. This could help Gracie, especially since she lives with a houseful of men.” A slow smile lit up Millie’s face. “All those Rafferty men are a handsome bunch.”
Jenny softened thinking about Evan Rafferty, recalling the raw pain in those eyes. That was her clue to stay clear of the handsome cowboy.
Even without his bad attitude, he still belonged to someone else.
The next afternoon, Jenny headed over to Kerry Springs Elementary School, flyers in hand. She was hoping that the school principal, Lillian Perry, would help promote her class.
When the office door opened she was surprised to see a woman not much older than herself. The attractive brunette smiled as Jenny greeted her and they walked inside.
The principal closed the door. “Thank you for waiting, Ms. Collins.”
“Please, call me Jenny.”
“And I’m Lily.”
After Jenny sat down in a chair, Lily did the same behind her desk. “I hear you’ve taken over the Blind Stitch.”
She nodded. “News travels fast.”
“It does in this town. And my mother practically lives at your shop. Beth Staley.”
“Oh, of course. She and Millie are friends.”
Lily nodded. “So what can I do for you?”
Jenny jumped right in. “I was hoping you could help me promote a children’s quilting class.” She handed her a flyer. “It’s free.”
Lily glanced over the paper. “This looks interesting.” She eyed Jenny. “Generous, too.”
She shrugged. “Call it community service. I’m still not sure how many women I can get to volunteer. Just so you know, I’m asking for your mother’s help. It’s my plan to pass on the craft to a new generation.”
Lily leaned her forearms on the desk. “I’m sure Mother would love it,” she told her. “She’s been trying to get my daughter, Kasey, interested. Maybe with a class and with other girls her age, she’ll want to participate.”
They spent the next twenty minutes going over the program; it would not only be good for the young girls to learn a craft, but it would also help them build a relationship with an older generation.
“Blind Stitch will donate fabric and thread, but we’d like to encourage kids to bring in some of their
