Mountain Homecoming

by Sandra Robbins

  He took a deep breath and pulled away from her. “I have to.”

  He walked to the door and glanced back at her. “You are not to step in front of me. Do you understand?”

  Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Yes,” she whispered.

  He closed his eyes and said a quick prayer before he opened the door to face Wade Campbell.

  Rani grabbed the back of a chair to keep her legs from buckling underneath her. The tone of Wade’s voice reminded her of the day last summer when she and Matthew had encountered him in the barn after Bertha’s death. That day she thought she’d lost Matthew forever. Now when they had found their way back to each other, Wade showed up again. She couldn’t let him take Matthew away from her a second time.

  She took a deep breath and followed Matthew onto the porch. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of Wade leaning against the wheel of her buggy with George Ferguson standing next to him. Wade held a rifle in his hands. George’s eyes grew wide when he saw her, but Matthew didn’t seem to sense her presence.

  He clenched his fists at his side and walked to the edge of the porch. “I’m surprised to see you, Wade. I thought you were in North Carolina.”

  “I was, but I come back home to take care of somethin’.”

  Matthew’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t move. “Why are you here, Wade?” he asked.

  Wade straightened and spit out a wad of tobacco. His legs wobbled, and he staggered against George. “I got myself in a little trouble last night, and I gotta clear out of this part of the country. Thought I’d come see you first, though.”

  “What kind of trouble are you in, Wade?”

  Wade looked at George and laughed, but George clamped his lips together and looked away. “It don’t matter what kind of trouble,” Wade said. He took a deep breath and curled his fingers tighter around the gun. “’Fore I go, I need to take care of some unfinished bus’ness ’tween the two of us.”

  Matthew’s body tensed. “I don’t know of any business between the two of us, Wade. You’re drunk. You need to go somewhere and sleep it off.”

  Wade’s upper lip curled back from his teeth, and he aimed the rifle at Matthew. “I’m not drunk enough to be scared off by the likes of you.” He closed one eye and peered down the sights of the gun. “It’s been a-stickin’ in my craw ever since I heared you come back to the Cove. I done told you once you shouldn’t’ve come back here. You oughta listened to me, boy.”

  Matthew shook his head. “I’ve never done anything to you. Why would you leave me threatening notes, burn my cornfield, and now show up here to kill me?”

  “’Cause I knowed right from the start why you come back. You wanted to get even for your pa’s death, but I ain’t gonna give you the satisfaction. Ain’t nobody gonna say Luke Jackson’s boy got the best of me.”

  Rani’s heart thudded, and she eased up next to Matthew. “Mr. Campbell, please get out of here and leave us alone. All Matthew wants is to be left in peace.”

  Matthew jerked his head around and cast a startled look at her. “Rani, I told you…”

  “I’m not standing in front of you, Matthew,” she interrupted. “I’m standing beside you, and that’s where I always want to be.”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched, and he grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. She peeked around his back so that she could see Wade’s face. “You’re wrong about me wanting to get even, Wade,” Matthew said. “I never blamed you for killing my father. You were only protecting yourself, and anybody else would have done the same thing in your place.”

  Wade laughed. “Yeah, you’d say anything to keep me from shootin’ you.”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I know how my pa was. He was a bully and drunkard. Nobody had any respect for him. All I want is for folks to know I’m not like him. I shouldn’t have to take the blame for things he did. Do you want that for Noah?”

  Wade’s eyes narrowed. “What’re you talkin’ about?”

  “If you kill an unarmed man, then everybody in the Cove is going to know it. Do you want them to blame Noah for what you did and make him miserable for the rest of his life? He’s just a child. He has no control over you just like I couldn’t make my father do right. But Noah shouldn’t be blamed for your bad choices.”

  The gun wavered in Wade’s hand, but he jerked it back up. “Don’t go tryin’ to confuse me, Jackson. Now move away from Rani.”

  Rani threw her arms around Matthew’s waist and held tight. “No!” she screamed. “George, do something!”

  Wade cocked the gun. “All right. Have it your way.”

  Matthew tried to push Rani aside, but she clung to him. He held up a hand to stop Wade. “Wade, think what you’re doing!” he yelled.

  “George!” Rani screamed again.

  George, who had appeared paralyzed with fear since Rani had stepped onto the porch, suddenly came to life. He lunged for Wade and grabbed the barrel of the rifle. He pushed downward until the barrel pointed toward the ground. “Wade, you can’t do this. That’s Simon’s daughter standing up there. It won’t just be the sheriff after us—it’ll be every law man in the country if you hurt her.”

  “I don’t care. I ain’t leavin’ Jackson alive.” Wade tightened his grip on the gun and pushed against George, but George held on. They fell back against the buggy wheel as they wrestled over the gun. The horse, startled by the commotion, reared up and tried to break free of his reins. The motion of the buggy shoved the two across the front yard, but neither relaxed their grip in the struggle.

  Matthew broke free of Rani, leaped off the front porch, and ran toward them. Before he could reach the two, Wade pulled one hand free and punched George in the face. As George stumbled backward, Wade jerked the gun to his shoulder and fired. Rani screamed in horror as George collapsed in a heap.

  Wade turned toward Matthew and leveled the gun at him. Rani screamed again, but before Wade could fire, Matthew sprang at him like a man possessed. The sound of a cracking bone split the air with Matthew’s first punch, and the rifle dropped from Wade’s hands.

  Rani jumped off the porch, ran toward Matthew, and picked up the rifle just as Matthew delivered another bone-crushing blow to Wade’s jaw. Matthew clutched the front of Wade’s shirt in one hand, pulled him into a standing position, and drew back to hit him again. He held his shaking fist in midair and frowned. As if debating whether to deliver the blow or not, Matthew didn’t move. Then he relaxed his grip on Wade, and the unconscious man sank to the ground.

  Matthew turned toward Rani, and she gasped at the wounded look in his eyes. “I thought he was going to kill you, Rani,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”

  She nodded. “I know, Matthew.”

  He shook his head and reached for the rifle. “There’s some rope hanging on a nail just inside the barn door. Go get it, and I’ll check on George.”

  She glanced at George before she turned and ran to do as Matthew said. When she returned, she handed Matthew the rope. “H-how is George?”

  Matthew knelt beside Wade and began to tie his hands behind his back. “He’s pretty bad off. The bullet hit him in the side, and he’s losing a lot of blood. We need to get him to your mother and Granny right away. I’ll put Wade in the buggy and go see if I can find something to press against George’s wound before we load him.”

  “All right.” She hurried over to where George lay and bent over him. “George, can you hear me?”

  He opened his eyes and stared up at her. “I-I’m s-sorry ’bout this, Rani. I w-wouldn’t’ve come with Wade if I’d knowed where he was goin’. H-he said we was going back to North Carolina.”

  She patted his hand. “Don’t try to talk. We’re going to get you to my mother. She’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

  He tried to raise his head, but he sank back to the ground and grasped her hand. Fear flickered in his eyes. “If’n I don’t make it, tell my ma and pa I’m sorry. I wish I could go back and do it all over again.”

  “You’ll
be able to tell them, George. They want you back home.”

  Within seconds, Matthew had reappeared and dropped down beside her. He handed her a tablecloth. “This is all I could find.” He glanced down at George. “Your mother made this for me. I think she’d be glad to know we used it for her son.”

  A weak smile pulled at George’s mouth. “Thanks.”

  Matthew slipped his arm around George’s shoulders. “I have Wade in the buggy. Now we’re going to lay you down in the backseat, and Rani is going to press this on your wound. Are you ready?”

  George nodded, and together Rani and Matthew pulled him to his feet and supported his weight as they stumbled toward the buggy. When George was on the backseat, Rani squeezed in beside him and pressed the tablecloth to his side. Wade, still unconscious, sat tied to the arm rail in the front seat.

  As Matthew started to climb in, George stirred. “Matthew, wait.”

  Matthew stopped and stepped back to face George. “What is it?”

  George coughed and then groaned in pain. “I-if’n I don’t make it, t-tell the sheriff I saw Wade kill Chester Goode last night.”

  Matthew frowned. “Is that the man who was selling moonshine with the two of you?’

  George nodded. “Wade knew Chester had sold us out to the sheriff. I thought we’d gone to his house to talk to him, but Wade wanted to get even with him. He shot Chester down in cold blood when he stepped out of his house to go to the barn. Wade told me if’n I ever told anybody, he’d find me and kill me the same way. Wade said we had to git back to North Carolina ’cause Chester’s wife saw us before we rode off. I reckon the sheriff is after us by now.”

  Matthew squeezed George’s arm. “You can tell the sheriff that yourself. Now let’s get to Anna.”

  Matthew jumped into the driver’s seat and snapped the reins on the horse’s back. As they turned onto the road, George moaned and closed his eyes. Rani placed her finger on his neck and sighed in relief when she felt a pulse. Perhaps it was a blessing that George was unconscious. He wasn’t feeling any of the bumps as the buggy skimmed the ruts.

  Rani glanced at Matthew’s straight back from time to time as they raced toward her home, but he didn’t speak. When her cabin came into view, she almost collapsed against George. When she’d left to go to Matthew’s cabin, she would never have dreamed what would occur before she returned.

  As they drew nearer, she saw several horses with riders in the front yard. When they pulled to a stop, she recognized the sheriff standing next to her father at the foot of the steps. The men on horseback wore badges, and she supposed them to be deputies.

  Her father’s eyes grew wide with alarm as they pulled into the yard, and the sheriff stared in disbelief. Matthew jumped from the buggy the instant it came to a stop. “Sheriff, you may be looking for these men. George Ferguson is badly wounded, but Wade Campbell is just unconscious.”

  The front door flew open, and Anna and Stephen dashed onto the porch. “Mama,” Rani called out, “George is hurt and needs help.”

  The sheriff’s deputies jumped from their horses and assisted her father, mother, and brother as they carried the unconscious George into the house. Matthew reached for her hand, and she climbed down from the buggy. Her hands and arms as well as her dress were covered in blood.

  She stopped in front of the sheriff. “Do you need to ask me any questions, or is it all right for me to get cleaned up?”

  The sheriff shook his head. “You go on, Miss Martin. I think Matthew here can tell me everything I need to know.”

  She glanced up at Matthew, and he nodded. “You go on. I’ll wait on the porch for you after I get through talking with the sheriff.”

  There was something in the tone of his voice that frightened her, but she nodded and walked toward the house. As she mounted the first step, Stephen rushed out the front door. “Mama wants me to go for Dr. Harrison. She says George has lost a lot of blood. And she wants me to stop and tell Pete and Laura to come over here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  She nodded and turned to watch as the deputies pulled Wade from the buggy and Stephen jumped in. Then she entered the house. When she walked into the kitchen, her mother and Granny already had George on the kitchen table and were studying his wound. They didn’t look up as she walked down the hallway to her room.

  As soon as she closed the door, she undid the buttons of her bloodstained dress and let it fall to the floor in a heap at her feet. She stepped out of it, walked to the washbowl on a table across the room, and poured some water from the pitcher into it. She dipped her hands into the water and watched as it turned red.

  She scrubbed her hands and arms before she reached for a towel and dried them. Then she walked to her bed, sank down on the edge, and buried her head in her hands. The fear and panic she’d held in since hearing Wade’s voice call out to Matthew bubbled to the surface, and she began to shake.

  Tears streamed down her face, and she jammed her fist into her mouth to stifle the sobs. She’d never been as scared in her life as she had been when Wade aimed his gun at Matthew and her. They had just found each other and had come so close to losing each other forever.

  She lay down on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Thank You for protecting us, Lord.

  Matthew reached down and scratched Scout behind the ears. The dog had settled down next to him as soon as he sank into the chair at the end of the porch. Matthew stretched his legs out in front of him and closed his eyes.

  He didn’t know when he’d ever been as tired as he was at this moment. But it wasn’t a physical fatigue, it was an emotional one. The day had been filled with more twists and turns than any he could ever remember. Now he had to try to come to grips with the feeling that had come over him when he attacked Wade Campbell. For a fleeting second it had been almost like being back in the ring, and the old urge to destroy an opponent had threatened to make him forget everything God had been teaching him.

  The front door opened and Rani stepped onto the porch. She had on a clean dress, and she was no longer covered in George’s blood. She eased into the chair next to him and patted Scout’s head. Matthew laced her fingers with his and smiled.

  “It seems natural for us to be sitting here with Scout between us. I’ve missed this.”

  She snuggled in the chair and gripped his hand tighter. “Me too.” She glanced back at the house. “I saw Dr. Harrison when I came through the kitchen. He’s still working on George, but Mama says she thinks he’s going to be all right. Pete and Laura are in the front room with Noah. Did you see them when they arrived?”

  “Yes. I told them what happened and what George said. They hope he’ll get to come home.”

  Her eyes widened. “Do you think the sheriff may arrest him?”

  “I don’t know. There’s still the problem with him and Wade selling moonshine. Maybe if George will testify against Wade about Chester’s death, the law will go easy on him. I’d like to see him get a second chance.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered, and a contented expression covered her face. “Like us. I can’t believe we’re getting a second chance.”

  He directed a somber gaze at her. “I want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but I think there are some things about me you need to know before you marry me.”

  She sighed and shook her head. “Matthew, there isn’t anything you could ever tell me that would make me love you less.”

  He swallowed. “I hope not, but I have to take the chance. You know that your father has helped me face up to my past, and I’ve told him everything. I never wanted you to know, but after what happened today, I think you should.”

  She sat up straight, and a puzzled look crossed her face. “Then tell me.”

  He released her hand and stared toward the mountains in the distance. “After my mother died, there was nobody who cared about me, and I had nowhere to go. So I struck out on my own.”

  The story of the years between that time and when he arrived back in the Cove began t
o tumble from his lips. He left nothing out and told it with graphic descriptions of the places he’d been and the things he’d done. He told her how he’d taken pleasure in leaving men in a bloody heap on the floor.

  When he ended with the story of the young boy whose face had haunted his dreams for years, tears ran down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head. “And today when I attacked Wade, I felt that same urge. It was like I was that person again, and he was going to pay for thinking he could best me.”

  Matthew wanted to look at her, but he was afraid of what he might see. Would she hate him because of his cruel actions of years ago? Perhaps she would even change her mind about marrying him because she was afraid he might become that man again in the future.

  “Matthew, look at me.” Reluctantly, he raised his head. He expected to see disappointment and maybe fear in Rani’s eyes, but he saw only love. “I’m glad you told me this,” she said. “Now I understand why you sent me away last year. But you’ve made your peace with the past. It doesn’t have a hold on you anymore.”

  “That’s what I thought. But today…”

  She reached over and put her fingers on his lips to stop him. “Matthew, today was very different from when you were fighting for a living. Wade intended to kill us, and you were protecting us. Protecting me. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”

  He frowned. “How’s that?”

  “I may not be your wife yet, but I know that when I am I won’t have anything to fear. The Bible says for husbands to love their wives like Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Today when you charged toward a man with a gun, you were willing to give your life to protect me. I know you’ll always do that in the future.”

  “But I hit him awfully hard.”

  Rani laughed. “Yes, twice. But I watched your face when you drew back for the third blow, and you didn’t take it. You realized he was unconscious, and you released him. From what you’ve told me the old Matthew wouldn’t have stopped with two punches.”