Beyond These Hills

by Sandra Robbins

  She nodded. “Of course.”

  Andrew stormed across the floor and stopped in front of her. “I think it’s time we left, Laurel.”

  She directed a cool gaze at him. “No, I’d like to hear what your father has to say.”

  “Evidently you are a very smart young woman, Miss Jackson. Has my son told you about how we’ve planned his political career for years?”

  “He’s told me how you’ve planned it. I’ve never been sure if he really wanted it or not.”

  A slight frown wrinkled his brow. “That’s where we disagree, Miss Jackson. He does want a career in politics. He’s just not thinking clearly at the moment. It seems he’s infatuated with you. I hope you’re a more sensible person than he is.”

  Laurel’s serene expression gave no hint of what she felt. She was silent as the congressman continued.

  “Andrew has a heritage of wealth. He’s been raised to have whatever he wanted. You, on the other hand, have probably had a very different life living in a remote area of the mountains. I expect your family had a rough time providing the bare essentials for your family. A young man with Andrew’s background and wealth can be mighty attractive for a young woman. Wouldn’t you agree, Miss Jackson?”

  She shook her head. “Not at all, Mr. Brady. I think you sell his abilities short if you think that’s what makes him the man he is. As for my family, we are neither destitute nor ignorant. In addition to our farm in the Cove, my father owns a lodge for visitors to the Smokies, and my mother owns a pottery studio where she makes and sells her work not only in the mountains but through the distribution of a fellow potter in the New York area. We’ve always had what we needed, and I was able to attend school in Maryville, thanks to money from my uncle who was a doctor. I wouldn’t want you to think I’m some kind of money-hungry hillbilly whose family barely scratched out a living in these hills.”

  Andrew suppressed a smile at the surprise on his father’s face. After a moment he regained his composure. “I see that you are a smart young woman, Miss Jackson, and you understand the situation we’re facing here with Andrew’s refusal to come back home and get ready for his state senate race. I want that for him, and I believe it’s the road he should travel. I have no idea what you think he should do, but I can tell from talking with you that family is important to you. I don’t think you would want to be the cause for Andrew to turn his back on his only family.”

  A sad smile pulled at Laurel’s mouth, and she reached out and patted his father’s hand. “No, I would never do that, Mr. Brady. And I shall pray that you won’t either.” She pushed to her feet and faced Andrew. “Now I think it’s time for me to leave.”

  “I’ll go with you.” He reached out, and she laced her fingers through his.

  They had just reached the doorway when his father’s voice called out. “Andrew, one more thing.”

  They stopped and glanced back at him. “What?” he asked.

  “Lucy wanted me to remind you that her family’s annual weeklong trip to visit family in Asheville is coming up in September. They already have invitations to many events in the area. One of them is to a party at the Biltmore Estate. She said you’d promised to go as her escort for the week like you did last year and wanted me to check with you about when she could expect you back.”

  He heard Laurel’s sharp intake of breath, and he frowned. “I explained all that in my letter.”

  His father stared at him. “What letter?”

  “The one I wrote her.”

  “She hasn’t received a letter from you.”

  Laurel pulled free of his grasp and bolted for the hallway. He had one last glimpse of the smirk on his father’s face before he ran after her. He caught up with her just as she exited the hotel and stepped onto the sidewalk.

  “Laurel, wait!”

  She whirled and faced him. Sparks of anger flashed in her eyes. “What do you want?”

  “I’m sorry about all that back there. That’s how my father is. He’s the great manipulator. He can make anybody believe anything.”

  She jabbed him in the chest with her finger. “Maybe his son is just like him. You made me believe you wrote Lucy.”

  “I did. I don’t know what happened, but I wrote that letter. I wouldn’t doubt that my father lied just to get this very reaction from you.”

  “You also made me believe you’d barely talked with her. Now I find out you spent a week at her relatives’ home and you were her escort for parties. Why didn’t you tell me that?”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “Are you going to tell me that Jimmy has never accompanied you anywhere?”

  She blinked and didn’t speak for a moment. “No. We’ve been to parties and family dinners together.”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders. “That’s exactly what it was like with Lucy and me. I went with her family as a friend. It was nothing else.” She just stared at him, and he groaned. “Please don’t let my father win. I love you, Laurel. Please believe me.”

  She started to speak, but Willie’s voice rang out from nearby. “Laurel, come quick!”

  The tone reminded him of the day Willie had called them when Granny had died. They jerked their heads around at the same time and saw Willie emerge from the footpath that connected the hotel to the settlement next door. He felt Laurel’s shoulders tremble underneath his fingers.

  “Willie, what is it?” she demanded as he skidded to a stop next to them.

  “It’s Pa. He got sick over at Mr. Bryan’s store, and Mama sent me for you.”

  Andrew grabbed Willie by the arm. “Is he still at the store?”

  Big tears rolled down Willie’s face. “No. He’s real sick. Mr. Bryan said it looked like a heart attack to him. He helped us load Poppa into the truck and drove us to the Health Center over there at that school. Mama wants you to come right now.”

  “Poppa…” Laurel whispered. She looked as if she was frozen with shock.

  Andrew grabbed Laurel’s hand and motioned for Willie to follow. “Let’s go.”

  Willie took off at a run, sprinting at full speed down the footpath. Laurel frowned and blinked as if waking from a dream. Then she glanced from her brother to Andrew. “What if…”

  Andrew touched her lips with his finger. “Don’t even think it, Laurel. Let’s go see how he is.”

  He pulled her forward and they ran after Willie. As they sped along the footpath, Andrew thought of Matthew Jackson and how much his family loved him. He’d dedicated his life to making theirs the best it could be, and now two of his children cried for the man they loved.

  As for his own father, right now all Andrew felt for him was a burning anger that he doubted would ever go away. He envied Laurel and Willie. They had something he wanted but would never have—a father who loved them with all his heart. He hoped they got the chance to tell their father how much they loved him.

  Chapter 15

  Her father couldn’t die. He was too young. There were too many things left undone and unsaid. She tightened her hold on Andrew’s hand and marveled at the strength she gained from him when they were together.

  But no one, not even Andrew, could make this moment go away. It wasn’t the right time for this to be happening. Not for years to come, and not so soon after losing Granny.

  “Laurel, are you all right?”

  She heard Andrew’s panting voice, but all she could do was nod. The memory of how totally unacceptable Andrew’s father had made her feel returned, and fresh tears pooled in her eyes. Not only that, but he had accused her of being interested in his family’s money. She’d never been so humiliated in her life, but she thought she’d managed to stand her ground with the man who was determined to rid Andrew’s life of her.

  She frowned and shook her head. This wasn’t the time to be thinking about that. Her father’s condition was the only thing she needed to concentrate on now. Her heart warmed at the thought that her father would never have talked to Andrew like his father had done to her today.

/>   Laurel glanced at Andrew out of the corner of her eye. The muscle in his jaw twitched. What was he thinking? He’d stood up to his father this time. But what about the next? Defying a parent had to be the most difficult thing a person ever had to do. From her impression of Andrew’s father, she knew he wouldn’t give up. Over time Mr. Brady might very well break down the barriers Andrew had built. Then he might see her as his father did—a simple mountain girl who didn’t have the social skills and refinement expected of women in their society. If Andrew ever looked at her the way his father had today, it would crush her.

  They burst from the tree-lined path into the open field where the settlement buildings sat. She kept her eyes on Willie and followed his route until he bounded onto the porch of an L-shaped frame house. As she neared it, she could see a sign out front that identified it as the Jennie Nichol Memorial Health Center.

  Willie pushed the front door open and disappeared inside. Laurel and Andrew leaped onto the porch and ran into the house. Her mother stood in the middle of a small room with her arms around Willie who clung to her. She stared at Laurel over Willie’s head as she entered the room.

  “Mama, what happened?”

  She glanced down at Willie and tightened her hold on him. “We were moving the crates from the truck to the store. I held the door for your father as he carried one into the store. He’d barely gotten inside when the crate dropped to the floor. I ran to him, and his hand was clutching at his chest. Then he groaned and collapsed. Thank goodness Mr. Bryan was there. He helped us get him to the truck, and he drove us over here.”

  Laurel glanced past her mother and for the first time saw the store owner standing at the far side of the room. She nodded in his direction. “Thank you for helping, Mr. Bryan.”

  He stepped forward. “I’m glad I was there. We got him out here as fast as we could. The nurses here do a good job, but we’re fortunate that there’s a doctor from Knoxville here for the week. He’s with your father now.”

  Andrew touched her arm, and she turned toward him. “It’s good there’s a doctor here, but it may take a while for him to tell us anything.” He glanced at her mother who still held on to Willie. “Mrs. Jackson, is there anything I can do for you? Get you anything or go for anyone?”

  “No, thank you, Andrew. We just need to sit down and wait. And pray. We need to pray that Matthew will be all right.” A muffled wail drifted up as Willie pressed closer to his mother. She reached down and tilted his face up. “I know you’re upset, but you have to be brave.”

  Laurel sucked in her breath at the anguish on Willie’s face. “B-but it’s all my fault.”

  Her mother shook her head. “No, it’s not. Why would you think that?”

  “Because I was mad because he wanted me to help take the crates in. I should’ve taken all of them inside for him, and then he’d be okay.”

  Mama put her arm around his shoulders and led him to the chairs that sat around the wall of the waiting room. “It’s not your fault, Willie. I thought your father wasn’t feeling well this morning and asked him about it, but he assured me he was fine. Evidently he wasn’t. Now I want us all to sit down and pray until the doctor comes out.”

  They followed her to the chairs. Laurel bowed her head and began to pray. After a few minutes she glanced up. Her mother had her eyes closed, and Willie now sat with his face buried in their mother’s lap. Mr. Bryan clasped his hands between his knees and sat with his eyes closed. Only Andrew stared straight ahead. When he saw Laurel looking at him, he smiled. She smiled at him before she bowed her head and began to pray again.

  She had no idea how long they sat like that, but it seemed an eternity before the closed door to the examination room opened. A lanky young man stepped through the door and pushed a stray lock of hair off his forehead before closing the door behind him.

  They were all on their feet before he could reach them. “Dr. Pearson,” her mother said. “How is he?”

  Laurel held her breath as the doctor stopped in front of them. “Mrs. Jackson, your husband has suffered a heart attack. I have no way of knowing if there’s any serious damage done or not, but anytime there’s a heart attack we have to assume it is very serious.”

  Her mother reached out and clasped Laurel’s hand. “How serious?”

  “Medical science still knows very little about the heart and how to treat heart problems. However, there’s a drug now that’s helping some. In the medical community we call it glyceryl trinitrate, but it’s really nitroglycerine.”

  Andrew gasped. “Nitroglycerine? Isn’t that an explosive?”

  The doctor nodded. “That’s right, but about 1878 it was discovered that it could ease chest pain, and doctors have been using it ever since. The FDA hasn’t approved it yet, but they will soon. I always carry some in my medical bag, and I administered it to your husband. He’s free from pain and resting comfortably now.”

  “But will he recover?” Laurel asked.

  “At this point I don’t know. He needs to stay here for a few days so we can keep an eye on him. If he continues to be pain free, we’ll let him go home. But even if that happens, his activities are going to be restricted.”

  Her mother swallowed and tightened her grip on Laurel’s hand. “What do you mean?”

  Dr. Pearson looked around the group. “He will need to cut down on heavy lifting and hard work. And he needs to stay as free from worry as he can. When I was talking with him after the pain subsided, he told me how concerned he’s been over having to sell your farm and move from Cades Cove. You as his family are going to have to take a lot of responsibility off his shoulders.”

  Rani nodded. “We can do that. You said he’ll need to stay a few days. Did you mean here at the clinic?”

  “Yes. We’ll keep an eye on him and monitor his progress. Maybe you and your children could stay at the hotel next door. That way you’d be close at all times.”

  Laurel’s mother nodded. “We’ll check on that later. Right now I’d like to see him.”

  “Of course. You can all go in now. Try not to talk about anything that will upset him, though.”

  “We won’t.” Her mother took a deep breath and glanced at her then at Willie. “I want you to be brave. Don’t cry. Talk to him as if he’ll be up and around in a few days.”

  They followed Dr. Pearson as he opened the door to the room. Laurel was about to step through the doorway when she realized Andrew wasn’t behind her. She turned and stared at him. “Aren’t you coming?”

  He shook his head. “This is a time for your family to be together. Tell him I hope he feels better soon.”

  “I will.” She smiled before she followed her mother and Willie into the room, but she felt the smile fading when she caught the first glimpse of her father.

  He lay on a narrow bed, his eyes closed and one hand across his chest. The gray pallor of his face sent a chill up her spine, and she bit down on her tongue to keep from crying out. Her mother dropped down on her knees beside the bed and covered his hand with hers.

  “Matthew, it’s Rani. Can you hear me?” He didn’t move, and after a minute she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began to dab at his forehead. “The doctor says you’re going to be fine. So you just rest and get better. Laurel and Willie are here with me, and we’ll take care of everything. No need for you to think of anything except getting well so we can all go home.”

  Laurel stared down at her father’s still body, and her heart thudded. Why didn’t he wake up? Or at least open one eye so he could see them. She and Willie dropped to their knees next to their mother. Laurel fought back tears as she stroked her father’s hand. “We love you, Poppa.”

  A slight frown crossed his face, and he flinched. Her mother’s head jerked up, and she shot a worried glance at Dr. Pearson. “What’s the matter?”

  “He’s probably having some discomfort. It’s not unusual.”

  Her father’s eyes opened, and he blinked. Slowly he turned his head and looked into her mother’s
face. He swallowed, and a raspy whisper drifted from his mouth. “Rani?”

  She covered his hand with hers. “Yes, Matthew. I’m here. So are Laurel and Willie.”

  His eyes clouded, and a frown pulled at his brow. “Where’s Charlie?”

  Her mother’s body jerked at his question, and she pressed her lips together as tears flooded her eyes. Laurel put her arm around her mother’s shoulders and leaned closer to her father. “Charlie’s not here right now, but I am, Poppa. And so is Willie.”

  She nudged Willie with her elbow. He looked up at her, a scared expression on his face, and she nodded. Willie swallowed and scooted closer to the bed. “Hi, Poppa.”

  Her father raised his hand and motioned for Willie to move closer. He wedged himself in front of Laurel and leaned closer to his father. Laurel tightened her arm around her mother’s shoulders as her father raised his hand and patted Willie on the head. “A good boy. Always been. But too young.” He frowned and turned his head. “Rani?”

  “Yes, Matthew. I’m here.”

  His gaze moved over her mother’s face. “Promise me…”

  “What? Promise you what?”

  “Willie. Don’t want it to be for him like it was for me. Too young to be the head of the family.”

  Tears began to stream down her mother’s face. “You’re going to be the head of this family for a long time. You’ll teach Willie to be a man.”

  The corner of his lip curled up, and he patted Willie again. “Love you, son.” He closed his eyes, then they shot open. “Laurel?”

  She jumped at the sound of her name. “Yes, Poppa?” She leaned around Willie and smiled at him.

  His eyes softened, and he smiled. “So beautiful. Just like your mama. Be happy, darling. Don’t marry unless he loves you like I’ve loved your mama.”

  “I won’t, Poppa. I’ll let you help me decide who I should marry.”

  Dr. Pearson stepped up behind them and touched her mother’s shoulder. “I think that’s enough talking for now. He needs to rest. You can see him later.”