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      And unless Evan spoke up, he didn’t have any right to tell his brother to stay away.

      Was he ready to do that?

      CHAPTER SEVEN

      AWEEK had passed since the sleepover and Jenny had tried to stay focused on other things besides the man who’d been keeping her up nights. Not only Evan had been disturbing her sleep, but worry over his daughter’s feelings had, as well.

      Classes had been going well for everyone except Gracie. She struggled with the intricate work needed to complete her mother’s quilt. Jenny herself even needed Allison’s help. The pattern was far too complicated for an eight year old, and the child’s frustration was growing.

      She’d realized she had to convince the girl to go in another direction. That was when she’d asked for advice from Allison and her new friend, school principal Lily Perry.

      The three of them had discussed her concerns and had come up with something that might convince Gracie to put her mother’s quilt aside for another few years and work on something simpler.

      It was nearly the end of the day’s class when Jenny took Gracie aside. They walked to the round table in the corner of the room that had quickly become a popular spot with the regulars. Only on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons was the area vacant.

      Jenny motioned to a chair and Gracie took it. “Am I in trouble?” she asked.

      “Of course not.” Jenny looked at Allison who’d followed them over. “We just have an idea we want to talk to you about.”

      The child still looked worried as Jenny took a seat next to her. “I’m concerned about you, Gracie. I think the quilt you’re working on is harder than you thought it would be, huh?”

      The girl looked sad. “It’s not too bad.”

      Jenny exchanged a glance with Allison. “But still, it’s pretty hard to sew for someone your age.”

      “Maybe.”

      Jenny was relieved. “Allison and I came up with an idea that might help. We want you to listen to it first, before you decide if it’s good or bad.”

      “Okay.”

      “We were wondering if you’d consider putting your quilt aside for a few years until you’re older and a more experienced quilter.”

      Tears welled in her eyes. “But I promised Mommy.”

      “We know you did, sweetie,” Jenny said soothingly. “But, as I said before, I don’t think your mother expected you to finish it right away. Since she chose the DoubleWedding-Ring pattern, don’t you think she planned to have it ready for when you got married?” Jenny smiled. “Are you getting married anytime soon?”

      Gracie actually smiled too. “No!”

      “Then you have plenty of time to get it done.”

      “I guess so,” she hesitated. “But will you still help me?”

      Jenny wasn’t sure how to answer her. She’d always planned to go back to San Antonio to teach. “I’ll promise you this, Gracie, I’ll do my best.”

      The girl wasn’t excited by her answer. “You said you’d help me finish it.”

      “And if possible, I will. Besides, if you keep practicing, just think how good you’ll get and you can do it yourself.”

      The child looked sad. “Does this mean I can’t be in the class any more?”

      “Oh, no. We want you to stay in the class. Would you be willing to work on another project, something simpler?”

      Gracie nodded eagerly.

      “Good. We’ve come up with an idea and all you girls can work together. Even Mrs. Perry is going to participate in this project.” Jenny stood. “Come on, I’ll announce to everyone what’s going to happen.”

      Gracie hurried back to her seat as Jenny turned to Allison. “She took it better than I thought.”

      “She seemed relieved.”

      But Jenny wasn’t sure she was out of the woods yet. Hadn’t she been the one who had fought to get Gracie into class, assuring Evan she could handle it?

      Why should she care what he thought? The man had run hot and cold, kissing her, making her want more. But she hadn’t seen or heard from him since. Apparently he’d wanted to put some distance between them.

      She could deal with rejection. If only he would stay away, stop making her long for more, making her want what she couldn’t have—a man who would never be hers.

      Jenny walked back to the group. “Girls, it’s about quitting time and I’d like to talk to you all.”

      They stopped and looked at her.

      “First of all, I want to tell you how pleased I am with the work you’ve all accomplished in just a few short weeks.” She looked around. “Is everyone having fun?”

      The group cheered and Jenny’s chest swelled. She glanced at Lily. “Well, if you like what you’re doing, we’d like to go a step further. When the class began, we talked about everyone making their own quilt, but that’s a big project, and it can take a long time, especially with school-work and chores at home. How about we each work on a section of blocks, then everyone combines them to make one quilt?” She rushed on to say, “It’ll still be about your family, but we’ll put everyone’s together.”

      There was silence.

      She continued, “Why not make a quilt that tells a story about the town, about past generations? You are the future of Kerry Springs, but we should know where we came from, too. I know a lot of you are already using fabric from your relatives. That’s perfect. Now with the assistance of mothers and the helpers, you can embroider those people’s names and dates on the blocks so we’ll know who they are.” Jenny moved aside so Lily could join her. “And now Mrs. Perry is going to tell you more about this project.”

      “Hello, girls.”

      “Hello, Mrs. Perry,” they said in unison.

      “I’m also impressed with the work you’re doing here. And I’m taking a personal interest in this project, since both my daughter and my mother are working on it, too.

      “When I first heard of Jenny’s idea, I thought, what a great idea, to preserve our town’s history in a quilt. And then I thought, as well as a quilt, how about an essay contest? We have Founders’ Day coming up in July. So what better way to celebrate it than to write about the families that make our town great?”

      Jenny watched as the girls took in the idea.

      “This isn’t a school requirement. It’s strictly for this class and for your own curiosity. But the girls who turn in stories will have them published in the town paper. Even better, Jenny and Allison will display the finished quilt in the shop window so everyone in town will see your hard work.” СКАЧАТЬ