The Quilter's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page A

don’t start bawling.”
    Jimmy sniffed and handed Jim the quilt.
    I should have thrown this thing out years ago instead of stashing it away with my paint rags. If Linda ever sees the quilt, she’ll start asking questions, and then I’ll have some serious explaining to do.
    “Jimmy, I want you to go inside the house and tell MommyI’ll be ready for lunch in a few minutes.”
    “Okay.” Jimmy hesitated a moment, then pointed to the quilt. “Can I have that, Daddy?”
    “No! And don’t mention it to your mother. Is that clear?”
    Jimmy blinked, and for a moment Jim thought the boy was going to give in to his tears.
    Jim held the quilt at his side as he squatted in front of his son. “This is just an old rag. It’s nothing you’d want to play with. Understand?”
    Jimmy nodded soberly, then turned toward the door leading to the house. His shoulders were slumped, and he hung his head as though he’d lost one of his favorite toys. Jim felt like a heel, but he couldn’t let Jimmy have the quilt. “I’ll be in soon,” he called to his son’s retreating form.
    As soon as Jimmy was out of sight, Jim made a beeline for his work van. He snapped the back door open and stuffed the quilt inside, burying it under a canvas tarp. When he returned to work after lunch, he would ditch the incriminating piece of evidence.
    “Out of sight, out of mind,” Jim mumbled. But even as the words tumbled out of his mouth, he wondered if he would ever be free of his deception. Jimmy wasn’t legally theirs, and no matter how hard he tried, Jim would never forget the day he had kidnapped the boy.

A bby stretched her tired neck and shoulder muscles as she sank onto the wooden stool behind the counter where she waited on customers. For the past week she’d been working at the quilt shop alone. Lena had gone to the doctor, and her pregnancy had been confirmed. Since her morning sickness was not any better, Harold insisted she quit helping Abby at the store. He had asked his mother-in-law, Esther, to help Lena with some of the chores at home, saying that he wanted his wife to rest as much as possible. Abby had talked with Rachel about the possibility of her coming to work in the quilt shop, but her friend had just gotten word that her application at the Farmstead restaurant had been accepted. None of the women who regularly made quilts to be sold at the store seemed interested in working full time, and Abby wondered if she would ever find someone to take Lena’s place. Soon it would be summer, and then even more tourists would flock to Holmes County, which meant her shop would often be full of people.
    The bell above the front door jingled, and Abby glanced up to see who had come in. It was Lester, carrying a paper sack and wearing his usual cheerful smile.
    “I knew you wouldn’t be able to go out to eat today, so I brought you some lunch.” He placed the sack on the counter and smiled.
    Abby was happy she was betrothed to such a considerate man. “Danki. That was thoughtful.” She reached for the sack. “What’d you bring?”
    “Got us an order of fried chicken, coleslaw, and some hotpotato salad from the Farmstead restaurant. Saw your friend Rachel waiting tables.”
    “She started working there a couple days ago.” Abby peeked inside the sack, and the pleasing aroma of warm chicken caused her to lick her lips. “ Umm . . .it sure smells good.”
    “Want to eat here, or would ya rather go out to the picnic table in back of your store?” Lester asked.
    “I guess we’d better stay put, in case a customer comes in.”
    “Jah, okay.” Lester pulled another stool over to the counter, sat down beside Abby, and took her hand. They bowed for silent prayer; then he reached into the sack and withdrew their lunch.
    Abby unfolded the napkins and placed the plastic silverware beside their paper plates, while Lester poured cups of iced tea from the thermos he’d brought along. They ate in companionable silence, until Lester