Free Skein of the Crime by Maggie Sefton Page B

how much I’ve finished.” She held up an almost finished vest. “This is how I kept my sanity on the phone with my mom.”
    “Wow, maybe that’s why my knitting takes longer,” Kelly mused. “I don’t have any crazed relatives calling to nag me.”
    “Where would you and Marty like to have the ceremony?” Lisa asked. “You haven’t said.”
    Megan’s fingers picked up speed. “Actually, we’d love an outdoor ceremony if we could guarantee a beautiful fall day. But this is Colorado. There are no guarantees. Weather changes in a heartbeat. But it would be gorgeous to be standing in some little valley surrounded by pine trees with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.”
    Kelly could picture that. She understood the call of the mountains. Gorgeous, captivating views. Kelly had been captivated herself. So much so, she’d actually bought mountain property to enjoy the views. Unfortunately, that property had a history of conflict attached to it, and Kelly willingly let it go. Now, she shied away when the mountains started singing their siren song.
    She had gotten used to living in town now and was no longer sure she wanted to drive back and forth into the canyon every day and night. Especially on winding, twisting roads. Canyon living was beautiful, but driving could be treacherous, especially in the winter. Kelly had personal experience with that.
    “Boy, that does sound pretty.” Lisa looked off into the yarn room. “Maybe there are places in the canyons that you could rent for the ceremony. You know, then we could all come back into town for the reception.”
    “I don’t know, that sounds like double the work,” Megan said dubiously.
    “You know, Megan, there are places that schedule weddings and receptions near Rocky Mountain National Park,” Jennifer offered. “I was at one several years ago. They had the ceremony down near the creek right by the water. Then the reception was held inside this main building that had a dining hall and outside decks and all that. It was really pretty.”
    Megan brightened. “Really? Where is it? What’s it called?”
    “Oh, I know which place you’re talking about,” Lisa broke in. “I went to a day meeting there. It’s private, but it’s right outside the entrance to the national park.”
    “Guys, that’s still in Estes Park over seventy-five hundred feet up. Bad weather blows in fast there.”
    Megan dug in her bag. “Let me write that down anyway, so I can check with the park service.”
    Mimi walked into the room then, arms filled with yarns. Her somber gaze swept the table, landing on Megan, and her face lit up. “Megan! I’m so glad you came in. I heard the wonderful news, and I wanted to give you a big hug.” Mimi dumped the yarns onto the table and hurried over to Megan.
    They both embraced. “Oh, I’m so excited for you,” Mimi said. “We all need some happy news around here.” She squeezed Megan again. “I bet your family is ecstatic.”
    “Crazed is more like it,” Megan said when they separated. “My mom is so excited she may not last a year till the ceremony.”
    Mimi laughed. “I’ll bet. Have you two decided on the date yet? You mentioned a year from now.”
    “Yeah, we have some savings goals we’re trying to meet first. Plus, it looks like we’ll need all that time just to organize things.”
    “Well, I’ll be more than happy to help you organize if you need me. After all, you did such a tremendous job with our wedding.”
    “Uh-oh, Megan,” Kelly warned with a grin. “It’s payback time. Remember how you ran Mimi and Burt ragged getting their wedding organized.”
    Everyone around the table laughed at that memory. Burt and Mimi were exhausted.
    “Actually, I could use your help organizing this thing, Mimi. And I may have you try to calm my mother down. She’s gone into hyper-wedding planner mode. My sister didn’t have a wedding so it’s all come down to me, I guess. I’m going to need some help with her. To