The Patchwork Bride

Summary

From the bestselling author of A Quilt for Christmas comes the irrepressible story of one woman's quest to find love without losing herself in the American West. Ellen is putting the finishing touches on her granddaughter June's wedding quilt-made from scraps of old dresses, both remembered and forgotten-when June breaks off her engagement and seeks sanctuary at her grandparents' ranch. June's fiance is set to go off to fight in Korea as soon as they're married, but the young bride doesn't think she can go through with it. Ellen has spent the last fifty years on this ranch with her beloved husband, Ben. Theirs has been a wonderful life, the best Ellen could imagine; yet, she cannot accept the fate which is looming all too close. Ben's failing memory and her poor health have made selling their ranch and moving into town an inevitability. Ellen wants just one more winter in front of the fireplace Ben built, the two of them warm under the quilts she's stitched, before they say goodbye. But first, June's uncertain heart needs tending. With the rose-colored New Mexico desert as backdrop, Ellen tells June the story of Nell, a Kansas-born spitfire who ran away from three different weddings before marrying the love of her life. It's a tale filled with excitement, heartbreak, disappointment, self-discovery, and hard-earned life lessons that taught her how a woman can learn to love without giving up who she is and who she wants to become. Ultimately, the story of Nell revels a twist with tremendous significance not only for June as she decides her fate, but also for Ellen, as she embraces hers.