Authors: Judith Pella
Bachelor's Puzzle
BACHELOR'S
PUZZLE
B
OOKS BY
J
UDITH
P
ELLA
B
ELOVED
S
TRANGER
M
ARK OF THE
C
ROSS
T
HE
S
TONEWYCKE
T
RILOGY
*
T
EXAS
A
NGEL
D
AUGHTERS OF
F
ORTUNE
W
RITTEN ON THE
W
IND
S
OMEWHERE A
S
ONG
T
OWARD THE
S
UNRISE
H
OMEWARD
M
Y
H
EART
P
ATCHWORK
C
IRCLE
B
ACHELOR’S
P
UZZLE
R
IBBONS
W
EST
†
W
ESTWARD THE
D
REAM
T
HE
R
USSIANS
T
HE
C
ROWN AND THE
C
RUCIBLE
*
W
HITE
N
IGHTS
, R
ED
M
ORNING
*
with Michael Phillips
†
with Tracie Peterson 07B
P
ATCHWORK
C
IRCLE
BACHELOR'S
PUZZLE
A N
OVEL
JUDITH PELLA
B
ETHANY
H
OUSE
P
UBLISHERS
Minneaplis, Minnesota
Bachelor’s Puzzle
Copyright © 2007
Judith Pella
Cover design by UDG DesignWorks
Art Direction by Paul Higdon
Photography by Steve Gardner, Claudia Kunin
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form of by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Printed in the United States of America
Paperback: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0133-2 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0133-6
Large Print: ISBN-13: 978-0-7642-0400-5 ISBN-10: 0-7642-0400-9
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Pella, Judith.
Bachelor’s puzzle / Judith Pella.
p. cm. — (Patchwork circle ; bk. 1)
ISBN 978–0-7642–0133–2 (pbk.)
ISBN 978–0-7642–0400–5 (large-print pbk.)
1. Women—Fiction. 2. Swindlers and swindling—Fiction. 3. Quiltmakers—Fiction.
4. Quilting—Fiction. 5. Quilts—Fiction. 6. Oregon—Fiction.I. Title.
PS3566.E415B33 2007
813’.54—dc22
2007007117
To the Columbia County Piecemakers Quilt Guild who I would like to think are the descendants of quilters like those in the Maintown Sewing Circle. Thank you for the inspiration of your enthusiasm in the craft of quilting, but most especially thank you for your friendship.
CONTENTS
ONE: C
OLUMBIA
C
OUNTY
, O
REGON
A
PRIL
1882
JUDITH PELLA has been writing for the inspirational market for more than twenty years and is the author of more than thirty novels, most in the historical fiction genre. Her recent novel
Mark of the Cross
and her extraordinary four-book Daughters of Fortune series showcase her skills as a historian as well as a storyteller. Her degrees in teaching and nursing lend depth to her tales, which span a variety of settings. Pella and her husband make their home in Oregon.
V
ISIT
J
UDITH
’
S
W
EB SITE:
The setting of this story is Columbia County, Oregon, which is an actual place.I debated about using a real place because it is easier and often safer to create one’s own setting. But I chose the real county for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve’ve always been told to “write what you know,” a rule I often break, but this time I went with it. I have lived in Columbia County for several years and know parts of it well. But mostly I chose it because it is a lovely place—in a rustic, somewhat threadbare sort of way.I t is past its heyday, but that is what gives it its particular charm.I t is very pretty country here with the Columbia River on its northwestern border and forests and farmlands dotting the rest of the county. I t is still quite rural despite its proximity to Portland—the county seat is only forty-five minutes away from the city.I thought it would be fun to pay tribute to my home in this way.
That said, I must go on to emphasize that except for some place names, ambiance, and general historical facts, I have fictionalized a great deal of what you see in these pages. People and incidents are spawned entirely from my own imagination. Main-town, its residents, and events are especially my own creations. Nevertheless, when you have so many characters in a story, it is difficult not to accidentally appear to hit upon a real person. But believe me, if you see someone familiar in this story, it is truly just that—an accident. As always, however, I have tried to stay true to the life and times of the people and places.