The smile on his face disappeared.
“It’s a beautiful quilt. It seems a shame to have it boxed away, out of sight. I think it’s time we did something with it.”
He frowned. “Like what?”
“I put in many nights of work on that quilt. Probably far more than I should have. I wanted it to be a special gift for you. If you agree, I’d like to remove Lucy’s name from those blocks and embroider my own name in those places. After all, I’m the one who put it together, bound it, and did all the hand quilting.”
He tilted her chin upward and gazed into her eyes. “You sure you want to do that?”
She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Yes, my love, I do. I’ve forgiven you for what you did to me, and I think it’s time we both forgave Lucy, don’t you?”
“You’re quite a woman, Juliette, and you’re right. How could I have expected God to forgive me when I haven’t been willing to forgive Lucy?” Stone wrapped his long arms about her waist and pulled her close. “Of course, it’s all right with me. Anything to make you happy. But—are you sure having that quilt around won’t bring back too many unpleasant memories? Perhaps it’d be better if we just gave it away.”
“We’re so happy together now. Our boys are growing up. Will is able to communicate with us. My mother’s health has improved, and the hotel is doing well. God has blessed us in so many ways. With His help, I’m sure we can put all those bad memories aside. I’d rather think of the joy I felt as I labored on that quilt. Each stitch I added, I added with love for you, my darling. In many ways, our life together is wrapped up in that quilt.”
“God has been good to us, hasn’t He?”
She nodded. “Far more than we deserve.”
“I love you, Juliette Piper.”
“I love you too, dear Stone.”
“You’re truly a gift from God. If you want the quilt, it’s fine with me. Now I realize how much work you’d put into it. I only wish I’d appreciated it at the time. I was a fool to react the way I did when you gave it to me. An utter fool!”
Juliette planted a kiss on her husband’s cheek. “Shh, remember? Those bad memories are behind us now.” She could feel his loving gaze upon her as she moved to the closet and pulled a box from the top shelf. Her fingers trembled as she removed the lid and lifted out Lucy’s quilt.
About the Author
Joyce Livingston is a real Kansas “lady” who lives in a little cabin that her husband built overlooking a lake. She is a proud grandmother who retired from television broadcasting, but she keeps very busy lecturing and teaching about quilting and sewing. She is also a part-time tour escort, which takes her to all kinds of fantastic places. She has had books and articles published on sewing, quilting, crafts, cooking, parenting, travel, personal color, and devotions—you name it. In 2000, she was voted Heartsong’s favorite new author.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to Norman Arensdorf and his son, Jeff Arensdorf, the owners of Village Tours and Travel out of Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since I am one of their part-time Tour Escorts, I get the privilege of escorting trips to all sorts of wonderful and exotic places, which I use as background settings for my stories. Thank you, Norman and Jeff! You’re the greatest!
I’d also like to dedicate this book to our amazing Heartsong readers, especially those of you who take the time to write or e-mail me with your comments. This is my first historical novel, and I hope you enjoy it. As many of you know, I am a quilter, so it was only natural that I use a quilt as the focal point of Lucy’s Quilt. I’d love to hear your reaction to my story.
A note from the author:
I love to hear from my readers! You may correspond with me by writing:
Joyce Livingston
Author Relations
PO Box 719
Uhrichsville, OH 44683
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