Until Tomorrow

by Rosanne Bittner

  Addy set down her cup. “If you call being attacked by Indians and trapped in a sod station house trouble, then yes, I certainly did have trouble.” She decided not to tell the woman that she had killed an Indian herself. When it came to being rescued by Cole, she simply said that a man came along who was able to kill several of the Indians and hold them off until finally the army came to their rescue. Hester gasped and exclaimed over the story, listened intently when Addy told her about the hot, hectic stagecoach ride, the wild cattle town of Abilene.

  “After breakfast we will take the carriage to town,” Hester told her. “I will show you the safest places to go, where to shop. We’ll go past Lawrence Hall, where you will be teaching. Do you know how to drive a horse and buggy?”

  “Yes,” Addy answered.

  “Stuart will leave a small carriage and a fine strong horse stabled at Miss Ada’s. She has a stable boy who will hitch the horse and carriage for you each morning to drive to the school, use for going to town, whatever your needs. We will take care of the cost of feed and care of the horse, and, of course, your board at Miss Ada’s will also be paid for by the city council as part of your pay. School won’t start for several weeks yet, so you have plenty of time to relax and make friends and get to know your way around.”

  Addy shook her head in surprise, already feeling obligated to these people. “Hester, that’s so generous. Surely I should pay my own board.”

  “Nonsense!” Hester turned to greet Jenny, who set a plate of eggs and ham in front of her, another in front of Addy. “The better citizens of Central are always glad to welcome someone of elegance and breeding. Slowly but surely we will rid this town of its riffraff, and all that will be left will be the businessmen, mine owners, and the miners and their families. For now this town is too full of drifters, shiftless men without jobs, men who are still coming here hoping to find gold … and then, of course, there are the painted ladies of the night. We will soon be rid of them, too.”

  Addy thought about Sassy Dillon, and how the woman would cackle over Hester’s pompous attitude.

  “The only thing we ask of you, Addy, is that you stay away from the riff-raff, even the miners. Those with families are civilized enough, but the single ones—” She rolled her eyes. “No single man is to be trusted. And when he is as rough and flamboyant as those men who work the mines, it is even worse. They are simply a necessary evil in order for our city to survive. But at least there are several single men in Central City who are quite proper for a young widowed schoolteacher to be seen with. You are quite beautiful, you know. They will be scrambling for your hand, but it is best that you’re not seen alone in public. If you should start seeing someone, to which you have every right, it’s best that you are always with another couple or a chaperone.”

  Addy wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious that Hester Collingswood was a busybody, whether intentionally or unintentionally. She was beginning to wonder if this woman and her cohorts intended to direct every move she made. It seemed ridiculous, considering the fact that she was a twenty-five-year-old woman who had already been married once. If this woman knew what she had done in Abilene …

  “This evening we are having a reception for you at Lawrence Hall at six p.m. What you are wearing now will be just fine for the reception. My husband and I will come and get you and take you with us. You aren’t too tired for it, are you?”

  Addy’s mind began to race with confusion at all the things Hester was throwing at her at once—asking all kinds of questions, telling her how to behave, what to wear, whom to see. “No, I don’t mind. I’ll be ready a little before six.”

  “Oh, that’s fine. All the other schoolteachers will be there. We’ll have a delightful time. Let’s eat our breakfast now, and I’ll show you around town a little today, some more tomorrow. Have you met John Withers? He’s our only single male school-teacher. The rest are married. Mr. Withers stays at Miss Ada’s. We will ask him to room somewhere else, as it just doesn’t seem proper that both of you live at the same rooming house.”

  Addy told herself to be patient with this woman’s mothering attitude. “Yes, I’ve met Mr. Withers,” she answered, wanting to laugh. John Withers was an older man with a bald head and gray mutton chops and beard. His stomach was huge, and he scowled most of the time. She had met him at the dinner table at Miss Ada’s last night, and she thought how ridiculous it was that anyone would think she would have an interest in the man, who spoke little and held no attraction for a woman. To think they should not room in the same house was ridiculous.

  Hester carried on about Central, the people Addy would meet tonight, her family. They finished eating, and Hester told her several things about the school, how many children would be attending, what hours and grades she would teach. She talked about churches to be built, the best shops, showed where to “powder” herself in preparation for their trip into town. They would be escorted by the buggy driver, who would wait for them outside of each store. “We must be careful, you know. It seems there is a saloon between every place of business. In a city like this, it is difficult for any woman to keep her husband in line and away from the gambling tables. It seems to be a weakness of most men, even the more prominent ones. And a woman must never go to town after dark. By then many of the more shiftless have had too much to drink. If you start taking the paper, you’ll read about all the things that go on. Just the other night there was a near shooting at the Hard Luck saloon.” Hester rose. “Some man who apparently values himself by his quickness with a gun challenged some stranger over a misunderstanding involving a card game. Apparently the stranger drew his gun and had it aimed before the other man could even get his gun out of its holster. Everyone is still talking about it, but they aren’t sure of the stranger’s name. The paper described him as quite tall and good looking, and it’s been suggested that perhaps he’d be a good man to hire as a sheriff’s deputy. We certainly need more law here, and men who know how to handle themselves, but then we know so little about him.” She led Addy to a room off the kitchen where there was a wash basin, a mirror and a chamber pot. “Freshen up, dear, and we’ll go to town.”

  She closed the door, and Addy stood staring after the woman, rather astounded at the way she had of subtly ordering people around, only with a soft voice and gracious manner. She turned and looked in the mirror … A tall man, good looking, fast with a gun, she thought. Could it be? “Please don’t let it be,” she whispered. “Not now. Not ever again.”

  Cole groaned. He could feel the heat of the flames, heard his little girl screaming “Daddy! Daddy!” He kicked open a door, but roaring heat and flames greeted him, driving him back. He ran around the house, frantically searching for a place to enter, but like a monster from hell, every entrance was blocked by flames. He screamed Patty’s name over and over. In his mind he saw himself running from window to window, always going back to Patty’s bedroom window, finally reaching inside in spite of the flames, screaming for her to take his hand; but by then her own screaming had stopped, and the searing heat forced Cole to withdraw his arm, his shirtsleeve smouldering. Tears streamed down his face, mixed with blood from the wound across his forehead.

  “Patty,” he moaned. He felt a jolt then, heard a voice.

  “Hey! mister! You all right? I’m tryin’ to get some sleep next door, and these blankets ain’t no good at keepin’ out sound. Wake up! You’re drivin’ me crazy with all that yellin’.”

  Cole opened his eyes, took a moment to remember where he was. The man before him looked a little blurry. “What’s wrong?”

  “You must have been havin’ a bad dream, mister. Maybe if you sit up for a few minutes you can shake it off and let other people get some sleep.”

  Cole rubbed at his eyes and slowly sat up. His head pounded. He’d drunk too much whiskey again last night. He stretched and breathed deeply, noticed the room was light. “What time is it?”

  The man who had wakened him scowled. “About ten o’clock, I
think. Too late for me to try to go back to sleep.”

  Cole squinted at the man, who stood there in wrinkled clothes looking upset. “Sorry. I won’t be staying here much longer anyway. I have to see someone and then I’ll probably leave Central.”

  The man scratched his head. “Don’t matter none to me about your personal plans, mister. Just let a man get his sleep.”

  The man turned and left, and Cole looked around the little square space divided off by blankets that was supposed to be his room. The floor was dirt and the cot was uncomfortable for a man his size. Sassy Dillon’s bed was a hell of a lot softer, but one night with her was enough for him. The only thing he had accomplished since coming here was drink, gamble and sleep with a notorious prostitute who asked too many questions. Last night he’d slept here in this excuse of a rooming house, intending today to try to find Addy, make sure she was all right and get the hell out of this place and leave her alone.

  He took a deep breath and shook his head in an effort to clear away the recurring dream that always left him feeling depressed when he awoke. He rose, running a hand through his hair, wishing he had not drunk so much last night—something he wished all too often the last few years. He looked down at himself to see he’d fallen asleep with his clothes, gun and boots on. He rummaged through his gear and pulled out a razor and a change of clothes, put on a denim jacket and his hat and left to find a bath house, stopping on the way out to gulp down some black coffee offered him by the boarding house cook.

  The bright morning sun gave him a headache, and he pulled his hat down lower over his eyes as he headed across the street to a building that sported a sign saying simply “Bath And Shave.” He emerged looking and feeling at least a little more human. He headed up the street to a laundry and dropped off his dirty clothes with two women, one older and frail, the other, he guessed, weighing perhaps two hundred fifty pounds, and with a mean scowl on her face that would make even a man think twice about wanting to tangle with her.

  He left, looking for a place to eat a decent breakfast. He needed some food in his stomach. He tried to quell the anxiety he felt over finding Addy again, arguing with himself that he really must get out of here once he found out she was all right. Somehow he had allowed himself to think that he needed her. He sure as hell did miss her, but they had proven to each other too many times that theirs was a lost relationship that could never work; his craving for whiskey in order to live with bad memories would always cause problems. Addy Kane was too much a lady to live with that. She deserved better.

  God, he hated this life … wandering, lonely, so unsure what the hell he wanted now, except for a woman he couldn’t have. He’d spent that first night with Sassy, slept half the next day and gambled the rest of it, putting off the inevitable—finding Addy. He could not avoid that any longer. She was his reason for being here, and he had to finish what he’d come for. He walked into a small building with a sign that said Food on the front and the smell of bacon wafting through the front door. He ignored the other patrons as he sat down and ordered eggs, ham, biscuits and coffee.

  He ate quickly and left, going to the livery where he’d left Shadow. He saddled the animal and headed north of town to find a place called Lawrence Hall. That was where a man he’d questioned told him school was held. He had not asked Sassy about the school or where a female teacher might board herself. Sassy had already guessed he somehow knew Mrs. Addy Kane, and he had refused to give her any details or ask anything else about Addy.

  He looked up at a mountainside covered with buildings and homes. Central was much bigger than he’d figured it would be. It was a bright, sunny morning, and the day promised to be warm and beautiful. Explosions rumbled now and then in the surrounding hills, and if not for having to be near Addy, he figured maybe he could have stayed, tried his hand in the mines, where a man could supposedly make good money.

  “Better off stealing a gold shipment,” he grumbled. He guided Shadow up past two streets, preparing to turn the horse to the right and head for the brick building he supposed was Lawrence Hall; but a carriage coming down another street to his left caught his eye. Two women sat behind the driver in a separate seat. It was a fine-looking carriage, pulled by a gray spotted horse that trotted rhythmically, its long mane dancing. The women were already close enough that he thought one looked familiar …

  Addy! He saw her eyes widen, saw her stiffen, look confused. The woman beside her was chatting away, pointing out various homes, hardly noticed him sitting there until the carriage drew closer. Addy stared speechless, and the woman with her glanced up at him, nodding politely. Cole tipped his hat slightly and nodded in return, immediately moving his eyes to Addy again. He saw so many things in those green eyes—surprise, apology, anger. She looked away as the carriage turned toward town. He watched after it. Addy looked back once, and he could hear the woman with her say something about being careful not to take a second look at strangers in this town. “… just another drifter,” he heard.

  So much for finding Addy at Lawrence Hall. His heart pounded harder than he’d like at the sight of her. She was the most beautiful he had ever seen her, probably all gussied up like that to impress those who had hired her. He wished he could tell for sure by those eyes that she was all right, that he hadn’t gotten her pregnant; but the fact remained he still had to ask her. If not for that he’d get the hell out of town right now.

  It was apparent that his best bet to find her and get her off alone for a minute was at school. He headed for Lawrence Hall to make sure he had the right place. As he approached the building he saw several women coming in and out, one carrying a punch bowl inside. “May I help you?” one of them asked when he halted Shadow to watch.

  “I, uh, I just wondered if this is the school.”

  “Yes. Do you have children you would like to send?”

  Cole felt the pain of bittersweet memories. “No. I’m just exploring Central.”

  The gray-haired woman smiled. “Well, school doesn’t start for several weeks anyway. We use this building for many social events in the summer. We’ve just hired our first female teacher, a Mrs. Kane, and we’re having a reception here for her tonight. We’re trying hard to provide a good education for our children here in Central. In the near future we’ll be building a real school and won’t have to use Lawrence Hall any longer.”

  Cole nodded. “Thanks for the information.”

  He turned his horse and headed away. Tonight. Maybe he’d come back here tonight and find a way to pull Addy aside and talk to her … or maybe he’d follow her home, find out where she lived. That would be even better. Apparently she didn’t want the woman she was with to know she was acquainted with a “drifter” like him. She hadn’t uttered a word of acknowledgement when the buggy passed by. If that was the way she wanted it, he’d leave it that way … a few words, a last good-bye.

  A few streets below him Addy sat listening to Hester Collingswood point out town sights, but she could not concentrate on what she was seeing, nor could she still her heart, which rushed with a mixture of love and hate. Cole! She couldn’t call out to him for fear of having to explain to Mrs. Collingswood how she knew him, not sure what the woman would think of her being too friendly with a near stranger she’d “met” on the trip here. So, he had come. Why? The man never failed to keep her totally confused. He had ridden away without a word that day after they’d made love in the shed at the stage station. Now here he was in Central. Had he been riding around up in the hills trying to find her?

  “My, that was a big, rather dangerous-looking man we passed up there, wasn’t he?” Hester said. “Did you see he was wearing a gun? I’ll be glad when this town can weed out the drifters and outlaws who come through here. I hope that man we saw wasn’t up there thinking to rob someone. I thought for a moment he might pull his gun on us!”

  Addy did not reply. She looked back again, but they were too far away to see where Cole had gone.

  Fifteen


  Addy greeted a line of well-wishers whom she quickly learned were part of Central’s esteemed “elite.” Hester did the honors, keeping Addy at her side as people welcomed her, all of them important businessmen who made decisions about town policy and who’d had a hand in hiring her as their first female schoolteacher.

  She had dressed demurely, as she supposed these people would expect her to dress. Hester had told her the blue dress was fine, but she had chosen another instead. Her velvet skirt and matching short jacket were a soft gold color, with dark brown trim around the cuffs and lapel. She had braided her hair and twisted it around the sides of her head, then donned a dark brown velvet hat. She’d wanted to look elegant but respectably plain, not too much color on her cheeks and lips, not too fancy a dress or any jewelry, more the way she would dress for teaching.

  Her wardrobe was limited, as there had never been enough money to buy the most expensive clothes, and she’d had to give away some of what she did have before she left Illinois. Her trunk and bags could hold only so much. What she had brought was a few day dresses, four evening dresses; she had saved the most room for several dresses and skirts that she thought best suited for teaching, and for the coats she knew she would need in a mountain town. She hoped to find a good seamstress here in Central, as she preferred to have her clothes made for her. She decided she should ask Hester if she knew anyone who could help her, since she’d lost two of her day dresses to wear and tear on the trip.

  “Mr. Dresden Howard and his wife Susan,” Hester introduced. “Mr. Howard owns a livery and a dry goods store. His two children will be attending school.”