Elizabeth (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 1) Read online

  No matter. He wouldn’t have been able to look at himself in the mirror, knowing he’d allowed Willa to find that poor widow work at the saloon. He could only imagine the pain these women were going through, coping with their heartbreaking losses.

  So why not hire Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton? At least until she got on her feet, however long that might take. As long as it wasn’t more than six months.

  Until then, the hotel could benefit from having a seamstress available for the guests. Some of what Willa said did ring true. And judging from the condition of his suits lately, he was in need of those services as well. Being the loner that he was, approaching a woman in town to do the repairs wasn’t within his scope of reaching out. Having a seamstress here at the hotel would save him from either doing the mending himself or sending it back East for repairs to the only tailor he trusted with his custom-made suits.

  Auggie stood, folded the piece of paper, grabbed his derby, then headed out of his office and to the lobby.

  “Are you ready for your breakfast now, Mr. Raines?” Stewart asked, looking up from his work.

  “No, I’m afraid not. Please tell Mrs. Hall I’m sorry.” Auggie paused at the desk, fingering the brim of his hat. “Stewart, might I ask you a question?”

  “Yes, of course. What can I help you with, Mr. Raines?” Stewart replied, surprise written in his eyes. It wasn’t often—if ever—Auggie asked the opinion of his employees.

  “Since you are the person most of our guests have contact with during their stay with us, have any of them ever inquired as to whether or not the Grand has a seamstress on staff?” Auggie wanted to know how much of his money he would be throwing away by hiring Mrs. Hamilton. If he was right, it would be more than he’d want to waste his money on.

  “As a matter of fact, yes,” Stewart answered.

  “Honestly? How often?” Auggie asked, taken aback that it was a service requested. How had he not thought of it before Willa’s suggestion of hiring Mrs. Hamilton? He’d never thought that people staying over for a day or two would need such a service.

  “May I be blunt then, Mr. Raines?” Stewart placed the pencil precisely in the middle of the ledger in front of him.

  “By all means. It seems the word of the day is blunt, so speak your mind.” Auggie snorted, placing his hat on the desk. He had a feeling this wasn’t going to be quick.

  “If you are considering hiring someone,” Stewart began, “I would recommend it. Over the past week alone, there were several requests for repairs. I had to send them down to Nana’s, only to have them return with their garments not mended. Seems the laundry doesn’t take in any clothing for repairs only. So, they returned disappointed and the damaged garment in hand.”

  “And if there had been a seamstress here, those situations could have been avoided.” Auggie unfolded his hands from behind his back.

  “Yes, sir.” Stewart nodded.

  Auggie knocked his knuckles on the top of the desk. “I’ll be out for a time. Thank you, Stewart, for being candid.”

  Settling his hat on his head, Auggie set out for The Chronicle to place his ad. Seems the Grand was going to have its very own seamstress.

  CHAPTER 3

  Elizabeth pulled several folded bills out from the can she kept hidden under a floorboard in the pantry. She’d had several days to consider Willa’s offer and decided she wasn’t going to accept it. Not willingly anyway. She didn’t want people to think she couldn’t do for herself. That all she was looking for was someone to hold her hand. She’d never been that kind of person before and she wasn’t going to start now.

  She’d spent the last few days going over an advertisement to place in The Chronicle. With so many people coming through town, as well as the town’s residents, someone had to be in need of some mending.

  As much as she respected Willa, valued her friendship, and was grateful for her wanting to help—well, Elizabeth knew she needed to stand on her own two feet. At least, that was what she kept telling herself over and over and over again.

  And after much discussion with her Steven, that was what she was doing, starting today.

  Elizabeth paused at the fireplace on her way out of her house and, as she so often did, gazed at their wedding picture.

  “Steven, I’m going to place the advertisement. It’s the only thing I can do.” Her eyes misted over. She sucked in a shaky breath. “I will not let them see me cry. I will be strong for both of us.”

  Shawl wrapped snuggly around her shoulders, Elizabeth began on a journey she thought she’d never have to take.

  “You can do this, Elizabeth. You have to.” She muttered softly, putting one foot in front of the other along the path she knew all too well.

  “Hi, Elizabeth!”

  Looking up, Elizabeth’s gaze settled on the open church door, and a warm shiver slipped down her spine. Fannie Rochester, who’d lost her husband the same day Elizabeth had lost her Steven, stepped out into the morning sun.

  “Hello, Fannie,” Elizabeth called back, biting her tongue when all she wanted to do was lash out at Fannie. How could she find solace in church when God had taken their husbands from them?

  “Won’t you come in and sit with me?” Fannie offered, stepping closer.

  “Not today, Fannie, thank you.” Elizabeth waved as she continued on her way. She would never forget the pain of losing Steven. Not now. Not ever.

  “Maybe I should move into Willa’s boardinghouse, so I don’t have to pass the church ever again,” Elizabeth mumbled. Feeling her heart race, stealing her breath, she paused for a moment. “Go ahead, take me to join Steven, and I will go willingly.” She took deep breaths until her heart returned to its normal cadence then continued on her way.

  Elizabeth rounded the corner leading into the heart of Blessings Valley. She loved this little mining community that had become home. The thought of having to leave it broke what was left of her already shattered heart. If she didn’t find work soon, she’d be on the first stage at the end of the month.

  “Good morning, Elizabeth.” Willa’s voice sounded like the chorus of a song. “Care to join me?”

  “Hello, Willa. Not right now, thank you for your kind offer. I have an errand to do, and I mustn’t be late.” Elizabeth smiled, waving. “Have a good day, Willa.”

  “You also, Elizabeth.” Willa sounded overly gay for so early in the day with a quiet boardinghouse at the moment.

  She’s up to something, I can feel it, Elizabeth thought, passing the rest of the businesses unscathed on her way down to The Chronicle.

  Elizabeth’s steps slowed when she reached Smith’s Dry Goods. She’d gone too far to turn back now, The Chronicle office was next.

  You can do this. You know you can.

  The words floating through her mind sounded like Steven’s voice. A reminder of who she was. She was Steven Hamilton’s widow, and she was strong. She would carry on as Steven would want her to. Elizabeth knew that for a fact. She wasn’t about to let Steven, or herself, down.

  Drawing in a breath of courage, Elizabeth stepped through the doors of the newspaper office.

  “Mrs. Hamilton.” Clint Wagner looked up from his printing press, his hands smudged with black ink. “What brings you in this morning?”

  “Mr. Wagner, I’d like to place an advertisement.” Elizabeth laid the paper she’d been clutching on the counter. “In your next edition, please.”

  “It won’t be until the end of the week, Mrs. Hamilton. Tomorrow’s issue is almost ready,” Clint informed, wiping his hands down the stained apron around his waist.

  “It will have to do.” Elizabeth’s words rang with the disappointment she felt inside. She shouldn’t have weighed her words so heavily before acting on what she knew she had to do.

  “What are you selling, Mrs. Hamilton?” Clint took only a few steps before reaching the counter and glancing down at her neat handwriting.

  “Looking for work, not selling anything,” Elizabeth said, watching for disapproval while Clint r
ead her notice.

  “You’re a seamstress?” Clint asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I used to be, before Steven and I were married,” Elizabeth said softly then gathered herself together to continue. “Now I need to go back to it, or I’ll be forced to leave Blessings Valley for good.”

  “I think I might have something for you.” Clint wiped his fingers with a somewhat clean cloth, a grin on his face.

  “You have some mending that needs to be done?” Elizabeth asked, a small hope rising in her.

  “No, Mrs. Wagner would not be too happy if I hired someone to do what she’s been doing all these years,” Clint chuckled.

  “Oh, yes, of course.” Elizabeth’s rising hopes dashed, and she felt her soul sinking toward the floor to be stomped on.

  “But the Grand Hotel is looking for a seamstress.” Clint looked up.

  “It is?” Elizabeth asked, surprised by her luck.

  “Mr. Raines was here a few days ago and placed the ad. It will be in this edition I’m printing.” Clint put the rag down, returning to his printing press.

  “The Grand Hotel,” Elizabeth pondered, feeling her spirit lifting. “Thank you, Mr. Wagner. I think I’ll go see Mr. Raines right away. And please, hold my advertisement for now.”

  Auggie sat behind his desk, going over the books for the month with little success. His mind kept wandering back to the advertisement due to be in tomorrow’s Chronicle.

  What if Elizabeth Hamilton didn’t see the advertisement in the paper? What if every other woman in town did and they showed up at the hotel? Then what was he to do? Tell them all they weren’t what the hotel was looking for? That their qualifications weren’t enough? Turn them away?

  He’d be shooting himself in the foot if he did that. He had a reputation to maintain with his employees.

  He probably should have just gone to see the woman and offered her the position instead of listening to Willa. From what she’d said about Mrs. Hamilton, the widow probably wouldn’t have taken his offer, thinking it a handout.

  Well, the ink was dry, and he’d see it through, no matter who contacted him for the position. At least for a month or two. If business was slow and not profitable, maybe shorter.

  But if it turned out profitable, he might have to invest more into it. The hotel could sustain the extra cost if business continued to flourish.

  “Mr. Raines?” Stewart inquired, standing just inside the door.

  “Yes, Stewart, what is it?” Auggie looked up from the financial ledgers he’d been reviewing.

  “There’s a woman here, regarding a seamstress position.” Stewart’s brow furrowed in question. “Is there such a position?”

  “The notice doesn’t appear in The Chronicle until tomorrow,” Auggie said, more to himself then to his desk clerk. Sitting back, he pondered the situation for a moment. Had Willa informed Mrs. Hamilton that he was looking for a seamstress? Had she also told the widow that it was at her insistence that he do so? Only one way to find out—have the woman come in. But what if it wasn’t Mrs. Hamilton, then what was he to do?

  “Did she give her name by chance?” Auggie asked sitting forward over his desk.

  “I believe it’s one of the widows; Mrs. Hamilton, if I am right.”

  “But you aren’t sure?” Auggie tapped the pencil lightly on the ledger.

  “No, Mr. Raines. I didn’t ask her name.” Stewart cast his gaze downward, shaking his head. “She only asked to see the person in charge of hiring for the seamstress position. I didn’t think to ask her name. I was certain that she was mistaken.”

  “It’s all right, please send her in,” Auggie instructed, closing the financial ledger.

  Stewart nodded then left to go into the lobby, where Auggie presumed the woman waited for him. When he returned, it was with a pretty woman in her late twenties, dressed in a dark plain dress, long auburn hair pulled back, and the saddest blue eyes Auggie had ever seen.

  “Mrs. Hamilton is here to see you, Mr. Raines,” Stewart announced escorting Elizabeth Hamilton to one of the wingback chairs.

  Auggie stood, blood rushing through him. “Mrs. Hamilton, please do sit down.” He noted the way his heart raced the moment his gaze met hers. “What is it I can help you with?”

  “If I may be straightforward, Mr. Raines. I need a job, and I understand you have a position for a seamstress available.” Elizabeth spoke in a brave, matter-of-fact tone. Her gaze never wavering from his, he couldn’t help but feel drawn to her.

  “Yes, that is true. May I ask how you found out?” Auggie asked seeing past the false façade. He admired her bravery for trying to move forward with her life.

  Willa said Elizabeth Hamilton was a strong woman, and now Auggie believed her. Under that bravery she showed everyone was a woman who loved deeply. Not sure why, but he knew it in his heart.

  “Purely by accident, I can assure you, Mr. Raines.” Elizabeth smiled, nervously fingering the clasp of her handbag. “I happened to be at the newspaper office to place a notice for my services as a seamstress. Clint Wagner told me that the Grand Hotel had placed an advertisement for one in tomorrow’s edition. So, I came over right away.”

  Auggie watched her for a moment. He saw the sorrow she was trying to conceal. He thought it bordered on the desperation of a woman struggling to survive on her own.

  “Clint is correct, of course. I am considering taking on a seamstress as a service to the hotel guests.” Auggie studied her face carefully. Something about her continued to draw him in with each passing moment, and he wanted to help her as much as he could. “Are you qualified?”

  “It has been several years, but yes, I believe so,” Elizabeth said, a small glimmer of hope in her eyes. “I was a dressmaker at a small dress shop back in Virginia. When Steven and I married, I continued my skills from home until we came here to Blessings Valley.”

  The sadness in her voice reminded Auggie of the days after his father had passed. His mother, trying to get through that first year. She had made it through the grief with the love of family.

  It sounded like her family was back East. Blessings Valley was all she had to guide her through the pain and grief of losing her husband. The people of Blessings Valley were her family now. And that included himself.

  “Mr. Raines, I need this position. Not only financially, but for my own sanity. I need to feel useful.” She nearly begged, tears in her eyes.

  “Your sanity?” Auggie thought it was an odd phrase to use for a grieving widow. Did she think she was losing her mind?

  “Maybe it was too strong of a word to use. I want to stay in Blessings Valley. I can’t if I don’t have a way to support myself.” She glanced down then looked him in the eye. “I believe you hold the only hope I have, Mr. Raines. I am very capable of doing an honest days’ work, for an honest wage.”

  Relief swept through Auggie. He didn’t need, or want, a hysterical woman on his hands, no matter how much Willa Alexander tried to convince him otherwise. He believed Elizabeth Hamilton was indeed desperate but not hysterical. The woman’s honesty pulled at him. Clearly, she was in need of financial assistance, yet instead of conniving or asking for a handout, she would only accept help if it came in the form of a job.

  “Mrs. Hamilton, if you are willing to start tomorrow, then I am offering you the position on a trial period. Are you agreeable to that?”

  “Mr. Raines, as you know, I am in a position that enables me to start tomorrow. I’m sure you also know that my late husband was one of the men who died in the mine explosion months ago.” Elizabeth clutched her bag to keep from shaking.

  “Yes, Mrs. Hamilton, I am truly sorry for the loss of your husband. And I am aware of your situation. Or I imagine you wouldn’t be looking for work,” Auggie said. “But that doesn’t change the fact that your employment is on a trial basis. And for the books, I will not make any exception because of your situation.”

  Sitting back in his chair with a smug look on his face that Elizabeth found both annoying
and adorable, which also annoyed her. She blinked back the tears in her eyes caused by his bluntness. He may appear a hard man, but there was a softness in his eyes that told her otherwise.

  When she came to see about the position, she hadn’t expected a trial period. She’d expected to be permanently hired. She’d been bold enough to think that her word regarding her experience would be enough.

  Now, she’d have more to worry about. What if she didn’t work out? What if one day he decided he didn’t like her work? Or worse yet, her?

  “I’ll prove myself and my skills to you. I promise you won’t be disappointed, Mr. Raines.” Elizabeth drew in a breath to steady her nerves. She needed this job. She needed the money in order to stay. Not only in Blessings Valley, but also in her home. “How long is the trial period?”

  “Thirty days, and I’m sure you will work out, Mrs. Hamilton.” He stood, looming over his desk. “Now, go home for the day and try not to worry about your future for now. I ask that you be here by eight in the morning.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Raines. I am truly grateful that you agreed to see me before your advertisement came out.” Elizabeth extended her hand to her new employer. As soon as their hands touched, something sizzled though her so quickly, she wasn’t sure if she’d felt what she thought she’d felt. “I’ll see you in the morning then. Good day, Mr. Raines.”

  Elizabeth quickly smiled then turned and took a few steps before she heard the chair scrape on the floor.

  “Oh, one more thing, Mrs. Hamilton,” he said.

  “Yes?” Elizabeth turned to see Mr. Raines coming around his desk, brows furrowed. Has he changed his mind?

  “Would you mind bringing your sewing box with you? I’m afraid I haven’t had time to get all the supplies you may need. This is somewhat embarrassing since I’ve now hired you. Truth be told, I’m not exactly sure what is needed by a seamstress, other than needles and thread that is. And I’m sure there’s more to just patching up a seam than those two items. I’ve always sent my suits out in the past for any repairs.” His face turned a deep red. “I’m sorry, I know how that must sound. However, I promise to replace your private notions if there is a need to use them. Tomorrow, we will go to Smith’s and get as much as you need.”