close the quilt shop.”
Fannie’s throat clogged with tears, and she couldn’t speak.
“I’m here to take over the shop, Mom. And I plan to stay until the boppli’s born and you’re back on your feet.”
“Oh, Abby, you’re such an amazing daughter,” Fannie said with a catch in her voice. “But, what are you going to do about your quilt shop in Berlin if you stay here and keep my store running?”
Abby smiled. “Lester’s mamm and his aunt Clara will be minding the store until I get back.”
Fannie was on the verge of telling Abby that her sacrifice wasn’t necessary, when Naomi chimed in. “I think you should accept your daughter’s offer and be thankful the Lord has provided her help.” She touched Caleb’s arm and smiled. “I surely appreciate it whenever someone helps me these days.”
“That’s another reason I need to be here,” Abby said with a note of conviction. “When Naomi has her baby, someone will need to help Caleb at the store.”
“I think Matthew might be plannin’ to do that,” Caleb announced. “He told me the other day that he’s tired of farming and wants to try something new.”
“But who will help Papa and the brothers in the fields?” Nancy asked.
Caleb shrugged. “Guess they’ll have to hire someone, ’cause Matthew seems determined to get out of farm work.”
Relief spread through Fannie like the warmth of her tea. “The good Lord is workin’ things out, and we should rejoice and be glad.”
“That’s right,” they all chorused.
It didn’t take Abby long to get her suitcase unpacked and settledinto the bedroom that used to be Naomi’s when she lived at home. She took a seat on the four-poster bed and glanced around, noting the old wooden dresser on the opposite wall, with a small mirror hanging above it. The room looked similar to her room at home, only here there were dark green shades covering the two windows instead of white curtains. The oval braided throw rug on the hardwood floor was made of beige and brown material, and the Lone Star quilt on the bed was blue and white. If it hadn’t been for the ache in Abby’s heart from leaving Lester back in Ohio, she would have felt quite comfortable here.
“I think I’ll go downstairs and see if there’s anything I can do,” she murmured.
A few minutes later, Abby found her mamm asleep on the living room couch, so she tiptoed out of the room and went to the kitchen. Nancy stood at the sink peeling potatoes, and Mary Ann was busy setting the table. “Need any help?” she asked the girls.
Nancy smiled. “We’ve got things well underway for supper, but if you’d like to go outside and bring in the quilts I’ve got airin’ on the fence, that would be a big help.”
“Sure, I can do that.”
Abby opened the back door and stepped onto the porch. The late afternoon air was still warm, and a chorus of crickets sang to her as she wandered into the yard. She drew in a deep breath, savoring the pleasant aroma of peppermint growing in clumps along the edge of the garden.
The clip-clop of a horse’s hooves drew her attention to the road out front. Things aren’t much different here, she noted as the horse and buggy passed. The buggies are gray instead of black, and I know some of their church rules are a bit different, but otherwise the Plain life in Lancaster County is pretty much the same as it is in Holmes County where I was born and raised.
Abby spotted three colorful quilts draped over the split-rail fence that separated Abraham’s farm from his son Norman’s place. The beauty of the quilts on the fence with the red barn and white house in the distance looked like a picture postcard. Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped tothe grass and studied the striking scene. Abby loved everything about quilts, from the comforting warmth they provided on a cold winter night, to the unexplainable joy of putting one together by hand. Each quilt was unique, whether intricate or simple in pattern,
Fannie’s throat clogged with tears, and she couldn’t speak.
“I’m here to take over the shop, Mom. And I plan to stay until the boppli’s born and you’re back on your feet.”
“Oh, Abby, you’re such an amazing daughter,” Fannie said with a catch in her voice. “But, what are you going to do about your quilt shop in Berlin if you stay here and keep my store running?”
Abby smiled. “Lester’s mamm and his aunt Clara will be minding the store until I get back.”
Fannie was on the verge of telling Abby that her sacrifice wasn’t necessary, when Naomi chimed in. “I think you should accept your daughter’s offer and be thankful the Lord has provided her help.” She touched Caleb’s arm and smiled. “I surely appreciate it whenever someone helps me these days.”
“That’s another reason I need to be here,” Abby said with a note of conviction. “When Naomi has her baby, someone will need to help Caleb at the store.”
“I think Matthew might be plannin’ to do that,” Caleb announced. “He told me the other day that he’s tired of farming and wants to try something new.”
“But who will help Papa and the brothers in the fields?” Nancy asked.
Caleb shrugged. “Guess they’ll have to hire someone, ’cause Matthew seems determined to get out of farm work.”
Relief spread through Fannie like the warmth of her tea. “The good Lord is workin’ things out, and we should rejoice and be glad.”
“That’s right,” they all chorused.
It didn’t take Abby long to get her suitcase unpacked and settledinto the bedroom that used to be Naomi’s when she lived at home. She took a seat on the four-poster bed and glanced around, noting the old wooden dresser on the opposite wall, with a small mirror hanging above it. The room looked similar to her room at home, only here there were dark green shades covering the two windows instead of white curtains. The oval braided throw rug on the hardwood floor was made of beige and brown material, and the Lone Star quilt on the bed was blue and white. If it hadn’t been for the ache in Abby’s heart from leaving Lester back in Ohio, she would have felt quite comfortable here.
“I think I’ll go downstairs and see if there’s anything I can do,” she murmured.
A few minutes later, Abby found her mamm asleep on the living room couch, so she tiptoed out of the room and went to the kitchen. Nancy stood at the sink peeling potatoes, and Mary Ann was busy setting the table. “Need any help?” she asked the girls.
Nancy smiled. “We’ve got things well underway for supper, but if you’d like to go outside and bring in the quilts I’ve got airin’ on the fence, that would be a big help.”
“Sure, I can do that.”
Abby opened the back door and stepped onto the porch. The late afternoon air was still warm, and a chorus of crickets sang to her as she wandered into the yard. She drew in a deep breath, savoring the pleasant aroma of peppermint growing in clumps along the edge of the garden.
The clip-clop of a horse’s hooves drew her attention to the road out front. Things aren’t much different here, she noted as the horse and buggy passed. The buggies are gray instead of black, and I know some of their church rules are a bit different, but otherwise the Plain life in Lancaster County is pretty much the same as it is in Holmes County where I was born and raised.
Abby spotted three colorful quilts draped over the split-rail fence that separated Abraham’s farm from his son Norman’s place. The beauty of the quilts on the fence with the red barn and white house in the distance looked like a picture postcard. Tears sprang to her eyes as she dropped tothe grass and studied the striking scene. Abby loved everything about quilts, from the comforting warmth they provided on a cold winter night, to the unexplainable joy of putting one together by hand. Each quilt was unique, whether intricate or simple in pattern,
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