Beyond These Hills

by Sandra Robbins

  “Yes, sir. I understand. You can trust me.” He turned back to Laurel. “Are you ready to go?”

  She nodded and hoped he couldn’t see the excitement in her eyes. When she’d left home earlier, she wouldn’t have dreamed she’d be returning in Andrew’s car. She dashed over to her grandfather and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Then she kissed Nana and turned to Granny. “Thank you, Granny,” she whispered in her ear before she kissed her cheek.

  Granny winked at her before the three of them disappeared inside the house. With her heart pounding in her chest, Laurel turned back to Andrew. “I’m ready to go.”

  He smiled, made a sweeping bow toward the car, and extended his arm toward her. “Your ride awaits, madam. May I escort you down the steps?”

  She laughed and looped her arm through his. Together they descended the stairs and walked to the car. When they were settled inside, she swiveled in her seat to face him. “This is a very nice car. Is it new?”

  He nodded and cranked the engine. “My father bought it for me right before I left home.” He wrapped his fingers around the steering wheel and stared at them for a moment before he looked back at her. “You’re the first person to ride in it with me.”

  The pulse in her neck felt as if it would burst through her skin. She clasped her hands in her lap and directed a shaky smile at him. “I’m glad.”

  “So am I,” he whispered before he eased out on the clutch and drove into the road.

  Chapter 7

  The trip to Laurel’s home was over far too quickly for Andrew’s liking. They’d spoken little on their way here. He could hardly speak because his chest squeezed so tight every time he glanced at her that he could barely breathe. He doubted she felt the same way, but a little smile had pulled at her lips the entire way here.

  He pulled off the road where she directed and drove past a small log cabin with a sign that identified this place as the home of Mountain Laurel Pottery. He chuckled and pointed to the cabin. “So that’s your mother’s studio.”

  “Yes. My father built this cabin when he moved back to the Cove, and this is where they lived after they married. In fact I was born in that cabin.” She pointed to a large house that sat perhaps five hundred feet down the road from the cabin. “That’s where we live now. Poppa built it when I was about five. Our lodge is to the left of our house and nearer to the creek at the back of the farm.”

  He studied the large white house as he drove toward it. This was no cabin. It was a large, two-story white house that one might see in neighborhoods in any American city. He pulled to a stop in front of the house. “So this is where the Jackson family lives.”

  “Yes, this is our home.”

  The emphasis she put on the word home wasn’t lost on him. He realized she wanted him to know how important this place was to her. “It’s beautiful. I can see why you love it.” He turned in his seat to face her. “I’ve really been unhappy about how we parted on Sunday. I’m glad I stopped by your grandparents’ home today.”

  “I am too.”

  “When I left you at the store in Gatlinburg, I realized I hadn’t asked your last name, but I remembered the name of your mother’s studio. I asked the clerk at the hotel if he knew where it was, but he didn’t.”

  Her eyebrows arched. “You did?”

  He nodded. “I felt sure I could find you again, but I didn’t expect it to be at church the next day.”

  She tilted her head to one side. “Why did you want to find me?”

  “I don’t know. I just knew I had to.”

  She swallowed. “I’m glad you did.”

  He wanted to reach out and caress her braid, but he willed his fingers to be still. “I’d like to see you again, Laurel. Do you think your folks would object if I came over after supper one night to visit?”

  “I don’t think so. They seemed to like you fine last Sunday.”

  “They were being nice to me because I was a stranger in the Cove. This is different. They may not want me to come again if they think I’m interested in their daughter.”

  “A-are you interested in me?”

  “Yes. I am.” The words came out in a rush. “I definitely am.”

  “Then I’d say the decision is up to me, not my parents, whether you can come again or not. After all, I’m eighteen years old, and this is 1935. Things have changed in the world. I don’t need my parents’ permission to make friends with someone.”

  “Laurel, I would never dishonor you by asking you to go behind your parents’ backs on anything. I’ll only come back if your father gives me his permission. Do you think he’s here so I could speak to him?”

  She smiled. “He’s here and now’s your chance. I see him coming around the side of the house.”

  Andrew jumped out of the car and ran around to open Laurel’s door. She laughed and stepped out beside him just as her father stopped, facing them. His eyes held a questioning look.

  “Laurel, I was just about to start over to Simon’s to see what was keeping you.”

  “Grandpa and Nana were a little late getting back, and Andrew offered to drive me home.”

  Andrew swallowed and glanced at her before speaking. “I asked Simon’s permission to bring her home, Matthew, and he said I could.”

  “I see.” Her father’s gaze drifted down to her dress, and he frowned. “What happened to your dress?”

  Laurel slid her hand down the purple stain and chuckled. “I spilled the grape juice Mama sent to Granny.”

  Andrew took a half step closer to her father. “It was my fault. I startled Laurel, and she dropped the pitcher. But we got the kitchen cleaned up.”

  Her father’s eyebrows arched. “Did you now?” He glanced at Laurel. “Anything else happen while you were gone?”

  “No.” Then her eyes lit up. “Oh, yes. Grandpa is going to arrange a meeting of all the residents so Andrew can talk to them and explain the government’s point of view.”

  Her father’s eyebrows arched. “Oh, he is?”

  Andrew nodded. “Yes, and I really appreciate it. I hope you’ll come to the meeting.”

  “I’ll be there. If anybody’s going to talk about taking my farm, you can depend on me being there.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear that.” He took a deep breath and glanced back at Laurel before he spoke again. “Matthew, there’s something else I’d like to ask.”

  “What’s that?”

  Andrew straightened his shoulders. “I wanted to ask your permission to come back and visit with Laurel. I really do like your daughter, and I want to get to know her better. If we were in a town like Knoxville or Asheville, I’d ask her out to supper and take her to a movie, but I can’t do that here. So I would like to come to your home and spend some time getting to know her.”

  Her father’s brow wrinkled, and he pushed the straw hat he wore back on his head. “Andrew, you seem like a nice young man, but you and Laurel come from two different worlds. She’s lived an isolated life here in the Cove and doesn’t know much about the ways of people outside these mountains. I’m not sure being friends with you would be in her best interests.”

  “I understand how you feel,” Andrew said. “But please know I respect your daughter, and I would never do anything to hurt her. I just want to get to know her better.”

  Andrew’s legs trembled from the stare Matthew directed at him. After a moment he turned to his daughter. “How do you feel, Laurel? Do you want this?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Poppa. I do.”

  Her father sighed and shook his head. “Then very well, but be careful. I’d hate to see either one of you hurt.”

  Andrew stuck out his hand. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate it.”

  Laurel smiled at her father. “Thank you, Poppa.”

  He gave a snort of disgust. “Don’t go thanking me for something that may be the worst decision I ever made.” He glanced at the house. “Now I’ll go on in and see if your mama needs any help with supper. You say your goodbyes to Andrew and then co
me on in.”

  Neither Andrew nor Laurel spoke until he had entered the house. Then Andrew wiped his sleeve across his forehead. “Well, that didn’t go too badly. Can I come back to see you tomorrow night?”

  She nodded. “I’d like that.”

  He walked back and opened the driver’s side door of the car. Before he got in, he hesitated and stared at her over the roof of the car. His gaze raked the braid that hung over her shoulder. His Adam’s apple twitched, and another bead of perspiration trickled down the side of his face.

  “I really am sorry about your dress, Laurel.”

  He smiled, climbed into the car, and slowly drove away from the house. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw her still standing where he’d left her. His stomach clenched when she reached up and stroked her braid. That sight would probably keep him awake tonight—that and the anticipation of seeing her again tomorrow.

  He didn’t understand these strange feelings Laurel evoked in him, but he did know one thing for sure. Something important had happened in his life the day he saw Laurel standing behind that pickup truck in Gatlinburg.

  Matthew heard the loud voices before he reached the kitchen. Rani and Charlie were again engaged in one of their difference-of-opinion discussions, as Rani called them. Matthew groaned and rubbed his hands over his eyes. He’d had a busy day getting ready for the guests at the lodge, and he was hungry. All he wanted was to eat supper, take a nap in his favorite chair afterward, and wake up in time to go to bed. Instead he’d probably be playing referee between his wife and son for the remainder of the evening.

  “We’re not going to discuss this any further, Charlie.” His wife’s stern voice drifted through the kitchen door.

  “But I want to talk about it.” Matthew’s ears pricked up at the anger in his son’s voice.

  “I’ve told you it’s out of the question, and I don’t want to discuss it.” Rani’s voice grew louder.

  “I’m not a child anymore, Mama. I’m seventeen, and I should be able to make my own decisions. You know I want this, and I’m going to do it whether you like it or not.”

  “You most certainly are not. You’re not of age yet, and you’d have to have your parents’ signature. We’re not about to sign anything for you right now.”

  “But that’s not fair. It’s like you’re holding me a prisoner. When I’m eighteen I’ll do it anyway.”

  “We’ll face that when the time comes, but for now you’re still living here. And as long as you do, you’ll follow the rules your father and I have set.”

  “Well, I won’t be here much longer if you continue to treat me like a child.”

  Matthew’s heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. Rani and Charlie’s arguments in the past had been heated, but they had never progressed to this point. Matthew stepped into the kitchen. “What’s going on in here?”

  Charlie and Rani faced each other in the middle of the room. Rani held a wooden spoon that she pointed like a weapon at Charlie’s angry face. She dropped her arm to her side when she saw Matthew.

  “Charlie and I are having a difference of opinion.”

  Matthew nodded. “I think all of our neighbors within a mile probably know that. What’s this about?”

  Charlie glared at him, and Rani shook her head. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, Matthew. Charlie thinks I’m trying to keep him from growing up.”

  Matthew turned to his son. “And what do you want to do that your mother doesn’t approve of?”

  Charlie darted a glance at his mother and lifted his chin. A defiant look flashed across his face. “I want to join the navy.”

  Matthew didn’t know what he expected his son to say, but it definitely wasn’t that. “The navy? Where did this come from? I haven’t heard a word about that.”

  Rani sank down in one of the kitchen chairs and tossed the spoon onto the table. “You’ve had enough to worry about with our court case and trying to hold on to our land. I thought Charlie would get over wanting this, but he hasn’t.”

  Matthew frowned and shook his head. “But why the navy?”

  Charlie gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at his side. “Because I’ve always liked reading about ships, and I want to get out of this valley and see the world. The navy is my ticket to do that. I’m tired of feeling like I’m stuck in the middle of nowhere and missing out on what’s going on outside these hills.”

  “But this is your home. Your mother and I worked hard to make this farm a success so we could leave it to our children. That’s why I’m fighting to keep it—because I want you to have part of it.”

  Charlie shook his head. “Well, I don’t want it. I hate this farm, and I hate living in the Cove. If you had any sense, you’d sell and get out of here before they come and force you out. You can’t fight them forever, Poppa. Give up and take their money. Then we can put this farm and everything else in this valley out of our lives.”

  Rani jumped to her feet, grabbed both of Charlie’s arms, and gave him a hard shake. “How dare you speak to your father like that? He loves you more than you’ll ever know, and he’s worked hard to give you what his father never gave him—love, a home, an inheritance. For you to speak to him like that breaks his heart, and it does mine too. You owe him an apology.”

  A crushing pain seized Matthew’s chest, and he grabbed the back of one of the table chairs to steady himself. He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. Rani and Charlie stood nose to nose a few steps away, but neither noticed his discomfort.

  Charlie jerked free of his mother. “Well, I think both of you owe me an apology. You’re making me stay in a place where I’m miserable and you won’t let me make my own decisions about what’s best for my life. But you can’t do that forever.” He pointed a finger in his mother’s face. “I’ll show you.”

  With that he turned and ran from the kitchen. Rani rushed to the kitchen door. “Charlie!” The only answer was the slam of the front door.

  The pain in Matthew’s chest eased and he wiped at the perspiration on his brow. Rani sank down at the table, propped her elbows on the table, and covered her eyes with her hands. “I’m sorry you walked in on that. I’ve been trying to spare you this problem. I thought it would be one more of Charlie’s whims that would pass with time, but it doesn’t seem to go away.” She reached over and covered his hand with hers. “And I’m really sorry he said he hates it here and doesn’t want the farm. He didn’t mean that.”

  Tears glistened in Rani’s eyes, and Matthew squeezed her hand. “Yes, he did, Rani. I’ve always known this day would come. He’s just like my father. I was struck speechless by how much he looked like him standing there arguing with you. For a moment I felt like that little boy again, listening to my father scream at my mother about how he hated living here, how we had ruined his life by tying him down, and how he was going to leave us so he could go see what was going on in the rest of the world.”

  A tear trickled down her cheek. “Matthew, I’m so sorry Charlie said those things.”

  He shook his head. “I couldn’t change my father, and I can’t change my son.” He reached over and wiped the tear from her face. “Don’t cry, Rani. I love you more today than I did the day we married. I just wanted us to raise a family and be happy on this little piece of land God gave us. Now we’re going to lose it, but that seems like nothing in the face of losing our children.”

  Her eyes grew wide. “Matthew, we’re not going to lose our children.”

  He sighed. “I think we already have, Rani. Charlie is stubborn. He won’t give up any more than my pa ever would. We’ll wake up one morning and Charlie will be gone just like my pa did so many times. It’s not the navy he wants. He wants to get out and show the world he’s a man. I hope he doesn’t end up dead on some tavern floor like my father did.”

  Rani closed her eyes as fresh tears streamed down her face. “Oh, don’t say that. I can’t stand to think something like that.”

  “I know. Neither can I.” He took a deep b
reath. “And then there’s Laurel.”

  Rani’s eyes popped open. “Laurel? What are you talking about?”

  She listened without speaking while he told her of Laurel’s afternoon. “Andrew seems like a nice young man, but he’s different from Laurel. I’m afraid he’ll hurt her. She’s never known anything but life here, and he’s lived very differently from her. He’s only here for a short time, and I don’t want her to get too attached to him. I just don’t know how her sweet spirit can deal with a broken heart.”

  Rani got up from her chair and knelt beside Matthew. She reached up and smoothed his silver-streaked hair away from his face. “You’re such a good man, Matthew, and I love you with all my heart. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I do know one thing. God won’t abandon us. He’s got good things coming our way. We just have to trust Him and see what He has planned for us.”

  Matthew nodded, leaned down, and kissed his wife. The pain in his chest had subsided, but it had been replaced by a nagging fear in the pit of his stomach. At that moment it became clear to him that life as they had known it in the Cove had come to an end. Soon his family would be scattered to the winds. He didn’t know if he could bear it or not.

  Charlie didn’t appear for supper and Rani made excuses for him to Laurel and Willie. Matthew tried to enter into the conversation around the supper table, but he found his mind straying at times to the days when he and Rani were young and excited about the life they were building together. Then the thought would return that everything they’d accomplished had turned to sand and was trickling through his fingers.

  Later when he lay beside Rani in bed, he listened to her steady breathing and thanked God for the strength her presence gave him. He kept an ear peeled for Charlie to come home, but he hadn’t returned by the time Matthew drifted off to sleep.

  At breakfast Rani informed him that Charlie’s bed hadn’t been slept in and some of his clothes were missing. Matthew nodded and continued to chew the mouthful of eggs that tasted as if they’d turned to dust in his mouth.