Read The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt for Free Online Page A

his watch. “I’d better go. It’s almost ten o’clock, and I sure don’t want to be late for class.”
    “Okay, see you Monday morning.”
    “’Bye, Stuart.” Blaine clicked off his phone and climbed out of his vehicle. He’d just started for the house when an older model Chevy rumbled into the yard. A few minutes later, an elderly woman stepped out. She wore baggy gray slacks, a green turtleneck sweater, and a floppy beige canvas hat. She glanced at him briefly, stuck her nose in the air, and tromped up the porch steps.
    “Terrific,” Blaine muttered under his breath, running his fingers through his thick, wavy hair. “I’ll bet she’s here for the quilt class. This is going to be anything but a walk in the park!”

C HAPTER 5
    S elma was surprised when a gray-haired Amish man with a long, full beard answered her knock. She’d expected a woman. “Is this the home of Emma Miller?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
    He offered her a cheery smile. “That’s right. Emma’s my wife, and I’m Lamar. Are you one of her quilting students?”
    Selma gave a quick nod, thinking he seemed nice enough. “My name is Selma Nash, and I came prepared.” She lifted the canvas satchel she’d brought along and gave it a confident pat. “I have everything right here that I’ll need to make a quilt.”
    “Oh, there was no need for you to bring anything,” Lamar said. “Emma has all the required supplies. If you’ll follow me, I’ll lead the way to her quilting room.”
    Selma clutched her satchel as she walked with Lamar into the next room. Despite what he’d said, she was sure she’d be able to use most of what she had brought along.
Maybe they’ll be impressed with all the research I’ve done beforehand about quilting
, she thought.
    As Selma entered the room, she noticed that the inside of the house was as tidy as the outside. She detected a scent of lemon in the air. An older Amish woman sat at the table with a young Hispanic woman, whom Selma assumed was also here to learn how to quilt. But it seemed strange that there were no other students in the room.
    “This is Selma Nash,” Lamar said to the Amish woman. “She’s one of your quilting students.”
    The woman stood and shook Selma’s hand. “I’m Emma Miller, and I’m pleased that you’ve joined our class.” She gestured to the other woman. “This is Carmen Lopez. She’s here to learn how to quilt as well.”
    “Are we the only two people in the class?” Selma asked, feeling rather perplexed as Emma motioned for her to sit in one of the extra chairs.
    Before Emma had a chance to respond, the young man Selma had seen outside shuffled into the room. He looked uncomfortable, like he might want to turn and run.
    “You must be Blaine Vickers,” Emma said, extending her hand.
    He gave a brief nod.
    “Welcome to our quilting class.” Emma motioned to Carmen and then to Selma. “This is Selma Nash and Carmen Lopez, and we’re waiting for Anna Lambright to arrive. As soon as she gets here, we’ll begin.”
    Blaine’s eyes widened. “So I’m the only guy in the class?”
    “You’re the only male student,” Emma said, “but Lamar will be with us. In fact, he’ll be helping me teach the class.”
    Lamar motioned to one of the quilts in the room. “I’ve designed many quilts, and I also know quite a bit about the history of quilts.”
    “I’ve studied up on them, too,” Selma interjected, rather proudly. “As soon as my neighbor, Jan, said he’d paid for me to come to this class, I went straight to the library and checked out a book on Amish quilts.” Selma reached into her satchel and pulled out the book. “See, this one is a Dahlia pattern,” she said, flipping through the pages and pointing to one of the pictures. “I love flowers, so that’s the kind of quilt I would like to make.”
    “Perhaps you will someday,” Emma said, moving to stand at the head of the table. “But during the next six weeks, I’ll be