Beyond These Hills

by Sandra Robbins

  His father shrugged. “I figured if you were making amends that meant you were finally going to marry Lucy and get on with your political career.”

  “No, no. You misunderstood me. I came here to let you know that I love you, and I honor you as my father. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you run my life. I’ve turned that job over to God, and I expect His plans for me are going to be better than anything either of us could ever dream up. I only want to know that you understand and will support my decision.”

  Andrew had seen his father angry many times, but he’d never witnessed anything like the fury that crossed his face. “Support your decision to ruin your life? I wouldn’t do that in a million years.” He raised his fist in the air and began to pace back and forth across the room. It reminded Andrew of watching him once on the House floor. Suddenly he stopped and glared at Andrew. “It’s that girl, isn’t it?”

  “Laurel doesn’t even know I’m here. In fact, I haven’t had a chance to tell her about having become a Christian.”

  “But she influenced you in this. She made you turn your back on the only family you have. I could tell the minute I saw her she was nothing more than a little…”

  “Stop it!” Andrew yelled. “I won’t let you talk about her like that. She’s the kindest person I know, and she wants me to have a relationship with you.”

  His father closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “I’m afraid I have no desire to welcome her into our family. If you really love me and want to honor me as you say, then you’ll forget all this foolishness about defying me and get on with the plans we’ve had for years.”

  Andrew had known it would be difficult talking with his father, but he’d known it was the right thing to do. Now all he could do was turn the situation over to God.

  “I will always love you, and I will always honor you as my father. But I must do what I think is right for me. I don’t know where I’ll work or even whom I’ll marry at this point, but I know Lucy and politics have no place in my future. I hope someday you can accept my decision. Now I think I’d better go.”

  His father raised his trembling index finger and pointed it at Andrew. “If you walk out of this house now, don’t you ever bother coming back.”

  Andrew’s heart felt as if a knife had just sliced through it and left him mortally wounded. “Father, think about what you’re saying. We’re all that’s left of our family. We need each other.”

  “I don’t need you if you’re going to leave me. I made it fine after your brother and mother left, and I’ll do the same when you’re gone.”

  Andrew shook his head. “You didn’t make it fine after their deaths, Father, and neither did I. I needed you to put your arms around me and tell me you were here for me even if Mother and Winston were gone, but in your grief you tried to remake me into Winston. I’m not my brother. He would have loved politics because he was so much like you. I’m sorry, but I can’t be him for you.”

  “You’re right. You’re not like him at all. He didn’t have a choice in leaving; you do. Don’t make a mistake and walk out that door. I warn you I won’t welcome you back through it.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I want you to know that wherever I live, I will always welcome you to my home. Goodbye, Father.”

  He opened the door, stepped into the hall, and closed the door behind him. At the top of the stairs he glanced again at his father’s office, but after a moment descended the stairs and stopped beside Mrs. Oliver.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  Andrew shook his head. “Not very well. He ordered me to leave and never come back.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh, Mr. Andrew, I’m so sorry.”

  “So am I, Mrs. Oliver.” He glanced toward his father’s office again. “Take care of him for me.”

  “I will. You can count on me.”

  “Thank you. Would you mind if I wrote to you? I’d like for someone to know where I am in case Father ever needs anything.”

  She reached out and clasped his hand between both of hers. “Of course you can, and I’ll write to you and let you know how he’s doing. But most of all, Andrew, I’ll pray for you and your father. God can heal this situation.”

  “I know He can.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before he reached down and picked up his suitcase. Then, without looking back, he walked to the front door, opened it, and stepped into the Virginia night.

  As he trudged along the road that led into town, he looked up at the stars and swallowed back the hurt that had settled in his throat like a huge weight. “God, please be with my father. Help him to know You love him, and that I always will. Help him come to see we need to be in each other’s lives. Watch over Laurel tonight and keep her safe until I see her again. Thank You for walking with me and letting me know I’m not alone. I don’t have any idea where You’re going to take me, but I’m ready to go. And I’m sure looking forward to finding out what You have planned for me.”

  The pain in his throat eased some, and he strode along the road toward the lights of town in the distance. He’d find a hotel room for the night. Then he’d board the first train headed on the long journey back to the Smokies. At the moment, there was no place he’d rather be.

  A cuckoo clock struck eleven o’clock just as Laurel strolled into Tremont’s general store. She smiled at the sound of the bird’s call drifting through the store and glanced around at the well-stocked shelves. It almost looked like a smaller version of Mr. Bryan’s store in Gatlinburg. There were canned goods on the shelves, candy in jars, and bolts of cloth on tables at the back of the store.

  A mirror hung on the wall to her left, and she gasped when she caught sight of her reflection. Her hair looked like it hadn’t been combed this morning. Her face grew warm when she realized the young man behind the store counter was staring at her. Quickly she reached up and smoothed her stray locks into place.

  “The wind is really bad this morning. I’ve been in Tremont for nearly two weeks, but I haven’t seen it blow like that.”

  The store clerk smiled. “You never can tell about the winds in this part of the mountains, but today it seems worse than usual. You said you’d been here awhile. Are you visiting, or have you moved here?”

  “I’m visiting the Fergusons over at the hotel. Our families have been friends for years. I live over at Cades Cove for the time being.”

  “Yeah,” he grunted. “We’re all living on borrowed time in these mountains. I expect Tremont will be a ghost town before long.” He inhaled. “But nothing we can do about that. What can I help you with today?”

  She pointed to the fabric on tables at the back of the store. “I want to look at the material back there.”

  “Help yourself. If you need me to cut you a piece, I’ll be glad to do it.”

  Stopping to look at items from time to time, she ambled to the back of the store. She’d just reached the first display of fabric when the clerk appeared at her side. He wiped his hands down his white apron that stretched nearly to the floor and stuck a pencil behind his ear. “Anything special you’re looking for?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. Mrs. Ferguson’s mother told me she’d make me a dress. I’m not sure what I want.”

  He picked up a bolt of seersucker and put it on another table. “There’s not enough material left on that one to make a dress. What kind of dress is it? Sunday? Party? Housedress?”

  “Um, maybe a Sunday dress.”

  He pulled a bolt out from the bottom of the stack and held it up. “How about this? Silk is still a favorite of a lot of women.”

  Tiny white geometric designs covered the pink silk material. Laurel tilted her head and studied it for a moment before she shook her head. “Maybe something in a solid color.”

  He pulled an emerald green piece from the bottom and laid it in front of her. “What about this?”

  She rubbed her fingers over the soft fabric. “This is more like it. I think I’
ll take…”

  “Jim!”

  She jumped in alarm at the sound of a man’s voice at the front of the store. The clerk jerked his head around. “What?”

  “Better come out here. I think we got some big trouble headed our way.”

  The clerk dropped the fabric onto the table, and Laurel followed him as they ran from the store. A large crowd of people surged down the road in the direction of the community center. Laurel glanced over her shoulder at the hotel and caught sight of Josie hurrying across the footbridge toward her. When Josie reached her, Laurel fell into step beside her.

  “What’s wrong? Why is everybody going to the community center?”

  “There’s a fire up the mountain.”

  Fear gripped Laurel, and she stopped in her tracks. “A fire? Is it where Ted and Jimmy are working?”

  Josie shook her head. “I don’t know. That’s what I want to find out.”

  Together they ran into the community center and looked around for a place to sit. Nearly all the chairs were already taken and people were standing around the walls. They pushed their way through the crowd standing in the center aisle and inched to the front row, where they found two seats and dropped down into them.

  Two men stood in deep conversation at the front of the room a few feet from Laurel. She strained to hear what they were saying but was only able to catch a few words which made little sense. After a few minutes, the older of the two stepped to the center of the room and faced the crowd. The room grew immediately silent.

  “May I have your attention, please,” he said. “Thank you for coming. I think most of you know me. I’m Bill Mercer and this is Jeb Smith. We represent Mr. Townsend here at Tremont. We brought you together this morning to tell you about a situation we have. We don’t know what caused it, but we’ve got fire above us in the mountains. With the wind gusts we’ve had, it’s been impossible so far to get it under control. The Park Service has men up there, and our employees are working with them, but this wind is presenting a problem. We wanted to let you know just in case the wind shifts, and the fire comes this way.”

  A man beside Laurel jumped up. “What do we need to do?”

  “The Park Service is sending some men from the Cades Cove CCC camp to help out. They should be arriving on a train from Townsend in about an hour. If you work for Little River, you need to board the train and ride up the mountain. If your families want to leave Tremont, they should be ready to get on when it makes the return trip to Townsend. If you want to stay, I’d suggest you get all the buckets, pots, and pans you can find. You may need them to water down your property. Are there any more questions?”

  Josie stood up. “How far up did the fire start?”

  “Right above the Thunderhead operation.”

  Josie’s face turned white. “What about the men working up there?”

  He looked around at the man beside him, and they exchanged quick glances. “They’re fighting the fire right now.”

  Josie sank down in her chair and grabbed Laurel’s hand. “Ted and Jimmy,” she whispered.

  Laurel’s stomach roiled at the look of terror in Josie’s face. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “They can take care of themselves.”

  Mr. Mercer pursed his lips and glanced around the room. “If there are no more questions, I’ll let you go make preparations for whatever you need to do.” The people in the crowd started to rise to their feet, but Mr. Mercer held up his hand. “Oh, one more thing for those of you who’ll be boarding the train to ride up to the fire. That’s the last trip it’ll make up the mountain until the fire’s out. You’ll have to walk back. Now the meeting’s dismissed.”

  All around them people stood and rushed for the back door. Laurel looked over at Josie. Her face had grown pale and fear flickered in her eyes. Laurel touched her arm. “Josie, shouldn’t we get back to the hotel and gather up buckets like Mr. Mercer said?”

  She blinked and turned to face Laurel. “Laurel?” she whispered. A frown flashed across her face as if she’d forgotten she wasn’t alone.

  “Yes, Josie. I’m here. We need to go now.”

  She nodded. “Ma and Pa. They need to get ready and leave on that train when it comes back.” Her gaze settled on Laurel’s face. “And you do too. You must go home.”

  Laurel shook her head. “I can’t leave you. I want to be here when Ted and Jimmy come back. Besides, you need me to help you if the fire gets too close to the hotel.”

  “No. You can’t stay.” She jumped to her feet and pulled Laurel up with her. “Your mother is sick with worry because of Charlie leaving and your pa being sick. I’m not going to let anything happen to her daughter if I can help it. Now let’s go get your clothes packed.”

  Laurel knew it would do no good to argue with Josie. As badly as she hated to leave Josie behind, she would do as she asked. As they ran from the community center toward the hotel, Laurel glanced up at the sky, and her heart pounded at what she saw. In the distance a trail of smoke drifted up toward the sun. It was impossible to tell how far away it was, but she prayed that the deadly sparks would soon be extinguished before the wind blew them down the mountain onto those in the base camp.

  Andrew hadn’t slept much on the return trip from Virginia, but just minutes ago the conductor had announced Townsend as the next stop. That’s where he’d left his car, so it wouldn’t be long before he was back in his room at the CCC camp in Cades Cove.

  As tired as he was, he couldn’t ignore the excitement he felt at being back in Tennessee. In the short time since he’d been here, it had come to be home. Nothing would make him happier than to stay in the mountains for the rest of his life, but he would go wherever God’s plans led him. He couldn’t help hoping, though, that those plans included Laurel.

  He could hardly wait to see her. First he’d go to the camp and clean up some. Then he intended to drive straight to her house and tell her what had happened to him in the days since they’d seen each other. Maybe her grandfather had already told her about his visit, but he hoped not. He wanted to tell her that story himself.

  The train slowed in preparation for the stop at the station. He gathered his belongings and waited for the train to come to a stop. When it did, he climbed down the steps onto the station platform and looked around in surprise at the men gathered there. Even without the blue denim work suits and caps they wore, he would have recognized them anywhere. These were the men from the Cades Cove CCC camp.

  Before he could recover from his surprise, Lieutenant Gray emerged from the group and held up his hand for silence. The group stilled immediately. “As soon as this train leaves for Maryville, ours will arrive. Be ready to board when it gets here.”

  There was a mumbled acknowledgment from the group before they resumed their conversations. Andrew hurried across the platform toward Lieutenant Gray.

  The lieutenant saw him coming. “Brady,” he called out. “So you got back from Virginia?”

  “I did.” Andrew cast a bewildered glance over the assembled men. “What’s going on?”

  “There’s a fire on the mountain up near Thunderhead. We’ve been called to go help out.”

  Andrew’s heart thudded at the news. “A fire? How bad is it?”

  Lieutenant Gray shrugged. “Any fire’s bad here on these slopes, but they’re trying to keep it from reaching Tremont.”

  At the mention of the name Tremont, Andrew’s heart constricted. Laurel. Was she still there? No, she should be home by now. He was sure she was.

  He realized Lieutenant Gray had said something, but he hadn’t heard him. Andrew blinked and shook his head. “What?”

  “I asked if you want to come along and help out. You know, since you work for the Park Service, you may want to experience a fire for yourself.”

  Andrew shuddered at the thought. Experience a fire? He’d done that when he was a child, and it had left a memory that still haunted his dreams. He opened his mouth to decline, but his eyes grew wide as he heard the words he spoke. “I�
��d like to go with you. Let me go put this suitcase in my car that’s parked beside the station. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Andrew ran to his car, unlocked it, and shoved the suitcase in the backseat. He was about to relock the car when he froze at the small voice niggling in the back of his mind. You really don’t want to do this, it said. Get in your car. Go to Cades Cove to see Laurel. You can tell Lieutenant Gray later you changed your mind.

  A whistle blew, signaling the departure of the train for Maryville. Andrew stood, unsure what to do. Should he board the next train to Tremont, or should he hop in his car and drive to Cades Cove?

  Then he remembered the day he had asked Granny if faith could give him power to face things that seemed impossible. He recalled how she’d smiled as she answered him just hours before her death. “If you put your trust in God and believe in Him, He’ll give you the power and strength to face whatever comes your way, Andrew.”

  He looked up into the sky and breathed a prayer of thanks for the lessons Granny was still teaching even after her death. Then he locked the car and ran toward the platform so he could be ready to board the train when it arrived.

  Chapter 18

  It had only been thirty minutes since they’d seen the first evidence of fire on the mountain but already clouds of smoke were pouring into the sky. Laurel blinked back tears and grasped Josie’s hand as they stood on the porch of the hotel and stared at the darkening sky. Somewhere out there Jimmy and his father were engaged in fighting the inferno that appeared to be spreading.

  The front door of the hotel opened and Josie’s parents stepped onto the porch. Josie’s gaze swept them. “Where’s your suitcase?”

  Mr. Davis shook his hand. “Got no reason to pack. We ain’t going nowhere ’til you and Ted and Jimmy come along with us.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want you in danger. Please go to Townsend. I’ll come as soon as they’re back.”

  Mrs. Davis put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders and hugged her. “This is our place, Josie. You’re all we got left in this here world, and we ain’t a-leavin’ unless you come with us.”