Mountain Homecoming

by Sandra Robbins

  He stared at Simon in disbelief. “Do you really think there are men who’d leave their own work to help me?”

  “Of course. Just leave it to Cecil. He’ll get a crew together.”

  “I—I don’t know how to thank you. All of you have been so kind.”

  Anna laughed and began to stack the cake plates. “It’s easy to be kind to a nice person.”

  Simon reached out to stop her. “Leave that until later, Anna. I think this would be a good time to give Granny her presents. Why don’t we all go sit in the front room?”

  Granny frowned. “Presents? Now you shouldn’t have gone and done that.” Then her eyes twinkled, and she grinned. “But I shore am glad you did.”

  Matthew rose and grabbed Granny’s arm to help her up. Rani stood on her other side. She hadn’t said anything since they’d sat down at the table, and now she didn’t look at him as she had the last time they helped Granny to her feet. When Granny had steadied herself, Rani took her arm and led her into the other room. She didn’t look back.

  Matthew watched her go, and sadness flooded through him. What did he expect? All day he’d looked forward to getting back and seeing her. Then she’d turned on him without warning. But he had to admit, he had snapped back at her too. He bit down on his bottom lip.

  He’d never known a woman so passionate about a cause as she was about protecting this valley, and he admired that in her. She might speak before she thought sometimes, but he’d never known anyone to ask forgiveness as quickly. That was something he hadn’t encountered in others. No doubt about it, she was some woman, and she hadn’t been out of his mind since he first saw her at the mountain laurel bush.

  But besides the fact that she was much younger than him and the daughter of two old friends, there was another problem—he was the son of Luke Jackson. It made his skin crawl to think how much he’d sounded like his father when he spoke in anger earlier. He doubted if he could ever overcome the hatred he felt for the man he sometimes feared he was just like. For twenty years he’d been struggling to rid himself of his father’s influence but instead had found himself becoming more like him all the time. That thought scared him more than anything. But if it was true, then he didn’t need to pursue a friendship with Rani. She didn’t deserve somebody like him in her life. Someone like George—someone easygoing and dependable—would be better for her in the long run.

  He walked to the door leading into the front room and stopped. Granny sat down in her chair, glanced up, and said something to Rani. She laughed, and the sound of it made his heart lurch. She might not need him, but she was exactly what he longed to have in his life.

  Simon, who sat in the chair next to Granny, stood and motioned to him. “Come on and sit down beside Granny, Matthew. I’ll go see what’s keeping Anna. She went in the bedroom to bring out Granny’s gift.”

  Rani smiled at Granny. “I have something for you too. I’ll go get it.”

  She brushed past Matthew and hurried back into the kitchen and down the hallway to her room. He only waited a minute before he turned and followed her. He caught up with her just before she entered her room. “Rani, wait.”

  She turned and faced him. “What do you want?”

  Her eyes narrowed, but it was her trembling lips that made his heart slam against his chest. “I wanted to explain about earlier.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t owe me any explanation. I was awful to you when you first came, and I said some terrible things to you today. I don’t blame you for holding it against me.”

  “But I don’t. You didn’t deserve the way I answered you when you tried to apologize, and I want you to know I’m sorry. It’s just that old habits are hard to break.”

  A frown wrinkled her forehead. “What do you mean?”

  “I haven’t trusted anybody for a long time. But you’re different, and I don’t want to hurt you. I thought about you a lot while I was gone, and I was excited to see you.”

  Tears filled her eyes, and it was all he could do to keep from wiping them away. “I thought about you too,” she said. “Then when you got here I ruined it. Sometimes my tongue gets ahead of my brain, and I say things I wish I hadn’t.”

  “I know,” he said.

  She laughed, and the tears disappeared. “I guess you’ve learned that because you’ve been on the receiving end enough.” Her eyelashes blinked, and his heart jumped.

  He licked his lips. “I figure I can hold my own with you.”

  Her gaze traveled over his face. “I think you’re the first man who’s ever been able to.” She tilted her head to one side and stared into his eyes. “I think you have a lot of other good qualities too. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

  “I want that too.” Her words sounded sincere, and he smiled. “Then everything’s all right between us again?”

  She nodded. “As far as I’m concerned, it is.”

  “Me too.” He backed away toward his bedroom. “I put my saddlebags with Granny’s present in here. I’ll get it and go back with you.”

  “I’d like that.

  Matthew hurried into the room and pulled the small box containing Granny’s present from the saddlebags. When he stepped back into the hall, Rani was there waiting for him. She held a basket that was covered with a cloth.

  “What’s that?”

  She shrugged. “Not much. Just something I made.”

  He smiled. “Then let’s go give Granny her presents.”

  When they reentered the front room, Anna and Simon had already arrived and were seated in chairs on either side of Granny. Two others, side by side, faced Granny, and she motioned for them to have a seat. Matthew waited for Rani to sit before he slid into the chair next to her.

  Anna handed Granny a small package wrapped in brown paper. “This is from Simon and me. We hope you like it.”

  Granny held the present in her hand for a moment and looked from Anna to Simon. “I ’spect this is ’bout the best birthday ever. It would be perfect if Stephen was here.”

  “Yes,” Anna agreed.

  Rani and Simon leaned forward and watched as Granny pulled at the gift’s paper. For some reason Matthew glanced at Anna. She stared past him, her blue eyes glazed and sadness lining her face. He knew without turning she was staring at Willie’s picture on the mantel. She wiped at her eyes before she took a deep breath and looked down as Granny pulled a knitted shawl from the paper.

  “Just what I needed,” Granny said. “This’ll keep me mighty warm when those cold winds blow across the mountains this winter.” She smiled at Simon and Anna and then looked at Rani. “Rani, did I ever tell you I prayed for three years for God to send Simon a wife before Anna came to the Cove?”

  Simon, Anna, and Rani all burst out laughing. “Yes, Granny,” Rani said. “And I sure am glad you did. If you hadn’t, I wouldn’t be here today.”

  Matthew smiled and leaned back in his chair. This was what being a family was like. He’d never had that. He hoped Rani knew how lucky she was.

  He cleared his throat and thrust the small box he held toward Granny. “I got this for you while I was in Townsend, Granny.”

  “Oh,” Granny breathed as she accepted the box. “You didn’t have to go and do that. Just having you here is present enough.”

  “Happy birthday. I hope you like it.”

  She opened the box and pulled out a small circular brooch set with pearls. “Matthew, this is ’bout the purtiest pin I ever saw. I’ll wear it on my dress tomorrow, but tonight I want it on my shawl.”

  Anna laughed and proceeded to attach the brooch to the shawl. She draped it around Granny’s shoulders. Granny pulled the shawl tight around her and reached up and trailed her finger over the pin.

  Rani leaned over and placed her covered basket in Granny’s lap. “Here’s a little something I made for you, Granny.”

  Granny smiled and squeezed Rani’s arm. “Anything from you is a treasure, darlin’.”

  Her eyes grew wide as she reached
inside and pulled out an egg-shaped clay bowl. Streaks of black and rusty red swirled through the cream-colored clay. It reminded Matthew of the bowl on the table next to the bed in Stephen’s room.

  “You made this?” He knew his face must reflect the disbelief he was feeling.

  Rani nodded. “Yes.”

  Granny picked up the bowl and held it up to examine it closer. “Oh, darlin’, you outdone yourself this time. This here bowl is the best yet.”

  Rani laughed. “I guess all my practicing is finally paying off.”

  Matthew shook his head and turned to her. “Tell me how you made something that beautiful.”

  Rani’s cheeks flushed, and she glanced down at her hands. “It’s really not as difficult as it looks. I get my clay from a pit in a hollow not far from here. Then I mold my pot with my hands and bake it in a fire pit that I dug in the field next to our cabin.”

  He leaned over and slid his fingers down the side of the bowl. The fired clay felt cool to his touch, and he let his fingers wander over the indentations decorating the clay. “How did you make these designs?” he asked.

  “I use different things, depending on what I’m making,” Rani replied. “On this one I used a fork and a peach seed to make the design in the wet clay. Sometimes I wrap a piece of string around a stick and press it against the pot, or I might even coil clay into designs and press them on before I fire it.”

  “But the colors. Do you paint those?”

  “No. As the wood burns the flames leave the color on the pots. I never really know what color they’re going to be until I take them out of the pit.” She laughed and shook her head. “The Cherokee have been making their pottery like this for hundreds of years. I’m just copying what they did.”

  He glanced around the room, and for the first time noticed several clay bowls and vases scattered about the room. “Did you make all the ones in here and the one in Stephen’s room?”

  “Yes.” She laughed. “Don’t act like they’re something special. They’re just pit-fired pottery.”

  Matthew shook his head. “No, Rani, they’re special. When I worked for Little River, I couldn’t believe how many resorts were opening up in the mountains. People are beginning to visit the Smokies, and they want to buy mountain crafts. Your pottery is just what a lot of resort owners are looking for.”

  Rani shook her head again. “No, my work isn’t good enough for that. Besides, pit firing is very risky. You never know how the pots are going to turn out.” She glanced at her father and smiled. “But I can make other things too.”

  Matthew’s brow wrinkled at the teasing glint in her eye. “Like what?”

  “I made the bricks for our chimney when a storm blew part of it down, and I’m going to make the ones for the fireplace and chimney at your cabin. Poppa and I looked at it yesterday and decided how many we’ll need. Mr. Davis is going to lay them for you.”

  “Y—you can make bricks? And you’re going to make the ones for my cabin?”

  They all burst out laughing, and Matthew felt his face grow warm. Granny reached over and squeezed his arm. “I been a-tellin’ this girl for years she’s got a gift, but I cain’t convince her. Maybe you can.”

  “Maybe I can.” Rani blushed and lowered her eyes to gaze at Granny’s bowl. He had thought when he first saw her at the mountain laurel bush he’d never seen anyone more beautiful. Tonight, though, with the light from the oil lamps casting a soft glow on her pink-tinged cheeks, she took his breath away. His gaze raked her, and he knew that vision would be tucked away in his memory forever. He glanced back at Granny. “She sure made you a beautiful present.”

  Granny nodded and set her bowl back down in the basket. “This one here is the favorite of all the ones she’s done.” She leaned back in her chair and glanced around at each of them. “And thank you for givin’ me such a good birthday. You done made me real happy.”

  Tears filled Anna’s eyes, and she kissed Granny on the cheek. “No, you’re the one who’s made all of us happy. I hadn’t started to live until the summer I came to stay with you. You taught me about life and what’s important.” She gazed at her husband, and Matthew could see the love they shared in their eyes. “And because of you I have Simon and Rani and Stephen. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for that.”

  Simon put his arm around Granny’s shoulders and hugged her. “And thank you for praying for a wife for me. God sent me the best woman in the world.”

  She grinned and raised an eyebrow. “Now that Matthew’s back, I ’spect I’m gonna have to be a-prayin’ for a wife for him too. That is unless he’s already got some young lady picked out over to Townsend.”

  Everyone turned and looked at him, and he felt his face grow warm. “N—no,” he sputtered. “I doubt if I could ever find a woman crazy enough to marry me.”

  “Oh, don’t say that,” Anna cried out. “There are several young women in the Cove who might like for you to call on them. In fact, Granny and I will make a point of introducing you to them tomorrow after church.”

  Granny nodded. “We shore will.”

  The happiness he’d felt moments ago disappeared in a flash. He cast a quick glance at Rani, but she didn’t look at him. He shook his head. “No, really, I don’t think…”

  Anna held up her hand to interrupt him. “I won’t take no for an answer.”

  Simon chuckled, stood up, and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Matthew, you might as well give up. All women think it’s their duty to turn single men into married ones. You’re fighting a losing battle here.”

  He looked from Granny to Anna, and the determination on their faces told him Simon was right. Out of the corner of his eye he tried again to see Rani’s reaction, but now she had turned to stare at the fireplace. Maybe she didn’t care if her mother introduced him to some eligible young women. He exhaled and nodded.

  “All right. Whatever you say.”

  Rani jumped to her feet and picked up the bowl from Granny’s lap. “Let me put this in your room for you.”

  “Thank you, child. I shore do like it.”

  She turned and headed toward the kitchen, but glanced over her shoulder when she got to the door. “I think I’ll go to my room, Mama, unless you need me to help you with the dessert dishes. I need to study the lesson I’m teaching at Sunday school in the morning.”

  Anna shook her head. “I’ll take care of the dishes. You go on and study.”

  Rani nodded. “I’ll get up early to help you with the food for the church dinner. Goodnight.”

  Matthew heard everyone else reply to Rani, but he couldn’t voice the word. He wondered what she thought about her mother’s attempt at matchmaking. Did it upset her, or did she approve of the plan?

  The most troubling thought to him, though, was that Anna apparently hadn’t thought of her own daughter as a possible match for him. Would she approve if she knew how his heart raced whenever Rani was around?

  Anna knew everything about his family when he lived in Cades Cove, but she would never see that as an obstacle to a relationship with Rani. It had to be his age. She must think he was too old for a girl only eighteen, and she was probably right. The effects of his hard years of living made him an unsuitable choice for any innocent young woman—especially one like Rani Martin, the daughter of two of Cades Cove’s most beloved residents.

  Tomorrow he would be cordial if Anna introduced him to anyone, but that was as far as it would go. He’d decided years ago he was destined to be alone, and that’s what he intended to do. Starting right now, he would put any foolish notions he had about Rani out of his mind.

  Chapter 7

  With the sun beaming down and a slight breeze blowing down from the mountains, Rani decided it was a perfect morning to take her Sunday school class outside for their lesson. Now with the Bible story of Daniel in the lions’ den completed and questions answered, the young children in her group sat on the church steps and munched the cookies she’d brought.

  As they ate, she sil
ently counted the heads to make sure no one had slipped away. It wasn’t unusual for one of the boys to decide he’d rather stay outside than go back in for the church services. Today they all seemed content. The teacake cookies she’d made probably were the reason.

  The sound of an approaching horse caught her attention, and she glanced around. Matthew rode into the church yard, dismounted, and tied his horse to a tree at the edge of the grounds. Today he wore dark pants and a white shirt, not his usual work clothes, and she thought him more handsome than ever. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he ambled toward her.

  Several of the children looked up and hesitated before shoving the next bite in their mouths, but most hardly gave him a glance. He stopped beside her and smiled. “It seems you have everything under control.”

  “For the moment. But you should have been here about fifteen minutes ago. I decided I’d better get the cookies out early.”

  Matthew’s dark eyes sparkled. “I’d get quiet for one of your cookies too.”

  “Would you like to have one?”

  She held up the basket with a few cookies still inside, but he grinned and patted his stomach. “No, I’m still full from that breakfast your mother cooked, and I sure don’t want to ruin my appetite for Granny’s big dinner.”

  “I’ll take his if’n he don’t want it.”

  Rani held out the basket toward the young boy who’d gobbled his cookie up before most of the children had taken their first bite. “All right, Noah. Have another one.”

  Several other children jumped up and rammed their hands into the basket before Rani could set it down. Matthew stared down into the now-empty basket and laughed. “I guess I missed my chance to have one of your cookies. Maybe I’ll get one next time.”

  Her heartbeat quickened at the teasing glint in his eyes, and she smiled. “Maybe so.”

  The door of the church opened at that moment, and her father peered out. His face broke into a smile when he spied Matthew. “So you got back from feeding the animals over at your place. How was everything there this morning?”