Patchwork to Healing, page 1
Praise for Karen Coulters Novels
Hope from Daffodils
“Karen Coulters is my new favorite author! At once charming, vivid and delightful, Hope from Daffodils has a natural movement with a suspenseful build-up that kept me turning pages well into the night. Set on the seacoast of Maine, I could picture myself by the water, in the bakery, smelling the flowers and watching the events in the beautiful barn. I fell in love with the characters and miss them already.”
~Jenny Bruck, Author, 52 Vitality Tools
Hope from Daffodils brought me through a wave of emotions that kept me from putting the book down until I was done! Each character is so well developed and rich, you
become invested in each of their outcomes. Thank you for the journey, Karen!”
~Caleigh Flynn, Amazon
“Hard to put down…I enjoyed reading every part of Hope from Daffodils. You really come to like the characters and before the book ends, they feel like old friends. Reading this book feels like a mini-vacation.”
~One Girls Opinion, Goodreads
"I felt I knew the main characters as well as if they had been long time friends of mine. The conversations throughout were natural and never contrived, giving me the sensation, I was present as a silent partner. I was delighted that I never knew exactly where Coulters' was taking me, but I willingly turned the pages to find out!"
~Connie Evan – Author, The Pine Tree Riot
A grieving widow. A disillusioned attorney. Set along the idyllic Maine coast, Hope from Daffodils is about how we lose our way in the world and find our way back. Coulters delivers a romance both twisty and heartwarming. A charming debut!
~Lorrie Thomson, award-winning author of A Measure of Happiness, What’s Left Behind, and Equilibrium
IAN Book of the Year Finalist
When Cookies Crumble
Romance with a mystery built in. When I started this book, it was 1:30 AM before I put it down! The characters are very likeable and right away you are rooting for good things to happen to them. There are some lovely descriptive phrases in here and it is obvious the author has a true love for this local New England setting. If you are looking for a relaxing read that takes you away from today’s hustle and bustle, this book is a good choice. You will not be disappointed.
~Sharon Czarnecki, Director of Weare Area Writers Guild
I could not put this book down!!! I loved that When Cookies Crumble has characters that are so relatable to real life experiences and responses that I have felt. This is a heart-warming well written story. You won’t be disappointed!
~Cindy Mills
Wonderful book! As with her first book, it is hard to put down. The storyline, the development of the characters, the descriptions of the scenery and the events held at Proposals all are extremely well done. Can’t wait for her next book!!!
~Susan L.
A wholesome and satisfying mystery, thread through with love. When baker Emily Vassure’s mother, Helen, dies, she leaves Emily with the mystery of her paternity, and a mistrust of men--due to Helen’s poor choices. Until Duncan Philips comes into Emily’s life--a stranger with whom she feels an instant connection. Much like a favorite recipe, the mystery unfolds step by step until it arrives at its satisfying and delicious conclusion.
~Lorrie Thomson, award-winning author of A Measure of Happiness, What’s Left Behind, and Equilibrium
Another great beach read! Number two in the York Harbor Series; what’s not to love?! Situated in the lovely York Harbor area, our friends from the first book Hope from Daffodils are seen in a mysterious back story that just keeps unfolding and unfolding. You will have a hard time putting this down. I loved it!
~KGG
Once again, Karen’s expressive and descriptive writing puts the reader into the story and lives of the characters. We want to know them or already think we already do.
~Susan Hudson
BOOKS BY KAREN COULTERS
YORK HARBOR SERIES NOVELS
Hope from Daffodils
When Cookies Crumble
Patchwork to Healing
Published by Howland Press
18 Loudon Rd. # 494
Concord, NH 03302
This is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental, unless otherwise stated.
PATCHWORK TO HEALING. Copyright © 2022 by Karen Coulters. All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
For information, address Howland Press, 18 Loudon Rd., #494, Concord, NH 03302.
WWW.KARENCOULTERSAUTHOR.COM
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Karen Coulters, Author
Title: Patchwork to Healing
Book 3 in the York Harbor Series
Description: First edition. | New Hampshire: Howland Press, 2022.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022909103 |
ISBN 978-1-7336460-6-2 (softcover) | ISBN 978-1-7336460-7-9 (eBook)
Our books may be purchased in bulk for promotion, educational, or business use.
Please contact your local bookseller or Howland Press via email @
HowlandPress@KarenCoultersAuthor.com
Cover & Book designed by: My Custom Book Cover
Editor: Roxana Coumans
Image Credits: Canva: cat, quilt patch, chapter heading
Printed in the United States of America.
First Edition: 2022
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to all the beautiful people that deeply care for kids that are entrusted to them, and to the kids that endure and excel under circumstances that most could never imagine.
You are wonderfully made.
You are not a mistake; you were born on purpose.
You were born to be great.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Epilogue
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
You’ve heard the expression: never have I ever; those words could not be truer for me. Never had I ever imagined that when I first started writing in 2016, that I would by 2019 have my first novel published, let alone three.
Patchwork to Healing, I confess, brought me to a place of immense appreciation for those that care for children who were not born to them. This story incorporates the magnitude of pain that the characters, Rebecca Mills and Benjamin Daly, went through at having been placed within the foster care system. However, it captures the love given to them by one of their foster care providers as well.
There is a calling, placed on one’s heart, that pushes those to care for these precious children in need of a loving and nurturing home. Bravo to you, if you have! I pray you will be blessed with immeasurable joy at doing so.
I learned long ago that success grows not from the strength of one, but with the strength of many. Those that lift us up, cheer us on, and advocate on our behalf are essential in having a fulfilling life. Success in life also takes sacrifice of self and willingness to accept help when we need it. My characters navigate through these insights, but so have I. I owe tremendous gratitude to Ellen Reed for teaching me about the ins and outs of quilting so that Patchwork to Healing will ring true… Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you as well to author Sylvie Kurtz for taking my manuscript of Patchwork to Healing and helping me make it shine. Most importantly, thank you, readers, for embracing my works, for it is you that brings my writing purpose.
For those of you who foster, or have lived within the sy
Patchwork to Healing is set in York Harbor, Maine, as is Hope from Daffodils and When Cookies Crumble. I’m often asked if the locations in the books are real; some are and some are simply made up. In this book, the following locations are actual places in York Harbor:
York Harbor Inn, Ship’s Cellar Pub, Rick’s Restaurant, Foster’s Clambake, York Harbor Beach, York’s Cliff Walk, Nubble Lighthouse at Cape Neddick, and LaBelle Winery (Portsmouth). Should you decide to visit these places, I hope they provide you with the same sense of pleasure as they do to me.
One of the highlights in my writing is getting to read comments from my readers. I have the most wonderful readers on the planet, and your remarks inspire me and keep me going. Thank you from the fullness of my heart.
Blessings,
-Karen
Chapter 1
Rebecca tucked a loose strand of hair over her ear and rolled the steel wheel across the fabric, cutting images of kittens playing with balls of yarn into squares. A wisp of a smile washed across her face as she thought of the six-year-old foster child named Jessica, who would receive her gift. Rebecca had been told that she adored kittens, but more importantly, she was as sweet and loveable as the cats she adored. After a few more cuts, she decided the special message she’d embroider onto the special quilt: I, Jessica Finch, am purrrfect just the way I am.
Sunshine dancing across the swatches gave the illusion of warmth, but the chill in her apartment’s workroom made its way to her bones. Fall has always brought on a cloak of melancholy that she couldn’t shake, but keeping her hands busy, making quilts on her days off, and creating wedding bouquets at Proposals, squelched the ache.
Over the past few days Rebecca had been reliving the anniversary of a day that changed her life forever. The death of her parents, brought on a weight and foreboding that rocked her to her core. She’d tried over the years to go on trips to escape the pain, work from dawn to dusk busying herself, or simply take a couple of sleeping pills to sleep the day away, but nothing would ease the gut-wrenching pain that filled every atom of her being.
Rebecca cut the last square, and she sat back to observe the stacks of fabric with a sense of accomplishment. She had lost count of the number of quilts she’d created. If she had to guess, it would be nearly one hundred. Rebecca used to count, but it was too sad to think about, even though they were gifts with a purpose.
She glanced down. Her alarm would sound any moment now, so she readied herself for work. It would be the first day back since her mini-Thanksgiving time off. She had completed the floral arrangements for the holiday and events that had been planned, but as soon as those responsibilities had been done, she’d bailed. Her direct boss, Sophie; and her partner, Emily, were understanding of her absence each Thanksgiving. They assumed that she’d be spending her Thanksgiving with family. She saw no harm in their belief, so she didn’t correct them.
She unplugged the sewing machine and took a cursory look at her quilting room. The stacks of colorful fabric, patterns, and partially completed quilts tugged at her senses. She wanted to stay and play awhile longer, but begrudgingly turned off the light and shut the door behind her.
Rebecca dashed down the hall to jump into the shower so she wouldn’t be late for work.
She shed her gray sweat pants and oversized t-shirt, dropping them to the floor around her feet. Steam curled over the curtain and in her haste, she stepped into the shower.
“Damn it!” she shouted as the scorching water sprayed across her scarred body, instantly transporting her back to a hell of pain. She jumped back, tangling her toe in her t-shirt, and went down with a thud, leaving her shivering on the bathroom floor in a pool of tears.
“When will it end?” she sobbed. “I just want it to stop.”
Rebecca looked up toward the heavens with a quivering lip. “Please make it stop.”
The memory of seeing her parents’ nearly unrecognizable charred bodies, billowing black smoke, and angry flames was unbearable. No human being should ever have to feel that kind of anguish. Rebecca wished she could turn back time, change the past and erase the guilt of what she had done.
She rose from her fetal position on the floor and caught sight of her naked body in the mirror. The right side of her neck, chest, torso, and arm bore scars that appeared raised in some places and smooth in others. Purply, red colors splayed across each surface in varying degrees. She ran her hand across her patchwork skin and felt the thick, fibrous texture that coiled under her touch. No amount of wishing would ease her pain. Rebecca draped her flowing chestnut-brown hair over her scars, then wiped her tears away. She did what she always did; she stuffed the pain down.
***
Rebecca didn’t live far from Proposals. She’d found a small rental right there in York Harbor. In as much as she hated the fall, she was relieved to have the village quiet once again, as most of the tourists were now long gone.
Rebecca approached the driveway to Proposals. Sophie uncovered the massive pots of mums that adorned the signage and main entrance. Despite the fall season and its chilling frost, the arrangement was rather pretty. She gave a wave, and Sophie waved in return.
Flowers of any kind were beautiful in her eyes, which was a good thing, because flowers had become her profession. Rebecca was most grateful for the opportunity Sophie had provided her when she’d needed it the most. She still couldn’t believe that it had been nearly two and a half years since she’d started working there. It was the longest place she’d lived or worked since she was fourteen, and that was sixteen years ago. She was saddened by this realization as she’d often wondered what her life would have been like had her parents lived, and yet part of her was happy as well. She enjoyed her work and sensed she was on the right path; a path that brought joy to others.
Rebecca stepped out of the car, and a gust of wind gripped her. She tightened her jacket’s belt. She scurried toward the shop and around the fall décor near the entrance. Daisy, Sophie’s cat, leaped off one of the small bales of hay, seeking her attention. Rebecca gently nudged Daisy aside with her foot. Daisy was declaring her indignation with a string of meows, then strutted off toward the main house’s porch.
Proposals, with the smell of cinnamon and baked apples wafting through the air, Sophie’s wave, Emily’s smile, and even Daisy’s annoying hello, made her feel like she was home—like she belonged. She couldn’t help but grin as she thought back to when she’d first arrived. Emily wasn’t what you’d call a warm and fuzzy person. In fact, at first, she didn’t think that Emily cared for her at all, but Rebecca had earned her trust, and she was grateful.
Emily retrieved pumpkin muffins from the counter. “Well, well, look who the cat dragged in,” Emily said with a smile. “It’s good to have you back.”
“It’s good to be back.” Really good. She hadn’t been far away, but walking into Proposals gave her consistency, and a place where she felt needed. Yes, she thought, I’m home.
***
The next morning, Rebecca sat in her tufted chair with the sound of jostling leaves blowing outside her living room window. She embroidered the last stitch of the last letter on her latest patchwork quilt, then checked her handiwork.
