The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club - 02 - The Tattered Quilt (36 page)

The only downside of the weekend had been the misunderstanding with Blaine. After she’d arrived home that evening, she’d received a phone call from Blaine, asking why she hadn’t waited for him and saying he’d seen her ride off with Terry. He’d sounded upset, but once Cheryl explained what had happened and said she thought he’d left town without her, Blaine seemed to understand.

I probably shouldn’t compare Terry and Blaine
, Cheryl told herself as she pulled into her parking space behind the attorney’s office.
But Terry has a sense of humor, and he makes me laugh. In comparison, Blaine seems kind of boring
.

Mishawaka

“How was your weekend?” Stuart asked when he met up with Blaine in the parking lot of the sporting goods store.

Blaine frowned. “Let’s just say it wasn’t the best.”

“What happened?”

“I took Cheryl to lunch at that restaurant in Winona Lake on Saturday, like you suggested, and it didn’t turn out so well.”

“Was it the service or the food?” Stuart questioned.

“Neither. What ruined the day was when Cheryl left with Terry.”

Stuart’s eyebrows shot up. “Terry Cooley?”

“Yeah. They rode out of town on his motorcycle.”

“I don’t get it. If Cheryl went to Winona Lake with you, how’d she end up with Terry?”

“At first I thought they’d pre-planned the whole thing,” Blaine said as they started walking toward the store. “But then I called Cheryl Saturday night, and she said when she’d gone back to the parking lot to meet me and discovered that my rig was gone, she panicked and thought I’d left town without her.”

Stuart rubbed his chin. “Why would she have to meet you? I thought you were together.”

“We were during lunch, but afterwards Cheryl went shopping while I checked on some fishing spots in the area.”

Stuart stopped walking and squinted his eyes. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m not. I’ve never fished in that area and wanted to know what the lake has to offer.”

Stuart thumped Blaine’s back. “If you want my opinion, you should have gone shopping with Cheryl and done fish scouting on your own time. Women like it when men go shopping with them. Pam sure does.”

Blaine shook his head. “Sue never wanted me to go shopping with her.”

“Sue…Sue…Sue. You’ve got to quit thinking about her, my friend. That relationship’s over, and you need to move on.”

“I know that, but I’m not sure Cheryl’s the right woman for me,” Blaine said as they entered the building. “She seems to like Terry better anyhow, so I think I’m gonna back off.”

Shipshewana

Emma had just taken a seat at her sewing machine to begin working on the binding of the quilt for Cheryl’s grandmother when her daughter Mary entered the room.

“I see you’re still busy with that old quilt,” Mary said, moving to stand beside Emma’s chair.

Emma nodded. “I need to get it done before the final class so Cheryl can take it to Oregon for her grandma’s birthday.” She drew in a deep breath and blew it out quickly. “But I need to get busy cleaning the house so everything will be ready when Rachel arrives. At times like this, it seems there just aren’t enough hours in the day.”

Mary placed her hand on Emma’s shoulder. “Listen, Mom, I’ve been thinking about this ever since yesterday when you told me about Aunt Rachel coming. I want to reassure you that I’ll do all I can to help get the house ready in time. In fact, I don’t think you need to do anything. Just concentrate on teaching your last two classes and getting that quilt done on time, and leave the cleaning to me and the girls.”

Emma stood and gave her daughter a hug. “Danki, Mary. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I know you have your hands full at your home, too.”

Mary smiled. “You’re welcome, Mom. And don’t worry about me. Remember, helping each other when there’s a need is what family is for.”

“You’re sure wearing a big grin today,” Jan said as he and Terry headed down the road in his truck toward the small town of Emma to bid on a roofing job. “Are you still flying high from your date with Cheryl yesterday?”

Terry nodded, popping a piece of bubble gum in his mouth. “I can’t help it, man. There’s something special about Cheryl. I feel like a different person since I met her.”

Jan looked over at Terry and grinned. “You act like a different person, too. Never seen you so happy and eager to please any woman before. You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

Terry shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe. I just really like being with her, and she makes me feel…well…special—like she really cares about me.”

Jan gave the steering wheel a rap. “The question is, do you care for her?”

Terry clenched his fingers. “Just said I do, didn’t I?”

“But do you care enough for Cheryl to set your fears about marriage aside?”

“Who said anything about marriage?”

“I did, and I said it ’cause if you really like Cheryl and you keep going out with her, eventually she’s gonna expect some sort of commitment.”

Terry winced and tried to change the subject. “Hey, I wonder if Emma Miller has ever been to the town of Emma.” He slapped his knee, watching Jan roll his eyes. “All kidding aside, let’s stop at the little Emma Café for lunch today. I hear they have some really good pizza and home-cooked meals.”

“Sounds good, but I’m not letting you off the hook that easy, pal,” Jan said. “Seriously now, friend-to-friend, think about what I said, and don’t make the same mistakes I have in the past.”

Terry didn’t want to think about making a serious commitment right now. He was just getting to know Cheryl and really hadn’t thought much beyond that. Could he set his fears about marriage aside and continue to pursue a relationship with Cheryl that might lead to commitment, or would it better if he broke things off now before one or both of them got hurt?

Selma had just finished the breakfast dishes when she heard the tinkling of a bell, followed by a distinctive
meow!

She dried her hands on a dish towel and hurried to open the back door. Scruffy sat on her porch, but her heart gave a lurch when she saw blood and realized that the poor cat was bleeding.

“Oh my!” Selma gasped, scooping the cat up and taking him inside. “What happened to you, Scruffy?”

Without so much as a second thought, Selma placed the cat on the kitchen counter so she could see how badly he was hurt. All sorts of things went through her mind. Did Scruffy get hit by a car? Had he been in a fight with another cat, or maybe a dog? Was it possible that some wild animal had attacked the cat?

Meow!
The cat looked up at her as if to say, “Please help me.”

After a quick examination, Selma discovered several lacerations and knew Scruffy needed to see the vet. Stitches might be needed, so there was no time to waste. Dr. Benson would know what to do. While she was there, Selma would ask about preventive shots the cat might need, even though she had no idea if Scruffy had received any before.

She hurried to the utility room, where she grabbed a cardboard box and an old towel. Wrapping the towel around Scruffy, she lifted him from the countertop and carefully placed him in the box. Then, after calling the vet and saying it was an emergency, Selma grabbed her car keys and purse, while mentally figuring out the quickest route to the animal clinic. Hoisting the box and looking down at poor Scruffy, she closed the door behind her. Selma wasn’t sure how the cat would react when she put him in the box, but so far, so good. She sighed with relief when Scruffy curled into a ball and purred as if he understood that she was taking him to a place where he would be helped.

Dear Lord
, Selma silently prayed as she hurried across the yard to get her car,
please let this poor cat be okay
. From that moment on, Selma knew for sure that Scruffy was here to stay.

C
HAPTER
32

Shipshewana

S
elma sat in her rocking chair, looking down at Scruffy, who was sound asleep in the wicker bed she’d prepared for him after returning from the vet’s yesterday. The poor cat had several gashes that needed to be stitched, but Selma was thankful his injuries weren’t any worse. Dr. Benson had said it looked like Scruffy might have tangled with another cat, which made Selma wonder how that other cat had fared.