Ulla laughed. “So am I. It seems like forever since I had a real bath.”
“Me, too.”
“Do you regret coming on this trek, Ivy?”
Ivy shook her head. “Not at all. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Pete as relaxed and happy as he has been since we left Independence. Even with all the hardships, coming with you was the best decision we ever made.”
“I’m happy for you and I hope it hasn’t been too hard.”
“It hasn’t, but there is one thing I haven’t told anyone. Not even Pete.”
Ulla frowned. “What’s that?”
“You’ll probably notice when I take my clothes off that I’m getting a little thick around the middle.”
Ulla continued to frown. “I don’t see how you can gain weight no more than we eat and the way we’re having to work along with the men.”
“It’s not from overeating, Ulla.”
“Then what?” It then dawned on Ulla. “You’re pregnant.”
Ivy nodded. “I knew before we left Independence, but I also knew Pete wouldn’t let me make the trip if he knew.”
“Oh, Ivy. I hope you don’t have any trouble because of traveling like this.”
“So far, I’m fine. I just know I’m not going to be able to hide it from him much longer. I just want to wait until we’re far enough away that he doesn’t insist on going back. You won’t tell him, will you?”
“You sound like you’re happy about the baby and for that reason, I won’t tell him a thing.”
“I am happy. I was afraid I’d never be able to give Pete another child and he missed so much when Joe was born.”
Ulla smiled at her friend. “Then, if you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”
They stopped at the bank and disrobed. As they stepped into the water, Ivy asked, “How about you, Ulla? Are you glad you came on this trip?”
Ulla gave her a slight smile. “I didn’t have any other choice, Ivy.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” She splashed water toward her friend.
Ivy laughed. “I’ll get you for that.” She splashed water right back.
“Would you look at that?” Charlene’s voice came from the bank.
“Two grown women acting just like kids.” Naomi answered.
Ulla looked around and saw Naomi and Charlene standing there laughing at them. “You two stop making fun of us and come on in. The water is great.”
It wasn’t long until almost every woman from the train was in the water. For the first time in several days, Ulla felt happy and relaxed. When she went back to the wagon, she knew there would still be the strain between Cord and her, but for the time being she could relax and forget the tension between her and the man who called himself her husband.
~ * ~
“Pete, we haven’t had a chance for a serious talk lately without the wives around.”
“That’s true. What do you have on your mind, Cord?”
“How’s your family doing?”
“We’re fine. Why do you ask?”
“To be honest, Becky said the other night that she heard you and Ivy yelling at each other.”
Pete chuckled. “As a matter of fact, we had a few words, but it was nothing serious.”
“Are you sure? I’d hate to think that since you came on this trip to help Ulla it’s her fault you were fighting.”
“Not at all. I’ll be honest. I was talking to Pruitt the other day and he said there was a fairly new town in Wyoming Territory called Winton Crossing that has been growing for about five years. He said it was a pretty nice place. I mentioned to Ivy that if they didn’t have a handy man, they might be interested in having one. If there is one already, they might be some other job I could do to support my family. She put me straight in a few choice words. Said we agreed to go to Oregon and we owed it to Ulla to go all the way. I realize she was right. I guess I was anxious to set up a business and get on with being a family where nobody would hold my past against Ivy and Joe.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious.”
“Not at all. Ivy and I may have a few words now and then, but our love is strong enough to get over them.”
Cord lifted an eyebrow. He didn’t want to get into a discussion about love. “Tell me about this town.”
“I don’t know a lot more than I told you.”
“Maybe I’ll check with Pruitt.”
Pete gave him a curious look. “Why would you be interested?”
“I may not be, but it could be worth looking into. I’m the one who said we were going to Oregon because that’s the destination of this train, but if Ulla doesn’t care, who’s to say we have to go to there? If we came to a nice town to live in, I might decide it’s a better place to settle down with my family.”
“What would Ulla think of that?”
“Of course I’d ask her, but I don’t think she’d be opposed to it. She just wanted to get away from her uncle and aunt in Independence.”
“Then why don’t we find out a little more about this place before we make any kind of decision about it?”
“I agree. We should do that.”
Pete looked around. “I wonder how much longer they’re going to be gone.”
Cord pulled out his pocket watch. “They must be enjoying their baths. It’s been a little over an hour since they left.”
“They’ll probably come back as wrinkled as an old prune.”
“You’d better watch talk like that, my dear husband.” Ivy walked up and tapped his shoulder. “Ulla and I are all fresh and pretty and had a wonderful time. What did you two do?”
“Just sat around and talked.” He grinned at Ivy.
Cord looked at Ulla. “I must say, you look fresh and pretty.”
“Thank you.” She gave him a shy smile. “Where are the children?”
“Playing under the Nettletons’ wagon.”
She looked in that direction. “I see Becky and Joe, but I don’t see Will.”
“He’s around there somewhere. Becky said she’d watch him.” Cord called, “Becky, where’s your brother?”
“He kept messing with the things Joe and I had set up to play with so I told him to leave us alone and go stay with you.”
Cord and Pete jumped up at the same time as Ulla ran toward the Nettleton wagon.
~ * ~
Ulla’s heart pounded as she bent to look under the wagon. “Will, baby, where are you?”
Cord was on her heels. “Do you see him?”
She whirled around and glared at him. “How could you not notice he wasn’t here?”
Cord reached for her arm. “Ulla, I didn’t …”
She jerked her arm away. “Don’t try to defend your actions to me. Just find him.”
“Maybe we should check the river,” Pete suggested.
Cord nodded and looked at Ulla. “You stay here, we’ll find him.”
“No!” She snapped at him then turned to Ivy as Cord and Pete walked away. “Please watch Becky. I have to find my little boy.”
Becky skipped up. “Can I go find Will? Joe will help.”
Ulla took the child’s shoulder and said in a firm voice, “Listen to me, Becky. You’re not going anywhere. You stay here and do exactly what Miss Ivy says.”
“But...”
“Don’t argue with me. If you do, I’ll have to punish you. Now go with Miss Ivy.”
Becky’s eyes got big. “Are you mad at me?”
Ulla ignored her and walked away. At the moment she didn’t want to take the time to explain the gravity of what had happened to the precocious little girl. She had to find Will.
She made a quick tour around the wagons; then with her heart feeling as if it would rip from her chest, she headed toward the river. She prayed the hardest she’d ever prayed in her life and knew if anything happened to the little boy she’d never forgive herself for leaving him with his irresponsible sister and a father who didn’t seem to care whether he was ar
ound or not.
By the time she got to the river, several men and a couple of women had joined the search. Not only were they going up and down the banks of the water, but some were moving into the weeds to look. One woman suggested they check all the wagons to make sure he hadn’t taken up with some child and was innocently playing without a thought of how worried his mother might be. Another man said he was going to check around the corral because someone told him Will liked to pet the cows.
Ulla’s heart sank when she heard this. Her baby could be trampled to death without realizing how dangerous the horses, cows and oxen were. She almost followed the man, but decided she wanted to check the river herself.
When she reached the bank, she looked into the water. At first it had seemed soothing and relaxing. She had even enjoyed squatting beside the running water and washing their clothes. Now the stream seemed huge and threating. It held all kinds of dangers—rocks, jagged wedges of tree limbs and probably water snakes. Any of them would not only entice a little boy, but they could kill him, too.
She had worked herself into in a near panic when she glanced up and realized she was following Pete and Cord. At first, for some strange reason, she wanted to cry out for her husband to comfort her. On the other hand, she wanted to scream at him for not taking better care of their precious little boy. Didn’t he realize Will was still almost a baby? Did he think at six years old, Becky was old enough to take on the responsibility of watching after an active toddler who had only recently learned to walk away from everyone?
She opened her mouth to scream at him when his voice floated to her. “I’m going up to the pool above the waterfall, Pete.”
“Do you really think he could have gotten that far?”
“I don’t know, but there’s the possibility he decided to go find his mother.”
“Did he know which way she went?”
“Yeah. He was crying for her as she walked away with Ivy. I didn’t want her to hear how pitiful he sounded because I knew she’d come back and not go enjoy her bath with the other women. That’s why I told him he could go play with Becky.”
“Why don’t I check around the falls?”
“Oh God, don’t let him be there. I’ll never forgive myself…if…”
Ulla was stunned when she heard Cord’s voice begin to choke. Maybe he did care more for Will than he showed. Or maybe he only felt guilty for not watching the boy more closely.
It was then she looked at the falls. They weren’t huge. There were two streams about a foot wide as the trickled over the rocks, but they landed on a large grouping of jagged rocks. Rocks where a child’s boot was caught in an eddy and continued to whirl around going nowhere.
“No!” Ulla screamed and fainted.
~ * ~
“Take care of your wife. I’ll go.” Pete ran down the bank.
Cord nodded and rushed to Ulla. Squatting on the ground, he lifted her into his arms and held her close to his chest. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about the little boy whose shoe floated in the water. The little boy that loved him and called him Daddy. The little boy who had no idea his father’s selfishness wouldn’t let himself love his child. And now that it was too late…he knew in spite of Will’s conception, he loved the little boy with all his heart, a heart that felt as if it were going to split open at this moment.
“Oh, Ulla, what have I done? How could I have...?” He frowned.
The sound of a child’s cry interrupted his words.
He looked around as Ulla began to come to. “Cord. Oh, Cord, it can’t be so.”
Cord’s heart pounded against her and he swallowed. “Ulla, calm down.”
“How can I calm down? My little boy…”
“No, Ulla. Look over there.” He pointed to the side of the waterfall.
Ulla gasped. “It’s Will. He’s on that limb. I’ve got to get him.” She struggled to pull herself out of Cord’s arms.
“No, Ulla. I’ll get him.”
Pete returned. “It was only a boot.”
“I know.” Though Cord wanted to rush to the bent tree to rescue Will, he made himself think logically. Standing, he motioned for Liam Mahoney.
“Yeah, Cord.”
“I’ve got to get my boy. Find a rope and try to keep everyone quiet. I don’t want to scare Will. He could fall into the water and land on those rocks if he gets excited.”
“Oh, Cord. Please save him.”
“I will, Ulla.” He leaned over and kissed her and started toward the base of the leaning tree.
Ulla clung to his arm and walked with him. “Be careful.”
“I will, honey.” He paused and hugged her against him. “You stay right here where you can watch, and say prayers for us.”
“I will. Please be careful. I want you both to be safe.”
It seemed the next few minutes lasted for an hour. Several people came running to watch the attempted rescue and surprisingly, they were all quiet. Naomi Guggenheim arrived and moved beside Ulla. “Don’t worry about her, Cord. I’ll see she’s all right. You’re going to have enough on your mind.”
“Thank you, Naomi.” He gave Ulla another quick kiss and turned so Pete could secure the rope around his chest and under his arms. He then climbed the tree to the area where it leaned over the falls. All the time he was petitioning God to please keep the little boy safe until he could reach him.
As he stepped onto the branch that held his son, he said in a soothing voice, “Will, Daddy wants you to sit very still until he gets to you.”
Will looked at his father, grinned and raised his arms. “Daddy?”
“Yes, sweetheart. Please don’t move.”
Cord was sure he heard the limb crack. “Let me reach him before this limb goes, God. Please. He’s just a little boy and deserves to live. Let me save Will for Ulla.”
“Where Mama?”
Keeping his voice as calm as he could Cord said, “I’ll take you to Mama, Will. Just sit still until I reach you.”
Will leaned over and Cord’s heart sank as he saw his child begin to slip. The space on the limb between him and the child seemed to grow longer instead of letting him get closer. There were a couple of cracks and Cord knew it wasn’t going to hold much longer.
Then he was beside his son. He grabbed the child. “Put your arms around Daddy’s neck, Will.”
The little boy giggled and hugged Cord tightly and muttered, “Love Daddy.”
With a thankful heart, Cord began to back up, but there was a sharp snap. He knew the limb was going and the last thing he remembered was hearing Ulla scream and feeling Will pat his face and giggle.
~ * ~
Ulla wanted to cover her eyes, but she couldn’t as she watched the limb fall away from under Cord. She screamed, but couldn’t tear her eyes away as she watched her husband dangle on the rope with Will clutched in his arms. It was as if in slow motion, the rope slammed Cord against the rock wall behind the falls. Somehow the man managed to turn so his side hit the rocks, keeping Will safe.
People ran as the man and his son went under the water at the bottom of the falls. By the time Ulla reached them, someone handed her a crying Will and someone else had pulled an unconscious Cord to the side of the bank.
Ulla hugged Will to her and tried to get to Cord, but somebody held her back. “Wait, honey. Dr. Guggenheim is here. He needs to look after Cord now.”
She recognized her friend Charlene’s voice and shook her head. “He’s hurt and I need to be with him.”
“You will be, Ulla. Let’s head toward the wagon.”
“No.”
Naomi joined them. When she spoke her voice was calm and soothing. “Let me have Will, Ulla. I’m sure Saul will insist that the men carry Cord to your wagon. Don’t you want to be there when they bring him?”
A shiver ran down Ulla’s spine. “Are you trying to get me away from here because Cord is dead?”
“Cord’s not dead, Ulla, but he is hurt. Now come along. Let’s get the wagon ready so we ca
n put him to bed.”
“No. You go get it ready. I need to be with my husband.”
“Mama!” Will reached for her and cried.
Ulla kissed Will’s forehead. “Go with Miss Naomi, sweetheart. Mama will be there soon.”
“Ulla…”
“No, Naomi. I’m not leaving until I know how Cord is.” She glanced around at Charlene. “Please go help her. There are mattresses in the back of our wagon. Please get a bed ready for Cord.”
As her friends left with Will, Ulla tapped a man on the shoulder. “Please let me by.”
He nodded and she saw she was on the opposite side of Cord from where Saul was working on him. She dropped to her knees beside her husband and sobbed. Blood soaked the cloth the doctor had tied to the left side of Cord’s face and head. A bone in his left arm stuck through the tear where his shirt had been torn away.
Though she didn’t want to let the idea into her mind, she couldn’t help asking, “Is Cord dying?”
“He’s alive, Ulla, but he’s in pretty bad shape.” Saul looked at her. “We need to get him to the wagon.”
“Of course.”
“Pete grab his shoulders and Rayburn, you get his feet. Try to keep him as level as you can. Watch his arm. I’ll set that, but I don’t want to disturb anything else that might be broken.” He turned back to Ulla. “I know you’re upset, but try to be calm. That’s the best way you can help him right now.”
“I’ll try.”
Beulah came up and put an arm around Ulla’s shoulders, but didn’t try to pull her away from her husband. They walked beside the men carrying Cord, and Ulla let her eyes linger on Cord’s face. His usual dark complexation was paler than she ever thought a living human’s would be. Oh, my dear merciful God, please let him recover. I didn’t realize how much I loved him until I saw him risk his life to save our son. Please reward him with more years to spend with his family. I know he loves his son. He may have not realized it, but he’s always cared. He wouldn’t have risked his life to save Will’s if he hadn’t cared. Oh, God, all I can do is leave him in your hands, but you know how I love him and want to be his wife and not in name only. I want to give him more children and for us to live to see grandchildren. But, God, if it’s not to be, don’t let him suffer. Please wrap him in your love and your mercy.
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