Falling to Pieces Read Online Free PDF

soul.”
    “And how can you help her?”
    “We have a good community here. People would support the store if she were to reopen it.”
    “She told you no.”
    “But she didn’t mean no.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    “Intuition.”
    He didn’t argue with her. They rarely argued, though when they did it was short and fierce—like the storms that raged in the spring.
    Deborah allowed him to fall into a deep slumber, nestled in his arms.
    She wondered if Callie Harper had found her groceries and her cellular phone.
    Who did she plan to call with it?
    Were there people who would come and help her to restore Daisy’s Quilt Shop to its former condition?
    And then would she put it up for sale with Mr. King? Jonas had promised to speak with him tomorrow.
    Deborah didn’t know how this new twist would end for her and Melinda and Esther.
    She was, however, glad she had managed to leave the quilts on Callie’s dusty counter. It didn’t guarantee that the woman would change her mind, decide to reopen the shop, and agree to honor the deal to sell the quilts; but Deborah had seen the wistful way she’d stared at the medallion quilt. It was the only time she’d shown real interest in her surroundings. Surely that had been a sign.
    She’d stop back by soon.
    Until then, she’d pray that the quilts worked their way into Callie’s heart.
    He stood under the canopy of one of the older shops, one of the shops he knew didn’t have security cameras. Pulling out his cell phone, he punched in the boss’s number. “The package isn’t in his house.”
    He listened a few more minutes, then disconnected the call.
    As far as locations went, Shipshewana wasn’t the worst, but it could be the most bizarre. Just as he was about to cross the street, a horse and buggy appeared out of the darkness, causing his heart rate to accelerate, causing him to reach for his gun.
    That was the last thing he needed to do—shoot some farm animal in the middle of Main Street. One more reason he hated being here.
    Find the package and he could head home.
    Which was exactly what he intended to do, no matter what measures were required.

Chapter 4
    C ALLIE WAS SITTING in front of the windows of her upstairs apartment. It was mid-afternoon of the next day, and she was astounded at the number of people on the street below. When had Shipshewana become so busy?
    Her fingers traced the letters on the cover of the book in her lap—JOURNAL. She’d found it while cleaning this morning. It seemed almost like trespassing to look inside, but her desire to know more about her aunt had won over the slight twinge of guilt.
    She slowly traced the J with one finger, traced it and thought about the single page she’d randomly opened to. February 4 th , four years ago—
    My heart aches for Callie, Father. I know her newborn daughter is in your arms, safe with you, but I also know her pain is great. Comfort her today. Comfort Rick. Show them your love, even in their time of sorrow.
    Earlier she had slapped the journal shut and pushed it back into the drawer on the night stand. Reading about those days, even from her aunt’s perspective, caused the wounds to bleed anew. She found it easier to concentrate on the basket of laundrythat needed folding. It had stacked up over the last week. But as she’d folded her mind kept going back to the journal. Now she sat holding it, wondering what else was there, wondering whether she had the courage to read more. She had begun reading again when not one but two buggies pulled up in front of the shop.
    Two men with long beards, straw hats, dark pants, light-colored dress shirts, and suspenders stepped out of the buggies. They stood looking at the shop and talking. One of the men carried a cane, though he didn’t seem to be leaning on it.
    “I’ll never get used to people not calling first,” she confessed to Max.
    For his part, the dog looked thrilled to have company. He ran to the door and waited expectantly for her to