Melanie's Blue Skirt — Bonnie Engstrom

Two lonely women. Natalie and Melanie are the only ones of the seven Candy Cane friends who are unattached. Even physically disabled Doreen has a lover. The others are all married. All loved and protected. What is wrong with Mel? And Nat who collapses in motherly Claire's arms sobbing, “I am lost, a lost cause.” Melanie tries to fill the emptiness with Lola the scruffy rescue dog who is so cuddly. Can lovable Lola with the big ears, long snout and dark eyebrows overcome Melanie's loneliness? Natalie at least has a budding romance with Larry. But, his dark skin and numerous tattoos could be a problem. Still, she's attracted to him, and he to her. Until he and Melanie meet and sparks fly �" across a hospital room and land on her blue skirt in her special God color. Larry drops hints about a secret he has, but everyone has secrets, don't they? And, friends don't pry. Jaeda finds that out when Connie deceives him about her pregnancy. Doreen fears Bill, Jr. loves her out of pity. Cindy is angry her mission to plant a church in Costa Rica is failing. Candy and Noelle are the only women of the group who seem secure. Suddenly surprises become the norm. Connie's surprise is a mind-boggling statistical anomaly. Larry's secret shatters Melanie's trust. Will any of the women have a normal life, a normal love? What happened to the Love and Marriage and the Baby Carriage they all dreamed for? Will faith and friendship redeem them?