Until Tomorrow

by Rosanne Bittner

  Howard, sporting a fine silk suit, smiled pleasantly. Addy guessed him to be in his thirties, a pleasant-looking man, his wife quite pretty.

  Next came Ethel and Lee Brown, an older couple, Brown tall and skinny, his wife short and heavy and rather grim-faced. She looked Addy over as though she was deciding whether she was worthy of the position she had been given, but her husband smiled affably and shook her hand.

  “Mr. Brown is in real estate,” Hester explained.

  “We have a fifteen-year-old daughter,” Mrs. Brown told Addy with an arrogant pose. “I expect any woman who will be teaching her to be someone of respect and honor, someone who will set a good example.”

  Addy forced a smile. “Well, I certainly hope to fill all your expectations, Mrs. Brown.”

  The woman took her husband’s arm. “We will see.” She frowned at her husband, who obviously found Addy pleasant to look at. “Come along, Lee. I want some punch.” She pulled her husband away, saying loud enough for Addy to hear, “She’s too young and pretty. That spells trouble. A school teacher ought to be older and more experienced. She had better set a good example for the young girls.”

  It was obvious the woman wanted Addy to hear her, and Hester looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry, Addy. Mrs. Brown tends to be rather critical of strangers, especially a female schoolteacher. She was against the idea.”

  “I can see that,” Addy answered, holding her temper. After her experiences in Unionville, she was accustomed to such rudeness, but she had hoped things would be different here. She was determined to prove herself to these people and win their friendship, so she turned to Hester and smiled. “Don’t be concerned. I understand the doubts some people might have. I will do my best to make all of you glad that you hired me.”

  Hester patted her arm. “I’m sure you will.”

  Addy couldn’t help wondering about Cole. Was he going to try to see her? What did he want from her? She could not risk losing this job just for being seen with him. If he was no more ready to settle down and make her a respectable wife than he had been before now, she had to keep this job, for she would be supporting herself for some time to come.

  She wondered how some of these women she was meeting could bear to just stay home and live off their husbands. She had never wanted life to be like that. Her mother had always worked hard beside her father, and Addy wanted to do the same. She never wanted to be totally dependent on any man, but then if and when she did marry again, she was not going to marry a man who drank too much and had no plans for his future.

  “Mr. H. M. Teller,” Hester introduced, “one of Central’s most prominent citizens. Mr. Teller is a lawyer, and he has done much to help our city grow. He is currently working with other businessmen to raise money to build one of the finest hotels in Colorado, right here in Central!”

  Teller wore a well-fitted wool suit with a silk tie around the high collar of his shirt. He was a good-looking man with slightly receded hair and a graying beard. His countenance was of a well-educated man who was highly intelligent. He took Addy’s hand briefly, smiling and nodding to her. “A hotel fit for kings,” he added to Hester’s remark with a light laugh. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kane.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Mr. Teller is already thinking about running for the Senate when Colorado becomes a state, which we hope will not take too many more years,” Hester added. “And he and several of the other businessmen are discussing building railroads into the mountains.”

  “That seems like an impossible task,” Addy told Teller,” but then I am already seeing what men of vision can do. The fact that a city of this size even exists so high in the mountains is quite astounding to someone like me who has never seen such places before.”

  Teller’s eyes twinkled with pride. “And you will learn to love it here, I am sure,” he told her. He turned to a handsome man beside him, who was wearing a gray silk suit and ruffled shirt. The man held a top hat in one hand, and his dark eyes scanned Addy appreciatively. His dark brown hair was slicked back into a fine cut, showing a touch of gray at the temples, and he sported a neat mustache. He smiled pleasantly, but there was something about him Addy did not quite like. There was a tiny hint of ruthlessness deep in his eyes, yet he was quite dashing.

  “Grant Breckenridge,” the man spoke up, moving in after Teller and putting out his hand. “I manage several of the mines in the surrounding hills. I’m very glad to meet you, Mrs. Kane, and even happier to discover what a gracious beauty our new teacher is.”

  Addy felt herself blushing as she took the man’s hand. “Mr. Breckenridge! I’m so glad to meet you, since you were one of those who signed the letter telling me I had been hired. And I’ve read a great deal about you in the Register.”

  Hester bubbled with pleasure at the meeting. “Mr. Breckenridge is another of our finest citizens,” she told Addy, “as important to the city of Central as Mr. Teller. After all, where would we be without the gold mines!” She laughed nervously, and Breckenridge joined her, shaking his head as though somewhat embarrassed. Addy suspected he was only pretending the embarrassment. She saw a glitter of pompous pride in his eyes as he bowed slightly.

  “May I say you are the loveliest creature to ever grace our fine city?” he said.

  Addy wanted to feel flattered, but there was something about the man that made it difficult to fully accept the compliment, as she guessed this was someone who often used flattery for ulterior motives. “Thank you,” she answered.

  “I would be glad to show you around some of the mines if you would ever be interested in learning how things operate, seeing a real gold mine.” Breckenridge looked at Hester. “That would be acceptable, wouldn’t it, Mrs. Collingswood? I mean, if Mrs. Kane were to oblige me? You or one of the other ladies could certainly come along as an escort.”

  Hester blushed and put a hand to her chest. “Oh, Mr. Breckenridge, you know in your case that wouldn’t be necessary! There would be nothing wrong with Mrs. Kane being seen with someone as respected as you are.”

  Addy bristled at being treated like Hester’s daughter rather than the independent woman that she was—certainly independent enough to make up her own mind who she would and would not see. It was being taken for granted that she would jump at the chance to see Grant Breckenridge socially.

  “Then I hope you will remember my offer,” Grant said to her.

  “I will consider it,” she answered. She hoped her job did not depend on how well she cooperated with the man. She saw the flicker of disappointment in his eyes, even a hint of effrontery at the fact that she had not fully accepted his offer.

  “Good,” he said, still squeezing her hand. “Can I get you some punch?”

  “Yes, that would be nice.”

  Breckenridge left her and walked over to a table where cake and punch were being served. “It is obvious Grant Breckenridge is already very interested in you, Addy,” Hester told her then. “Did you see his eyes light up when he saw you? Oh, you lucky lady! Please excuse me for suggesting you would be interested in another man yet, but it has been four years since your husband’s death, and you are still so young and beautiful. Mr. Breckenridge is a widower, such a lonely man. He has a grown son in Chicago attending law school. He’s very proud of the boy, and the way he talks about him, it is apparent they are quite close. Mr. Breckenridge would be a wonderful catch for any woman, and he is quite wealthy.”

  Addy felt a headache coming on. She wanted to shout at Hester that she did not come here to have people dictate her social life, but she told herself perhaps there would not be so much intrusion into her life once she was settled in and began teaching.

  “I am sure he is quite the gentleman,” she answered, “but I am really not interested in seeing a man, Hester, certainly not so soon after arriving here. I am still getting used to my new home, so to speak. I have many things to think about.”

  “Oh, of course, dear, but don’t let someone like Grant Breckenr
idge slip away if he is interested—and he most certainly is, as I knew he would be!”

  There was no time for a reply. Addy was introduced to the six male schoolteachers. She already knew John Withers, the bald, heavy-set single teacher who would now move from Miss Ada’s boarding house just because Addy lived there.

  Next came Herbert Welsh, then Oscar Sage, Ermine Barrenger, Lyle Penny, Alfred Rhodes, along with their wives, some with children. They were all amiable, except Alfred Rhodes, who frowned on women teaching and was sure Addy would not be firm enough with the children. “It is my belief that a woman’s place is at home,” he commented, “and that teaching and discipline are a man’s job.”

  “I graduated with high marks from a fine college, Mr. Rhodes,” Addy assured him. “And being a widow with no other family, I must support myself. I am happy to be able to do that and at the same time be doing something that I love.”

  The man questioned her reason for coming all the way to Central to teach, and again Addy bristled at being put on the spot. By then Grant Breckenridge had returned with her punch, and he stood waiting as eagerly for her reply as did everyone else.

  Addy was not sure how any of these people had been affected by the war, but she decided she might as well tell her story and let those who might be upset by the choices her family had made have their say. If it cost her her job, then she would simply have to go to Denver and look there.

  “My husband was from Virginia and fought for the South,” she answered. “I had met and married him in college. After he left for the war and I graduated, I went home to Unionville to be with my mother. Unionville citizens were adamantly for the Northern position, and in my own heart I, too, believed the Union should be preserved. Many sons and husbands of Unionville citizens also went off to war, all fighting for the Union; but my father decided to join the Confederate cause because he believed in States’ rights. Because of that, my mother’s support of his decision, and the fact that my own husband was a southerner, my mother and I were branded as the enemy. We lost many old friends. People boycotted my father’s place of business until finally my mother and I couldn’t keep it going. My own sister also deserted the family for a time. Her husband was an officer in the Union army.”

  She folded her arms, gaining more courage. “It was all very hard on my mother. I later learned my husband, Tom, was killed, and then we found out my father had also been killed. My mother died only a few months later.” She scanned her listeners. “Because of all the bad memories, I wished to get out of Unionville, even though that is where I was born and grew up. Out of respect for my husband’s memory, I couldn’t bring myself to declare that my sympathies lay with the Union, but no matter which side anyone took, it was an awful war; one, I feel, that could have been avoided.” She sighed. “But it happened, and like many others I lost everything. I decided that I needed a fresh start. I saw the ad for a teacher here, so I answered it, and here I am.”

  Grant handed her a cup of punch. “Mr. Rhodes and Mr. Barrenger both fought for the Union,” he told her, turning and nodding to the two men. “I stayed in Chicago to run my businesses, but I did supply medical necessities to the Union army. I suppose most of us here are pro-Union, but there are a few Confederate sympathizers. There isn’t a day goes by that there isn’t a fight in town over the war, but …” He turned and smiled at the others. “We must learn to put the war behind us, mustn’t we? The time has come to move forward, especially with our fair city. Mrs. Kane has done well to choose our town to come to, and Central has done well welcoming such a lovely young woman into its fold.”

  Everyone seemed to relax a little. “Yes, welcome to the city of Central,” Lyle Penny’s wife spoke up.

  “We have a women’s circle that meets every Sunday afternoon,” Oscar Sage’s wife told her. “You must join us. The next meeting is at my house. It’s near Hester’s home.”

  “I’ll be glad to join you.” Addy drank some punch, feeling suddenly lonely again in spite of having met so many new people. Apparently one had to “earn” his or her place among the elite here, and she felt like an outsider, even though Grant Breckenridge took her arm and led her around to meet even more people. He explained that a new school would be built soon.

  “You’ll see nothing but growth here,” he told her. “My own son is going to come here to practice law after he’s graduated.”

  Addy finished her punch, wondering if any of these people ever thought about anything besides improving their city.

  Grant looked down at her with brown eyes that sparkled with humor, and with admiration for what he was looking at. “Let me come for you tomorrow, will you? I can drive you up into the hills to see some of the mines.”

  Addy was not sure how to feel about the man’s attention. It was flattering to have such a prominent man be interested in her, but she still could not feel comfortable with him, and her heart had suffered too much to allow any interest in return. Besides, Cole was somewhere in Central. She was still very confused about her own feelings toward him, except that this would be a bad time to be seen with any stranger. If Cole was the one involved in the near shoot-out in town that Hester had told her about, then he was still frequenting saloons and was still inviting trouble. To these people he would be considered a drifter.

  “Yes, I’d like to see a gold mine,” she answered Grant truthfully, deciding the only way she was going to begin to feel comfortable in this new place was to cooperate with the others; attend their meetings; get to know all of them better; go for a ride with Grant Breckenridge, if that was what he wanted, and learn about mining operations.

  “Wonderful!” he replied. “I’ll be by around noon. Can I get you more punch? Would you like to share some cake?”

  She handed him her empty glass. “Yes,” she answered with a smile, “but I’d like to step outside for a moment for some fresh air. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. I’ll go have Mrs. Welsh cut you a piece of cake.”

  He left her, and Addy walked through the door and outside, needing to be away from all of them, especially the rather stuffy women. She breathed in pine-scented air, thinking how beautiful it was here in spite of the mines and the noise. Higher mountains loomed in the background, colorful, snow-capped. This truly was God’s country, and maybe once she got to know everyone better, she would feel more at home. This loneliness would leave her. It would also help when she could actually begin teaching and keep herself busy, meet all the children. Then there would not be so much time to think about the past, about Tom, her loneliness … Cole.

  “Addy?”

  She jumped at the voice, which came from the bushes to her left. A man stepped into the dim light of a lantern that hung at the corner of the brick building. He wore a duster and a wide-brimmed hat. It was Cole. She looked back toward the front doors.

  “Don’t worry. I won’t let you be seen with me. Apparently you don’t want to be.”

  Addy detected the hurt and anger in the words. “It isn’t what you think.” Cole! Why did this man keep coming back into her life?

  “I know. You’re a proper lady, a respectable widow who can’t be seen with the likes of me if you want to keep this job … and this job means everything to you.”

  “Cole, you caught me off guard this morning. I was completely shocked when I saw you right there in the middle of the road. I—”

  He held up his hand, stepped closer and grasped her arm, pulling her into the shadows. “When you go home tonight, I’ll follow. Go on in, then come back out later. Give whatever explanation you want to the landlady. We have to talk.”

  Addy remembered the hurt of him riding away without a word after having his way with her in the shed. “Yes, we certainly do!” she answered, feeling like hitting him.

  He squeezed her arm. “Do what I said, then.” He turned and left, and Addy felt stunned. Sometimes it seemed she was only watching her life take place in front of her, she was not really participating in it.

>   Grant called for her from the front door then, and she walked back up the steps to go inside. “Come have your cake,” he told her. He put a hand to her waist, and another explosion rumbled in the distant hills as he led her back inside.

  Cole watched, feeling a silent rage at the handsome, apparently wealthy older man smiling at Addy, putting his hand on her that way. So, Addy was meeting Central’s elite now. She was where she belonged.

  Addy looked into the shadows as Hester and Stuart Collingswood talked about what a pleasant evening it had been. They had picked Addy up to take her to the reception, and now were dropping her off in front of Miss Ada’s. Addy wondered if Cole was already close by, watching.

  “Oh, things went so well,” Hester told her. “You will come to our women’s circle day after tomorrow at the Sage house, won’t you, Addy? I’ll pick you up again and show you where they live.”

  “Yes,” Addy answered, bringing her thoughts back to where they belonged. “I would enjoy that.”

  “And if you like to embroider or knit, bring that along.” Hester sat opposite Addy in a two-seater carriage. She reached over and grasped Addy’s hands. “And you can tell all of us about your outing with Grant Breckenridge! Everyone will want to know how it went, and what you think of Grant!”

  The woman giggled like a schoolgirl, and Addy smiled grudgingly. She had only accepted Grant’s offer because she wasn’t quite sure how to turn him down, afraid she would offend one of those most responsible for her coming here. Besides, it would be interesting to see a gold mine and stamp mill. If she was going to live here, she might as well learn everything about what pumped life into Central and get a first-hand look at what it was that brought men to places like this from thousands of miles away.

  “I’m sure I’ll enjoy the outing,” she answered Hester, wishing she and the other women would not take it for granted she would be interested in Grant Breckenridge romantically. “Mr. Breckenridge seems to be a fine man. And thank you for the very nice welcome,” she added. “I’ve enjoyed meeting everyone, although I’ll never remember all the names.”