Holly’s heart sank. “I didn’t know he was courting anyone.”
Oh,” Charity continued. “He isn’t. He doesn’t care for Lydia at all. She has caused him a lot of trouble and if he could ban her from the café, he would. He doesn’t want to marry her, she wants to marry him.”
Holly nodded. “I understand. I need to introduce myself to her, too. I hope she’s pleasant.”
Charity wiped her hands on a towel that she had hung over her shoulder. “She will be, she always is to anyone who doesn’t know her or doesn’t get in the way of what she wants. She wants Joseph and I still think Joseph is smitten with you so be careful.”
Holly blushed. “You should stop saying that. Someone might hear you. I think he’s only being polite.”
“Believe me, he’s smitten. He’s my brother. I should know,” Charity insisted and turned her back on Holly to turn the strips of bacon on the stove.
Holly shook her head and walked into the dining room doing her best to smile and not think about Charity’s words. She took Natalie and Drew’s order and turned to address Lydia.
“Good morning, my name is Holly. What can I get you to eat? Charity made flapjacks, and we have scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits with honey,” Holly said as she addressed the raven-haired beauty.
“Hello, I’m Lydia. You must be new in town. I didn’t know Joseph hired a new person to work for him,” Lydia answered while staring at Holly.
“Yes, I just arrived a few days ago, and I’m a seamstress’ assistant, but the town doesn’t have a seamstress shop, and Mister Shields was kind enough to offer me employment until I could find some seamstress work,” Holly explained.
“How wonderful,” Lydia gushed. “Can you sew an entirely new dress?”
Holly nodded. “Yes, I can. I can use a pattern or take measurements and fashion it similar to a dress someone owns.”
A broad smile crossed Lydia’s face. “Could you help me make a new dress for Christmas? I ordered a pattern and some red satin, but after reading the instructions, I’m nervous about cutting into the beautiful fabric and making a mistake.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to help you. One of my jobs as Miss Constance’s assistance was cutting the fabric from patterns.”
“Who is Miss Constance?”
My employer back in Chicago.”
Lydia’s smile grew wider. “You worked for a seamstress in a big city? You must help me. I’ll have the loveliest gown for Christmas.”
Holly nodded. “I can help you with the dress. First, you need something to eat. What can I bring you?”
“Eggs, biscuits, and bacon, please,” Lydia said and added. “I think working on my dress together is a lovely idea and we’ll be the best of friends.”
Holly smiled and hurried back to the kitchen.
“You had a long conversation with Lydia. What did she want?” Charity asked.
“She wants me to help her make a dress for Christmas and thinks we’ll be good friends. She also wants bacon, biscuits, and eggs,” Holly said doing her best to stifle a laugh.
Charity dished up Lydia’s breakfast and handed the plate to Holly. “Watch yourself with that woman.”
“She seems harmless, and I can do some real sewing. I’m excited, and I’ll watch what I say and do,” Holly said before heading toward Lydia’s table with her breakfast.
The men’s group were breaking up, and the men left all nodding at Holly on the way out. Lydia commented, “All the men seem to like you.”
Holly shook her head. “I don’t know why. I just served them coffee, and I left a bad relationship in Chicago. I certainly don’t want another one.”
That statement made Lydia happy. She and Holly could be friends, she’d get a beautiful new dress for Christmas, and Joseph would be hers.
“When can we work on my dress?” Lydia asked.
“I only work a few hours a day. I can help you this afternoon after the lunch rush. Do you live in town?”
“Sometimes. I have a ranch outside of town but also a home here in town. Since my father died, I spent a lot of the cold days here in town. I don’t want to get stuck at the ranch if we have a bad storm,” Lydia explained.
Holly nodded. “I can ask Charity for directions and stop by this afternoon.”
“I’d like that,” Lydia said as she took a bite of biscuit.
Holly smiled and walked back to the kitchen wondering if Lydia was as bad as Charity said or if Lydia was pretending to be nice just for the help with her new dress. Either way, it would work out for Holly. If people saw Lydia’s new dress and liked it, perhaps she’d get more jobs. Working at the café was all right, but she missed creating beautiful dresses and embellishing them with lace and frills.
Joseph and Charity were whispering when Holly returned to the kitchen, and she wasn’t sure what to do. Charity saw her and motioned her over. “We aren’t talking about you. Joseph was telling me the bells are missing.”
“Bells?” Holly asked.
“The sleigh bells Clara Brown brought to town. I told you the story. Somehow, they disappeared from the mayor’s office,” Joseph explained.
Holly's brow furrowed. “That doesn’t sound good. I take it they’re important to the town.”
“Very,” Joseph agreed. “We need them for our Christmas celebration. It’s strange, and no one knows what happened to them.”
“I do hope you find them,” Holly said expressing genuine concern.
“I do, too,” Charity admitted. “Now, tell me what did Lydia have to say?”
Joseph shook his head and headed out back for firewood.
“I’m going to her house after lunch to help her with her dress. She’s nervous about cutting the fabric, and I can understand that. When I learned,
