Ulla's Courage Read online

  When he said nothing else, she stood. “Thank you for talking to me, Papa Stuart. You’ve sure given me a lot to think about.”

  “You know I care, Ulla. Please let me know if I can do anything to help you.”

  “I will.” She gave him a smile. “At least I know I can always count on you.”

  He returned her smile, walked her to the door and gave her a gentle hug. She thanked him again and bid him good-by. Walking back to the store, her mind was full of muddled thoughts with one exception. She knew she was going to have to make some changes in her life and she knew Stuart Roberson would be there to help her when she came up with the right plan.

  ~ * ~

  Cord Dermott pulled the covered wagon up to the back of the hotel and parked it near another that was there. Jumping down, he saw six-year-old Becky running toward him, practically dragging her little brother, Will, along on his short legs. Will stumbled and fell, then let out a loud scream as he hit the ground.

  “I’m sorry, Will, I’m sorry.” Becky squatted beside her brother and tried to pick him up, though his kicking and screaming hindered her. “I didn’t mean to pull you down.”

  Cord reached them and scooped Will off the muddy ground. “Don’t cry; you’re going to be all right.” He tried to control it, but he couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice.

  “I’m sorry, Daddy. I just wanted to show Will the wagon.”

  “It’s all right, sweetheart. He’ll be fine. Let’s go find Hilda and get her to clean him up.” He walked into the hotel through the back door and headed to the Lawson's room. He knocked on the door that Hilda Lawson and her husband, Fred, occupied.

  “Come in,” came a yell from inside.

  Cord opened the door. A middle-aged woman was sitting on the only chair in the room with some kind of catalogue in her hand. “Hilda, why weren’t you watching the children?”

  She glanced up at him. “They wanted to watch you drive up in the wagon. I figured they’d be all right.”

  “Well, get up and see if you can calm Will down. He’ll need to be cleaned up, too. He’s all muddy and he’s skinned his hands and knees.”

  She stood and took the still crying boy. To the little girl, she said, “Come on, Becky, you can help me.”

  “I want to go with Daddy.”

  Cord shook his head. “No, honey. I’m going to find Fred and then we’re going to take the wagon out to the campground where the other wagons are. Gather up everything you own in here because we’ll stay at the camp tonight.”

  “Fred’s ‘cross the hall talking with that Masters man. Wouldn’t surprise me if they ain’t been nipping at the jug that old man brought in.” Hilda took the still crying Will and headed to the bed to put him down. It didn’t seem to bother her that she would get mud on the spread. “Pour some water in that pan on the dresser and bring it to me, Becky.”

  Becky hesitated, but Cord said, “Go on honey. Make sure she gets Will clean.”

  “All right, Daddy,” she muttered as she moved to the dresser.

  Cord left them to take care of Will and knocked on the door across the hall. A woman who looked eighty, but was probably only forty, opened the door. “What you want?”

  “Fred. Is he here?”

  “Sure, I’m right here, Cord.” Fred waddled up. “What you need?”

  “I’ve picked up the wagon and the mule team. I’m ready to get it out to the camp.”

  “I guess you want me to come with you.”

  Cord frowned. “Have you been drinking, Fred?”

  “Jest had a little nip with Masters and his boys. Ain’t no need to get your dander up. I thought I’d have a little drink today ‘cause I don’t figure there’ll be much time for drinking once we get on the trail.”

  “I told you I didn’t want you drinking and coming around my daughter. Has Hilda had anything to drink?”

  “She was over here a while ago yacking with Masters’ old woman, but I didn’t see her drink nothing. ‘Course she’s purty good at hidin’ it when she sips.”

  Disgusted, Cord snapped, “Go to your room and help Hilda get your things together. We’ll be sleeping at the camp tonight.”

  Fred must not have noticed Cord’s irritation because he asked, “Do we have to go out there today? I like staying in this hotel.”

  “If you don’t go with me now, you’ll not be going on this trip at all. Then you can stay here until you run out of money and they throw you out.”

  Hilda must have heard them because she jerked the door open and yelled, “Get in here, Fred. You don’t think Cord is going to keep paying us if we don’t do what he says, do you?”

  “Ah, Hilda…”

  “Shut up.” She went across the hall, grabbed Fred’s arm and pulled him in through the door.

  Cord followed Fred into the room.

  Will had stopped crying. He was sitting up on the bed and Becky was beside him. Though he wasn’t sure he wanted to, Cord went in and picked up his son. “I’ll take the children and get the things out of my room. You two be out back with your belongings in twenty minutes. I want to get to the camping area before dark.”

  Thirty minutes later, Cord and his party was on the way out of town. Becky sat on the driver’s seat beside her father; Hilda sat in the back of the wagon with Will beside her, and Fred had sprawled out in the wagon’s bed and either had gone to sleep or passed out. Cord wasn’t sure which.

  Cord shook his head. He wished he’d spent a little extra time trying to find a more reliable couple to come on this trek with him and the children, but he’d been too impatient to wait. The Lawsons were one of the few couples to answer the ad he put in the Atlanta paper and after talking with only two other applicants, he hired them. Maybe he’d made a decision too quickly, but he didn’t want to wait to leave. He knew he had to have someone to look after the children. Especially after he decided he had to bring Will along. Of course, his in-laws tried every way they could think of to keep him from leaving Atlanta, but when their pleas didn’t work, they refused to help him in any way. Though there were a couple of maiden aunts on his wife’s side of the family that could have joined him to care for the children, they refused after a discussion with Cord’s in-laws. He knew Otis Andrews, his father-in-law, had dared any of them to help him pull up stakes and leave town, and of course his wife, Thelma, supported him in that decision.

  Cord recalled the moment he’d told the man his plans. They’d stood in the newspaper office and as always, Otis was making sure the paper was ready to print. Cord had the type set as they had discussed earlier, but for some reason, Otis always thought there would be a mistake. Cord cleaned his hands on his apron and said. “It’s ready to go.”

  “I’m sure you have it right, Cordell, but it never hurts to have a second eye on process.”

  “I know you feel that way; that’s why I’ve decided this will be the last paper I will be printing for you, Otis.”

  Otis frowned. “What are you saying?”

  “I’ve been thinking about this for some time. I’ve decided that I’m leaving Atlanta. I’m going to make a new start somewhere else.”

  Otis looked confused. “Why would you want to do that? You have a good job here and Mrs. Andrews will always be there to help with the children.”

  “You know as well as I do why I’ve decided to go, Otis. I don’t want to spend the rest my life where everybody looks at me as the poor soldier whose wife betrayed him while he was fighting a war. And she chose to do it with a Yankee lieutenant.”

  “Why do you refuse to see how it was for her while you were gone, Cordell? She was so sad and lonely and….”

  “Hell, Otis. I know you accepted her treason as a debt she paid to keep the enemy from burning down your house. Well, I don’t accept it. She was a traitor, not only to me, but to her country as well. I’ll never be able to forgive her or forget what she did.”

  “I think you’re wrong. You’ll eventually get over Lisa’s betrayal and find a new wife. No
w that she’s dead, you don’t have to leave Atlanta.”

  When everyone in Lisa’s family had finally realized Cord was serious about leaving the area, there was nobody left to help him. Neither could he call on the Dermott family because there wasn’t anyone left alive he could call on. The Yankees had come through Georgia, burning, raping and killing and not only was his family home outside of town burned, but his parents were shot down in the front yard and it appeared his younger brother, Steven, had died in the fire.

  After he returned from war, he was thankful that Lisa’s family home wasn’t touched. It took Cord almost the year after returning to learn why. That had been only a few months ago and it was the reason he decided to take the children and start a new life in the West.

  At first, he thought he’d leave Will with Lisa’s folks, but when he told Becky, she cried and said she wouldn’t go unless her little brother came too. After thinking it over, he decided maybe he’d better bring the boy. After all, there was a chance that he was mistaken about the child’s parentage.

  Now here he was with the children and the Lawsons almost ready to pull out of town and head for Oregon with the wagon train that was leaving in a few days.

  “Daddy.” Becky’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  He glanced down at her. “Yes, honey.”

  “When we get to Oregon, can I get a dog?”

  Cord chuckled. “What kind of dog do you want, sweetheart.”

  “A black and white one.”

  “A black and white one, huh?”

  “Yeah. One with fuzzy hair so I can brush it.”

  “Why would you want to brush it?”

  “’Cause I would. I like to brush things and Will won’t hold still and let me brush his hair. Miss Hilda won’t let me brush hers either. ‘Course, I don’t much want to brush hers. It don’t smell good.”

  “Maybe she’ll wash it before we leave.”

  Becky took hold of his arm and motioned for him to lean down. He did and she whispered, “See if you can find somebody else to go with us, Daddy.”

  “Why, Becky?”

  “Miss Hilda is no fun.”

  “Has she ever done anything to hurt you?”

  Becky shook her head. “I just wish me and Will had somebody nice to play with. Miss Hilda is grumpy sometimes.”

  “I’m sure there’ll be other children on the wagon train for you to play with.”

  “I hope so, Daddy.”

  Cord pulled the wagon onto the edge of the campground and found a suitable parking place. He jumped from the wagon and reached up to help Becky down.

  Hilda climbed out of the back and stood looking around. “This ain’t much of a place, is it?”

  “This is the campground for all the emigrants getting ready to head west. It gives us all a chance to meet the other travelers and make friends. We’re going to need them on the trail and Mr. Pruitt expects us to help each other when things arise on the journey that’s too much for one family.”

  Hilda frowned at him and nodded toward the wagon. “Might as well leave Fred in there and let him sleep it off. He won’t be no good to nobody till he gets over the hangover he’s gonna have.”

  “Daddy!” Becky screamed. “Will is going to fall out of the wagon.”

  Cord whirled around and caught the boy before he toppled out. “You shouldn’t try to get out by yourself, Will.”

  “He’s little, Daddy. He didn’t know no better.”

  Cord turned to Hilda. “Your job is to look after the children. If you’re not going to do it, you might as well head back to Georgia and let me find somebody who will.”

  Hilda looked scared. “I’m sorry, sir. I know I’ve got to do better.” She reached for Will. “Come on, boy.”

  Cord let her have him. “Since Fred is incapacitated, I’ve got to unhitch these mules and get set for the evening. There’s some biscuits and meat I bought in the café in town. Fix me some coffee and we’ll have it for supper. The children can drink water. Then I’m going to saddle my horse and go back to the general store and order our supplies.”

  “Where are the children gonna sleep?”

  “If Fred hasn’t sobered up by the time I leave, I’ll pull him out and let him finish his nap on the ground. Put the blankets in the wagon and the children will sleep there.”

  “What about Fred and me?”

  “I’ll bring tents back from town. We’ll be sleeping in them.”

  Hilda looked as if she were going to argue, but must have thought better of it. “Yes, sir,” was all she said.

  Chapter Two

  Cord was surprised at how crowded Wingate’s General Store was when he stepped inside. He’d hoped most people had come in to buy their necessities earlier in the day so he could get his supplies ordered and get back to the camp before dark. Becky was afraid of the dark and though he knew Hilda should know what to do with her, since his return from the war, he liked to be there when his daughter needed him. Will was too little to know or care whether he was there or not.

  Looking around, he noticed the pretty young woman behind the counter. She finished with a customer then turned her back and leaned down. Because of Lisa’s actions, he’d had his fill of pretty women, but he hadn’t completely killed his instinct to look at them. He thought this creature with the dark blonde hair had a shapely backside as well as being pleasing to the eye from the front he’d seen as he walked in. He figured she had bent over to put money in a cash box. Most stores kept their cash boxes under the counter. He hurried over to stand by the counter. He wanted to be there when she turned around to rise up.

  “Oh!” She looked startled when her face came up and was level with his chest. She blushed and pushed a strand of hair back in the twisted bun on the back of her head.

  “I’m sorry I scared you, young lady, but I was just trying to be next in line to be waited on.” He was surprised at the way her green eyes sparkled. He hadn’t seen too many blondes with emerald green eyes, and hers were unique.

  “I’m sorry I was startled, but I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there.” She took a deep breath. “I’m Ulla Wingate and I’ll be glad to help you next.”

  “Thank you, Miss Wingate. I’m Cord Dermott.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Dermott.”

  “Likewise.” He gave her a smile, fished the supply list out of his pocket and handed it to her. “This is what the wagon master gave me. He said it was what we needed for the trip to Oregon.”

  She glanced at the list and nodded. “How many are traveling in your party, sir?”

  “Five.” He had the fleeting thought to ask her if she wanted to come along and make it six, but he didn’t dare act on that thought.

  “Are there any children and what are their ages?”

  “Two children. My daughter is six and the boy is almost two.”

  She nodded and returned his smile. “Then we’ll say you need supplies for four.” When his brow wrinkled, she added, “They recommend the amounts for adults to be cut in half, for all children under twelve.”

  “I see.”

  “I notice you have some boots and clothes on the list. We have these items for the children, but it would help if you would bring them in so we can be sure to get the right sizes. Children tend to vary in size more than their parents realize. Also since the trip to Oregon takes at least four to six months, they sometimes grow into a larger size.”

  “I can bring them in tomorrow, if that will work.”

  She nodded. “That’ll be fine. I’ll have the rest of this all gathered and ready for you by midday tomorrow. Will you be picking it up or would you like for us to deliver it to the camp?”

  He looked surprised. “You have a delivery service for your supply orders?”

  “The store doesn’t have enough wagons to deliver all we need to when a train is loading, but we have an arrangement with the livery stable. They have one man who does nothing but make deliveries to the camp.”

  “I can understand
that. I guess the street would get awfully crowded if all the emigrants brought their wagons into town at one time.”

  “It certainly would.”

  “Then by all means have my supplies delivered. But you can mark off the tents. I’ll purchase them this evening and take them with me. Also I’ll get a mattress and a couple of blankets. How much will I owe you for what I’m taking and for what you’ll gather?”

  She tallied up the bill and told him the amount. “I didn’t add the children’s clothing or any you might want to purchase for yourself. When you bring them to the store we can get the correct sizes. Varying sizes are different prices.”

  “I’ll do that, Miss Wingate, and I thank you for your help.”

  “I was delighted to help you, Mr. Dermott.” He couldn’t help noticing she gave him that brilliant smile again. He figured she gave it to all her customers, but for some reason he wanted to think maybe the one she gave him was a little bit special.

  After he paid her, there was no more reason to hang around, though he’d have liked to. He bid her good-by and left the store. He couldn’t help being happy that he had a reason to come back and look at her again. He wondered if she’d be pleased to see him?

  Cord Dermott, have you lost your mind? You’re heading west to make a new life for you and the children. Just because this is the first woman to stir you in a long time, there’s no way in the world you need to be thinking such things. No pretty woman can be trusted. Haven’t you learned that yet?

  He climbed on his horse and headed back to the camp.

  ~ * ~

  At ten to seven, Ulla looked up to see Colton walk into the store. He swept off his hat and put a big grin on his face. “I told you I’d come to walk you home and here I am.”

  Miss Alta Walters turned from the material she was surveying and couldn’t hide the smile trying to crease her usual stern face. “How nice of you, young man. A lady should never be walking on the street alone this time of evening.”