He smiled and she noticed the dimple in his chin. She looked away and he said, “That sounds good. I could use the help with the wagon and I’m good at telling people what to do. Is the woman willing to look after my children as well as her own?”
“She won’t be looking after your children alone, but she’s willing to help the woman who’ll be looking after them.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
She didn’t answer because the waitress brought their food and said, “If you need anything else, let me know.”
He nodded at her. “We will.”
After she left, Ulla said, “I know I’ve confused you, but let me explain.”
“Please do.”
“When you told me the people who were going with you had decided not to, you said you’d do anything you had to do to leave with the wagon train on time.”
“Yes, I said that.”
“Did you mean it?”
“I meant it, but what has that got to do with anything?”
“It has everything to do with it, Mr. Dermott.”
“Miss Wingate, you’re still confusing me.”
“I’m sorry, but please listen to me and answer my questions. It will all be clear shortly.”
“All right. I’ll try.”
“You reiterated that you’d do anything, even if you had to marry the woman to get her on the train?”
“Yes, Miss Wingate. For Becky and Will and for a new start, I’d marry the woman if she wasn’t too old… or one who would mistreat the children.”
“Even if you didn’t love her?”
“I think it would probably be impossible to love someone you’ve never met, but that doesn’t mean that love couldn’t grow if the couple ended up liking each other.”
The man seemed so sincere, Ulla just hoped she could depend on her instincts. Putting her fork down, she looked directly at him and mustered up all the courage she could. “I’m twenty-one years old. I’ve never been married or had children, but I like them and I’ll never be mean to your children. And since I’ll be the one going with you on the wagon train, do you think we should get married, Mr. Dermott?”
Cord dropped his fork and stared at her.
~ * ~
Of all the things this beautiful woman could have said to him, this was the most unexpected. Maybe he didn’t hear her right. “What did you say?”
“I said, I’m the woman willing to go with you on the wagon train to Oregon; if you think I’m an acceptable person to watch your children and cook for you and them.”
He still couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure you know what you’re saying?”
“I’m positive. So if you’re not serious about taking me, I want you to tell me right now, so I’ll have time to find someone else I could go with on this wagon train.”
Looking at her serious face, he realized she wasn’t kidding. Still he wondered why she was willing to give up her easy living here to go with him on this journey. “I know you must have a good life here in Independence. Why would you want to go with a stranger and his children on a long, hard and dangerous trek to Oregon, Miss Wingate?”
“Does it matter why I want to go? Isn’t my offering enough?”
“No, it’s not.” He gave her a crooked smile. “I’d like to understand this so I will be assured you won’t be like the Lawsons and change your mind at the last minute.”
“You’re right. You do have a right to know and I’ll tell you this much. My life here isn’t as great as you might think it is. My father died last year and my uncle came to help me run the store. The problem is, he’s changed everything and he’s trying to take the business away from me, and everything I own. Every day he’s taking money that belongs to the store and trying to run it into bankruptcy so he can get his hands on what little money I have.”
“How can he do that?”
“He and his wife have a plan to marry me off to his wife’s relative. The fact that I don’t like the man doesn’t matter to them. So I’ve decided that I’m going to take what money I have and leave. If I don’t, I’m afraid my uncle will not only lose the store, but will run through everything my father left for me to live on. The couple I mentioned has volunteered to help me get away. They need a new start, too.”
“Oh?” He wondered if he should ask why they needed a new start.
Before he could ask, she said, “I think you have a right to know. Pete Nettleton was arrested for robbery a few years ago. He spent five years in prison. When he was released, he came home to marry the woman he loved. She loved him as well, and married him over the protest of her family and in spite of the stigma of having his child before they could marry. They’ve been married for over a year now and though the town has shunned them, they have managed to stay together and find some measure of happiness with each other and their son.”
He nodded. “I can understand being away from those you love.”
“Well, Mr. Dermott, what do you think? Will you agree to the Nettletons and me going along on this trip with you and your children?”
He picked up his fork. “Then, Miss Wingate, I have a question I think you should answer.”
“What’s that?”
“I need to know your first name because I’ve forgotten what you told me.”
Her forehead wrinkled and she looked confused. “Why?”
He chuckled. “I think at this point in our relationship it would behoove us to use first names. Mine is Cord, short for Cordell.”
“I remember your name, Mr. Dermott. And to answer your question, I’m Ulla.”
“Ulla. I like that.” He was pleased to see her blush. It proved she wasn’t as bold as she was trying to make him think she was.
“It was my grandmother’s name.”
He nodded. “What’s our next step, Ulla? The train is supposed to pull out by the end of the week.”
“Well, for one thing, you’ve bought supplies for two extra adults so I will have Wilbur pull one of them and add the clothes and essentials I’ll need. Of course, I’ll pay for my own things so you’ll be reimbursed for the ones you’ve already paid for.”
“No, Ulla. I’ll buy the supplies you’ll need. After all, I’m sure you’ll earn them before we get to our destination. I’ve heard it’s rough going on the trail.”
She shrugged. “We’ll discuss what I’ll pay later.”
He knew he’d lost that point for the time being, but he wouldn’t push it. If she wanted to pay for her items, he wouldn’t argue. He’d manage to repay her someway. He changed the subject. “We still have a problem. I have a feeling Mr. Pruitt is going to take one look at you and say there’s no way he can allow such a pretty single woman on his wagon train with a single man without the benefit of marriage.”
She blushed again and almost whispered, “I suppose that means you think we should get married?”
“Are you willing?”
She hesitated. “I thought I was.”
He realized she was willing, but scared. He liked that she hesitated, but he didn’t like the fact that she’d be afraid of him. He knew what he had to do, and he knew he’d keep his word once he’d given it to her. “Let me see if I can ease your mind a bit, Ulla. If it’ll make you feel better, I will promise you that until you’re ready to be a real wife to me, we will be married in name only. If that means we make the entire trip without consummating our marriage, then I can live with that because I already like you. I have a feeling that we’ll fall in love and eventually have a happy and long lasting marriage, but I promise I’ll not rush you.”
He’d added the bit about love just to make her feel better. No matter how pretty she was or how much he’d like to take her to bed, he knew there was no place in his life for love. He’d had that once and it turned out to be a sham. He wasn’t about to set himself up for that letdown again. Not even if they remained married for the rest of his life.
Her whole countenance changed when she heard his words. She looked relieved, satisfi
ed and just a bit happy. “Thank you, Cord.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled at her and realized he was anxious to get to know her better, in spite of his feelings about love. But for the time being, he had to curb his enthusiasm about being with her. “Now that we have that settled, is there anything I need to do to help you get ready to leave?”
“I have a trunk in the attic at the store. I’d like to send it along with your supplies. It’s the only piece of furniture I’ll be taking. It has memorabilia from my life with my parents. I don’t want to crowd the wagon with furniture we would probably have to discard along the way and would have to buy again when we get to Oregon. I also thought we should put a mattress in the wagon for Becky and Will. They’re so young, I’m a little afraid to let them sleep on the ground.”
“You’ve just now won my heart, Ulla. You’re already looking out for the children.”
“I want them to like me because we’ll spend a lot of time together. I’m going to add a couple of surprises for them to your wagon. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Do you mind telling me what you’re adding?”
“I thought I’d put in a tin of candy so when things get rough out there we can give them a little surprise to make them feel better.”
“Good. I was afraid you’d say something like a pony.”
She laughed, picked up her napkin and dabbed her mouth. “Speaking of animals, do you have a milk cow with you?”
“No. Do we need one?”
“Yes, I think so. The children are too young to drink coffee and they need the milk. Since I suggested it, I’ll bring one. I know where I can find one that won’t cost too much. Though the children will be drinking milk, it’ll be nice for us grownups to have the cream to make butter. There’s nothing like fresh butter on a hot fluffy biscuit. We can share what we don’t use of the milk with some of the other travelers.”
“So you can make biscuits?”
“Oh, yes. I make excellent biscuits and many other things. My father loved the food I made. I cooked for him almost every day until his death. I’ll make sure we have a good Dutch oven to bury in the coals to bake them nice and brown. You’ll be surprised at how well they’ll turn out.”
“I hit pay dirt when I got you for a partner, Ulla Wingate. Now let’s plan how we’re going to pull all this off in the short time we have left.”
She nodded. “I suggest we finish our supper then have some of the apple cobbler they serve here and finish our discussion over dessert. The pie’s wonderful and I’m sure you’ll like it as much as I do.”
“I’m sure I will.” Cord wanted to tell her how lucky he felt he was going to be with her in the future, but he knew better. For the time being, he’d have to be satisfied knowing this beautiful woman wasn’t only going on the trip west with him, but she was going to be his wife as well. Of course, he’d keep his promise not to demand she sleep with him, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be long until she would come to him willingly. It gave him more to look forward to. Not only did he have the chance to raise the children away from his former’s wife’s demanding family, but he was going to have a beautiful new wife to help him do it. At this moment, he wished they had everything arranged so they could pull out the next morning.
Chapter Five
The next day, Ivy brought Joe in to fit him in boots. Ulla had told her not to try to put them on her account if Alton was the only one there, but Ulla walked in the door just as Joe sat in the chair near the boots.
“I’m glad you finally got back, girl. Come over here and fit this boy in boots. I don’t like putting boots on young’uns. They all usually have dirty feet.” He glared at Ivy. “I’ve done told the woman she can’t get no more credit until she pays off her account. She said she has the money, so be sure and get it from her before she walks out with them boots.”
Ulla wanted to smack him, but she merely said, “Yes, Uncle Alton.” She put her hat on the shelf under the counter and moved to the section where Ivy and her son were.
Alton pulled his pocket watch out and looked at it. “It’s past my dinner time. I’m going to go home and get something to eat. Vida said she was going to make me some chicken and dumplings today and I sure like them. I just hope she isn’t mad because I’m late and won’t let me have any.” He paused at the door. “You take care of things and I’ll be back later, and don’t forget to get that woman’s money before she leaves. If she gets out of here with those boots, we probably won’t ever see her again.”
Ivy turned and looked at him. Her eyes said she wanted to shoot the man, but, in a calm voice, she said, “I’ll pay you right now if you think I’m trying to get out of my debt.”
“I don’t have time to take your money now. Pay Ulla.” Without another word, he walked out of the store.
Ulla moved beside her friend. “Well, Ivy. Forget him. Let’s get this boy fitted in some boots.”
Ivy was shaking. “Pete took out what money we had in the bank this morning. I thought I better pay off our account here even before your uncle said I had to. Do you want the money now?”
Ulla shook her head. “I’ve already marked your account paid, Ivy. Uncle Alton never looks at the books and he hadn’t seen it was taken care of.” When Ivy started to protest, Ulla added, “It’s part of the condition for you and your family being willing to travel with me. You didn’t owe that much anyway.”
“But…”
“Don’t argue with me, Ivy. You’ll need your money later. Besides, I have this trip all planned out and I need it to go on as I planned it or I’ll get confused.” She turned back to Joe. “How do those boots feel, young man?”
“Great. I ain’t never had a pair of boots this nice.”
“I’m glad you like them.” Ulla knew Joe would probably be rough on the boots. She selected three more pair and put them in a pile. “Now, Ivy, I want you to get yourself and Pete a couple of pair each and I’ll help Joe find some suitable clothing.” She moved to the counter. “What size shirt does Pete wear? We might as well get him a shirt or two, and maybe a couple of pair of pants while we’re at it. You’ll need a couple of wool dresses because they hold up better than cotton.”
“We have some clothes we can take, Ulla.”
“I know and I want you to take them. But clothes wear out quickly on the trail and I sure don’t want to see any of my friends running around naked.”
Joe laughed out loud and Ivy smiled.
By the time they had all the boots and clothes selected and Ulla sent Wilbur to take them to the Nettleton’s wagon, it was after one. “When Uncle Alton returns, I want to ride out to the camp with you and introduce you to Cord Dermott. He’s the man we’ll be traveling along with.”
Ivy nodded. “We’ll wait for you at the house?”
“That’ll be fine. I’ll leave as soon as Uncle Alton gets here. I want you to go rent a buggy so it won’t take us too long to get to the camp and back. Rent it for two days because we might need to take some things out to the wagon.” She took some money from her pocket and handed it to Ivy.
“I feel bad about taking all this from you, Ulla.”
“I’m delighted you’re willing to uproot your family for me, Ivy. Material things mean nothing, but friendship is everything.”
Ivy nodded and motioned for Joe to come along. “Let’s get out of here before I start crying, son.”
“All right, Ma.”
“Just a minute,” Ulla said. She went to the counter and took a peppermint stick from the big glass jar and handed it to Joe. “I always give a treat to the young men who come in and buy boots. It’s their reward for letting me mess with their feet.”
Joe’s eyes lit up. “Can I take it, Mama?”
“Yes, Joe.”
He looked back at Ulla. “Thank you, ma’am. You’re nice and I told Springer about you.”
“You did?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he say?”
“He says he’ll decide when he meets
you, but I know he’s going to like you, too.”
“Well, you tell Springer I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
Ivy smiled at her, shook her head and went out the door just as Alton was coming in.
“I hope you put that candy on her bill,” Alton snapped.
“She paid off her bill and I rewarded her son with the candy. My father always did that when someone paid their account. I think it’s a tradition we should continue to keep.”
She knew Alton wanted to reprimand her by the way he chewed his lower lip, but he didn’t say anything. She was sure she’d hear something about it later. It wouldn’t surprise her if he made her put a penny in the till just to let her know he was still the boss.
“I’m hungry, Uncle Alton. I’m going to get something to eat, if you don’t mind.”
“Well, don’t tarry. That wagon train is leaving the last of the week, but you know how those people are such poor planners. They’ll wait until the last minute to finish shopping. I’m sure we’ll get busy this afternoon.”
“Unless something unexpected happens, I won’t be too long.” Ulla knew she was lying when she said it. She’d be lucky if she was able to get back before dark. She got her bonnet and went out the door.
She headed to the bank. When she’d gone by earlier, Roberson was busy and she hadn’t had a chance to talk to him. She wanted to let him know she’d be picking up her money the next day and she wanted him to have it ready for her. Though she knew he’d already taken her money out and boxed it for her, she had to quash the slightest bit of doubt. He would laugh at her, but then he’d say she was smart to double check every little thing.
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