The Quilter's Son: Book Three: Nathan's Apprentice Read online

  THE QUILTER’S SON

  Nathan’s Apprentice

  Book Three

  WRITTEN BY

  Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  © 2013 by Samantha Jillian Bayarr

  Cover/internal design © 2013 Livingston Hall Publishers

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form either written, photocopying, or electronically without the express permission of the author or publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and are therefore used fictitiously. Any similarity or resemblance to actual persons; living or dead, places or events is purely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author or publisher.

  All brand names or product names mentioned in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names, and are the sole ownership of their respective holders. Livingston Hall Publishers is not associated with any products or brands named in this book.

  All scripture references in this book used from New International Version of the Bible

  www.LivingstonHallPublishers.blogspot.com

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  Titles by Samantha Bayarr

  Jacob's Daughter Amish Series

  Jacob's Daughter

  Amish Winter Wonderland

  Under the Mulberry Tree

  Amish Winter of Promises

  Chasing Fireflies

  Amish Summer of Courage

  Under the Harvest Moon

  Amish Winter Collection

  An Amish Christmas Wish

  Amish White Christmas

  Amish Love Letters

  LWF Amish Series

  Little Wild Flower: Book One

  Little Wild Flower: Book Two

  The Taming of a Wild Flower: Book Three

  Unto Others: Companion Edition

  Little Wild Flower in Bloom

  Little Wild Flower's Journey

  The Quilter’s Son series

  The Quilter's Son: Book One: Liam's Choice

  The Quilter's Son: Book Two: Lydia's Heart

  The Quilter’s Son: Book Three: Nathan’s Apprentice

  The Quilter’s Son: Book Four: Maddie’s Quilt

  Christian Romance

  Milk Maid in Heaven

  The Anniversary

  A Sheriff's Legacy: Book One (Historical)

  Preacher Outlaw: Book Two (Historical)

  Chapter 1

  "Nathan Miller, you better never do that again, or I will tell your mamm just what kind of person you are."

  Nathan smacked his lips and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand to make sure everyone in the schoolyard noticed that he'd stolen a kiss from Anna. Nathan had always been the dramatic sort, and getting attention from the others in the schoolyard was one of his favorite pastimes.

  "She already knows," Nathan said with a smirk. “She’s the one who raised me!”

  Stealing that first kiss from Anna in the schoolyard on her thirteenth birthday had set in motion what would later become one of Nathan’s favorite things to do.

  He loved to get a reaction out of her. She would always pretend to be angry, but Nathan knew she secretly liked it. He’d once overheard her telling her friend, Rachel, how much she loved him and how he better never stop kissing her or she would be sad.

  Nathan knew even then, that her resistance to his kisses was all an act. She would always give him that sweet little smile afterword, and the twinkle in her eyes held more than mischief. The two of them were inseparable, and everyone at school knew it.

  As they grew older, the kisses became more frequent, And much more meaningful. But there would be nothing that could compare with that first kiss. It would be the first of many kisses shared between them; kisses that with each one would increase in meaning over the years.

  Nathan sat on the Greyhound bus headed toward the college campus, recalling the memory as though it had happened just yesterday. That first innocent kiss was just as fresh in his mind as every other kiss between him and Anna over the years. Each kiss had been special in their own right.

  Whenever he thought about their future together, that first kiss was always what he thought of. It was his rock, his basis for everything he did to secure their future.

  But now, as he sat on the Greyhound bus watching out the window at the corn fields of Northern Indiana slip by him in fast motion, he wondered if he was making the right decision for both of them.

  He had signed up for the special marketing seminars at IU after learning about online businesses while attending the public high school. He was eager to take their quilting business to a higher level; a level that would secure a future where they would never want for anything. With the seminars he planned on attending while at the university, he hoped to gain that knowledge.

  Anna had not been on-board with any of it. She’d complained that he had become too Englisch since he’d been attending high school. And now, he didn’t have the guts to tell her he was considering attending the university in which he was now headed toward.

  Lydia and Steve had brought him up to be humble and not want physical possessions, but he had wanted them anyway. He wanted them for his future; he wanted them for his bride, Anna, the one he loved more than anything. He knew that Amish-made quilts were a hot commodity, and he aimed to benefit from his upbringing.

  It wasn't until he sat upon his seat on the chartered Greyhound bus, surrounded by his classmates, and watching scenes of rural farm life whirl by his window that he wondered if he was doing the right thing. He should have been honest with Anna about his trip. He should have told her he was also touring the school, and had considered attending the university. He should have told her his student application had been accepted. He’d considered a college education enough to go on the tour, but he knew deep down that he would probably not be attending. If not, he wanted to see what he’d be missing out on.

  Again his thoughts turned to Anna and his deception where she was concerned. His intent was to look over the school and get it out of his system so he could go back to his original plan that included Anna and a future with her—a future that didn’t include attending Indiana University, no matter how much he might desire it.

  And so he let his mind drift to a happier time with Anna, so he wouldn’t have to think about the future he would be missing out on by following through with one that he’d already committed to. It was the life he’d wanted with Anna from the very first day he’d met her, and he would not falter. He'd always known he would marry her someday. So why was he suddenly questioning everything?

  Chapter 2

  Nathan looked over his itinerary for the next five days. He’d managed to cram all the required workshops at the university and a three-day seminar into his schedule during his trip. The seminars were very instrumental to his graduation as well as beneficial to the online business he hoped to create. He needed to pass his business and economics classes at school, and his guidance counselor had suggested the seminars would help him get into college. The counselor had no idea Nathan didn’t intend on going to college, especially when he’d agreed to tour the school with the other students that had been accepted. He had gone through with the tour under the guise of attending the seminars needed to set up an online business for the quilt shop.

  His only regret now was the argument between him and Anna just before he’d left. Again he allowed his thoughts to drift to his failsafe memory of Anna. Things started off innocently enough between Nathan and Anna, even from that very first kis
s in the schoolyard.

  It was a gloomy day; not the sort of day that sticks in your memory, but it had made a permanent imprint on his heart. It wasn't so much that day, but more of what the day represented. It was that pivotal point when their friendship turned the corner from innocence to permanence.

  If he could've picked a better day for such an event, it would've been a perfect 72°, mostly sunny, with a slight breeze. That to him would've made it more memorable. As it was, he had to fight to hold onto every detail to be sure that not one speck of this memory would slip away from him.

  It wasn't that he was against cloudy days per se; it was that he knew that someday when they had grown old and gray, they would talk about that day, and he wanted everything about it to be perfect. It was that important to him.

  It was the same day they had started the butterfly quilt, the very first quilt they'd ever made together. It was Anna's idea to make a butterfly quilt. Butterflies were her favorite thing in the world, next to kissing Nathan, as she had later told him.

  That first kiss and the butterfly quilt was what set in motion his idea for his entire future with Anna. That day was also when he knew he wanted to continue his education at the public school, and it had taken his parents by surprise and caused quite a stir with Anna.

  It wasn't that he hadn't enjoyed being raised Amish, it was that his earlier talks with his birth mother about getting a higher education had stuck with him all those years. Lessons about money, responsibility, and securing a better future than what she’d had. It amazed him that her words had always stuck with him, yet he never once remembered her telling him that she loved him. He knew that she loved him in her own way, and it wasn't until he grew older that he realized that he was one of the greatest sources of her stress.

  She been a teen mom and had been thrown into adulthood sooner than she was ready. She’d raised him well enough, but still, he hadn't ever been able to shake the words of his birth mother telling him that he needed to make something of himself when he grew up. She wanted nothing short of perfection for his life and for him to be successful both monetarily and personally.

  As parents, Lydia and Steve had made sure the personal part of his life was as close to perfect as any life could be, but it was up to him to take care of the monetary part. He wanted to secure a future for him and Anna, the woman he intended to marry.

  Chapter 3

  Anna sat in her room sulking over the argument she’d had with Nathan just before he’d left for his trip. She’d had a tough time resisting him wearing that Englisch suit and tie, but she stood on principle, and she wasn’t too keen on the changes he’d described for their lives. What she didn’t understand was all of his talk about being successful and making something of himself. It was a little too overwhelming for her to take.

  Four long years ago, she had thought that attending the public school was a phase Nathan was going through, and that it would soon wear off. But now that he was about to graduate high school, she’d assumed that would be the end of it—until he’d brought up the seminars last week. All he’d talked about since then was being successful and continuing his education.

  If you'd ask Anna, she would say that he was already successful–as a quilter, as a student, and as an all-around good person. She was in total admiration of Nathan and couldn't imagine her life with anyone but him. She’d been smitten with him from the very first time she'd seen him in his mother's quilt shop when he’d first arrived in the community.

  That day, she’d stepped away from her mother and watched Nathan sew his mother's quilt with such perfection she couldn't have averted her eyes even if she’d wanted to. She was envious of his stitches that were so unusual and so neat in stature. She knew right then that all she ever wanted to do was imitate those stitches. She was in awe of his natural talent for making quilts and wanted nothing more than to sit beside him while he taught her everything he knew.

  It wasn't until they'd begun the butterfly quilt that she realized just how devoted he was to his craft. Over the following years, they'd made at least 500 quilts together, but not one other butterfly quilt. That butterfly quilt had remained in Anna’s cedar chest all these years, and she intended for it to go on her marriage-bed.

  Now, as she ran her fingers along the stitches of that quilt, it caused her to miss Nathan more than she ever thought she could. Five days would seem like an eternity. They had never spent that much time apart since they’d met, even on his busy days at school.

  While the other boys had cut out of school after eighth grade, Nathan had continued his education by going on to the public school with permission from his parents. It'd been something that Anna had supported even though she didn't understand his desire to continue going to school when he had a farm and a quilt shop to take care of.

  With Anna’s help, Nathan had taken over the quilt shop since their eighth grade graduation, but with Nathan’s busy school schedule, he wasn’t there as much as she was, with the exception of summers. They could put out a quilt faster than any quilting bee in the community, and it had earned them a lot of business.

  Now he talked of fine-tuning those business skills and turning them into an online quilt store. Nathan wanted to take the quilting business to the next level, and his parents had supported his ideas.

  Anna wasn’t so sure she did.

  Chapter 4

  If Nathan could savor the last kiss he’d shared with Anna before they’d said goodbye, it would be what would carry him through the next five days while he toured the campus at Indiana University. He would miss Anna, but he wondered if it was more than opportunity he was missing out on by depriving himself of a college education.

  All he could think about was the prospect of going to college on an academic scholarship. His parents would be proud if he’d told them, but he hadn’t seen any point since he’d already told himself he would not attend.

  If only he knew what exactly it was that he wanted to do about the situation with Anna, then he might be able think a little more clearly.

  So here he was, sitting on a Greyhound bus playing tug-of-war with his decisions, when it dawned on him that he didn’t have to decide now; he could wait and see how things panned out with the tour. If he decided to go, there would be plenty of time to talk to Anna and his parents. He had a pretty good idea of Anna’s reaction, and he didn’t see it as a favorable one. His dad, on the other hand, would probably insist he accept the scholarship.

  Nathan felt a nudge against his shoulder and looked behind him to see Maddie Hayes hanging over the edge of the back of his seat staring down at him.

  "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

  She didn't wait for Nathan’s response. Instead, she pushed by him and sat in the window seat next to him.

  Maddie twisted in her seat to face him. "I know this is going to sound dumb, but I know that you like to make quilts and I was wondering if you would teach me."

  Nathan was taken aback by the question. He had never invited any of his friends over from school. It wasn't that he was embarrassed of how he lived or his family; it was just that he wasn't sure if he wanted his classmates to know he’d been raised Amish. So for Maddie to know about the quilts he made was a bit of a mystery to him.

  He had never dressed in Amish clothing while attending the high school. He did not know why, but he just didn't want anyone at school knowing about his personal home life.

  Was it possible that he himself did not really want to be Amish? His dad had never pushed him to live as Amish, though he had adapted to the lifestyle and enjoyed his home life. From what he’d learned, his mamm and extended family had separated themselves from the Ordnung before he’d come to live with them, so he didn’t know much about it. All he knew was farm-life mixed with his own desire to be more Englisch than Amish.

  He never really thought about it too seriously until now, but he guessed that deep down he was avoiding being Amish. He really loved Lydia, his mamm, and he had always thought of her as his true moth
er. But when it came right down to it, he had to admit he was a little uneasy about the idea of the public school kids knowing about her heritage. He knew how cruel others could be if they find out you’re different, and he didn’t want to be teased.

  He looked at the impatient girl beside him, momentarily forgetting that she’d asked him a question. He didn’t understanding why she was asking him about quilting or how she knew about it, but he didn't really see any harm in teaching her how to quilt.

  "Yeah, sure, I can teach you."

  "I heard you made a really nice butterfly quilt when you were younger. I really like butterflies and I'd like to make one of those too," she said with a smile.

  Nathan clenched his jaw, wondering how she knew about the quilt. "That butterfly quilt was a one-time thing," he said. "There won't be another one like it being made by me."

  Maddie leaned into him smiling and fluttering her eyes. "Won't you please help me make one? You don't have to make it yourself, just show me how to do it."

  “It isn’t that easy,” he said, trying not to show how nervous he was to talk to her about this.

  Maddie shook her head. “I overheard you telling the guidance counselor that you could sew a quilt on your own in only a few days.”

  That’s how she knows!

  Nathan shrugged. "I suppose there isn’t any harm in showing you how to do it yourself."

  Maddie moved her arm on the inside of Nathan's arm and smiled brightly. "Then it's settled. After the required workshops tomorrow we will go shopping for material and you can start teaching me at once so it will be finished by the time we have to return home."

  Nathan wasn't so sure about going shopping with Maddie, but the idea of shopping for fabric in a large outlet in the city obviously intrigued him. He didn’t think Anna would approve if she knew about it, but he didn’t have to tell her if it was only going to upset her. He didn’t like adding to his already deceptive trip, but he couldn’t resist the chance to show off his quilting skills to the prettiest cheerleader at his school.