terrific with kids, isn’t she?” Dovie commented, coming up behind her. “I knew we needed a bookstore, but I had no idea it was going to be this popular.”
Jane nodded happily. It looked as if the bookstore was about to become the new gathering place in town. Maybe Annie should buy an espresso machine and sell cappuccino and latte. It was time Promise caught up with the rest of the country in that regard, although she couldn’t imagine Cal or any of the other ranchers sipping a tall, skinny, double-sweet latte with a dash of Madagascar cinnamon.
Jane’s eyes connected with Dovie’s and held. She pointedly slid her gaze toward Lucas, then Annie. She couldn’t believe she was the only one to notice the romance potential between the widower and her friend. Odd that it’d taken her this long to see it.
Dovie frowned.
Jane’s eyes widened as she repeated her maneuver, glancing from Lucas to Annie. She gave Dovie a moment to catch her meaning, then raised her eyebrows in mute comment.
Jane knew the instant Dovie understood. The older woman’s mouth formed a small O. Then she winked, letting Jane know she was in full agreement.
“You’re right, the girls seem to like Annie,” Jane mentioned casually as she sidled closer to Lucas.
Oblivious to what Dovie and Jane were plotting, he nodded.
“You’re sure everything’s okay?” Jane asked.
“At home,” Dovie added.
A frown clouded his face. “I guess so.”
“The new housekeeper’s working out?” Jane asked next.
Lucas lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“I imagine you could use a break now and then,” she continued.
“Get out, spend a few hours with another adult,” Dovie elaborated.
“Yes, I suppose, but—”
“Have you ever thought of asking Annie out?” Jane asked point-blank. She was already behind schedule with this matchmaking and didn’t have time to be subtle. Besides she’d been married long enough to realize men were dense creatures—often loving and wonderful but sometimes dull-witted, especially where romance was concerned. She knew Cal appreciated it when she came promptly to the point; subtlety was usually wasted on him. After conversations with her friends, Jane had concluded that her husband wasn’t unique.
“Out? Like on...a date?”
“Why not date Annie?” Jane said quickly.
Lucas sent her a stricken look.
“Come on, Lucas,” Dovie cajoled, “it would do you both good. Annie hasn’t taken a break since she arrived last month.”
“The girls...”
“Frank and I would love having them for the evening,” Dovie volunteered.
“Cal and I would, too,” Jane said, although she probably should have checked with Cal before offering.
“You would?” Lucas resembled a man who’d been thrown a lifeline, but didn’t know what to do with it.
“Ask her,” Jane urged.
The story ended, and the children started milling about the store in search of their parents.
“You think I should?” Lucas said in a hesitant voice.
“Yes,” Jane replied, perhaps a bit too emphatically.
“I’m sure Annie would enjoy your company.” Dovie spoke lightly, as though this was merely a suggestion on their part.
A minute later Lucas’s daughters had found their father and begun chattering excitedly about the story.
“Daddy, Daddy...”
Jane noticed that Lucas’s assessing gaze followed Annie as she moved here and there, answering questions, helping customers. “Maybe I should ask her out,” he murmured before turning his attention back to his children.
Jane reached for Dovie’s hand and squeezed it hard.
Not long afterward, Jane left the bookstore grinning widely. Oh, yes, Lucas and Annie were perfectly suited. She felt pleased with herself as she hurried on to her next destination.
Shortly after noon, when Jane walked into the café at the bowling alley, she immediately saw Cal sitting in a booth toward the back of the room. She made her way toward him and unloaded her packages before sliding into the opposite seat.
“I had the most fabulous idea.” She hadn’t planned to tell him, but she couldn’t resist. “Annie and Lucas.”
Her husband looked at her blankly.
“Lucas was at the bookstore with his girls this morning and I suddenly realized...” Her voice faltered as she noticed his frown. “Well, I suggested Lucas ask her out and I think he’s going to do it.”
“Jane, for the love of heaven—”
“I know—I shouldn’t interfere. Just this one time, though.” She paused. “Don’t be angry with me, but I volunteered us to watch Heather and Hollie when they go out.”
He shrugged and muttered something she didn’t catch, then reached for the menu tucked behind the napkin dispenser.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He studied the menu like a legal document, even though he was as familiar with it as he was with the current price of beef.
“I stopped off at the JCPenney catalog store and looked at some stuff for the nursery. We need to get that order in soon.”
He nodded.
Jane chatted for a few more minutes about Dovie and Annie’s story hour and various people she’d seen, then stopped abruptly. She’d become aware that Cal wasn’t upset with her over this matchmaking issue; in fact, he was barely listening. Something else was on his mind.
“All right,” she said sternly, “what is it?”
He stared at her a moment, apparently uncertain about whether or not to speak. “It’s Mom and Dad,” he finally said. He sighed, but seemed relieved to talk about it. “I found out they aren’t accepting guests at their bed-and-breakfast anymore. Glen was as shocked to learn about it as I was.”
“But why aren’t they taking guests?” Jane asked. She adored her in-laws, and Mary and Phil were terrific grandparents to Johnny, Ellie and Glen’s son. They were thrilled that Cal and Jane were expecting.
“I haven’t got a clue.” Cal looked away. “I wondered what was happening. The last couple of times I’ve stopped by, there weren’t any guests, but I didn’t think much of it. Then this morning when I was there, the phone rang and Dad answered and said they weren’t accepting reservations. When I asked him about it, he didn’t really answer. Said
