Mountain Homecoming

by Sandra Robbins

  Her mother’s mouth gaped open. “Where?”

  Matthew chuckled. “I stopped at my farm. I wanted to see how the place had changed, and I’d promised my mother the first thing I’d do was check on her mountain laurel bush. Rani was there.”

  “Land’s sakes,” Granny said. “So you’re the feller Rani came home all upset about ’cause she thought he was after timber in the Cove. Why didn’t you tell her who you was?”

  Matthew laughed, and he stared at Rani again. “I tried to, but she threatened to sic her dog on me if I came any closer. And the way he was barking, I figured it was best to keep my distance.” His eyes softened, and he tilted his head to one side. “There was something about you that looked so familiar, though. Now I understand—it was because you’re so much like Simon.”

  The mellow tone of his voice flowed over her, and her heart pounded. What was wrong with her? She’d never experienced such strange feelings before. It could be the fact that she’d heard stories about how hard Matthew’s life had been before his father died. But now that she’d met the flesh and blood person who’d survived those events, she needed to be careful. Her parents might believe his reasons for returning to the Cove, but he still hadn’t convinced her that he wasn’t secretly representing Little River.

  After a moment he picked up his fork again and shoveled a bite of pie into his mouth. He closed his eyes, swallowed, and groaned in satisfaction. “Oh, Granny, I’ve missed your cooking.”

  She reached over and patted his arm. “Well, now that you’re back you’re gonna have a chance to eat a lot of it. And that reminds me. You’re back just in time for a big shindig.”

  Matthew lowered his fork and turned toward her. “What?”

  “Well,” Granny said, “it’s not really a big thing, hardly worth mentionin’. But the folks in the Cove seem to think it is.”

  Matthew pushed his plate away and crossed his arms on the table. He looked from Granny to Anna, whose face was beaming. “It sounds important. Is somebody having a party?”

  Granny nodded. “I guess you could say that. The folks are havin’ a dinner after church for me next Sunday. To celebrate my birthday.”

  Matthew’s face broke into a big smile. “Your birthday? Then I am back just in time! I wouldn’t miss that for anything.” He darted a glance at Anna and then back to Granny. “And how old will you be? Surely not more than fifty, because you had to be about thirty when I moved away.”

  Granny laughed and swatted his arm. “Boy, you shore do make an old woman feel good. You know good and well I warn’t no thirty when you left. Next Saturday I’m going to be seventy years old.”

  Anna laughed, scooted her chair back from the table, and began to stack the dishes. “And she can still do more work in a day than I can.”

  Simon jumped up and began to help her. “And next Sunday’s going to be a very special day at church. Not only will we celebrate Granny’s birthday, but you’ll get to see all your old friends.” As he carried the dirty dishes to the dry sink, he glanced back over his shoulder. “What are your plans for fixing the old place up?”

  Matthew rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. “From the looks of things, I have my work cut out for me. I wanted to see what I needed to do before I bought anything, so I came on to check things out. I’ll take a better look around tomorrow. Then I’ll head back to Townsend and buy what I need to start rebuilding. One of the first things I need to do is get that field next to the cabin cleared and corn planted.”

  Simon nodded. “That sounds about right. You’ll need that corn for your animals next winter. You think you can do that and get the cabin built too?”

  “If I work at it really hard, I figure I should have the cabin in pretty good shape by winter.”

  Anna hesitated in retying her apron and turned from the dry sink to stare at Matthew. “Where were you planning on sleeping while you’re rebuilding?”

  “At the cabin, I guess.”

  Her eyes widened, and she propped her hands on her hips. “You can’t do that, Matthew. Stephen’s room is empty right now. You’ll stay there until your cabin is ready.”

  Matthew rose to his feet and shook his head. “No, Anna, I’ll be all right. I’ve slept in worse places.”

  She held up her hand and frowned. “There’s no arguing about it. We want you to stay here.”

  A feeling of panic fluttered in Rani’s stomach. She jumped to her feet and reached for the empty pie plate. “Mama, I’m sure Matthew knows best. If he wants to stay at his farm, let him.”

  She glanced up at Matthew, and her heart constricted at the flicker of sorrow in his eyes. He took a deep breath. “Maybe it would be better…”

  Simon reached out and clamped a hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “Matthew, even when you were a child you were independent. I know you grew up too fast after your pa died. But you’re a man now, and a man accepts help when it’s offered in love and friendship. We want you to stay here.” He directed a stern glare at Rani. “All of us do.”

  Rani flinched not so much from the look on her father’s face but from the tone of his voice. He had spoken like that when she was a child and had misbehaved. Had she embarrassed her parents by her less-than-warm welcome of Matthew? If so, she would have to make amends.

  The memory of Matthew’s cabin popped into her head. There was no way he could stay there until he’d made some major repairs. Their home had always been a refuge for anyone needing help, and Matthew was no exception.

  She forced a smile to her face. “Of course Mama and Poppa are right. Your cabin isn’t fit to live in yet. You should stay here.”

  Matthew’s eyes narrowed, and he searched her face as if he was trying to decide whether or not she was being honest. After a moment he nodded. “It sure would be better to sleep in a bed than on the ground.”

  Anna laughed and swept him into a hug. “As long as we’re around you won’t be sleeping on the ground.” She glanced at Granny. “Why don’t you and Simon take Matthew into the front room? Rani and I will wash the dishes, and then we’ll join you.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Granny nodded, planted her hands on the table top, and tried to push to her feet.

  Rani grabbed her arm to assist her, but before she could help Granny up Matthew stepped to the other side of Granny and looped his arm through hers. “Let me help you, Granny.”

  His gaze moved to Rani, and they stared at each other across the top of Granny’s head. Rani’s breath caught in her throat, and she grasped Granny’s arm tighter. He was so close she could smell the scent of her mother’s homemade soap he’d washed up with before supper. For the first time she noticed how his hair covered the top of his ears, a sign he hadn’t had a haircut in a while.

  A smile pulled at his mouth. “Let’s lift her together.”

  She nodded and directed her attention back to Granny. They pulled her to her feet, and Rani released her hold. Granny chuckled, grabbing her cane with one hand and Matthew’s arm with the other. “Land’s sakes, this is ’bout one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I’ve got loved ones ’round me and a handsome young feller is a-holdin’ my hand. What more could any woman want?”

  Matthew laughed as he and Granny followed Simon into the next room. “I know I couldn’t ask for more, Granny.”

  When they’d disappeared, Rani turned toward her mother. The frown on her face told Rani she was about to experience her mother’s seldom-seen anger. Red splotches dotted her cheeks. She crossed her arms, and her toe tapped the floor like it used to do when she reprimanded her misbehaving twins.

  “What is the matter with you, Rani?” Anna spluttered. “I’ve never seen you act so rude to a guest in our home before. Why does Matthew’s staying here bother you so?”

  Rani moved closer to her mother and lowered her voice. “I thought you should get to know him again before you brought him into our home to stay.”

  “Get to know him? I’ve known him since he was nine years old.”

 
Rani shook her head. “You knew him when he was nine years old. He’s a man now, and he’s worked for Little River. How do we know he’s still not working for them? If word gets around that he’s staying at the preacher’s house, folks will come nearer to trusting him. Maybe he’ll use that trust to get them to sell their timber to his company.”

  Her mother’s eyes grew wide. “That’s ridiculous. You heard him say he doesn’t work for Little River anymore. He just wants to come home.”

  Rani crossed her arms and frowned. “That’s what he says, but we don’t know if it’s true.”

  Moisture appeared in the corner of her mother’s eyes, and she blinked. “When I came to this valley twenty years ago I was so scared no one would like me. Many of the people were unfriendly to me at first. Granny and Simon kept telling me I had to keep making the first move toward friendship with everyone I met. It wasn’t easy, but eventually I became friends with everyone.”

  Rani sighed. “I know, Mama. You’ve told me the story many times.”

  She reached out and grasped Rani’s hand. “You’ve never felt that. You were accepted from the day you were born because you were our daughter. Matthew hasn’t had that. Folks in the Cove remember what his father was like, and many of them will judge Matthew because of that. He must have been scared, but still he came back. He knew we’d welcome him, but you made him feel like an intruder. I think you owe him an apology.”

  Disappointment flickered in her mother’s eyes, and Rani bit down on her lip. This afternoon Josie had accused her of judging Ted’s motives in trying to provide for his family, and now her mother had done the same with Rani’s suspicions about Matthew.

  Judge not, that ye be not judged. The Bible verse that her father had preached on a few weeks ago flashed in her mind, and her heart pricked. All her life she’d tried to be as trusting and loving of others as her parents, but today she had failed miserably.

  She squeezed her mother’s hand. “I’m sorry, Mama. I let my dislike for the logging company get in the way of welcoming Matthew to our home as you and Poppa and Granny did. I’ll apologize.”

  Mama smiled, leaned over, and kissed Rani on the cheek. “I understand how you feel about what’s happening to our mountain forests. From the time you were born you had an attachment to the land like no one I’ve ever seen. I kept hoping you’d decide to follow in my footsteps, but I’m about to give up.”

  Rani’s eyes widened in horror. “Oh, no, I could never be a midwife. I’d faint and wouldn’t be any good to anybody.”

  Her mother laughed. “We all have our gifts, and working with sick people just isn’t one of yours.”

  Rani shuddered at the thought of having her hands covered in someone else’s blood. “No, it’s not. But I’m thankful there are people like you and Granny and Stephen who enjoy it. I just wish I could figure out what my gift is.”

  Her mother put her arm around Rani’s shoulder and guided her back to the dry sink. “You know what yours is, but you refuse to recognize it. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make you accept the fact that God has given you a great talent.”

  “You’re just saying that because you’re my mother.” Rani picked up a dish towel and turned to Anna. “There’s nothing special about the pottery I make.”

  “Yes, there is. You’ll realize it someday. For now, all I want is for you to live each day like God wants you to, and to be kind to everyone you come in contact with. And that includes Matthew.”

  “I will.”

  Her mother poured some hot water in the big pan she used to wash dishes. As they began to work, Rani thought back over the day. When she’d left Josie’s she’d felt so alone, and then a handsome man who stirred strange feelings in her had appeared. Now he’d be at their house every day.

  Although she would never admit it to her parents, the truth was that Matthew Jackson intrigued her more than any man she’d ever met. Maybe it was because of the stories she’d heard about him all her life or the dark eyes that seemed to stare into her soul. Or maybe it was because she was lonely.

  She shook her head to rid it of her silly notions. She was acting like a schoolgirl. Matthew had to be at least eleven years older than she, and he’d worked for Little River Lumber. Both of those were very good reasons to keep her distance.

  A quiet peace filled Matthew as he sat in a straight-backed chair next to Granny. The creak of her rocker reminded him of childhood afternoons when he would escape to her home and sit beside her while she told him stories from the Bible. How he’d wished he could stay with her forever in those days. After a few hours, guilt that his mother and little brother might be facing one of his father’s drunken rages would tear him away from the safety of her small cabin. He’d never forgotten those times, and the desire to regain those lost moments had kept him focused on his goal to return.

  Now he was back, and the fear he’d once experienced in the cabin where he’d lived no longer existed. He was the only one who had survived, but the memories of those years still haunted his dreams. Tonight he was with friends who knew about his past, and they had welcomed him to their home. At least most of them had. Rani didn’t appear to share her family’s acceptance of him.

  He still couldn’t figure out her aloof attitude toward him. She’d ignored him most of the way through supper and had seemed to be lost in thought. He couldn’t help stealing a glance at her every once in a while, though. Her dark eyes with their long lashes captivated him, and his pulse raced every time she looked at him.

  “It’s good to have you back, Matthew.” Simon’s voice broke the comfortable silence and startled Matthew from his thoughts.

  He glanced up at Simon, who stood with one arm resting on the mantel and one foot on the stone hearth. For some reason the memory of Simon and his brother, John, building his father’s coffin popped into his head, and his heart warmed. Simon had been the only man in the Cove who had befriended his father. Even when his father’s actions didn’t warrant being loved, Simon had never abandoned his desire to bring Luke Jackson to the Lord.

  “Being here with all of you brings back a lot of memories.” He reached over and squeezed Granny’s hand and nodded at Simon. “I haven’t forgotten how good you two were to my pa. He didn’t deserve your friendship.”

  Simon frowned and straightened. “Don’t say that, Matthew. I know it was hard to live with him, but God loved him.” He paused for a moment, and Matthew saw the regret in Simon’s eyes. “Not reaching Luke was one of the biggest disappointments of my ministry.”

  “I know.” Matthew’s gaze wandered past Simon and settled on the picture of Rani and her brother on the mantel. Behind the glass frame, Rani appeared to be smiling directly at him. His eyes narrowed as he studied her face and wished that it were so. When he worked for Little River, he’d often seen his friends’ wives smile at them that way, but he’d never had a woman respond to him in kind. He pushed himself up straighter in his chair and swallowed hard. “You’ve got two fine-looking children, Simon.”

  Simon turned his head to look at the picture and smiled. “We’re proud of them. You’ll get to meet Stephen later.”

  Granny chuckled to herself, and the rocker creaked. “When Simon first held that baby girl, I heard him whisper somethin’ in her ear. When I asked him what he said, he told me about Ranita bein’ a Hebrew word for my joy, my song. He knowed right off she was gonna bring lots of joy to him and Anna. I reckon he was set on that name, but we’ve never called her anything but Rani.”

  My joy. Matthew remembered how he’d felt the moment he saw Rani at the mountain laurel bush. Now he understood. Her name suited her well.

  He was about to tell Granny and Simon that when he was interrupted by the frantic barking of a dog followed by a knock at the front door. Granny gripped the arms of her chair and started to push to her feet, but Simon stepped away from the mantel and headed across the room. “Don’t get up. I’ll see who it is.” He opened the door, chuckled, and snapped his fingers. “Scout, hush up
! George, get in here before that dog eats you up.”

  Matthew rose and faced the door as a young man stepped into the room. “I don’t know why that dog don’t like me. I never done anything to him.”

  Granny laughed. “Don’t worry ’bout it, George. Scout’s mighty choosy when it comes to the folks he likes. He don’t take up with many people.”

  He nodded. “You can say that again.”

  As he had when he first saw Rani, Matthew sensed something familiar about the young man’s appearance. His neatly combed red hair lay plastered to his head, and freckles dotted his nose and cheeks. He gripped a battered straw hat in one hand and stuck out his other hand to shake Simon’s. “I just thought I’d stop by and see how ev’rybody’s doin’.” He walked to Granny’s chair and smiled down at her. “Ev’nin’, Granny. How you doin’ tonight?”

  She smiled up at him. “I’m fine, George.” She pointed toward Matthew. “This here’s Matthew Jackson. He used to live in the Cove years ago. He just bought his old homestead and is a-comin’ back to live. He’s gonna be a-stayin’ here until he can get his cabin fixed up.”

  George grinned at him, stepped around Granny’s chair, and stuck out his hand. “Pleased to know you, Matthew. I’m George Ferguson, Pete Ferguson’s boy. I reckon you knowed my pa when you lived here.”

  Now he understood why George looked familiar. He had the freckles and wiry body just like all the Fergusons he’d ever known. Matthew grasped George’s hand and smiled. “Yeah, and your sister, Lucy, and your brother, Ted. You were just a baby when we moved away.”

  Simon walked up beside George and slapped him on the back. “Well, he’s not a baby anymore. He and his pa raise some of the best corn in the Cove.”

  George nodded. “I reckon we do all right.”

  “Did I hear someone come in?” Anna’s voice drifted into the room before she stepped through the door. Her eyes grew wide, and a smile pulled at her mouth when she spotted George. “I thought you’d be over at Ted and Josie’s tonight helping them get ready to leave in the morning.”