Spells & Stitches Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  BARBARA BRETTON: THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF KNITTING

  WHO’S WHO IN SUGAR MAPLE

  JEREMY BREDESON: THE MAGIC OF FIBER

  JEREMY BREDESON: NO MORE MOTHS!

  KALI AMANDA BROWNE: ALL BY HAND, PUERTO RICAN STYLE

  ARROZ CON GANDULES

  ELIZABETH DELISI: PI OPENWORK DISHCLOTH

  LISA SOUZA: BIRTHDAY

  FRAN BAKER: FEATHER & FAN BABY AFGHAN

  DUSTY MILLS: TANGIBLE HEREDITY

  DAWN BROCCO: BABY’S FIRST CARDIGAN

  MONICA JINES: TIPS WHEN KNITTING FOR BABIES

  RACHAEL HERRON: FIVE THINGS ABOUT KNITTING FOR BABIES

  JANET SPAETH: LULLABY

  Titles by Barbara Bretton

  “THE REGION OF THE HEART IS HER TERRITORY.”

  —Susan Elizabeth Phillips

  SPUN BY SORCERY

  “This story has a lot of action, twists, turns, and just when you think you know what is going on, you hit a detour and it takes you somewhere else ... In my opinion, Barbara can’t write fast enough.”

  —Night Owl Reviews

  “The story line is fast-paced yet character-driven by the courageous threesome who knit together what is going on in Salem (past and present) that has stolen away Sugar Maple. Readers will enjoy the return to Sugar Maple even with the town no longer listed in MapQuest.”

  —Genre Go Round Reviews

  LACED WITH MAGIC

  “Laced with Magic has a well-rounded cast of characters, an enchanting story line, and the surprise ending will leave readers eager for another visit to Sugar Maple.”

  —Darque Reviews

  “There’s no such thing as an easy choice in this poignant, magical story of love and sacrifice. Bretton spins an incredible tale.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “A lighthearted satirical blending of a knitting cozy with a paranormal romance.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “Bretton has created a paranormal series that is both engaging and timely; for those who like their fantasy with a down-home flair.”

  —Library Journal

  “Another light, frothy tale ... plenty of amusing touches of supernatural humor (via the townsfolk) and a nice progression of Chloe and Luke’s romance.”

  —Bookloons.com

  “I was expecting a light revisit to Sugar Maple. What I was not expecting is a story that is witty, enchanting, exciting, and at times totally heart-wrenching.”

  —TalesofWhimsy.com (five stars)

  CASTING SPELLS

  “Bretton spins an imaginative and charming tale.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “Tongue-in-cheek humor lifts this weird but fun hybrid, part knitting cozy, part paranormal romance, from romance veteran Bretton.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Whimsical and satirical ... Barbara Bretton casts a spell on readers with a charming urban fantasy romantic police procedural.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  JUST DESSERTS

  “A real treat.”

  —A Romance Review

  “Good pacing and dialogue make this warmhearted story one that readers are sure to relish.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “There are surprising, funny twists to this story and a lot of touching episodes to pique the emotional side ... Highly entertaining, cleverly written, and hard to put down.”

  —Fresh Fiction

  “A fun, romantic read. I enjoyed it and recommend it for all those who like a great story filled with humor and romance.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  JUST LIKE HEAVEN

  “I laughed, I cried, I cheered ... Bravo, Barbara Bretton . . . another winner!”

  —Contemporary Romance Writers

  “Just Like Heaven . . . is exactly that.”

  —Romance Reader at Heart

  “This one will keep you reading past your bedtime.”

  —BellaOnline

  SOMEONE LIKE YOU

  “Bretton, a master storyteller, superbly dramatizes a great range of emotions in this compelling tale.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “Readers who appreciate a powerful character study that digs deep into cause and effect will want to read Barbara Bretton’s fine convincing tale.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  CHANCES ARE

  “Alternately poignant and humorous, this contemporary romance gracefully illuminates life’s highs and lows.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Ms. Bretton provides a fine return to the Jersey Shore with this warm family drama.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  GIRLS OF SUMMER

  “Barbara Bretton is a master at touching readers’ hearts. Grab this one when it hits the shelves! A perfect ten!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A moving romance ... Barbara Bretton provides a deep tale of f individuals struggling with caring connections of the heart.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A book readers will want to savor.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Bretton excels at women’s fiction that engages the emotions without manipulating them ... I highly recommend that discriminating readers pay a visit to these Girls of Summer.”

  —The Romance Reader

  SHORE LIGHTS

  “An engrossing tale of hope, promise, heartache, and misplaced dreams.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “[A] warm, wonderful book.”

  —Booklist

  “Powerful.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “A lovely book ... It’s an uplifting story, warm and cozy, and easily recommended.”

  —All About Romance

  “An absolute wonder of creative writing that comes right from Barbara Bretton’s heart. A perfect ten.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  And acclaim for the other novels of Barbara Bretton . . .

  “Bretton’s characters are always real and their conflicts believable.”

  —Chicago Sun-Times

  “One of today’s best women’s fiction authors.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Honest, witty ... absolutely unforgettable.”

  —Rendezvous

  “A classic adult fairy tale.”

  —Affaire de Cœur

  “Dialogue flows easily and characters spring quickly to life.”

  —Rocky Mountain News

  Titles by Barbara Bretton

  SPELLS AND STITCHES

  SPUN BY SORCERY

  LACED WITH MAGIC

  CASTING SPELLS

  JUST DESSERTS

  JUST LIKE HEAVEN

  SOMEONE LIKE YOU
<
br />   CHANCES ARE

  GIRLS OF SUMMER

  SHORE LIGHTS

  A SOFT PLACE TO FALL

  AT LAST

  THE DAY WE MET

  ONCE AROUND

  SLEEPING ALONE

  MAYBE THIS TIMES

  ONE AND ONLY

  Anthologies

  THE CHRISTMAS CAT

  (with Julie Beard, Jo Beverly, and Lynn Kurland)

  THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada

  (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)

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  (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)

  Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,

  South Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  BERKLEY® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley trade paperback edition / December 2011

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Bretton, Barbara.

  Spells & stitches / Barbara Bretton.—1st Berkeley trade pbk. ed.

  p. cm.—(A knitting mystery ; 4)

  ISBN : 978-1-101-55275-9

  1. Women merchants—Fiction. 2. Mother and child—Fiction. 3. Knitting shops—Fiction. 4. Magic—Fiction. 5. Vermont—Fiction. I. Title. II. Title: Spells and stitches.

  PS3552.R435S67 2011

  813’.54—dc22

  2011026867

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  For my husband, Roy.

  For everything. Forever.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Special thanks (and much love) to Angela Cairns Bretton, R.N., for her help.

  1

  SUGAR MAPLE, VERMONT—STICKS & STRINGS

  Do you know the recipe for crazy?

  Take one picture-postcard New England town with a magickal secret, add busloads of crazed yarnaholics on a mission from Elizabeth Zimmermann, fold in a steady stream of walk-in knitting groupies seduced by the “30% Off” sign in the window of the most popular knit shop in the Northeast, then mix them all together with a hormonal sorceress-in-training, and trust me when I say that anything can happen.

  I’m Chloe Hobbs, the very pregnant owner of Sticks & Strings, and, believe me, I was knee-deep in crazy and we were still five hours away from closing. I’d been up since the crack of dawn, rearranging stock, fixing displays of knitted garments, entering new prices into the computer, and riding herd on runaway magick. In the old days, before magick and pregnancy took over my life, I looked forward to our Black Friday sale the way a kid looked forward to Christmas. With nothing but Red Bull and Chips Ahoy, I juggled runaway yarn and crazed customers from all points on the compass, and still managed to keep Sugar Maple’s secrets safe from prying eyes.

  Who knew that pregnancy and magick would be such a volatile combination? My half-human hormones were running amok while my sorceress-in-training magick followed right behind. I cried crystals during an episode of Mad Men. I hiccuped soap bubbles. I accidentally locked a platoon of pixies in the freezer and had to warm them up in a nest of orphaned toe-up socks. And there was the time I broke out in spells and sent two customers from Idaho on a wild ride up the Green Mountains clinging to a giant yarn swift. I won’t tell you how many favors I had to call in that night to undo the mess, but the ladies went home to Boise with nothing more than a slight headache and five pounds of six-ply cashmere.

  The trick today was to stay calm and count on my inner Zen master to get me through the chaos of our Black Friday sale without sending any more customers on unscheduled sightseeing trips.

  But after eight months of putting out magickal fires I was exhausted and the urge to curl up in the corner, any corner, and catch forty (or four hundred) winks was downright irresistible.

  “Don’t even think about it,” my friend Lynette Pendragon said as she bustled past with an armload of swirly-soft angora in saturated Easter egg pastels. “You can nap later.”

  I shot her a fierce look. “I thought you were a shapeshifter, not a mind reader.”

  “Honey, you know your face gives you away every time. You were looking at that sofa the same way you looked at Luke when he first came to town.”

  Luke was the man responsible for the baby girl due to join our family on January first. He was not only the love of my life, he was also our chief of police and only resident full-blood human, a fact that still kept some of our villagers looking over their collective shoulder.

  Over three hundred years ago my ancestor Aerynn had led the exodus of magickal creatures from Salem to Sugar Maple to escape the all-too-human devastation caused by the infamous Witch Trials. Before she pierced the veil many years later, she cast a protective spell around her beloved town that would shield it from human mischief as long as one of her descendants walked the earth.

  This time last year it had looked like that moment was about to arrive. Without a daughter to continue the Hobbs lineage, the buck stopped with me and so would our one-of-a-kind security system. Sugar Maple’s true nature would be revealed for the entire world to see and we all knew that would be the end of us.

  Let me spell it out for you: I was a tall, skinny, single, half-human, half-magick cat lover who hadn’t been on a second date since high school. Grim didn’t begin to cover my prospects.

  The residents of Sugar Maple cast a wide net that pulled in every unattached vampire and werewolf, selkie and troll in our dimension. Who would have thought there could be so many Mr. Wrongs in one little town? When my closest friends started hinting that Fae bad boy Dane might be the answer to my prayers, I was ready to join a convent. Forbes the Mountain Giant was a better choice.

  Their best attempts at hooking me up with someone—anyone!—had only sent me deeper into Top Model reruns and embarrassing encounters with boxed wine and Cherry Garcia as the town spiraled closer to disaster.

  And then Luke walked into my life and in an instant, everything changed.

  I loved Luke and he loved me back. The magick I had waited my entire life to possess was growing stronger. The town I cherished was once again at peace and thriving. My baby girl shifted position inside me and I smiled. As far as I could see, our future was golden.

  But that still didn’t mean I could take my eye off the ball. Magick was all well and good, but sometimes you needed a little hands-on human intervention.

  “Not so fast, Lynnie.” I reached over and plucked a fluffy yellow feather from her shoulder. “Fourth t
ime this week.”

  Lynette blew out a sigh. “Now you know why I never wear black.”

  Although she refused to admit it, Lynette had a slight problem with transitioning. She was a brilliant shapeshifter but not so terrific when it came to reclaiming her natural form. If I had a dollar for every time Lynette had landed on my stovetop or in my sink during the final stages of transition, I’d be driving a new Rolls-Royce instead of a last-century Buick. Her husband, Cyrus, had been trying to convince her she needed glasses but she was having none of it. I was afraid nothing less than singeing off her tail feathers in a Samhain bonfire would convince the vain shapeshifter that it might be time to embrace middle age.

  At least, I thought she was approaching middle age. In Sugar Maple, age was anybody’s guess. We had adapted to the world of humans but we still weren’t part of it. Our internal clocks followed a very different schedule. In human years, one of our preschoolers might be eligible for AARP.