The road to town seemed longer than usual, the grey asphalt stretching under a sky of the same shade. In the truck, the radio whispered weather reports, but my mind was elsewhere. Rosa's grocery list for the ranch pantry was on the passenger seat, along with the quotes from new firewood suppliers I needed to review. Work. Always work. It was easier.
But as I drove through the small town center, something in a shop window made me hit the brakes harder than necessary.
It wasn't just any shop. It was "Little Star," a baby boutique I must have passed a hundred times and never noticed. The window was decorated with tiny furniture, stuffed animals, and in the center, a pile of knitted blankets in soft colors.
My eyes locked onto one in particular. It was light blue, almost grey, with a textur
