The Quilter's Daughter (33 page)

With a determination not to give in to her tears, Abby turned and set her purchases on the counter.

“Will you be needin’ anything else?” the young woman asked, as she rang up the three items.

Abby shook her head. “That’ll be all. Danki.”

The girl opened her mouth, like she might be about to say something, but the telephone rang and she reached for it.

Abby counted out the money for her purchases and left it on the counter, not wanting to interrupt the phone conversation.

Fannie didn’t know what had possessed her to load both boys into the buggy and drive over to Caleb and Naomi’s store. She could have left them at home with Nancy, who wasn’t working at Anna Beechy’s today, but decided the fresh air would do them some good. Besides, there were a few things she needed from the store, and she didn’t want to wait until Abraham was free to bring her.

Just a short ways from the house, Titus started to holler, and then Timothy joined in. Fannie figured they probably wanted her attention and felt frustrated because they were confined in the buggy.

“Calm down!” Fannie clutched the reins and tried to keep her focus on the road. The last thing she needed was to get in an accident while trying to settle her fussy sons.

The boys howled all the way to Paradise, and it wasn’t until Fannie took Titus out of the buggy that he finally stopped crying. She was relieved when Caleb, who’d been sweeping the store’s front porch, spotted her and came to offer his assistance.

“Danki,” she said as Caleb reached into the buggy and scooped Timothy into his arms. “These two are sure gettin’ to be a handful these days.”

Caleb nuzzled the top of Timothy’s downy dark head. “I hope Naomi and I are blessed with a couple of boys some day.” He gave Fannie a sheepish grin. “Not that I’m unhappy with Sarah and Susan, you understand.”

Fannie chuckled. “Jah, I know. Most men want at least one son to carry on their name.”

He nodded and lifted his left hand. “With this bein’ practically useless, it’d be nice to have a boy’s strong arm when there’s heavy stuff to be done at the store.”

Fannie followed Caleb into the building, wondering if he ever regretted his decision to buy Abraham’s store and sell his buggy shop to his two younger brothers. Of course, she knew he’d done it because of his love for Naomi.

So many sacrifices some folks make in order to care for their loved
ones
, she thought.
Look at what Abby sacrificed on my behalf. And what’s she got to show for it but a lot of heartaches and regrets?

“It’s nice to see you,” Naomi said, stepping out from behind the counter and giving Fannie a hug. “Have you come alone, or is one of the girls with you today?”

“It’s just me and the twins.”

Naomi touched Titus’s rosy cheek. “Looks like he’s been crying. Is everything all right?”

Fannie motioned with her head toward Timothy, still held in Caleb’s arms. “They carried on somethin’ awful the whole way here. Guess they wanted my full attention and were determined I should know about it.”

Naomi exhaled with a groan. “I can relate to that. Bringing our girls to the store every day can present some problems whenever one of them acts up.”

“Where should I put this little fellow?” Caleb asked, stepping between Naomi and Fannie. “I’d hold him all day, but I’ve got some boxes on the back porch that need to be brought inside.”

Fannie glanced around. “Matthew’s not working here today?”

“Nope. Said he had some things to do in his woodworking shop at home.”

“I didn’t see him at all this morning. He never even showed up for breakfast.”

“Maybe he had errands to run,” Naomi put in.

“That could be.” Fannie motioned to the back room. “Are the girls down for their naps right now?”

Naomi shook her head. “Susan’s in her playpen, but she’s not sleeping. Sarah’s seated on a throw rug by the bookcase with some of her favorite children’s books. I’ll get Susan out of her playpen and set her next to her big sister, and then you can put the twins in the playpen while you shop. Would that work?”

Fannie smiled. “Sounds fine to me.”

A few minutes later, the twins played happily in the playpen, while little Susan sat on the floor beside Sarah. Fannie smiled at the older girl, pretending to read to her eight-month-old sister. Even though the girls weren’t Fannie’s grandchildren by blood, she’d become quite fond of them.

She thought about Harold and Lena and the baby boy they now had, wishing they lived closer and wondering when they might come to Pennsylvania for a visit. It wasn’t easy making a trip by bus or train when you had a baby or, in her case, two babies to care for.

“You think you might want to run the quilt shop again?” Naomi asked, driving Fannie’s thoughts to the back of her mind.

“I’d like to, but with the boys keeping me so busy, I believe it’s best that I do my quilting at home and leave the store to someone more capable.”

“Wish I could do more,” Naomi said, leaning her elbows on the counter. “But I’ve got my hands full helping Caleb in the store, and about all I can do for the quilt shop is ring up folks’ purchases and answer a few questions.”

Fannie nodded. “I understand, and I don’t expect you to do any more than you’re already doing now. Things will just have to stay as they are until Abby returns and we see how she feels.”

“Have you heard anything from her lately?” Naomi asked.

“Got a letter from her last week. She seems to like it in Montana, and I believe the change is good for her.”

Naomi opened her mouth as if to comment, but her words were cut off by an earsplitting crash. “
Himmel
—heavens! What was that?”

Both women headed to the back of the store, and they’d just reached the spot where Sarah and Susan sat when both girls started to howl.

“Der bichler!”
Sarah sobbed, pointing to the stack of books strewn on the floor.

“Susan must have pulled one out, and then they all tumbled down,” Naomi shouted over the noise of her daughters’ weeping.

Titus and Timothy began to holler then, and Fannie clicked her tongue. “See why I can’t come back to work?” She headed for the storage room. “I’m comin,’ boys. Jah, your mamm’s right here.”

Linda sat at the kitchen table with a cup of hot apple cider in one hand and her open Bible before her. She’d seen Jimmy off to
school a few minutes ago, and Jim had left for work before she’d gotten out of bed. He’d been leaving early almost every morning and coming home late. It was hard to have any family time with him gone so much. Linda hadn’t even been able to ask about the dream he’d had a few weeks ago, when he’d mumbled something about a baby and an Amish quilt. In fact, she’d forgotten about it until now.

“I’m supposed to focus on God’s Word, not worry about some silly dream,” she muttered. “It probably didn’t mean anything other than Jim had eaten too much junk food before going to bed. Unless he has the dream again and talks in his sleep, I won’t bother to ask him about it.”

The phone rang, and Linda placed a bookmark inside the Bible to indicate the spot in 1 Corinthians where she wanted to begin reading. She hurried across the room and picked up the receiver. “Hello, Scott residence.”

“It’s Marian, Linda. Is Jim there?” Jim’s mother’s voice sounded even more strained than the last time she had called, and Linda felt immediate concern.

“No, he’s not. He left for work early this morning. Can I take a message?”

There was a brief pause. “I guess I’d better try his cell phone then.”

Linda glanced at the kitchen counter, where Jim had left his phone. This was the second time in the past week he’d forgotten to take it with him. She wondered if he’d become forgetful because he wasn’t getting enough sleep.

“Sorry, Marian, but Jim forgot to take his phone this morning. Would you like him to call you when he gets home?”

“I’ve got bad news, and it can’t wait until then.” Marian’s voice caught on a sob.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Bob’s in the hospital and may be faced with open-heart surgery. It could be serious, Linda.”

Linda’s forehead wrinkled as she felt her mother-in-law’s pain. “I’m so sorry. Jim will be upset when he hears, and I’m sure he’ll want to fly out to Ohio right away.”

“I was hoping he would. And you and Jimmy, too, if you can get away.”

Linda nodded, even though she knew Marian couldn’t see her. “As soon as I hang up, I’ll see about getting some plane tickets. Jim will call you tonight and let you know when we’ll arrive in Millersburg, then you can give him more details on Bob.”

“Okay.” Marian sniffed and blew her nose. “There’s one more thing. . .”

“What’s that?”

“I know from your letters that you go to church and believe in God. So if you could offer a prayer on Bob’s behalf, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Of course. I’ll call our church and get it put on the prayer chain, too.”

“Thanks. See you soon.”

Linda hung up the phone with a sense of frustration because she didn’t have any idea where Jim was working today. She wouldn’t be able to speak to him until he came home, whenever that might be. She could, however, purchase their plane tickets and pray for Jim’s dad.

“I picked up the mail, Elizabeth,” Abby said when she entered the cozy log house after her walk to the store. “There’s a letter for you, too, Edna. I think it’s from your daughter.”

Edna took the letter, and Abby handed Elizabeth the rest of the mail. Then she went to the loft to put away her jacket, scarf, and gloves. When she returned, she found Edna sitting at the kitchen table, shaking her head, and staring at the letter she had received.

“What’s wrong? It’s not bad news, I hope,” Abby said with concern.

“All three of my granddaughters are down with the chicken pox, plus Gretchen has the flu. Looks like I’m gonna have to return home as soon as possible, because my daughter could surely use some help.”

Abby nodded. “I’ll run down to the store and use their phone
to see about getting us some train tickets.”

“There’s no need for you to go, Abby,” Edna said, pursing her lips.

“What do you mean, there’s no need? I thought you were afraid to travel by yourself.”

Edna folded Gretchen’s letter and stuck it inside the band of her apron. “I think I’ll be fine on the train now that I’ve done it already.”

Abby leaned on the cupboard, wondering what she should do. Truth be told, she wasn’t ready to return to Pennsylvania, but would it be right to stay on without Edna? She’d only met Elizabeth a few weeks ago and hesitated to ask if she could stay longer.

Elizabeth spoke up as though she could read Abby’s thoughts. “I’d be happy if you stayed on awhile, Abby.”

“Really? You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all. I’d like the opportunity to get to know you better.”

Edna smiled. “I’m glad that’s all settled.” She nodded at Abby. “Now if you want to run to the store again to use their phone, I’d be much obliged if you’d book me a ticket home.”