Knit One, Love Two: A Smitten Novella

By Diann Hunt

Winter, spring, summer, and fall, Smitten is a place for love  . . . and mystery.

But will knit-store owner Anna ever find patience for either?

There’s a secret in Grandma Rose’s attic—a forgotten set of dog tags belonging to her first love. But David Hutchins was killed in action and never returned to town. How did the dog tags end up in the Grandma’s attic? It’s a romantic mystery fit for a town like Smitten, Vermont, which has been working hard to reinvent itself as a destination for lovers. Rose’s three granddaughters are determined to investigate, though their mother Anna has reservations about digging up the past. But will they get distracted by mystery men of their own before they solve the puzzle of the dogtags?

In Knit One, Love Two, divorcee Anna finds herself intrigued by the distinguished military man who just stepped into her knit shop. But Anna’s first husband was a military man and it didn’t turn out well at all. Does she dare risk love a second time around?

Excerpted from Secretly Smitten, a novel in four parts written by Inspirational fiction’s most popular romance novelists—and real life BFFs!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Jan 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781401689308

Book preview

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© 2012 by Diann Hunt

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc., books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the authors’ imaginations or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Secretly smitten / Colleen Coble ... [et al.].

      p. cm. -- (Smitten ; 2)

  ISBN 978-1-4016-8713-7 (trade paper)

  ISBN 978-1-4016-8930-8 (ebook)

1. Love stories. 2. Christian fiction. I. Coble, Colleen. Tess II.

Billerbeck, Kristin. Zoe III. Hunt, Diann. Anna IV. Hunter, Denise, 1968- Clare

  PS648.L6S44 2012

  813’.08508--dc23

2012036814

Printed in the United States of America

12 13 14 15 16 QG 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

ontents

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Reading Group Guide

Excerpt from Bittersweet Surrender

Author Bio

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CKNOWLEDGMENTS

What a joy it’s been to work on our second Smitten novel! The idea for Secretly Smitten was conceived in a beautiful Indiana log cabin (we pretended it was Vermont) and met with much enthusiasm by our wonderful editors.

As with every book, Secretly Smitten is the result of a lot of hard work done by many people. We are so blessed to work with Thomas Nelson. They’ve been supportive of the Smitten series right from the start, and their enthusiasm has been contagious. Thanks to the entire fiction team led by Publisher Daisy Hutton: Ami McConnell, Natalie Hanemann, Katie Bond, Kristen Vasgaard, Ruthie Dean, Laura Dickerson, Becky Monds, Kerri Potts, Jodi Hughes, and Amanda Bostic. Love you all!

A special thanks to our editors: Ami McConnell and LB Norton. Their expertise is truly astounding; we’re so glad you have our backs!

Our agents Karen Solem and Lee Hough have been a huge help with this work and many others. Thanks, friends!

We’re thankful for our families, our backbones, as we juggle life and career.

Thanks to you, our reader—none of this would happen without you! We hope you enjoyed coming along on our journey back to Smitten.

Our biggest thank-you goes to God, who brought the four of us together in a bond of unbreakable friendship. We’re all so different, and yet one, in our love for Christ and for one another.

CHAPTER ONE

NE

The Sit ’n Knit was Anna Thomas’s world. Her definition of family had widened to embrace the women who came into her yarn shop—especially the regulars.

Some days that was enough.

Anna inhaled the scent of coffee that always perked on the counter behind her. She tore open her UPS package—a high-grade merino-nylon blend of yarn—and smiled. Warm and versatile, the yarn was a great choice for sock knitting. Some people grabbed cheap yarns off the shelf of a department store with no idea of the difference quality yarn could make in a project. She looked around her shop at the bins filled with colored textiles, some bulky, some intricate and thin for lace projects, and gave a contented sigh. She offered quality—and a piece of herself—with every sale. The women in her shop, there for the lesson on picking up stitches, milled around, commenting to one another on their projects, laughing together. Anna’s business also offered a place where women could encourage one another in their creativity and in life in general. Who could ask for more?

The bell on the shop door jangled as someone stepped inside. Anna gathered her ball of cotton yarn, knitting needles, and half-finished peach-colored dishcloth, then bent over and tossed them into the bulging bag where she kept her current projects. She stood upright and stretched a bit. It was then she spotted a man of about fifty. He had a firm, strong jaw; a trim, fit body; and salt-and-pepper hair that looked good on him. His smile was warm and welcoming, and his blue eyes sparkled.

He looked familiar. The lopsided grin on his face told her he knew she was trying to place him. Her heart gave a funny leap as he walked toward her and stretched out his hand. Michael Conners, he said. That’s my mom, Emma. He pointed her way.

His hand was strong and warm. It shamed Anna that she didn’t want to let go.

Oh, Emma is one of my best customers. A lovely lady. She’d spoken of her newly-retired-from-the-marines son often and fondly. Nice to meet you. I’m Anna Thomas.

Yes, I know. He paused. We’re neighbors. There was a teasing glint in his eyes that caught her a little off guard.

Oh, so that’s where I’ve seen you. Sorry, I—

No need to apologize. I’ve only lived there about six months. But we also go to the same church. He winked.

Emma had cancer. Her body grew more fragile with every passing day, but she still managed to come to the Sit ’n Knit. When Michael looked away, Anna studied him. It was noble of him to come to his mother’s side. Still, Anna would be careful. Clearly, he didn’t plan to settle down in Smitten. Not that she wanted him to. So why was her hand still tingling?

She nodded, trying to calm the unsettled feeling in her stomach.

Well, good to see you. He walked over to his mom. Anna watched his every step, her heart pounding as though she’d been running. What was the matter with her?

When the knitting class was over, the ladies spilled into the other rooms, pouring cups of coffee from the brewing pot, browsing through knitting books, touching cashmere yarns. Anna walked around the chairs and scooped up yarn debris, then dropped it into the trash can. Arms elbow-deep into the sofa, then the chair cushions, she dug around for lost hooks and needles. Her efforts were always rewarded. She found several crochet hooks and threw them into a large plastic container with other strays.

Michael, who had suddenly appeared beside her, winced.

Something wrong? she asked.

Would you like a rubber band for those hooks? That would keep them all together so you wouldn’t have to dig around for them.

I—well, uh, yeah, I guess. Embarrassment warmed her cheeks. Did he think her incompetent?

Michael walked over to her counter, picked up a rubber band, then playfully stretched it in front of him, acting as though he would snap her with it. She smiled in spite of herself.

He picked the hooks up one by one from the container in her hand, bunched them together in a single bouquet, wrapped the rubber band tightly around it, and offered it to Anna with a slight bow. For you, ma’am.

Was that supposed to make her feel better? Was he hitting on her? Did this work with other women? Was that what they taught him in the military? Please. Her husband had been a military man. She wasn’t going back there.

Thanks, she said, tossing the bundled hooks back into the container and snapping it shut. She forced a grin, then picked up her load.

Can I help you carry that? Michael asked.

No, I’m fine, thank you. She was a woman, not a weakling. Her feet moved faster than the rest of her and she nearly lost her balance. What was wrong with her? She turned for one last glance at Michael and saw him helping his mother out of the shop.

Once inside the sanctity of her office, Anna closed the door and tried to calm her pounding heart. She couldn’t imagine why Michael had unnerved her so. Maybe because he was a man of uniform—or had been. She’d been there, done that.

When she regained her composure, she went back into the store and walked over to Sally Sanderson. Sally was one of Anna’s dearest customers and friends. I’m going to the bakery, Sally. I’ll be right back. Will you watch the shop?

Will do, the older woman said.

Anna would rather walk down to Mountain Perks, say hello to her niece Natalie, and grab a mocha, but she thought her customers might enjoy some cookies.

After a quick trip to the bakery, Anna stepped back inside the Sit ’n Knit, brushed the snow from her shoulders, and pulled off her coat. I’m back. She hung her coat on the wooden rack, then walked over to the group of knitters sitting in the circle, needles clacking away. She waved her bag through the air. I got some cookies from next door. Oohs and aahs followed.

You’re too good to us, Sally said. But I like it. Her needles paused long enough for her to pluck a cookie from the bag. Mm, they’re still warm.

Count yourself lucky, Anna said, straightening her checkout station. It’s getting colder outside. Wind gusts up to thirty miles an hour.

Brr, Debbie Matney said with a shiver. That’s why I love being in here where it’s warm, knitting with my favorite people.

The others nodded while munching on their cookies. Anna smiled