Ulla's Courage Read online

  “Thank you, ma’am.” He gave her a smile. “You’re a very wise lady. I wish more women thought the way you do.”

  Ulla bit her tongue to keep from asking the blushing spinster if she didn’t think a woman should be out alone, what she was doing here by herself? Instead she said, “I’ll be ready to leave at seven, Colton.”

  Miss Walters walked up to the counter. “I just can’t make up my mind, Ulla. I’ll take the threads I’ve already selected and come back tomorrow to choose my cloth.”

  “That will be fine, Miss Walters.” Ulla began adding the items. “I’ll put this on your tab.”

  “Thank you, Ulla. Now you be grateful this handsome young man wants to escort you home. He’s very thoughtful.”

  Colton grinned. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Alton came in from the back room. “Hello, Miss Walters.”

  “Mr. Wingate.” Miss Walters turned, smiled again at Colton and went out the door.

  “Since Colton’s here to see you home, Ulla, I’m going to head on to the house.”

  “That’s fine, Uncle Alton.”

  He handed Colton the key. “I’ve already locked the back door. Make sure the front is locked and remind Ulla to put the money box in its hiding place.”

  “Yes, Alton, I will.”

  Ulla couldn’t help glaring at him. “If I can’t be trusted to lock up the store, then why don’t I go home now and you can lock it yourself, Uncle Alton?”

  “Now, now, Ulla. Let’s not get testy.” Her uncle glanced at Colton, shook his head and muttered, “Women.” He grabbed his hat and walked out.

  Colton nodded and a knowing smile spread across his face.

  Ulla wanted to slap him and her uncle both, but instead, took a deep breath to hold herself back. How could her uncle not trust her to lock the door and put the money away? She’d done it many times for her father and she could do it now. And how could Carlton be so stupid as to think she wasn’t capable to taking care of this store? It made her want to turn against the entire male species.

  “Now that Alton’s gone, why don’t we lock the door and leave too?”

  She frowned. “I’m supposed to stay here until seven o’clock, Colton. I don’t cheat even for a few minutes. Even if I could get away with it, I would know what I had done.”

  “I suppose that’s partly why I think so highly of you, Miss Ulla. You’re honest to the core.”

  She didn’t answer. For some reason, in the last few weeks Colton had been almost overly attentive to her. He always arranged to sit beside her at meals and when they had attended church services on the last three Sundays, he’d escorted her into a pew and made sure he had the adjoining seat. He’d make sure he stood every time she entered a room. Now he’d come to the store to walk her home. As she thought the situation over, she couldn’t help wondering his motives were. She wondered also if it had anything to do with his trying to get into her bank account, but she didn’t have the courage to ask. For some reason, she suspected it did. She hoped if she watched him and listened to his chatter, he’d eventually give himself away.

  Ignoring him, she busied herself by straightening some of the merchandise and hoping nobody would come in at the last minute.

  In a short time, Colton broke into her thoughts. “The clock says it seven o’clock. I’m going to put up the closed sign and you hide the money like your uncle said to do.”

  She started to inform him that her uncle wasn’t acting wisely by insisting she take a secondary role in running the store, but knew it would only delay their departure. She was tired and all she wanted to do was to get home, eat supper and go to her room where she wouldn’t have to see another Wingate or Colton Blackwood until the next day.

  When they stepped outside, Colton locked the door, put the key in his pocket and offered his arm for her to take. She saw no alternative, so she took it. They walked without talking until they reached the block where the house was located. He broke the silence. “Miss Ulla, I suppose you’ve noticed that I’ve begun to be aware of you as a beautiful young woman.”

  She frowned, but only said, “Thank you, Colton.”

  “You know I like you a lot.”

  All she could think of to say was that she liked him, too, though she wasn’t sure whether or not she was telling him the truth.

  “I’m so glad, Ulla.” She said nothing and he went on, “Don’t you think it’s time we take our relationship a little further?”

  She paused, looked at him frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I like you and you like me, so I think we should become more than friends.”

  She jerked her hand from his arm and stared at him. She wanted to ask him if he’d lost his mind, but she couldn’t come up with the right words.

  He took her hand as they climbed the steps to the front porch. “What I’m trying to tell you, Ulla, is that I think we should get married.”

  “What?”

  “I think you heard me. So, what do you think? Will you marry me?”

  Before she could answer, he grabbed her and pulled her to him, and kissed her fully on the mouth.

  She pounded on his chest and pulled away from him. “How dare you kiss me like that right here on the front porch where everyone can see us.”

  “I’m sorry, my dear. I was just so excited I couldn’t help myself.” He smiled at her. “Now come along and let’s go tell the folks the good news.”

  “Wait a minute, Colton. I don’t…”

  He ignored her and opened the front door. He captured her hand and hurried her to the dining room. “Folks, guess what,” he said almost before they were in the room.

  Vida turned from placing food on the table. “What do you want me to guess?”

  Colton looked around as Claudine and Alton came into the room. “What’s all the noise about?”

  Vida shook her head. “I don’t know. Colton and Ulla came in all excited, but neither has explained why they are so happy.”

  “It’s simple,” Colton said. “Ulla and I are going to get married.”

  “Wait. I haven’t…” Ulla started.

  “Oh, my.” Vida practically ran to them and threw her arms around Ulla. “This is wonderful news. You two are so much alike I just know you’ll make a happy couple.”

  Alton frowned. “I didn’t even know you were seeing each other.”

  “We’re not.” Ulla looked exasperated.

  Claudine eyed them and muttered, “Congratulations.” He voice didn’t show very much, if any, enthusiasm.

  Ulla tried again. “Folks, please. We are not…”

  Vida ignored her protest, stood back and looked at them. “When do you want to get married? I hope you plan to make it soon.”

  “It will be soon,” Colton said. “If we can make all the arrangements, I hope to marry her by the end of the month.”

  “Oh, my.” Vida put her hand over her heart. “That means we must work fast.”

  Ulla was getting upset. “Please listen to me. We’re not…”

  Vida patted her hand. “Don’t worry, my dear. Claudine you’ll help plan everything, won’t you, dear?”

  “Of course, I’ll help, Mother.” Again she sounded as if she would rather do anything than help with a wedding for Ulla.

  “Well, let’s sit down and have our supper. We can discuss all this as we eat.” She reached over and patted Colton’s arm. “Don’t you worry…I’m sure we can get everything together by the end of the month.”

  Ulla knew by the look on Claudine’s face that her cousin wasn’t happy with the situation, but for some reason she was going along with it. Ulla wondered if she should get the girl alone and tell her there would be no wedding.

  But she didn’t have a chance to work up her courage to say anything; she was bombarded with chatter. Everyone except Claudine seemed to be elated by Colton’s news. This surprised her even more. Especially Aunt Vida, who she expected to object to her relative marrying. Instead, her aunt was the most enthusiastic
of all. She could hardly believe the woman wanted to start planning the wedding right away.

  After several tries to tell them that she hadn’t accepted Colton’s proposal, she gave up and let them talk. There was one thing she knew for sure. No matter how many plans were made, she’d not marry the man unless something drastic occurred to change her mind. And changing her mind was something she knew would never happen.

  ~ * ~

  Cord turned over in his bedroll and tried once again to go to sleep. He was still questioning his decision to hire Hilda and Fred Lawson to go with him to Oregon. But he hadn’t been able to find anyone else who wanted to pull up roots and head west. It had to be somebody without ties to Georgia and somebody that didn’t have a family begging them not to leave. Had he made a decision too hastily? Would it have hurt him to wait a little longer to make this trek?

  No, he couldn’t wait. He couldn’t stand knowing that Lisa, who he’d loved with all his heart, had betrayed him— and with a Yankee officer. It was more than he could stand when he found the letters she’d kept. Not letters from him, but letters from her lover.

  Then he found a batch of un-mailed letters. Letters she’d written to him confessing her transgressions. Letters she’d never mailed to him. In them, she admitted to the affair and said all she wanted was his forgiveness. She’d even begged him in one of them, but he couldn’t give forgiveness to her. Not even now that she was dead. It was after learning who her lover was and how he’d been the reason her home and her family survived the ravage burning of Georgia that Cord knew he had to get out of Georgia and all the family who had accepted Lisa’s betrayal of him. After all, they’d told him that at least she’d saved her family.

  He knew that the fact that the officer went back to his family in Connecticut after the war meant she didn’t have to send Cord the letters. He just didn’t understand why she hadn’t destroyed them. But she hadn’t and the war ended. Cord came home. Oblivious to all that had happened, he was thrilled to find his wife and his two children alive when the rest of his family had been killed. Becky was overjoyed to have her daddy back and one year old Will soon took to the man he’d never seen. Cord took to him, too. After all, he’d made it home for a visit a year earlier and knew this was when Lisa had conceived the little boy.

  Then the unthinkable happened. Lisa and the children were on an outing in downtown Atlanta doing some Christmas shopping when a runaway carriage careened onto the sidewalk and killed her instantly. The children were saved because the nurse had taken them to a store window looking at the toys inside.

  Cord was devastated. For a while he didn’t think he would be able to go on, but somehow he did. He went back to work in the newspaper office his father-in-law owned and spent his free time with his children and occasionally with Lisa’s family. It was on one of those visits to her mother that she sent him with his brother-in-law into the attic to get the three trunks of things that had belonged to Lisa. His mother-in-law had said she didn’t have the heart to go through them, but she thought there might be some items he’d want to save for the children.

  Four months ago, on an unusually cold February Sunday, an unusual event occurred in Atlanta. It snowed. The snow lasted most of the morning and early afternoon, and left about two inches of the soft white flakes on the ground. The children had never seen snow and wanted to go outside to play. The nurse took them and that was the day Cord decided it was time to look through the trunks.

  After his discoveries, it didn’t take him long to know what he was going to do. He was through with Lisa, her family and with Atlanta. He’d read about the west and decided he would go there to live. The only thing he had to think about was did he want to take Will? His indecision was fueled by the fact that in one of the letters Lisa had hinted that her Yankee lover might be Will’s father.

  Now here he was in Independence getting a wagon ready to move as far west as he could go with his daughter and maybe his son. He hoped and prayed that one day he’d be able to be sure about Will. The child liked him and called him Daddy. He just hoped that sometime soon he could forget that the boy might belong to another man. A Yankee, no less. But would the doubt always be there? If so, there was nothing he could do about it. He’d just have to accept it and do the best he could.

  A horse snorted and he turned over again. “Damn it, Dermott. Forget it and go to sleep. You have to go back to town tomorrow for the rest of your supplies and then you’ll be ready to get on with your plans. You can’t back out now. Even though you don’t have the most reliable woman to look after the kids, she’ll have to do. As for Fred, you need him, too. You don’t know a thing about keeping a wagon in shape for travel and Fred, even with all his drinking, knows about that. After all, he worked for a blacksmith when he was young. That has to count for something.”

  Turning once again, Cord’s mind finally slowed and he began to grow drowsy. It took a little longer, but finally he went to sleep.

  Chapter Three

  The next day was a busy one at the store. Not only did several emigrants come in to buy supplies, but several local people came too. One woman actually let her spoiled child rub her dirty hands on Ulla’s skirt, but she ended up only buying the stick of candy the child had used as a weapon.

  For some reason, Ulla was disappointed that Cord Dermott didn’t come in with his children. She was looking forward to meeting them, but knew this was a silly notion. The man was headed west and she’d never see him again. Besides, he was a married man or he wouldn’t have mentioned his children.

  Between customers, she did decide she had to tell her aunt she wasn’t going to marry Colton Blackwood, no matter what anyone thought. As excited as Vida had been about the wedding, Ulla expected her to try to talk her into going on with the nuptials, but that wasn’t going to happen. Aunt Vida would just have to understand that her niece had never accepted Colton’s proposal in the first place and she had no intention of doing so in the future.

  Ulla debated with herself about whether or not she should tell her aunt that Colton had tried to get her money from the bank. But after thinking it over, she decided not to mention it. Vida could be behind that, as she was everything else that happened in the family.

  Ulla stopped with the bolt of cloth she was replacing on the table after cutting a length for Miss Walters, who had returned to get her material. It hit Ulla that maybe her aunt was behind Colton’s sudden proposal. But why?

  “Oh, Ulla,” Miss Walters’ voice interrupted her thought. “What’s taking so long to put that bolt of cloth back? I need to get on my way.”

  “I’m sorry, Miss Walters.” Ulla turned with a smile. “I was just looking at the shelf of trims to see what would look pretty with this print.”

  “I didn’t even think of trim, but of course, you’re right. I will need something for the neck and the sleeves.” She walked over to the sewing section. “What would you suggest?”

  “Let me show you the ones I think would look good and you can decide which one you like.” It didn’t take her long to select three different trims and lay them on the bolt.

  “Oh my. They’re all lovely.” Miss Walters turned her head to the right. “Which one do you like?”

  Ulla pointed out the blue binding. “This one picks up the blue of the flowers and I think it would be lovely.”

  Miss Walters nodded. “You’re right, my dear. I’ll take three yards of that one.”

  Ulla cut the trim, carried it to the counter and added up Miss Walter’s bill.

  After the woman left with her package, Alton said, “That was smart of you, Ulla. I thought you were trying to get out of work by spending so much time in the sewing section, but you were actually trying to increase the sale.”

  Ulla didn’t tell him that the boost in the sale was an afterthought. She only smiled and said, “Sometimes it’s easy to add to someone’s purchase if you make them see they need what you’re offering.”

  “Good girl. I want you to do more of that.”


  “Yes, Uncle Alton.”

  There was a steady stream of customers for the rest of the day. Business only slowed during dinnertime, which most people in the area considered the six o’clock hour.

  Vida walked into the store at six-thirty. “Hello, Ulla. I’ve come to join Alton. We’re going to the party for the mayor. You were also invited, weren’t you?”

  “Yes, but I plan to go home and change clothes first.”

  “I see.” Vida adjusted the beaded cape she had around her shoulders. “I was thinking today that you might want to check out the trunks in the attic and see if your mother’s wedding dress is there and is useable. It would save you some time and money in getting ready for the wedding."

  At the moment Ulla didn’t have the courage to tell her that she had already been through everything in the attic and had moved what she wanted to keep to a trunk in the attic at the store. If there had been a wedding dress there, she would have seen it. There hadn’t been one. She was saved from answering because her uncle walked in from the back.

  “I see you’re already here, Vida.”

  “Yes. I’m set to go to the party at the hotel. Are you about ready to close up?”

  He moved to the door. “Yes, dear. I don’t think anyone else will be coming in, but I don’t want to be held up even if somebody does show up.”

  Ulla watched as he pulled the shades and locked the door. “I don’t mind closing early today because I worked hard all day long and I’m tired.” He looked at Ulla. “Are you going to the party?”

  “I plan to. The new mayor was a friend of my father’s. But as I told Aunt Vida, I need to go by the house and change clothes. One of the children in here today got sticky candy all over my skirt before his mother could stop him.”

  Vida shook her head. “Then, by all means, you must get a clean dress. We’re beginning to circulate with the town’s elite and we certainly don’t want the mayor or his wife to think we’re nasty people.”

  “I wish people would keep their young’uns out of here. A store is no place for children.” Nobody said anything and Alton didn’t expand his thoughts about parents bringing their children to shop. He walked behind the counter and took the cash box to hide.