Tracie Peterson (49 page)

Ashley recognized his sincerity—after all, she’d lived with this man for ten years. They had come through joys and sorrows together. They had hurdled tremendous ordeals as a couple and had found ways to ease each other’s pain when no one else could help.

“Please, Ash,” Jack said softly, “I know I can’t undo what I’ve done, but I swear it will never happen again. I’ll go to counseling or therapy or whatever else you think I need, but please say that you’ll take me back. That we can be a family again.”

Ashley knew all too well the need for forgiveness. She’d known it herself and she’d seen it so clearly displayed in Connie only the night before.

“I’ve thought about a lot of things, Jack,” she began. “I know I allowed things to come between us. I know I sometimes put you last on my list. I’ve renewed my heart and my faith, and I know God has a plan for our future.” She paused and opened her arms as she
added, “Together.”

Jack rushed up the stairs and pulled her into his arms. He held her so tightly that Ashley could scarcely breathe.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, pulling away. “I forgot about your incision. How are you feeling?”

“A little tender now,” she said with a smile, “but otherwise unscathed and rapidly coming back to normal.”

He took her in his arms again, this time gently. “I’ve missed you so much. I couldn’t bear to think that I might lose you. Every time I looked at your side of the bed, all empty and untouched, I thought to myself that this was like a death of its own. I killed your faith in me, but, Ashley, I’ll do everything in my power to give life to it again.”

She nodded just as his lips closed over hers. With a sigh, Ashley knew that she’d done the right thing. He couldn’t promise her that their marriage would be easy. Nor could he even guarantee that there wouldn’t be times when they’d want to walk away from it all. But it was a start, and that was all they needed.

Brook smiled as she watched Jack and Ashley move off the porch and walk down the winding garden path. She knew her sister had longed for nothing more than this reconciliation, and she felt in her heart the kind of bonded peace that they shared when things went well. Ashley’s joy had been restored.

Brook couldn’t help but think of the Piece Work quilt. She had given Grammy her part of the quilt, hoping, as Ashley had, that the quilt could be rejoined. Now her sister’s life would know the same kind of repair.

“You are a very wise woman, Mattie Mitchell,” she whispered, thinking of her grandmother’s tactics. “You knew the way to touch our hearts—not only when we were children, but even now when we are sometimes childish.”

Deirdre hung up the telephone just as Morgan came into the kitchen. Mattie stood over the stove, adjusting the lid on her pressure cooker, but glanced over her shoulder at Morgan’s announcement that she had to talk to her mother.

Deirdre lifted her daughter and smacked her lips against Morgan’s neck, making her laugh. “And what is so important that you must interrupt the canning of beans?” Deirdre asked her teasingly.

“I want to live here, Mommy. I don’t want you to buy another house. I like living with Grammy Mitchell.”

Mattie laughed and dried her hands on her apron. “And I like having you living with me,” she said as she came to stand beside the duo. “I like it very much.”

Gratitude flooded Deirdre’s heart at the sound of her daughter’s voice. The words were like music to her ears and she would have granted Morgan any wish she desired. “Hmm . . . well, I suppose we could stay for a while at least.”

Morgan clapped her hands. “Then I can plant flowers with Grammy and listen to the birds sing. ’Sides, Grammy promised to teach me to sew on her quilts.”

“That’s right, I did,” Mattie said in mock seriousness. “It’s a very special job, as you can well remember, Deirdre.”

Deirdre put her daughter down and nodded. “I do remember. In fact, I have something that needs your attention.”

Leaving her daughter and Mattie in the kitchen, Deirdre hurried upstairs to retrieve her wall hanging. When they’d made plans to come to Council Grove, it was the one thing from the house that Deirdre couldn’t bear to leave behind.

Coming down the stairs, she listened as Mattie and Morgan moved down the hall toward the living room. She followed the sounds, smiling all the way. She could never love any woman more than she loved her grandmother. What a privilege and joy it was that her daughter could know this very special person.

“Here,” Deirdre announced, thrusting the wall hanging into Mattie’s hands. “I heard you were collecting these.” She saw Mattie
glance at the piece, then raise her face to Deirdre. “As parts, they are beautiful, but as a whole they are far more than pretty. Together they are useful and have a real purpose. I want you to put them back together, just like you put our family back together.”

Erica and Connie came into the room, seconding the motion.

“We have our pieces too,” Connie declared.

“Well,” Mattie said, looking at the girls and then rubbing the top of Morgan’s head. “I’d say we have our work cut out for us.”

Chapter 45

Mattie gathered her sewing supplies and went into the dining room. She took up her special covering for the dining room table and spread out the pieces her granddaughters had brought to her. Then smiling, she began to call her girls to come.

“Ashley Kay! Brook Ann!” she called as she used to when they were little. “Constance Marie, where are you?” She smiled to herself and continued. “Deirdre Sue! Erica Lynn! I want to see you all in the dining room.”

The girls came nearly at a full run. They hadn’t heard this kind of calling in some years and each one bound into the room with a look that seemed to be a cross between urgency and concern.

“What’s wrong?” Ashley questioned, Jack and the boys not far behind her.

“Yeah, Grammy, what gives?” Connie joined in.

Brook and Erica arrived together and Deirdre and Morgan brought up the rear.

Mattie looked at them all and laughed. “Today is the Fourth of July, or have you forgotten?”

They all shook their heads collectively.

“Well, you know the rules around here. Chores get done
before
fireworks and picnics take place.”

They all nodded in unison.

Mattie laughed and pointed to the table, where she had laid out each of the wall hangings. “We have some work to do, girls.”

“She said girls, so that means we can still go down to the lake and go fishing, right, Dad?”

Jack looked to Mattie and she nodded. “That’s part of your chores. We’re going to want fresh fish for our barbecue tonight.”

“Oh boy!” John declared, tugging at his father’s arm. “I’m gonna catch the biggest one ever.” He looked up at his dad and seemed to feel sorry for the man. “We can show you how to fish, if you don’t know how, Dad. Harry showed us.”

“Harry?” He looked at Ashley with a questioning glance. “Your Harry?”

“Not hardly,” Connie interjected. “He’s my Harry now.”

They all looked at her with open mouths of surprise. Laughter filled the room as Ashley rolled her eyes and scooted her brood out of the room. “Go on with you, now, I have to hear about Connie’s new boyfriend.”

“Can I sew too, Grammy?” Morgan asked softly.

“Absolutely,” Mattie declared. “This is a family project.” She went to her basket and took out a package of needles and several spools of thread. “A family kind of peace work, as well as a quilting piecework.” They all nodded in understanding.

“I think she means business,” Brook said, taking a seat at the table. “I’ll give it a shot, but you may not like what I can do. I haven’t sewn a stitch since you taught me to embroider.”

“You think you have problems,” Connie said, taking a seat beside Brook. “I can’t even hold a needle. I’ll be lucky to know which end gets the thread.”

Ashley and Deirdre rolled their eyes heavenward and took seats on the opposite side of the table. “If you had kids,” Deirdre said, “you’d learn quick enough how to hold a needle.”

“Well, maybe if and when I do have kids,” Connie said, smiling at her sister, “you can come over and show me how to sew for them.”

“It’s a deal,” Deirdre replied, laughing.

Erica picked up the challenge eagerly and began threading a needle. “I think I can still manage,” she told the others. “Even if I haven’t had the practice mending kids’ clothes that you’ve had. Besides, I need to get good at this.”

The chatter continued happily as Mattie threaded a needle for Morgan. She drew the child to her lap so that she could better reach the pieces.

This is all I ever wanted
, God, Mattie prayed silently.
I wanted to give them an understanding of you, but I also wanted them to desire the love of family and be close to one another. I wanted them to count on each other when times got bad and to know that the strongest thing in all the world is love
.

Everyone laughed at something Brook had said, and Mattie smiled and nodded as if she had heard every word. But she didn’t need to hear the words to know that she understood their hearts. Her girls were home and the pieces of their lives were finally being fitted together for His purpose.

And, oh
, Mattie thought,
what a wondrous work it will be when it’s finished and presented to the Master
.

TRACIE PETERSON is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than ninety novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Belgrade, Montana. For more information, please visit her website at
www.traciepeterson.com
.