The Amish Quiltmaker's Unlikely Match by Jennifer Beckstrand

Author:Jennifer Beckstrand [Beckstrand , Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra Books
Published: 2023-11-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Mary trembled, and it wasn’t from the cold. She had been so eager to see Clay, and in a matter of ten minutes, she had somehow driven him away. Would he ever come back? Her knees felt like jelly as she dragged herself back to the house where Esther and Cathy were waiting for her. No doubt they’d seen the entire scene between her and Clay. Overcome with shame and confusion, she ran breathlessly into Esther’s arms and let the tears flow.

Cathy sat on the couch just where Mary had left her, holding Levi Junior in her arms. “What in the world did you do, Mary? I’ve never seen Clay hightail it out of here so fast. He left skid marks on the road.”

Mary sobbed into Esther’s neck. “I don’t know.”

Esther patted her on the back. “What did he say? Who was that other man?”

“Clay asked him to come take a look at our roof. Clay wants to pay to have it reshingled and solar panels put in. He also bought gifts for all of us. I told him we couldn’t accept any of it.”

Cathy sighed. “I can’t understand you Amish. If Clay wanted to pay to have a new roof put on my house, I’d say yes and throw him a party.”

Esther draped her arm around Mary’s shoulder. “It’s not the Amish way, Cathy. We’re a plain and simple people. Extravagant gifts aren’t appropriate.”

Cathy bounced Levi Junior in her arms. “It seems Clay didn’t take that too well.”

Mary groaned. “He was upset. I tried to explain, but I somehow made him feel worse. Now he’s going back to Denver to return all the gifts, and I’m afraid he won’t come back.”

Esther nodded sympathetically. “Ach, I’m so sorry, Mary, but don’t you worry. He’ll be back.”

“How can you be sure?”

“Because he left a drawer full of baseballs at my house.”

Mary giggled in spite of herself. “A drawer full of baseballs?”

“People ask him to sign his autograph so often, he keeps a stash of balls at the quilt shop just in case.”

Mary found the thought of Clay’s stash of baseballs oddly comforting. “I guess he has to come back and get those at least.”

Cathy snorted her disagreement. “He could just leave them there. It’s not like he can’t afford to buy more, especially now that he doesn’t have to pay for a roof.”

Cathy was very gute at crushing people’s hopes and dreams.

Cathy pinned Mary with a stern gaze. “If you think you’ve driven him away for good, just put that thought right out of your mind. A man who would drive four hours one way to see you won’t give up that easy. Mark my words. He’s disappointed, but not defeated. He’ll be back, or my name’s not Cathy Larsen.”

Um, okay. Maybe Cathy wasn’t so bad after all.

Cathy pressed a button on her phone and talked into it. “Call Clay Markham,” she said.

Mary nearly jumped out of her skin. “What are you doing?”

Cathy looked at Mary as if she was crazy.

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