Her mother climbed to the ground and glanced back up at her father. Rani waited for the look that would pass between the two, and she wasn’t disappointed. She had watched the silent messages their eyes had conveyed for years, and it still made her heart beat a little faster each time she saw it. The Look, as she secretly called it, summed up the love they had for each other, and it was still as strong after twenty years of marriage as it had been when they first knew each other.
That’s what she wanted when she fell in love and married, a man whose love for her could be seen in his face every day. She couldn’t settle for anything less than what her parents had. No, she wouldn’t settle for anything less.
Her mother reached back into the buggy for the black leather bag with brass trim that she took whenever she was attending a patient, then turned to face Rani and Granny. “What are you two doing out here?” she asked.
Her father straightened in the seat and inhaled a big breath before he grinned at Granny. “I do declare I think I smell apple pie. I’ll take Anna off more often if it means you’ll cook supper while we’re gone.”
Granny chuckled and pushed to her feet. “Hush your mouth, preacher boy. You know I done taught Anna to cook all your fav’rite foods. I ’spect she’s ’bout the best cook in these here parts now.”
Her mother laughed. “I may be able to cook a decent supper, but I’ll never be able to touch your pies, Granny.”
“I’d better take care of the horse,” her father said. “The sooner that gets done, the sooner we can eat!” He winked at Rani, snapped the reins across the horse’s back, and headed toward the barn.
Rani ran to her mother and reached for the bag. “Do you want me to put this up for you, Mama?”
Her mother reached up and smoothed Rani’s hair back from her face before she handed her the bag. “Thank you, darling. How was it over at Josie’s?”
“It was hard. Josie asked me to come visit her, but I doubt if I will.”
Her mother stared at her for a moment. “Don’t worry. I know you feel alone now, but you won’t always be. God has a plan for you. He’s going to fill your life with wonderful things that you can’t imagine right now.”
Leaning on her cane, Granny hobbled over to them. “That’s what I’ve been a-tellin’ Rani. She just has to be patient and pray.” She stopped and leaned both hands on her cane. “Rani, did I ever tell you that I prayed for three years for God to send a woman to the Cove for Simon before Anna came?”
Rani laughed and rolled her eyes. “About a hundred times, Granny.”
Granny’s eyebrows arched. “Well, my point is, you cain’t rush God. He moves in His own time.”
“I’ll remember that,” Rani said.
Her mother started to respond but stopped and frowned. “Did you hear that? It sounded like someone knocking at the front of the house.”
Rani listened for a moment, then shook her head. “I didn’t hear anything.”
“I’d better go check. It might be someone needing help.”
Her mother rushed across the yard and into the house with Rani and Granny following behind. They had just stepped into the kitchen when she heard a surprised squeal come from the front of the house.
Rani glanced at Granny. “Was that Mama?”
“Sounded like her.”
“Granny, Rani, come here quick!” Her mother’s shrill words ended in a loud screech.
Leaving Granny to hobble behind her, Rani bolted through the house and out the front door. She skidded to a stop at the edge of the porch and stared open-mouthed at her mother. She stood on the ground facing a tall man, her arms wrapped around his middle. His arms circled her back, and his face was buried on her shoulder.
As Rani watched, he raised his head and gazed at her. His eyes widened in surprise, and she gasped. The man she’d encountered earlier at the mountain laurel bush was standing in front of her home. And he was hugging her mother.
Her mouth gaped open, and she turned to Granny, who stopped beside her and grasped the front porch post. Granny clamped her free hand over her mouth, and tears glimmered in her wide eyes.
Rani glanced in confusion from her mother to Granny, whose gaze didn’t waver from the man at the foot of the steps. “Thank You, Lord,” she whispered. “Thank You for answerin’ my prayer.”
The man now stood next to her mother, his eyes fixed on Granny. He swallowed hard and nodded. “I did what I said I’d do, Granny. I’ve come home.”
Tears rushed down Granny’s checks and she held out her arms. In an instant he was up the steps and locked in Granny’s embrace. Soft sobs came from Granny’s mouth, and Rani turned to her mother and frowned.
“I don’t understand.”
Her mother laughed and rushed up the steps. She put her arm around Rani’s shoulders and turned her to face the stranger. “You’ve heard us speak about Matthew Jackson. Well, this is Matthew. He’s come home.”
It took a moment for the words to register. Matthew Jackson, the boy she’d heard about all her life? The one who’d left the Cove with his mother and brother when his father was murdered? She’d often wondered what he looked like, and now he stood next to her on the front porch of her home.
He pulled away from Granny and turned to face her mother. “I can’t believe I’m here after all these years.”
Joy covered the faces of her mother and Granny, but she still couldn’t believe it. Matthew Jackson had returned to the Cove? And he was the man she’d met this afternoon? Her mother gave her a gentle nudge forward. “Matthew, this is my daughter, Rani.”
His dark eyes stared into hers, and she remembered how she’d thought only minutes ago she would never see this man again. Now he stood next to her. His eyebrows arched. “Your daughter?”
A tingle of pleasure rippled through her at his penetrating gaze. Before she could question what she was feeling, a thought popped into her mind. She needed to be logical about Matthew’s sudden return to the Cove. Her mother had known him years ago when he was a boy. But a boy hadn’t returned. A man had. And that man worked for Little River Lumber. Had he come back in hopes his ties to the past would convince the Cove residents to sell their land? If that was his intention, he had another think coming. She’d make sure that never happened. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but the look of joy on her mother’s face stopped her. There was time later to discuss such matters.
Instead of speaking what was in her heart, she held out her hand. “Hello, Matthew. I’ve heard about you all my life.”
Matthew couldn’t believe his eyes. No wonder the girl at the mountain laurel bush reminded him of someone. With her dark hair and brown eyes and the tilt of her mouth when she smiled, like she was doing now, she looked exactly like Simon. Somehow, though, he had the impression her smile was more for her mother’s benefit than his.
He grasped her outstretched hand and smiled at how his big hand enveloped hers. The feel of her cool fingers in his palm set his pulse to racing. He glanced at her mother. “I should have known this was your daughter. She looks exactly like Simon.”
Granny chuckled. “That’s right. And her twin brother looks just like Anna.”
Reluctantly, he released Rani’s hand and turned to Anna. “I remember hearing you and Simon had twins, but I can’t believe they’re grown.”
“They are, but Stephen’s not here right now. He’s in school at Elizabethton. He’ll be home for a few weeks in July.” A frown pulled at her forehead. “Will you still be here? I haven’t even asked you how long you’re going to stay.”
He smiled. “Forever. Mr. Howard owned our old farm, and he lived over at Townsend until he died about two years ago. When I found out, I approached his son about buying the place, and I’ve been paying on it. I made the last payment a few weeks ago and left my job yesterday to come back home.”
He glanced at Rani to see how this news affected her. A skeptical look flickered in her eyes, and he swallowed back his disappointment. For some reason he wanted her to ap
prove of his return, and this thought puzzled him. It shouldn’t matter to him what a young girl thought. She had to be at least eleven years his junior.
He tried to shake the notion from his head and turned back to Anna. “Where’s Simon?”
Anna looped her arm through his and drew him toward the front door. “He’s in the barn, but he’ll be back soon. Come in. You’re staying for supper.”
Matthew drew back and shook his head. “No, I didn’t come by this late for an invitation to supper. I just wanted to see you.”
Granny took his other arm. “You don’t need no invite to set down to our table. You’ve always been practic’ly family anyway.”
He halted and glanced down at Granny. “Do you live with Simon and Anna?”
Granny chuckled. “For ’bout three years now. They decided I didn’t need to stay by myself any longer.” She straightened her shoulders. “’Course, I think they was bein’ a little bit cautious, but I do have to say I enjoy the comp’ny.”
Anna smiled at Granny. “And we enjoy having her here. After all, she’s a second mother to both Simon and me.”
Matthew glanced from one to the other. “Both of you are to me. The memory of you waving to us as we left the Cove that day has stayed with me all these years. And it’s what’s brought me back.”
Anna squeezed his arm. “We’re glad you’re home.” She glanced over her shoulder at her daughter. “Rani, run out to the barn and tell your father to hurry. He’ll be so excited to see Matthew.”
Without saying a word, Rani hopped off the porch and ran around the side of the house. Matthew turned his attention back to Granny and Anna as they led him into the house. He stopped in the front room and let his gaze drift over the interior. The house still had the familiar rustic look he remembered from childhood, but time had worked its changes.
Simon’s long rifle still hung over the stone fireplace, but only a woman would have added the crocheted doilies that adorned the lamp table. Vases containing bouquets of wildflowers sat on either end of the mantel that also held family pictures.
He picked up the photograph made on Simon and Anna’s wedding day and smiled. “I remember that day. We came with Mrs. Johnson from Pigeon Forge so we could see you two married.”
Anna nodded. “I remember.” She walked to a rocking chair that faced the fireplace and picked up a quilt draped over the back. She held it out for him to see. “Do you remember this quilt? The women of the Cove gave it to me as a wedding present. Your mother made one of the squares. She wanted to be there to see me open it.”
He reached out and trailed his fingers across the still-bright words emblazoned in the center square. “Angel of the Cove.” He glanced at her. “Do they still call you that, Anna?”
She chuckled and hung the quilt across the chair back. “Not so much anymore. I’m just Anna to everybody here. We have a doctor in the Cove now, but he likes for me to deliver the babies. A lot of folks still come to me when they’re sick, and I send for him if I think it’s serious.”
He took a deep breath and glanced around. “I can’t believe I’m finally back in this room. I visited Simon here so many times. It looks the same…and yet different. Does that make any sense?”
Granny chuckled and eased down into one of the rocking chairs. “I reckon Anna’s to be thanked for that. She turned Simon’s cabin into a real home.”
Anna hurried over and helped Granny settle herself. A slight flush rose in Anna’s cheeks as she glanced at him. “Twenty years brings a lot of changes. This is the home we made for our family.”
Matthew set the picture of Anna and Simon back on the mantel, picked up one of Rani and a young man, and studied it. Rani’s dark hair and eyes and the young man’s light-colored features gave no hint that the two could be twins. He glanced at Anna. “Is this Rani’s twin brother?”
“Yes. That’s Stephen. He’s ten minutes older than Rani.”
The rocker creaked as Granny repositioned herself. “I do believe that was the longest ten minutes I ever lived through.”
Anna laughed. “But we got through it and came out with two beautiful babies.”
A frame with the picture of a man he remembered well caught his attention, and he picked it up. “And here’s your uncle. Doc Prentiss we called him. I’ll always be indebted to him for taking us to Pigeon Forge after my father’s death.” He rubbed his thumb over the glass, and thought of the man Anna had asked to arrange work for his mother at Mrs. Johnson’s inn. He had done that and then seen that they were settled in the little cabin behind her business. “Is Doc still practicing?”
“Not in the mountains,” Anna said. “He nearly wore himself out traveling the mountain roads and tending the people he loved. He retired about five years ago and moved to Maryville. He still sees a few patients and teaches some classes at Maryville College, but mostly he enjoys retirement. I miss having him in the mountains, though. He’s coming for a visit while Stephen’s here, so you’ll get to see him then.”
“Good. I have a lot to thank him for.” Matthew set the picture back down and was about to turn away when he spied a frame sitting to the side of the others. The solemn face of a young boy of perhaps five years old stared at him.
“Who’s this?” he asked.
The silence that followed his question sent a warning flashing into his mind. He turned and stared at Anna who stood next to Granny’s chair. Her lips trembled. “That’s Willie,” she whispered. “He died soon after that was taken.”
Matthew glanced at the child once more before he stepped away from the mantel. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Granny said. She reached out and grasped Anna’s hand. They both stared at the picture as if lost in thought. After a moment Granny broke the strained silence. “He was a sweet boy,” she murmured, “and we miss him a lot. He would have been ’bout fifteen now.”
Before Matthew could respond, footsteps thudded in the back of the house and Simon rushed into the room. He stopped, his eyes wide, and stared in unbelief. “I couldn’t believe it when Rani told me you were here.”
Matthew stared at the man who had been more of a father to him when he was a child than anyone. Some gray sprinkled the dark hair he remembered so well, but the warmth in Simon’s eyes hadn’t changed.
He tried to speak, but all he could do was think about how good it was to be back with people who shared his past. Before he could say anything, Simon enveloped him in a bear hug.
Matthew closed his eyes for a moment and let the welcome flow through his soul. He’d debated for months whether or not he should come back, but now he knew he’d made the right choice.
He glanced over Simon’s shoulder and spied Rani standing behind her father. As their eyes locked, she crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. The expression of distrust on her face sucked the breath from him.
For some reason, Rani didn’t like him, and the thought saddened him. Maybe he had just encountered his first resistance to his homecoming. Her opinion might be the result of having heard stories about his father. If a girl who didn’t even know him could judge him on what others said, then how could he ever be accepted by the people in the Cove who had actually known Luke Jackson?
Perhaps he’d been wrong. What if he’d made a mistake in coming home? His mother could have been right about people having long memories. If that was true, then there was no place for him in the Cove.
Chapter 3
Rani didn’t remember when there had been such lively conversation during supper. Usually after a hard day of work, her parents were content to enjoy their time around the kitchen table as they talked about the events of the day and what they planned for the morning. Not tonight. Her parents and Granny had laughed and talked more than she’d seen them do in the past month. And it was all because of their unexpected guest.
“Have some more of this here pie.” Granny picked up the pan from the middle of the table and scooped another big piece onto Matthew’s plate.
Rani cast a glance at the man sitting across from her. The smile on his lips extended to his dark eyes as he glanced at Granny. She had to admit Matthew Jackson seemed to be enjoying his time with her family. For their sake, she hoped he was sincere and wasn’t just pretending so he could approach them later about his employer buying their timber.
She propped her elbows on the table and tented her fingers. “Well, Matthew, after living so long in the outside world, what made you want to come back to our valley?”
Matthew had just raised his fork with a bite of pie on it, but he lowered it back to his plate and stared at her with the same penetrating gaze he had directed at her earlier. It was as if he directed some kind of silent plea toward her. Her skin warmed under his intense scrutiny, and she leaned back in her chair to distance herself from him. She lowered her hands and clasped them in her lap.
After a moment he smiled, and she swallowed hard as his gaze drifted from her eyes to her lips and back again. “This is home, Rani. All I’ve thought about for years was getting back here, but I knew I had to have a place to come to. When my old farm went up for sale, I knew God had answered my prayers.”
“But didn’t it bother you working for Little River Lumber when you knew what they were trying to do our mountains?”
“Rani,” her father interrupted. She glanced at him, and he frowned. “It’s not our place to question Matthew’s motives. We don’t know what his life’s been like.”
Matthew shook his head. “No, it’s all right, Simon.” He leaned forward and smiled at Rani. “I told you earlier today I worked for their railroad company. Yes, I knew how they were stripping the mountains, and it made me sick. But at the time, I needed a job, and the only one I could find was with the railroad.”
Mama turned a questioning glance toward Rani. “I don’t remember Matthew telling you he worked for the railroad. When did that happen?”
Rani fidgeted in her seat and dropped her gaze to her plate. She picked up her cup of water and shrugged. “Oh, I met Matthew on my way home from Josie’s today.”
Mountain Homecoming Page 3
