The Flower Quilter by Mindy Steele

Author:Mindy Steele
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636096438
Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

If ever a man needed a friend, it was this one. Every time Melvin came close to opening up to her, he quickly closed the book. Barbara’s shoulders sank heavily when Melvin turned from her. She bit her lip and spent the next hour focusing on creating something beautiful for others. She would ponder the man later. Surely there was some way to help a soul struggling, and Melvin was struggling.

Following the design she had tucked in her pocket, she worked swiftly to lay out each plant. Melvin remained mute, digging holes in the center of each little stringed square, and he didn’t scold her for changing her mind about her choice of plants … twice.

They had worked in relative quiet for more than an hour when a buggy pulled into the market parking lot. The tall figure waved Melvin over. Without a word, he left her to arrange the next few squares to her liking and sink herself in the freedom of having no one about to criticize her work.

After digging the last hole, she dropped a single daylily in it and carefully folded dirt around its pencil-straight, olive-green stem. The rose moss, daylilies, bee balm, coneflowers, cockscomb, and black-eyed Susans made the perfect combination despite being so varied in height. In full bloom, they would be breathtaking, the twisting of shapes and the marriage of colors a spectacular display.

“The Dutch Mill Garden,” she mumbled, getting to her feet. She would mentally stow away the names and the designs and keep them to return to when she needed them. Was naming gardens even a thing? A warm breath of summer breathed over her as she scrutinized her work. She wouldn’t seek Melvin’s approval despite wanting it. If he did approve, chances were he wouldn’t let her know anyway. Keeping up those fences as he had must be terrifically hard.

“Look what you made.” His deep voice startled her as much as the lilt of surprise that came with it. “It’s schee, and Katie is going to love it.”

“Gott made it. I just rearrange things to suit me,” she said humbly, but inside Barbara felt she had accomplished so much more than a pretty little garden.

“You are a quilter,” he stated. “I might have to build a platform so everyone can see this one in full.”

“If I am a quilter, I am the poorest at it.” Barbara snorted at his words. “But I like the platform idea.” It was a great thought. Just the thought of seeing the garden in full from up high made her hopeful he would build one. Perhaps she could return one day and see it for herself.

Her mood shifted. Melvin wouldn’t be tending to the gardens come next year. The very thought broke her heart. It was obvious he loved what he did, and he was good at it. Life had a way of giving so much to some and yet taking the same from another. Hopefully Katie would continue to see over this one with the same love that created it.

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