Free A Wild Goose Chase Christmas: Quilts of Love Series by Jennifer Allee

lip. All this time, she’d thought the quilt was something Gran had grown up with, and that’s what made it special. So why all the secrecy? Why did she include it with the things she brought to Vibrant Vistas but never mention it to Izzy? Why did she need to have it with her?
    The provenance.
    “Virgil, did Gran say if she found anything else with the quilt? Letters, diaries maybe?”
    He frowned and looked away, focusing on something in the corner of the room. “Now that you mention it, I think she did.” His shoulders drooped and he slowly looked back at Izzy. “I’m tired. I think I’d like to take a nap.”
    Biting back disappointment, Izzy rose from her chair. “That’s my cue to leave. Can I help you with anything first?”
    “No, I’m fine.” He waved her off. “Just not as energetic as I used to be.”
    Izzy patted him on the shoulder as she walked by. She was almost out the door when he called to her.
    “Izzy?”
    “Yes?” Had he remembered something important about Gran? About the quilt?
    “Thanks again for the brownies.”
    She pursed her lips and smiled. “My pleasure. I’ll see you later.”
    Pulling the door shut behind her, she told herself not to be disappointed. She could always come back to see Virgil. And maybe, just maybe, Gran’s room would yield some clues. Maybe even the missing documentation. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?
    With renewed enthusiasm, she set off down the hall, certain she was about to find what she was looking for.

9
    S he hadn’t found a thing in Gran’s room. Nothing helpful, anyway.
    There were a lot of mementos, knickknacks that meant something to her just because they meant something to Gran. But no diaries with cracked leather bindings, no bundles of old correspondence tied together with a faded satin ribbon, nothing to give her any hint about the history of the Wild Goose Chase quilt. And now, she didn’t have the time to think about it.
    From the living room, a bell tinkled. Bogie barked.
    “Izzy!”
    Bogie continued barking. A second later, the bell rang again, louder this time.
    Instead of answering the way she really wanted, Izzy bit back a groan and called out as sweetly as possible, “Just a second!”
    When the nurse at the hospital suggested giving her mother a bell, it had seemed like a good idea. That way Janice wouldn’t have to yell whenever she needed something. Izzy hadn’t realized that not only would Mom continue to yell, she would also ring the bell for any little thing. And every time the bell rang, Bogie would bark.
    Mom had been in her home for a mere three hours and Izzy was already on the verge of a major blowout. How would she handle two months of this?
    Forcing a smile, she went into the living room, shushing Bogie along the way. “Are you OK, Mom? What do you need?”
    From her spot on the couch, Janice looked up. With her right arm in a sling and her cast-covered right leg supported by strategically placed cushions, she looked about as pathetic as Izzy had ever seen her. “Water.”
    “You still have almost a full glass right there.” Izzy pointed to the coffee table she’d moved into a convenient position for Janice to put everything she needed: drinks and snacks, the TV remote, her magazines, and that stupid bell.
    Janice eyed the glass and wrinkled her nose. “It’s not cold anymore.”
    Izzy picked it up and looked down. “There’s still ice in it.”
    “Not much. It’s almost all melted. Because it’s not cold anymore.”
    “OK. I’ll get you fresh water. Would you like anything else?”
    “Maybe some crackers. Do you have Ritz?”
    “Yes. Is that all?”
    “That’s plenty.” Janice smiled and used her good hand to pull the blanket up higher on her chest. “You know I don’t want to be a bother.”
    “Oh, I know.” She turned and walked to the kitchen, lips pursed together.
    The phone rang and she snatched it from its cradle. The number on the display wasn’t familiar, but right now