Free Secretly Smitten by Diann Hunt Denise Hunter Kristin Billerbeck Colleen Coble

up her favorite Jell-O mixed with cottage cheese and fruit.
    Tess lifted the lasagna pan from the oven and placed it on the stove. “Dinner will be ready as soon as the garlic cheese bread is toasted.” She slid in a pan of bread she’d brought.
    Her mother was frowning as she stared at the lasagna. “Is that low-calorie cheese?” Her gaze went from the bubbling topping to Tess’s hips.
    Tess shuddered. “Low fat is nasty.”
    “But, sweetheart, you’ll never lose those ten pounds eating all that fattening stuff. And it’s bad for you.”
    “Natural fat is good for you. Don’t even try to take away my real butter.”
    Her mother gulped and stepped away. “Well, you know what’s best for you, of course. Let’s go shopping next week. I saw the cutest sweater at Moose Creek.”
    That was Mom’s usual strategy. Offer motherly advice, then quickly segue to just-us-girls-having-fun mode. Sometimes Tess wanted to shout at her, “Just be a mother!” But she clamped her jaw shut and pulled out the garlic cheese bread. “Food’s ready.”
    She loved Grandma’s dining room. The coffered ceiling made the huge room feel cozy. The original plaster walls were painted a muted tan with hints of yellow. An entire wall of windows let sunlight stream into the room to illuminate her grandmother’s collection of blue-and-white dishes. This room had been the scene of lots of meals filled with laughter.
    Her grandmother sat at the head of the table. Aunt Violet was to her left and Aunt Petunia to her right. “Sit close, Anna,” her grandmother said. “I want to talk about Zoe’s latest scheme.”
    The girls exchanged alarmed glances. “How did you hear about it?” Zoe asked.
    “This is Smitten, child. Anything you do is public knowledge in twenty-four hours.”
    Aunt Violet tittered. “A romance business. I think it’s a wonderful idea, Zoe.”
    Zoe eased back in her chair and scooped a helping of Jell-O onto her plate. “You do?”
    “Of course. I might join myself.”
    Zoe glanced at her grandmother. “How about you, Grandma? You have an online account.”
    “Oh my goodness, no, Zoe. All my romance is behind me.”
    Perfect opportunity. Tess took the salad bowl from Zoe and put some greens on her plate. “I guess you’ve had your fair share of romance, Grandma. We had no idea you’d been engaged before Grandpa.” She ignored her mother’s panicked shake of the head. “I’d like to know more about this David fellow and what happened.”
    Her grandmother’s smile was forced. “That’s old history, honey. And rather painful, if you don’t mind a little honesty.”
    “I can only imagine,” Clare put in. “To get that kind of news while you’re waiting for him to return must have been hard. Who told you? Did someone come from the army?”
    “Yes, two nice soldiers showed up at the door. I was visiting his parents when they came, so we all heard the news together.” She blinked rapidly, then put her napkin on her lap. “He wasn’t the only one to die in that battle. They had his belongings from the barracks, but his dog tags weren’t found.”
    Tess noticed the way her grandmother’s hands trembled and the way she was biting her lip. Maybe she should change the subject.
    “Then how did they end up here?” Zoe asked.
    Tess pinched her sister’s thigh and shot her a warning glance. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, Grandma,” she said.
    “It’s about time someone changed the subject,” Anna said. “This is much too painful for your grandmother.”
    Grandma shook her head. “I think the girls are right to ask me about it. It’s all been hidden too long. What would you like to know about David?”
    Clare began to cut squares of lasagna. She exchanged a startled glance with Tess. “What made you fall in love with him? How long did you know him?”
    Grandma laughed. “Oh, David was quite the charmer, wasn’t he, Violet? All of the girls were crazy about him. Tall and