Buttons and Bows (The Sewing Circle Book 3) Read online

  Buttons and Bows:

  A Sewing Circle Romance

  Book Three

  by Amelia C. Adams

  With thanks to my beta readers—Amy, Barbara, Cindy, Dorothy, Joseph, Mary, Shelby, Suzy, Robin, Teresa, and Theresa.

  Cover design by Ammon Pinkston

  Previous books in the Sewing Circle series:

  A Stitch in Time

  The Ties That Bind

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  Table of Contents:

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter One

  Topeka, Kansas

  1877

  Jane Henderson smiled as she walked up the street toward her shop and saw Bonnie Clark waiting for her just outside.

  “Good morning,” she called out. “You’re quite early. Is something wrong?”

  Bonnie clutched Jane’s arm as soon as she was within clutching distance. “I just don’t know what to do with that girl, Jane,” she said, her face a mask of worry. “She and her mother stopped by on their way home last night, and she said right out loud that she’d made up her mind never to marry.”

  Jane managed to unlock the door even with Bonnie clinging to her elbow, and she motioned for her friend to go inside. Once she’d raised the window blind, she turned and gave Bonnie her complete attention. “Is that such a terrible thing? I know several ladies who have chosen not to get married—it’s not nearly as scandalous as we think it is.”

  “But I know Kitty—she’ll be perfectly miserable if she doesn’t have a family of her own someday.” Bonnie sat down in one of the chairs set up for the meeting of the Sewing Circle. It wasn’t her usual spot and she was generally very particular about things like that, so Jane could guess that she really was quite distracted. “She’d regret it, I’m just sure.”

  Jane sat down next to Bonnie and offered her hand, knowing that she ran the risk of Bonnie clinging to it, too—she might never see it again. “Kitty’s young, Bonnie. She has plenty of years left to make that decision. A choice made last night won’t ruin her entire life—it was simply how she felt at the moment. I don’t know Kitty as well as you do, but I am aware of how frequently she changes her mind about things.”

  “You’re right.” Bonnie heaved quite a large sigh for a woman of rather diminutive size. “I was just so disappointed, you see.”

  “About what?”

  “Well, we’d just decided that Kitty would be our next project, and I was so excited. And then . . . well . . .” Bonnie shook her head, her silver curls bouncing. “I suppose I allowed myself to become rather despondent. It was like I’d just been told that Christmas wasn’t coming after all.”

  “I can understand that,” Jane told her. It was true—the little matchmaking enterprise the ladies had begun did bring excitement to their group, and it was disappointing to think that Kitty might not be next on their list after all. But the girl wasn’t known for consistency. She could change her mind twelve times before noon and mean every word. “We ought to discuss her situation with the other ladies and see what they think.”

  “You’re right. We shouldn’t give up until we’ve listened to everyone’s thoughts. Thank you, Jane. You’re much wiser than I am.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Jane replied. “I’m just more objective because she’s not my granddaughter.”

  “Speaking of which, have you decided which of your grandchildren we should match? You do have several who are still unattached.”

  “Yes, I do, but I haven’t decided yet.” That fact was a source of great consternation to Jane. She knew that sooner or later, she’d be asked to select their next project, and she didn’t know how to go about making that sort of choice. Not one of her grandchildren stood out to her as being in any particular need, and she didn’t want to step in where she wasn’t wanted or overlook someone who might be suffering silently. She’d decided that she’d take her turn last—that would give her lots of time to consider the options.

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll get it sorted out,” Bonnie said. “And here come the other ladies.”

  Right on time, one by one, the women of the Sewing Circle entered the shop, their skirts twirling as they moved and their voices sounding like the chirping of birds. Jane smiled as she watched them greet each other. They reminded her of a cage full of chickadees, the way they chattered back and forth. Bonnie suddenly noticed she was in the wrong chair and stood up with a gasp, taking her usual seat as the other ladies got settled.

  Everyone got situated, including Viola Spencer, who always chose the corner that received the most sunlight. Jane held up both hands to bring the chattering to a stop. “Welcome, ladies, and thank you for coming to our meeting today. As you all know, we decided that Kitty Clark should be our next undertaking, but Bonnie has brought us some news.”

  “Is Kitty already engaged?” Thora Barton asked. “Are we too late?”

  “If she is already engaged, that’s not a failure on our part,” Maude Thomas pointed out. “We’re here to help those who can’t seem to help themselves, not to arrange every marriage that takes place in this town.”

  “But still, I did so want to help Kitty,” Thora went on. “She’s such a pretty thing.”

  “Shall we let Bonnie explain what happened?” Jane asked. She motioned for Bonnie to stand.

  Bonnie did so, twisting her hands nervously in front of her. “Kitty and her mother came by for a visit last night, and Kitty announced her intention to stay single. She has no interest in getting married.”

  “Is that entirely bad?” Nola Johnson asked.

  “Aside from our wanting to help her, of course,” Thora added.

  Bonnie cast a glance at Jane as though asking for help. Jane, having raised those questions herself just a few minutes before, was inclined to agree with Nola, but she decided to step in and lend a hand anyway. “Bonnie feels that Kitty will regret this decision for the rest of her life.”

  “Surely she could change her mind at any time,” Esther Brown said. “And if you’ll forgive my saying so, but isn’t the girl prone to do just that—change her mind at will? She and Miriam have been close friends for years, and I’ve had many chances to observe her being rather inconsistent with what she wants.”

  Jane turned to Bonnie and shrugged. It was exactly what she herself had said—she couldn’t add to or subtract from it. “I think, Bonnie dear, that perhaps you’re becoming upset over a trifle,” she said, hoping her light tone of voice would take the sting out of her words. She didn’t want to hurt her friend, but she did feel the need to point out that maybe the situation had been taken too seriously. “I’m sure that the next time you see Kitty, she’ll be bursting with news about a new young man who’s come to town and caught her eye.”

  “What new young man? There are no new young men,” Bonnie said, sounding mournful. “And you recall the list we made of all the eligible young ladies in town? I stayed up late last night making a similar list of the men, and it’s hopeless. Not a one would suit her.”

  “Well then, one must either come to town or she must be sent away,” Maude said briskly. “We can’t make a matc
h when there’s no match available, can we?”

  “But I don’t want her to be sent away!” Bonnie now sounded on the verge of a wail.

  “Hush,” Jane said, patting Bonnie’s shoulder. “I’m sure everything will turn out as it should—just look at the success we had with our first two projects. They’re both married and tucked away in their snug little homes—Kitty will have her chance too. If she wants it.”

  “But what if she doesn’t?” Bonnie pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her cheeks.

  Well, this discussion was certainly going in circles. Jane had hoped to bring it to a conclusion, but it simply refused to conclude. “Why don’t I speak with her?” she suggested. “She placed an order for some lavender buttons, which I was out of at the time, and they should be here this afternoon. When she comes in to pick them up, I can open the topic of matrimony and we’ll see where she stands on it this morning. I’m sure that after a good night’s sleep, she’s seeing things more clearly.”

  “You’d do that?” Bonnie asked with a small sniff.

  “Of course, and that should be our first order of business—finding out if the bride actually wants to be a bride. If not, our efforts will be wasted, and that would be unfortunate.” Jane paused. “Did you happen to bring that list of young men with you?”

  Bonnie fished in her sewing basket and brought out a sheet of paper that looked rather beat up. “Here.” She handed it over. “I don’t know why you want it, though—it’s useless, I assure you. There’s not one decent boy in the lot.”

  Thora sat up a little straighter. “I do hope you don’t mean that, Bonnie. My grandsons happen to be very nice young men.”

  Bonnie’s cheeks immediately went pink. “Oh, Thora, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just meant that none of them were suited to Kitty—I adore Theo and Rudolph, but surely you agree that they wouldn’t be a good match for her, either one of them.”

  Thora nodded. “I do agree that their personalities would clash, and thank you for clarifying. My Victor would turn over in his grave if he thought his grandsons were anything less than kind, polite boys.”

  “And they truly are,” Bonnie assured her.

  None of the other grandmothers had seemed to take offense at Bonnie’s comment—or at least, they didn’t choose to challenge her about it, and the moment passed. “Since we can’t leap to matchmaking immediately, do we have any other concerns this morning?” Jane asked.

  “Yes,” Nola said. “I’m piecing a new quilt, and I can’t make heads or tails out of the instructions. They were printed in a ladies’ magazine my daughter reads, and it’s like trying to understand a different language.”

  The ladies immediately gathered around to see what Nola was working on, and Jane breathed a sigh of relief. Bless Bonnie’s heart—she did tend to speak without thinking it over, and thankfully, the other ladies understood that and gave her room to correct herself. There were indeed many decent boys in town—it was just a matter of matching them up with the many splendid girls who were looking to marry, and that’s where the Sewing Circle came in. Jane had no doubt they’d find a match for Kitty, but they’d have to be patient. The right one was out there, but he wasn’t likely to be in the usual places or Kitty would have found him already. No, they’d have to be particularly clever and cunning this time around—that was obvious.

  If Kitty wanted them to, of course.

  That was a very important detail that should not be overlooked.

  When Jane’s order wasn’t on the morning train, she was a little disappointed, but she assumed that meant it would arrive in the afternoon. With no customers in the shop at the scheduled time, she took the liberty of closing her door and heading down to the station, eager to see the train arrive. It had been a few weeks since she’d visited the station, and it always gave her a thrill to see the billows of gray smoke fill the air as the train drew closer to its destination.

  A familiar figure stood on the platform, and he smiled and gave a bow as she approached. “Mrs. Henderson, it’s good to see you. How are you?”

  “It’s good to see you too, Mr. Brody. I’m quite well, and how are you?”

  The handsome young man chuckled. “We’re as busy as ever, but I can’t seem to keep a waitress at my hotel longer than a few months. They’re always falling in love and getting married as soon as they’re properly trained. Elizabeth thinks there’s something magical about the hotel that brings people together.”

  “Oh?” That sounded so romantic. “And what do you think? Do you agree with your wife?”

  “I think it’s a curse meant to keep me lacking in employees for the rest of my life.” He gave another chuckle, then glanced over his shoulder “Oh, will you excuse me, Mrs. Henderson? The stationmaster’s free now, and I needed to speak with him.”

  “Of course. And may your luck change and bring you several homely and yet skillful young ladies who will work for you indefinitely.”

  He laughed, then touched his hat before striding over to the ticket booth to speak with Mr. Hoover. Mr. Brody ran a very nice hotel right next to the railroad and provided hot meals to the passengers—a valuable service, to be sure. It was a shame that he couldn’t seem to keep his waitresses, but how could Jane argue against love? It was her new enterprise, after all.

  A moment later, the tell-tale plume of smoke was visible on the horizon, and the train pulled into the station with a puff and a hiss a few minutes after that. The baggage handlers were quick to pull their load from the car, and Jane watched eagerly for a crate that looked as though it might be carrying her order.

  “Excuse me, ma’am.”

  She looked up to see a young man approaching from the direction of the train, obviously one of the passengers who had just disembarked. “I’m in need of a good hotel,” he said, taking off his hat as he addressed her. “Is that one across the way respectable?”

  “Yes, it is,” she told him. “That’s the Brody Hotel—one of the best in town. Mr. Brody was here himself a moment ago. I don’t see him now, but you’d definitely be treated well there.”

  “Thank you,” he replied. He certainly was a nice-looking fellow—blond and blue-eyed, tall, and soft-spoken. Now, what was it Jane had been discussing with the other ladies? That they needed a new young man to come to town? And here one was . . .

  “If you don’t mind my asking, what brings you to Topeka?” Jane couldn’t help the curiosity bubbling up inside her, nor her excitement. It wasn’t often that she expressed a wish and had it granted so immediately. Of course, it was entirely possible that he wasn’t there for the purpose of marrying Kitty Clark, but she wasn’t about to start thinking such negative thoughts this early.

  “I’ve come to study with Orinda Britt—er, Orinda Perry,” he corrected himself. “I’m a vocalist trying to regain his voice, and she’s agreed to work with me.”

  Jane’s heart gave an erratic thump. “You’re musical, then?” she asked just to be sure she hadn’t misunderstood. Kitty adored music—she played the piano beautifully, and she’d often mentioned her dream of attending the opera in New York someday.

  “Yes, ma’am, I am. Music is my dearest love.”

  Jane grinned, hoping her enthusiasm wouldn’t spill over and cause her to make a scene. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Mr. . . .?”

  “I’m Justin Sorenson of White River Junction, Vermont.” He gave a slight bow.

  “And I’m Jane Henderson. Welcome, Mr. Sorenson. Will you be here long, do you think?”

  “A few months, I believe. I’ll know for sure once I’ve met with Mrs. Perry and she’s given me her opinion of my situation.”

  A few months? That was splendid. Simply splendid.

  “Well, I do wish you the best,” she told him. “Mrs. Perry is a marvelously talented woman, and I’m sure she’ll be a valuable resource.”

  “I’m truly hoping so.” He looked past her shoulder and nodded. “Ah, there’s my bag. Thank you, Mrs. Henderson.” He gave yet another bow, then cross
ed the platform and collected a rather large carpet bag from where it had been placed. Jane couldn’t help but study him as he went. Was it her imagination, or was he perfect in every way? His manners were impeccable, which Kitty would appreciate, and the ease with which he picked up his obviously heavy bag—he was muscular as well as refined. Jane almost felt as though the clouds had opened up to send a shaft of light right down on his blond head. It wouldn’t have surprised her if a flock of doves had shown up to circle around him and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

  “Mrs. Henderson, your crate is loaded onto my wagon, and I’ll be happy to drop it by in about fifteen minutes,” Mr. Hoover said, suddenly appearing at her elbow. She’d been so distracted thinking about all the possibilities for Mr. Sorenson that she hadn’t even heard Mr. Hoover approach.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hoover. That’s very kind of you—as always.” She gave him a smile, then turned and walked back toward her shop, mulling things over as she went. Kitty’s situation wasn’t nearly as dire as Bonnie believed, and perhaps with this new arrival, there would be quite a lot of hope instead.

  Chapter Two

  Evangeline Clark, Kitty’s mother, sank into a chair at the kitchen table and wiped her brow. “Honestly, Kitty, if anyone had told me how taxing it would be to have twins at my age . . .”

  “You would have sent one back?” Kitty replied good-naturedly. She gave the bread dough an extra thump, then threw a clean dishtowel over it so it could rise. “And which one would you donate to the cause, Mother?”

  Evangeline chuckled. “My answer to that question would vary from day to day. Kirsten has been particularly vexatious today because of her sniffles, but Caroline was testing my patience yesterday because she would not stop trying to run out into the road. It’s extremely difficult to hang laundry on the line and keep an eye on a toddler at the same time.”

  “You should have fetched me. I didn’t need to spend the afternoon practicing the piano,” Kitty told her.