American Quilt

Johanna Shelby could never have anticipated where that "fateful encounter" would lead her. She could not have known then how love for the young, rough-hewn, mountain doctor would cause her to turn her back on her privileged lifestyle, threaten to estrange her from her family, and bring her to the wild mountains of Appalachia. If she had known . . . But no! Nothing could hold her back. Not her adoring, worried parents. Not her snooty, so-called "friends." Not even her own flashes of doubt and fear. No, this love would not be denied. It was part of a larger pattern -like the pattern of one of the family quilts her aunts and cousins met weekly to stitch. Into those quilts went not just fabric, but meanings and memories; and when they were finished, the were more than just quilts- they were life stories. Johanna did not know what the future held. But she trusted God. . . And she knew that he would cause her own family quilt to be rich and beautiful -a pattern like no other.

She was of American blood, born in the islands. He was a native islander. Their love bridged two worlds that would one day threaten to tear them apart. As a child, Jana Rutherford played barefoot on the sparkling Hawaiian beaches with her friend, Akela, and Akela's handsome cousin, Kimo. But that carefreeness would change as Jana grew...and the quality of her and Kimo's friendship grew as well into something deeper, stronger. It was then that Jana first heard the whispers, "He's not her kind" -and discovered the differences people drew between a Hawaiian-born American and a native islander. Faced with the ignorance of others and a painful time of separation from Imo, it would be easy for Jana's love to grow cold. Especially with Bayard, the dashing brother of Jana's wealthy friend, Edith, showing such evident interest. Attractive, charming, and of American stock like herself, Bayard represented a lavish, exciting world that Jana had only read about. But Kimo stood for all she had known and loved. In each intricate quilt of the Hawaiian women, a secret was hidden known only to its creator, a story contained in its design. Jana's life seemed much like a quilt: delicately yet passionately fashioned by a Creator who knew how to assemble the pieces into a mysterious, glorious pattern- a life's tale yet untold.

For the sake of peace in the family, Jo-Beth kept her feelings to herself. But she and Wes were pledged to each other, and nothing could change that. Not even war. With the death of her father, Jo-Beth and her family, moved in with relatives. There, her mother makes a living sewing her exquisite quilts-and Jo-Beth discovers a special friend. Wesley Rutherford draws Jo-Beth like a magnet ... and their attachment to one another becomes strong enough to endure a long separation. Their future together seems certain … until the Civil War forces a decision that places Wes at odds with friends and family. Beginning in the mountains of North Carolina, the American Quilt series takes readers through the Civil War, across the country by wagon train to California, and finally across the Pacific to the romance and wild beauty of Hawaii. At the end of each book, you'll find the pattern for its quilt. Follow it to create a beautiful quilt of your own.