Free The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt by Wanda E. Brunstetter Page B

way, as long as her boss, Hugh Edwards, hadn’t worked on Saturday, like he did on occasion.
    Cheryl slipped in one of her favorite Christian CDs and tried to relax. She’d been uptight since she’d attended her first quilt class. When she’d decided to take the class, she hadn’t figured that some overbearing guy who smoked like a diesel truck would be sitting beside her, asking a bunch of nonsensical questions.
    Cheryl glanced at her cell phone, lying on the leather seat beside her. She’d called her folks Saturday evening, and again on Sunday, wanting to find out how Grandma was doing, but all she’d gotten was her parents’ voice mail. She’d left messages every time, but no response. Surely Mom and Dad couldn’t both be too busy to call. Had they gone out of town for the weekend? If so, why hadn’t they let her know? Cheryl had been tempted to call again this morning, but with the three-hour time difference between Indiana and Portland, Oregon, her folks would still be in bed, assuming they were home.
    She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
I’ll try again when I get home this evening. I really want to know how Grandma’s doing, and I need to ask Mom not to tell her about the quilt. I want it to be a surprise
.
    Just then her phone rang, so she pulled over to answer, hoping it was her mother. Instead, it was her pastor’s wife, Ruby Lee.
    “Hi, Cheryl,” Ruby Lee said cheerfully. “I’m calling to see if Emma was able to fix your grandmother’s quilt.”
    “Yes, she took the quilt in to repair it,” Cheryl replied. “Oh, and I ended up signing up for Emma’s six-week quilting class.”
    “I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.”
    “I hope so. I’m not that good with a needle and thread, so I don’t know if I can make a wall hanging as beautiful as the one you made when you took Emma’s class.”
    “Now, Cheryl, remember what the Bible says in Philippians 4:13,” Ruby Lee reminded. “ ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ ”
    Cheryl smiled. “I’ll try to remember that. Thanks for the pep talk. I needed it.”
    “You’re welcome. Oh, and one more thing.”
    “What’s that, Ruby Lee?”
    “I believe that meeting new people—especially people like Emma and Lamar, will be as good for you as it was for me.”

C HAPTER 9
    Shipshewana
     
    I ’ve been meaning to ask, how did things go at your quilting class last Saturday?” Emma’s daughter Mary questioned as she helped Emma do the dishes. Mary and her family lived next door, but one of the children had been sick last week, so Mary hadn’t been over to see Emma for several days. This evening they’d all gotten together at Emma and Lamar’s for a haystack supper.
    Glancing out the window as the sun settled in the western sky, Emma sighed and placed another clean plate in the dish drainer. “Let’s just say the class could have gone better.”
    “What happened?” Mary asked, reaching for the plate to dry.
    Emma lifted her hands from the soapy water and held up one finger. “The first problem was Anna Lambright. She came in late and announced that she didn’t want to be there.” A second finger came up. “Then there was a lady named Selma Nash, who kept interrupting and acting as if she knew more about quilting than anyone else in the room—including me.” Emma extended a third finger. “Jan’s friend Terry Cooley was also in the class, and I’m afraid he didn’t make a very good impression.”
    “With you?”
    Pushing up her glasses, and leaving a small trail of soap bubbles running toward the tip of her nose, Emma shook her head. “I’ve met Terry before, so I already knew about his smoking habit. But Cheryl Halverson, who brought her grandmother’s quilt for me to fix, ended up sitting right next to Terry.” Emma wrinkled her nose. “He smelled like cigarette smoke, which I suspect is why she kept leaning away from him.”
    “Oh dear.” Mary