Vanessa Stevens is shocked by the death of Andy Marin, a friend from college, especially when authorities initially rule the death a suicide. She confides in her mother, top crochet fashion designer and author Kate Stevens, that Andy had become distraught after a confrontation with Vanessa. Vanessa can’t help but wonder if she is to blame for his death. Kate seeks to help her daughter, convincing her to join Kate in teaching a class in beginner crochet at the Once Upon a Yarn needlecraft shop. There Kate and Vanessa encounter a twelve-year-old waif named Cory Evans, an orphan Kate fears is headed for a tough life if she doesn’t get help. In fact, Kate’s first interaction with Cory leads her to suspect the girl has shoplifted an item in the local pharmacy in Sage Hills, Texas. She has no proof of the theft, and a confrontation with Cory only brings an aloof and resentful response. Vanessa and Cory aren’t Kate’s only problems. When Kate’s ex-husband, Harry Stevens, hears of Vanessa’s traumatic experience, he is quick to fly from Maine to Texas. Harry tries to win back Kate’s heart—the one he broke into a thousand pieces years ago. Will his overtures and Vanessa’s assurances that her father has changed his ways convince Kate to give their relationship another try? What about Peter Matthews, the ruggedly handsome Fort Worth homicide detective Kate has been dating for months now? Kate tries to dodge all of the emotional fireworks while solving the mystery of how Andy died in Double Cross Crochet.