Free Patience: Bride of Washington (American Mail Order Bride 42) by Caroline Clemmons Page A

plain side, how can it have an elaborate pattern?”
    “A skilled quilter will place the stitches so that as they bind the back and front together, they form a pattern.” She leaned closer to the display. “I’d guess this one has a series of large apple blossom on the reverse side. Sort of an optical illusion.”
    “Like your dress?” His brows knit in a frown.
    She smoothed her hand down her bodice.. “You don’t like what I’m wearing?”
    “Those crossing and sloping stripes make see double and my eyes hurt.” As if to prove his point, he crossed his eyes at her and then rubbed at them.
    “Phffft. I doubt that. But you should have seen mine when I was constructing this dress. I was practically crying when I was matching the stripes. But I’m very proud of the end result. I’ve received a lot of compliments on the design.”
    He moved his hands away from his face and stared at her. “Are you serious? You made that?”
    She smoothed a hand over the waist. “I come from a family with limited income. My father is a teacher. Even though he’s the head teacher for the school, he doesn’t make much.”
    “He has a talented daughter. That’s probably important to him. That and the fact you left home and he doesn’t have to put up with you now.”
    She attempted to glare at him. “You’re funny, Sonny. Really funny.”
    Instead of getting mad, he laughed.
    They moved on to other quilts and then to oil paintings and watercolors. People they passed glared and whispered as they walked by but Patience had no idea why. By the tightness of Stone’s jaw, she knew he saw them and it bothered him.
    Sympathy surged through her for the man with whom she’d spent so much time lately, Patience sought to distract him from the condemning looks. She stopped in front of the most beautiful painting she’d ever seen and gasped. “Look at that. The sunrise over an orchard with the snowy peaks in the background is glorious. Did you ever see anything so beautiful?”
    He said softly, “Every morning.”
    She leaned closer to look at the signature then straightened to face him. “You painted this? My stars, but you’re talented. I saw he crate label you designed, but I had no idea you could paint with such talent too.”
    He shrugged as if his ability was unimportant. “Just a hobby. By the way, I didn’t enter my work, Dad did. I gave him the painting this year for his birthday to hang in his office. He’s aware I’d never put it in a contest.”
    “Why not? You shouldn’t hide your talent under a basket—or an apple crate in your case.”
    His expression was inscrutable and his eyes hooded. “My reasons are my own. For one thing, I don’t like to call attention to myself. You may have noticed by the scowls and whispers that I’m not popular around here.” He glanced at a couple who still glared at him.
    She nodded and took his arm. “I almost heard rumors, but wouldn’t listen. You want to explain?”
    Stone tugged at his ear. “No, but I suppose I’d better give my version before you hear others’.” He steered her to a bench at one side and they were seated. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “There was this woman named Lottie Ames. I had been seeing her several weeks, but quit because she…um, shared her favors. I hadn’t been out with her for over a year when she came to me one day and told me she was carrying my baby. I knew that was a lie and refused to marry her.”
    “I should hope so.”
    He leaned back and stared at the tent’s ceiling. “But she told others in town that I was the father and that I refused to stand by her and do my duty.”
    “How awful for you and how devious of her. What did you do?”
    He shrugged. “Deny the charge, of course, but no one listened. They remembered I’d spent time with her and had no way of knowing I’d broken off the relationship over a year before. Then, she left a note saying that she couldn’t face raising a baby alone and she leapt from the