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  Holly’s Christmas Wish

  (The Belles of Wyoming Series Book 2)

  By Marianne Spitzer

  © December 2018

  This book is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events, locations, or organizations is purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced without the written consent of the author.

  Acknowledgments

  There are many people I would like to thank for their help and understanding while I wrote this book, but first and foremost, I want to thank God for all His blessings. I also wish to thank my family and friends for their patience and understanding when I disappear into my writing world especially my son, Lance, for his unwavering support. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my loyal readers who read my books and leave reviews. I couldn’t do this without you. You’re the best.

  A special mention for the talented Virginia McKevitt for the beautiful cover design. You can find her on Facebook.

  Holly’s Christmas Wish

  Chapter One

  Holly sat clinging to Matthew’s arm as the old wagon bounced over the road. They left Chicago before the sunrise, and she prayed they weren’t followed. A cold late November wind whistled past as tiny snowflakes danced around them.

  Her mind drifted to the first time she saw Matthew. She worked as a seamstress’ apprentice in the quality ladies wear shop in the heart of town. Mrs. Royalton, one of the town’s most influential woman married to a wealthy businessman, had finished her elaborate shopping spree.

  She turned to Holly and said, “Girl, have all of these things delivered to my home.” She waved her hand at the stack of dresses and personal items on the counter. “Except for the lavender gown. I wish to take it with me.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Holly replied. “I will wrap it immediately.”

  “Hurry then, I see my son has arrived to escort me home.” She glided toward the door but stopped one last time to admire the silk scarves near the door allowing Holly enough time to package the dress without wrinkling the delicate fabric. Holly followed Mrs. Royalton out the door and watched as her handsome son helped her into their carriage.

  He turned to Holly and took his mother’s purchase from her hand. “Thank you, Miss…?”

  “Miss Martin,” Holly added with a slight smile and gentle curtsy.

  “Miss Martin,” he nodded and climbed into the carriage.

  ~ * ~

  The next morning a messenger arrived and handed Holly a note written on the most beautiful parchment paper she had ever seen much less held in her hands. It was a simple note:

  Miss Martin,

  Have dinner with me this evening. I will pick you up when the shop closes.

  Matthew Royalton

  Dinner? Could he really want to have dinner with her? Holly approached her employer and dear friend. Miss Constance had saved her from an unknown fate when she was fourteen and took her in as an employee when the orphanage decided she was old enough to work. Some girls went to work as maids in the homes of wealthy citizens. Some were not as fortunate and ended up cleaning or cooking in shady establishments. A few disappeared. Miss Constance was Holly’s guardian angel. At eighteen, she now had a needed skill and lived in a small room at the back of the seamstress shop. She was happy or at least she thought she was until she looked into Matthew’s eyes yesterday. She had little contact with men, and he intrigued her.

  Miss Constance warned her that Matthew might be a fine young man, but his father had the reputation of a tyrant that ran his family with an iron hand. Holly heeded the advice but told Miss Constance she would enjoy dinner somewhere other than the small café down the street. She doubted Matthew Royalton would take her a nywhere except an excellent restaurant. Miss Constance smiled at her innocence but agreed that perhaps once Holly could enjoy the more elegant side of life and allowed her to borrow a lovely new gown for the occasion.

  Dinner was more than Holly imagined. Matthew escorted her to one of the excellent restaurants in the city, one Holly heard of but knew she would never see inside.

  As Matthew held out her chair, he whispered in her ear, “Did I tell you that you look enchanting this evening?”

  Holly blushed, “Yes, you did, thank you.”

  “Then I must tell you again and again until you believe me. I don’t think you realize just how beautiful you are,” Matthew said his smile warming Holly’s heart.

  Three weeks later, Matthew proposed, and the young couple made plans to leave town and begin a new life.

  ~ * ~

  The sound of horse’s hooves pounding behind them tore Holly from her memories. The three men dressed in black forced Matthew to pull over to the side of the road.

  Holly gripped Matthew’s arm tighter and asked, “Are they bandits?”

  “No, dear, don’t worry. They’re my father’s men,” Matthew grumbled.

  The three riders blocked the road, and Matthew sat glaring at them. Shortly they heard a buggy pull up next to them. Mister Royalton sat in the buggy seat shaking his head.

  “All right, Matthew, you’ve had your fun. It’s over now. Get out of that wagon and return home this instant. If your mother learns of this, she’ll take to her bed for days with one of her sick headaches and make us all miserable,” Mister Royalton insisted.

  Matthew sat there staring between his father and Holly with a look of confusion across his face.

  “Tell him,” Holly whispered.

  Matthew shook his head.

  Holly spoke up, “We’re getting married today, Mister Royalton.”

  Mister Royalton laughed and leaned a bit forward to get a better look at Holly. “I must say you are prettier than the last woman Matthew decided to run off with. He knows all too well that he will lose his inheritance if he marries you. Now, Matthew get out of the wagon and onto the spare horse and ride home before this goes any further.”

  Matthew nodded and leaped off the wagon without a word to Holly. He never turned back to say he loved her, or he was sorry as she sat on the wagon with tears freezing on her cheeks as they fell. When Holly heard a lone horse gallop off, she knew Matthew was gone.

  Mister Royalton looked at Holly, “I have nothing against you, young lady, but Matthew will marry the woman his mother and I choose.” He tossed a heavy bag of coins into the wagon landing next to Holly’s feet. “Take the money and leave. You are less than a mile from the train station. Take a train to a town where Matthew will never think of looking for you. Make it far enough away so you will never again be a temptation to my son. One of my men will follow you to assure you have left town. Don’t ever return.”

  Mister Royalton managed to turn his buggy around on the narrow road, and he and two of the mounted men left Holly sitting there stunned and hurt. The remaining man tipped his hat. “I will follow you into town and take care of the wagon after you’ve boarded the train. I would take Mister Royalton’s advice, leave, and never return. You don’t want to annoy him.”

  Holly took a moment to look into the coin bag before she began to drive the wagon to the train station. She quickly counted the coins and decided how much she could spend on a train ticket with enough left to live on once she arrived at her destination. She’d need money for shelter and food until she found employment. God willing, she’d find another job as a seamstress assistant.

  When Holly arrived at the train station, Mister Royalton’s man helped her from the wagon and carried her bag to the ticket counter. Holly set the coins she decided she could afford to spend on a ticket and said, “I’d like a ticket as far from here as this will get me, please.”

&nbs
p; The ticket agent scrunched his eyebrows and shrugged. He’d had a lot of people ask for unknown destinations, but he thought this young woman must be running from someone. He’d help her choose a safe place.

  The ticket agent counted the coins and checked his map. There were a few options, but his heart told him to send the young lady to Belle, Wyoming. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he had a feeling it was far enough and remote enough to keep her safe from whatever she was running from.

  He looked up at Holly and said, “It will take you to Wyoming. Will that be acceptable?”

  “Yes,” Holly said looking over her shoulder at Mister Royalton’s man standing at the opposite side of the platform. “But once I buy the ticket you won’t tell anyone where I’m going?”

  The station agent saw the man standing there trying to act as if he wasn’t watching Holly. “Of course not. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them I recommend you take the train to Montana. Would that work?” He said and winked.

  A slight smile lifted Holly’s lips, and she whispered, “Thank you. God bless you, sir.”

  “All right, this is what you do. The train will take you to Fort Bridger, and then you’ll catch a stagecoach to Belle. My brother lives near Fort Bridger and writes about the area. Said I should move West. Talks about the town of Belle a lot. Seems to be a nice safe place. I think you might want to stay there, at least for a while.”

  Holly nodded.

  “Your train will be here in ten minutes. Safe travels and be careful,” the ticket agent said as Holly took her ticket and walked toward a bench on the platform.

  Holly turned her head and smiled at the ticket agent before settling on the bench. Mister Royalton’s man didn’t approach her but stood silently like a museum statue and watched Holly from the corner of his eye until she boarded the train and the train pulled out of the station.

  Once the train left the city behind, and the scenery changed to farms and fields, Holly finally let her tears fall. She left the one person who truly cared for her behind. Miss Constance was as close to family as Holly ever knew. Matthew never loved her. She knew that now or he wouldn’t have left her so easily.

  This was not what Holly expected. She expected to marry and finally have a family. Since she was old enough to understand what being an orphan meant, Holly wanted a family of her own. It was her one and only Christmas wish.

  Chapter Two

  The thirty-mile stagecoach ride from the train station outside Fort Bridger to Belle was more uncomfortable than Holly anticipated. At least she was alone in the coach, so no one heard her groans and grumbles when the coach hit yet another bump. After the train, she hoped for a smoother ride. Life certainly was different in the West.

  As the stage slowed and entered Belle, Holly did her best to see the shops as she passed. She hoped to see a seamstress shop where she might find employment, but if there was one, she missed it. She could take in mending to feed herself Holly thought as she wondered why she ever believed Matthew’s lies. She could be back in Chicago where she knew people and Miss Constance was always there with encouraging words and a shoulder to lean on. Here she was alone and feeling a bit lost.

  Joseph Shields browsed the mercantile mostly to ward off the chill from the short walk across the road from his café than for anything he needed. His sister, Charity, suggested he could use a new shirt or maybe two, but Joseph truly had no interest in buying clothes. He watched the stage stop in front of the mercantile and the lone rider emerge. The dark-haired beauty looked around and then dropped down rather dejectedly on the bench outside the mercantile. Joseph wondered why no one was there to meet her and why she decided to sit out in the cold on this first day of December.

  Joseph’s curiosity got the best of him, and he walked out and spoke to the young woman.

  “Good afternoon, ma’am. Is someone meeting you? It’s rather cold out here. You could wait in the mercantile.”

  The young woman shook her head, “Thank you, but no one is meeting me. I’m just trying to decide what to do.”

  Joseph did his best to cheer the young woman. “It might be better to think inside where it’s warm. My name is Joseph, and I own the Belle Café across the road. My sister works with me, and she made an apple pie this morning. I think a slice and a cup of coffee or tea might help whatever is bothering you.”

  When the young woman looked up at him, her blue eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Joseph’s heart skipped a beat. She took his breath away, and she was either in trouble or distress. Either way, he vowed to help her.

  “Thank you, my name is Holly Martin and tea sounds lovely.”

  Joseph bent over to pick up Holly’s small trunk saying, “Allow me. We can set this inside the café while you have some pie and tea.”

  Holly smiled as she picked up her carpet bag and followed Joseph across the road. The café looked inviting with its red checkered window curtains and Holly shivered when the warm air hit her face. She hadn’t realized the stagecoach ride was as cold as it was until she felt the heat of the café surround her.

  Joseph walked toward the back of the café and set Holly’s trunk in a corner near the kitchen and called out, “Charity, I’m back. We have a guest. Can you bring tea and pie, please?”

  A bright voice answered, “In a minute, Joseph.”

  Joseph turned to Holly, “Please allow me to hang up your coat, and you can sit and warm up.”

  “Thank you,” Holly replied as Joseph took her coat and hung it on a hook near the front door.

  A few moments later, a young woman with hair the color of spun gold to match her brother’s entered the dining area with a teapot and two cups.

  As she set the pot and cups on the table, Joseph said, “Charity, this is Holly. She just arrived in town. Why don’t you sit down and take a break? You can tell her about Belle while I bring in more firewood. The temperature is dropping rather fast this afternoon.”

  Joseph left before either Charity or Holly could say a word. Charity smiled and shook her head. “Joseph is a man of few words. Welcome to Belle,” Charity said as she poured two cups of tea. “I’ll be right back with pie.”

  When Charity set down two plates with apple pie and took a seat across from Holly, both began to speak at the same time. They laughed and smiled at each other.

  “Please, you speak first. I really need some of this tea,” Holly explained just before sipping her tea.

  Charity nodded. “It seems Joseph has decided that I should be the one to welcome you. As I said, he doesn’t talk a lot, but I make up for both of us. Belle is a wonderful place to live, but then I assume you must know that, or you wouldn’t be here. Are you expecting someone to pick you up?”

  Holly shook her head and did her best not to let her feelings show but must have done a poor job when Charity said, “Is something wrong? You look a bit pale.”

  After a few more minutes of chatting, Holly felt she needed to trust someone, and Charity seemed accommodating. Holly began to tell her story of why she arrived in Belle and before she was through both young women had tears in their eyes.

  “I’m so sorry you were treated that way,” Charity said and assured Holly she was welcome. “We don’t have a seamstress in town, and an older widow lady does some of the mending for those who can’t or the men who don’t know how. Perhaps you could help her. Until that or if it doesn’t pay enough you could help out here.”

  “Oh no, I couldn’t,” Holly stammered. “I can’t take work away from you or Joseph. You are too kind.”

  “It’s not kindness, I suppose it’s more selfish,” Charity confessed. “I’m a widow, and I have two young children. I help Joseph here at the café because he needs the help, but I would rather spend the time with my children.”

  Holly’s hand flew to her chest. “You’re so young to be a widow. How old are your children?”

  “They are two and four, and I feel I could teach them better than if they stay with old Miss Barber, the retired schoolmistress. She’s kind, bu
t they tire her out quickly.”

  “I imagine they would, but I still don’t feel that it would be right to take your job.”

  Charity smiled, “Let me explain. Our parents died when I was sixteen from a fever. Joseph is a year younger than me, and we both did all we could to support ourselves along with the small amount of money our parents left. Our parents owned a home here in town and the pastor at the time and his wife watched over us. The townsfolks helped, and we managed to make it through. I married when I was nineteen, and my husband purchased a small ranch just at the edge of town. Last year one of his horses threw him, and he was killed.”

  “My heart breaks for you,” Holly confided. “That is much worse than what happened with Matthew. I feel terrible feeling sorry for myself.”

  “Nonsense, we all have feelings and get hurt by the people we care about. Losing him was terrible, but I knew he loved me. Your heart was broken.”

  Holly smiled, “Maybe not as broken as I thought when he left me on the road, but I think he dented it, but I will heal.”

  “I’m sure you will. Now, let me explain why you’d help me by working here. When I married, Joseph started this café. It wasn’t in this building, but another small one down the road near the end of town, but it grew. He’s a wonderful cook and two years ago bought this building. When my husband died, Joseph worried about me living away from town even if it just two miles and insisted I move into our parents’ home, and he’d live in the quarters here over the cafe. The ranch wasn’t mortgaged, and I sold all the horses, so I have enough money for quite some time. Joseph insisted we keep the ranch in case my son wants it when he’s grown. The café isn’t open on Sunday, and we go out to the ranch every other week to check things out and repair what’s needed.”

  Holly finished the last of her pie as she listened to Charity and then remarked. “Joseph seems like a kind man, and I suppose I need to work somewhere. Perhaps I can help here and do some sewing.”