The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt Page 5

  Terry and Jan had only been working a short time, when a sporty looking, silver-gray car pulled into the yard. A slender young woman with short blond hair worn in a bob stepped out of the car. She was dressed in beige slacks and a rose-colored pullover sweater that showed off her womanly curves. She glanced up at the house, then opened her trunk and removed a cardboard box. Glancing briefly at Terry and Jan, she headed for Emma’s house, walking with an air of confidence.

  “Now there’s a real looker,” Terry said, as the woman stepped onto the porch.

  Jan rolled his blue eyes. “She’s probably here for Emma’s quilt class, and don’t get any dumb ideas, ’cause she’s most likely married. Even if she’s not, she looks too sophisticated for a guy like you.”

  “What are you sayin’, man? You think I’m not good enough for someone like her?”

  “I ain’t saying that at all. Just don’t think you’d have anything in common with the woman.” Jan motioned to her car. “For crying out loud, she drives a Corvette. How’s that compare to your beat-up truck?”

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out if she’s married or not,” Terry said, ignoring Jan’s remark.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

  Terry rubbed his hands briskly together. “I’ll go in the house and check things out.”

  Jan grunted. “Check out what, Terry? Are you just gonna barge into Emma’s home and ask the blond-haired chick if she’s married? And if she’s not, are ya gonna ask her out?”

  Terry shrugged. “I might.”

  “Don’t be such a sap. Emma would be shocked if you did something like that, and the cute little blond would probably laugh right in your face.”

  “Maybe not. Maybe she likes the strong, silent type.”

  Jan leaned his head back and roared. “You, the silent type? Now that’s a good one!”

  “Well, maybe I’m not silent all of the time, but I am strong.” Terry gave his ponytail a flip and chuckled. “Could be, too, that the pretty little thing likes men with flaming red hair.”

  Jan pointed to the shingles nearby. “Just get busy picking these up and quit fantasizing.”

  Terry’s eyebrows lifted. “Fantasizing? Where’d you pick up a word like that?”

  “I ain’t stupid, ya know.” Jan shook his head. “For your information, being around Star so much and listening to some of the song lyrics she’s written has broadened my vocabulary.”

  Terry bent down and grabbed an armful of shingles. “If you say so.”

  After heaving the shingles into the bed of the trailer, Terry turned to Jan and said, “Just as soon as we’re done here, I think I’ll go inside and see what I can find out about the blond. Is that okay with you?”

  Jan turned his hands palms up. “Suit yourself. Just don’t say I didn’t give you fair warning if someone throws you out on your ear. I’d hate to have to say, ‘I told you so.’ ”

  When Emma heard a knock on the front door, she turned to Lamar and said, “Would you mind getting that? It’s probably Jan. I saw him and Terry pull into the yard a bit ago.”

  “Sure, no problem. You go on teaching the class, and I’ll be back in a minute.” Lamar shuffled out of the room, moving at a slower pace than usual. Emma hoped his back wasn’t hurting again. He’d had trouble with it since he’d bent the wrong way to pick something up two weeks ago. A few visits to the chiropractor and Lamar said his back felt better, but maybe he just didn’t want her to worry.

  Turning back to her students, Emma was disappointed that Anna seemed bored. Rather than looking at the samples of material Emma had shown them a few minutes ago, the young woman sat staring out the window as though in a daze.

  She doesn’t want to be here, Emma thought. I don’t know why Anna’s mother thinks I’ll be able to teach her to quilt. She won’t learn a thing unless she wants to, so the money Ira and Linda spent on the classes for their daughter might be a complete waste. Well, all I can do is try to get through to her and hope for the best.

  When Lamar returned to the quilting room, a slender, attractive woman was with him. Her pretty blond hair reminded Emma of one of her earlier students, Pam Johnston, only this woman’s hair was shorter and worn in a bob.

  “Emma, this is Cheryl Halverson,” Lamar said. “She brought you a quilt.”

  “It’s my grandmother’s quilt,” Cheryl was quick to explain. “It’s in pretty bad condition, and I was wondering if you could repair it for me.” Cheryl set the box she held on one end of the table and opened the lid. When she lifted out a tattered old quilt, Emma slowly shook her head. “Oh my, that does need to be mended.”

  Lamar’s forehead creased. “Can you do it, or is it beyond repair?”

  “The ends are quite frayed, and there are several tears, but I think it’s salvageable.”

  Cheryl smiled at Emma with a look of relief.

  When Emma opened the quilt more fully, she saw the pattern in it. “Why, this looks like a traditional Amish wedding-ring quilt. Is your grandmother Amish?”

  “Oh no,” Cheryl said with a shake of her head. “It’s a quilt someone gave her when she got married.”

  “They most likely bought it in an Amish quilt shop,” Anna interjected.

  Emma was pleased to see the girl taking an interest in the quilt. Well, maybe not an interest, but at least she was offering her opinion.

  “Yes, that’s probably how it happened alright.” Cheryl glanced at Emma’s students, sitting around the table with curious expressions. “I apologize if I’ve interrupted something. I really should have called first and made an appointment to bring the quilt by.”

  “That’s all right. We’re having a quilt class,” Emma explained. “This is the first one, and we’ll meet every Saturday for the next six weeks.”

  “That sounds interesting.”

  Emma smiled. “Would you like to join us?”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that.” Cheryl hesitated, tapping her fingernails on the table. “I’m all thumbs when it comes to sewing.”

  “Join the club,” Blaine put in. “None of us here knows anything about making a quilt.”

  “Except for me,” Selma spoke up. “I—I mean, I’ve never made one, but I do know how to sew. Quite well, I might add.”

  Emma turned her attention back to Cheryl. “If you’d really like to join the class, we’d be happy to have you.”

  Cheryl smiled, revealing a small dimple in each of her cheeks. “Yes, I would,” she said, taking a seat. “And I’ll be happy to pay whatever the cost.”

  Carmen couldn’t believe how kind Emma was to a complete stranger. But then, she’d been kind to her, too. In fact, when Paul had introduced Carmen to Emma, she’d been welcomed as though she was a good friend.

  Carmen’s conscience pricked her a bit. If Emma knew the real reason I decided to take this class, she probably wouldn’t have been so welcoming. I need to make sure to keep that a secret—from Emma as well as Paul.

  “Now I want to show all of you what your quilted wall hangings will look like when they’re done,” Emma said, holding up a small colorful quilt with various shades of blue. “We’ll begin today by choosing the colors we want and then cutting out the log cabin squares and the points for the star.”

  Carmen snuck a peek at Selma, just waiting for her to complain about something. What was with that woman, anyway? Did she always walk around wearing a scowl? She probably doesn’t realize how much older it makes her look. She does have beautiful white hair, though.

  Carmen couldn’t help wondering what Selma must have looked like years ago and what made her seem so unhappy. Her wrinkles seemed to be a part of the frown embedded on her face. She certainly had the remnants of a nice tan, and if you took away those deeply etched lines, Selma probably hadn’t been a bad-looking lady in her younger years.

  Regrettably, Carmen could relate in some ways with whatever was making Selma so touchy. She, herself, had things to overcome. And soon, if she wasn’t careful, she’d end up looking ol
der than her twenty-four years.

  Carmen glanced at Anna as they started picking out colors. She was definitely the age for rumschpringe and seemed to have a chip on her shoulder. Could she be like one of those rebellious teenagers portrayed on the TV show Carmen had seen last week?

  Maybe I’ll get the chance to question the girl. If not today, then perhaps next Saturday. I’m confident that by the end of six weeks, I’ll have my story.

  “Okay, man, I’m going inside now,” Terry said once he and Jan had finished loading the shingles.

  “You’re really going into Emma’s house?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “What excuse are you gonna use for going in there?” Jan asked.

  “I’ll ask for a glass of water, or say that I need to use the bathroom. I’m determined to find out if that blond is available.”

  Jan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you serious?”

  “Yep.”

  “Give me a break, man. I mean, you can’t just waltz in there and start plying the woman with a bunch of personal questions.”

  “I’m not gonna ask a bunch of questions. Just need to find out whether she’s single or not.”

  “How do you aim to do that? Are you just gonna introduce yourself and then blurt out, ‘Oh, and by the way, are you married?’ ”

  “No way! I’m not dumb enough to do that. I’m gonna get to know the woman first.”

  “How’s that gonna happen in the few minutes you’ll be in the house? It don’t take that long to drink a glass of water, you know.”

  Terry rubbed the side of his face. “Hmm…You’re right. That could be a problem, unless I take a slow drink.” He tapped his foot and contemplated things a bit more. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. “I’ve got it! If I can’t get the answers I want right away, then I’ll see if Emma has room for one more in her quilting class.”

  “Ha! Ha! Ha! Now that’s a good one!” Jan rocked back and forth on his heels, laughing so hard, tears ran down his cheeks.

  “It’s not funny,” Terry mumbled. “If you can learn to quilt, then so can I. And if I find out the little gal’s not married, I’m gonna ask her out.”

  “Well, if you’re determined to do this, then I’m going in with you, ’cause this I’ve just gotta see!”

  CHAPTER 7

  Shouldn’t we have knocked first?” Terry asked when Jan opened Emma’s back door and stepped into her kitchen.

  “Nope,” Jan said, going to the cupboard and getting two glasses down. “When I told Lamar we’d be coming by today to pick up the old shingles, he said if we needed anything, the back door would be unlocked and to just walk right in.” He handed Terry one of the glasses. “Here you go.”

  “Any ideas how I can find out whether the little blond’s married or not?”

  Jan filled his glass with water and took a drink. “Beats me. This was your dumb idea, so you figure it out.”

  “Maybe we could go in there and tell Lamar and Emma that we’ve finished picking up the shingles and will be back Monday morning to start putting on the new roof. Then, maybe one of ’em will introduce us to their quilting students.” Terry filled his glass with water, took a drink, and set it on the counter. “But then, even if we are introduced, I’ll only know the blond’s name, not whether she’s married or single.”

  Jan snickered. “If you wanna know bad enough, I’m sure you’ll figure out some way to find out.”

  Terry rubbed the side of his face. This could be a challenge. He’d have to think fast on his feet. He released his hair from the ponytail, letting it hang loosely around his shoulders. “Do I look okay?”

  Jan eyeballed him a few seconds, then shook his head. “I’d put the hair back in the ponytail if I was you.”

  “How come?”

  “Some gals might not like guys with long red hair.”

  “Well, I can’t do nothing about the color, since I was born with it, but if you think it’ll improve my chances, I’ll put it back the way it was.” Terry pulled his hair back and secured it with a rubber band. “Is that better?”

  Jan gave a nod. “Looks good to me. Let’s go.”

  Terry picked up his glass and followed Jan into Emma’s quilting room, hoping this wasn’t a mistake and that the blond wasn’t married. If she was, he’d bow out real quick.

  When Terry and Jan entered the room, Emma looked up with a startled expression. “Oh, I didn’t realize you two had come in. Is there something we can do for you?”

  “Just came in for a drink of water,” Terry said. He glanced at the cute little blond looking curiously at him, then turned to Lamar, who stood near one of the quilts on display. “Also wanted to tell you that we’ve got all the old shingles picked up and will be back Monday morning to start on the new roof.”

  Lamar smiled. “That’s great. Thanks for letting us know.”

  Terry cleared his throat a couple of times, unsure how to proceed. Should he just come right out and ask to be introduced to Emma’s quilting students? Hoping for assistance, he poked Jan’s back.

  Jan glared at him. “Hey, what’s up with that?”

  “Is something wrong, Jan?” Emma asked, looking at him over the top of her metal-framed glasses.

  “Uh, no. I’m good.” Terry smiled at Emma and said, “Looks like you’re teaching another quilting class.”

  Emma nodded. An awkward silence filled the room, so facing her students, who sat around the table, she motioned to Jan and said, “This is Jan Sweet. He was one of the students in my very first quilting class.”

  “That’s right, and I can tell you that Emma’s one fine teacher,” Jan responded. “If you do everything she says, you oughta have a nice wall hanging to take home at the end of six weeks.” Jan grinned and winked at Selma Nash. “I’m glad to see ya here today.”

  She offered him a half smile. “Yes, thanks to your generosity.”

  Terry nudged Jan again. “Ain’t ya gonna introduce me?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low.

  With a disgruntled-looking frown, Jan finally said, “This is my friend and coworker, Terry Cooley.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Terry said, glancing briefly at each of the students, then settling his gaze on the blond.

  All heads nodded, but no one offered their names. This wasn’t going quite the way Terry had hoped. He’d made it inside, now he sure couldn’t leave here without finding out if the blond woman was available or not.

  “So, ladies,” Terry said smoothly, “what do your husbands think of you taking this class?”

  “Actually,” Emma spoke up before any of the women could respond, “none of my students are married this time.”

  “I was married,” Selma said. “I’ve been widowed for several years.”

  Terry knew that already, since Jan had given him the lowdown on his irritating neighbor. But instead of responding, he gave the blond his best smile and hoped she might say something. He was disappointed when she didn’t.

  “Jan’s told me a lot about the quilting class he took,” Terry said, pulling his gaze from the blond and glancing back at Emma. “Sounds like he not only learned how to quilt, but had a lot of fun in the process.”

  “That’s true, I did,” Jan agreed.

  “Well, Emma, if you’ve got room for one more, think I’d like to sign up,” Terry announced.

  “We actually have room, don’t we, Emma?” Lamar spoke up, moving closer to the table.

  “Yes—yes, we do,” Emma said, looking a bit flustered as her cheeks turned pink.

  Lamar grinned. “It’d be nice for Blaine and me if there was another man in the class.”

  Terry glanced at the dark-haired guy sitting at the table with his shoulders slumped. He didn’t look too thrilled to be here. Maybe it was because he was the only male student.

  “You know,” Terry said, grinning widely. “Since you do have the room, I’d like to take the class. Can I start today?”

  “Of course,” Lamar said, pulling out a chair f
or Terry. “Take a seat and join the others.”

  Terry looked over at Jan. “Would you mind coming back for me when the class is done?”

  Jan gave a nod, looking at Terry as if he’d lost his mind. “Sure, why not?”

  Terry rubbed his hands briskly together. “Great! I can’t wait to get started!”

  “Okay, I’ll see ya later then.” Jan gave Terry’s back a solid thump, said good-bye to Emma and Lamar, and left the room, chuckling as he went out the door.

  Sure hope I didn’t make a mistake saying I’d do this, Terry thought as he took a seat at the table and checked out all the quilts in the room. It looked like a lot of detailed work went into them, and he wasn’t sure he was up to the task of making one. Well, now that he knew the cute little blond was single, he couldn’t see any way to ask her out except by taking the quilting class. He might not be interested in getting married, but he was more than eager to go out with someone as good-looking as this little gal. He couldn’t help noticing her creamy complexion, slightly turned-up nose, and the thick, long lashes framing her light brown eyes.

  He forced himself to concentrate on what Emma was saying, which wasn’t easy, since he’d taken a seat right beside the blond-haired beauty.

  “Now, class,” Emma said, pushing Terry’s thoughts aside, “with the templates I just handed out, I’d like you to begin marking the patterned pieces on the back of your fabric with either the dressmaker’s chalk or a pencil.”

  “What do we do after that?” Terry asked, scratching his head. Putting on a new roof seemed like a piece of cake compared to this.

  “When you’re done marking, you’ll cut out the pieces of material you’ll be working with.” Emma smiled. “Beginning next week, you’ll start sewing together the pieces you’ve cut.”

  “That sounds like a lot of work,” the other guy, sitting across from Terry, said.

  He looks as out of place here as I feel, Terry thought. At least I’m not the only guy here, though. Sure hope this gets better. He was beginning to question his sanity. The blond might be dating someone already or have no interest in him. Of course Terry’s intention was to win her over, and since he’d never had any trouble getting a date before, he was up to the challenge. He wasn’t sure about the quilt-making, though.