The Quilter's Daughter (36 page)

“We need to get home. I talked to my foreman yesterday, and he’s lined up another set of apartments for us to paint.”

She sighed. “I was hoping we could have a little vacation time before we head back. Maybe spend a day or two touring the area and seeing some of the Amish again.”

Jim pointed out the front window. “There’s one now. See the Amish buggy ahead of us?”

From his seat in the back of the car, Jimmy piped up, “What’s an Amish buggy, Daddy?”

“The Amish are a group of Plain people living much like the pioneers used to,” Linda said, before Jim could respond. “They drive carriages pulled by horses, and they don’t use electricity in their homes.”

As they drove around the horse and buggy, Linda glanced over her shoulder to gauge her son’s reaction. Jimmy had his nose pressed against the window, and when a young boy at the rear of the buggy waved, Jimmy giggled.

“We haven’t been anywhere but at the hospital and your parents’ house since we came here, Jim. Couldn’t we at least take time to stop in Berlin so I can go into that little shop where we bought the quilt for our bed?” Linda pleaded.

“No.”

“Why not? We don’t have to be at the airport for several hours, and I’d like to see about buying a couple of quilted throw pillows or maybe a wall hanging.” When Jim made no reply, she added, “I promise it will only take a few minutes.”

“I suppose if I don’t stop, I’ll have to hear about it all the way home,” he grumbled.

Linda smiled. “Thank you, honey.”

A short time later, they pulled into the town of Berlin. Jim found a parking place near a drugstore and informed Linda that she could walk to the quilt shop while he went inside to get some aspirin.

“I’ll take Jimmy with me,” she said.

Jim shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”

Jimmy scrambled out of the backseat and hopped onto the sidewalk, and Linda took hold of his hand. “We’ll meet you back here in half an hour,” she called to Jim.

“Don’t be late.” He sauntered up the walk toward the drugstore, rubbing the back of his neck as he went.

“How come Daddy’s so cranky?” Jimmy asked.

“I think he’s got a stiff neck, and I’m sure he’s worried about Grandpa,” she replied.

“Is Grandpa gonna be okay?”

Linda gently squeezed his hand. “The doctor said if he does everything he’s supposed to do, he should be fine.”

“I’m glad.”

“Yes, so are we.”

As they reached the end of the block, Linda halted. She thought Fannie’s Quilt Shop was on this corner, just across the street, but it wasn’t there. All she saw was a vacant spot next to another store. “That’s odd.”

“What’s wrong, Mommy?”

“Nothing, Jimmy. I think maybe I’m on the wrong street.” Linda looked to the left, then back to the right. Even though it had been several years since they’d been here, many things looked familiar.
Where is that quilt shop?

A middle-aged woman stepped out of the gift shop next to the vacant lot, and Linda walked up to her. “Excuse me; I’m looking for someone who’s familiar with this area who could tell me where Fannie’s Quilt Shop is located. Are you from around here?”

“I’m from New Philadelphia, but I live close enough to shop here often, and I’m well acquainted with many of the local stores. Fannie’s was right there,” the woman said, motioning to the empty lot. “The shop burned to the ground right before Thanksgiving.” She clucked her tongue. “Such a shame it was, too. All but a few of the quilts were lost, and a young Amish man died trying to rescue the rest.”

Linda sucked in her breath. “Oh, that’s so sad. What about Fannie, the woman who owned the shop? Was she inside when it caught fire?”

The woman shook her head. “From what I’ve been told, Fannie moved to Pennsylvania some time ago. Her daughter, Abby, took over the quilt shop, but she was away helping her mother, who’d given birth to twins.”

“I bought a quilt from Fannie several years ago, and I was hoping to buy a couple of pillows.” Linda stared at the empty lot with a feeling of regret. “I wish she was around so I could offer my condolences.”

“Actually, it’s Abby who’s to be pitied. She and the young Amishman were engaged to be married, so the loss of her store was devastating for more than one reason.”

Tears welled up in Linda’s eyes as she considered how Fannie’s daughter must have felt when her boyfriend died trying to save her quilts. She thought about Jim and wondered if he would do anything that heroic on her behalf.
Not that I’d want him to die for me. It would just be nice to know that he loved me that much
.

“I guess we’d better head back to the car, Jimmy,” Linda said, shaking her thoughts aside. She glanced down, and panic gripped her like a vise. Jimmy was gone.

L
inda looked up and down the street, hoping for some sign of Jimmy, but the only children she saw were two small Amish boys standing beside a black buggy parked up the street a ways. She cupped her hands around her mouth and screamed, “Jimmy! Jimmy, where are you?”

Nothing. No sign of her son anywhere.

Where could he have gone? He was here a minute ago, standing right beside me while I spoke with that woman coming out of the gift shop
.

Linda’s heart thumped fiercely, and she placed both hands on her chest while drawing in a deep breath.
What if someone has kidnapped my boy? I should never have let go of his hand or taken my eyes off him for even a second. What am I going to tell Jim?
She breathed in and out slowly, trying to calm her nerves.
Think, Linda, think. Don’t panic. Maybe Jimmy walked back to the car and is with his daddy right now
.

She whirled around and dashed up the sidewalk.

Jim was just coming out of the drugstore when he spotted Linda running toward him. Jimmy wasn’t with her, and he figured the boy had already gotten into the car.

As Linda drew closer, he noticed that her cheeks were pink and several strands of blond hair had come loose from her ponytail.

“Jimmy’s missing,” she panted. “I called and called but he didn’t answer.”

“What? He can’t be missing, Linda. He was with you.”

She let out a deep moan. “I know that, but when I got to where Fannie’s Quilt Shop used to be and realized it wasn’t there anymore, I asked a woman coming out of a gift shop about it, and—”

Jim held up one hand. “Slow down. Just tell me what happened with Jimmy.”

“I’m trying to.” Linda blinked and swiped at the tears running down her cheeks. “Jimmy was standing beside me when I started talking to the woman about the fire that destroyed the quilt shop, and when I looked down, he was gone.”

“He’s probably in there.” Jim motioned to their rental car several yards away.

“How could that be? You locked the car before you went into the drugstore, remember?”

Jim’s heart began to pound, matching the escalating throb he had felt in his head for the last hour. “Jimmy couldn’t have gone far, Linda.” He tried to keep his voice calm, even though he felt like he could jump right out of his skin. “Maybe Jimmy saw something in one of the store windows and went inside to check it out.”

“Oh, I hope that’s the case.”

“You search the stores on this side, and I’ll look in the ones over there,” he said, motioning across the street. “Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes.”

“What if we still can’t find him?” Linda grabbed Jim’s arm and squeezed it so tight he felt her fingernails dig into his skin.

“Then we’ll look on the next block, and the next, and the next, until we do find him.”

Her chin quivered. “Maybe we should call the police.”

“No. Absolutely not. He hasn’t been missing long enough for that.”

She sniffled. “We’d better start looking then.”

Jim bolted across the street, fear gnawing at his stomach. As much as he hated to admit it, there was a possibility that Jimmy had been kidnapped. Truthfully, he knew how easily it could be done.

A cold chill spiraled up Jim’s spine.
Am I being punished for taking Jimmy from his Amish family? Is this how they felt when they discovered he was missing?
He shook his head and darted into the first store.
No, I did that family a favor. They had too many kids and no mother. Linda wanted a baby, and I gave her one. Besides, we’ve given Jimmy a good home, and through an ad in
The Budget
I notified his Amish family that he was okay
. Reason, mixed with guilt and gut-wrenching fear, threatened to suffocate him.
I wish I knew how to pray
. He lifted his gaze toward the ceiling.
Dear God, if You’re up there, please help me find my boy
.

Half an hour later, Jim returned to their vehicle, without Jimmy. His hands trembled as panic swelled in his chest and left him short of breath.

A few minutes later, Linda showed up, but Jimmy wasn’t with her, either. “I didn’t see him in any of the stores, and the people I asked said they hadn’t seen a little boy matching Jimmy’s description,” she said tearfully. “Oh, Jim, what are we going to do?”

“Let’s move to the next block.” It was the only thing Jim could think to do, short of calling the police. And that would only be done as a last resort. He grabbed Linda’s hand and they’d just started up the street, when he halted.

“What’s wrong? Why are we stopping?”

“Look!” Jim pointed to an Amish buggy parked on the other side of the street. Three little boys had their heads sticking out the back opening. Two wore straw hats, and one child, who sported a Dutch-bob, wore no hat at all.

“Jimmy!” Linda hollered. “Oh, Jim, he must have been playing with those Amish boys the whole time.”

Jim could only nod, as words stuck in his throat. Relief turned his muscles to jelly. Their son was one of the children wearing a straw hat, and if he hadn’t been able to see Jimmy’s yellow sweatshirt, Jim would have sworn the kid was actually Amish.

He is Amish
, his conscience reminded him. As quickly as the thought came, he dashed it away.

Linda raced across the street, with Jim on her heels. She
rushed to the open buggy and leaned inside. “Jimmy! Oh, I’m so glad to see you, honey.”

Before Jimmy could respond, Jim shook his finger in the child’s face and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing? We’ve been searching everywhere for you. Don’t you know how scared we were when we couldn’t find you?”

Jimmy’s dark eyes filled with tears. “I just wanted to play with these boys, Daddy. They’re Amish. Can ya tell?”

Jim blew out his breath with an exasperated groan. “Take that hat off and get out of the buggy right now!”

“You don’t have to be so harsh,” Linda said, reaching inside to take Jimmy’s hand. “Come on, sweetie. You need to come with us now.”

Jimmy removed the straw hat and handed it to the towheaded Amish child. “Here ya go. Thanks for lettin’ me play in your buggy.”

The two Amish boys waved and said something in Pennsylvania Dutch, while Jim lifted his son to the ground.

“You scared me when you disappeared,” Linda said, leaning down and stroking Jimmy’s cheek. “Please don’t ever do that again.”

“We need to get to the airport.” Jim glanced at his watch. “Or we’re going to miss our plane.”

As they walked back to their car, Linda glanced over her shoulder. “Those two little Amish boys are sure cute, aren’t they, Jim?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“If it weren’t for Jimmy’s yellow sweatshirt and short hair, he would have looked like he was one of them, don’t you think?”

Jim merely shrugged and kept on walking. There was no way he would admit to Linda that he’d thought the same thing. And he certainly wasn’t about to tell her that the boy they’d supposedly adopted from the state of Maryland was actually an Amish child whose real family lived in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.