Mountain Homecoming (29 page)

Anna put her hand to her throat and groaned. “Not George. How could he do this?”

Rani turned from the window. Fresh tears rolled from her eyes. “So I have that to add to my past mistakes. I can't stay here and see what's happening to George and then run the risk of seeing Matthew. I can't see him and act as if he means nothing to me.”

Her mother moved toward her. “What do you want to do?”

She took a deep breath. “I want to go to Maryville and stay with Uncle Charles for a while. Maybe I can forget about Matthew and come back home a new person.”

Simon glanced at Anna, then to Rani. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

Anna swallowed hard before she spoke. “Uncle Charles will be glad to have you, but you have to promise me you'll come back. I need at least one of my children close by.”

Rani moved to her mother and hugged her. “I'll come back, Mama. I just need to get away for now.”

“When do you want to leave?” Simon asked.

She thought for a moment. “I told Matthew I'd finish the bricks. I should have enough ready in two weeks. I'd like to leave after that.”

Simon nodded. “All right. We'll write to Uncle Charles and tell him you're coming. I'll drive you to Townsend in the buggy, and you can take the train to Maryville. I'll also take the last load of bricks over to Matthew's for you so you won't have to see him.”

Her lips tightened into a thin line. “Thank you, Poppa. I don't ever want to see him again.”

“Rani,” Anna said, “don't say that. Please pray about this and try to forgive Matthew. Try to understand what he's feeling right now.”

She shook her head. “I'll pray, Mama, but I'll pray that God will help me forget him and will keep him as far away from me as possible. Maybe then I can find some happiness.”

Matthew hung the harness on a peg in the barn wall and turned just in time to see Scout dash through the open door and head straight to him. Matthew dropped to his knees and grabbed the wriggling dog in a hug. “Where did you come from, boy?”

He stood up, walked to the door, and smiled at the sight of Simon climbing down from his wagon. With Scout trotting alongside him, Matthew stepped from the barn. Simon turned as he approached, took off his hat, and wiped his arm across his forehead. “This is one of the hottest days we've had so far this summer. But you expect a few like this in August.”

Matthew stuck out his hand, and Simon grasped it. “It's good to see you, Simon.”

“Good to see you too.” He nodded his head in the direction of the wagon. “I brought the last of the bricks. This ought to do it for the chimney.”

Matthew walked to the wagon and glanced into the bed that was stacked high with bricks. The sight of them pricked his heart, and he swallowed. “Rani did a good job on them.”

Simon nodded. “She did. And I talked to the men at church on Sunday. They'll be here tomorrow to help rebuild your cabin. With all the help I've got coming, we ought to be able to get it up in a few days. We'll at least get the walls and roof on, and Cecil can get the chimney laid. I figure you can work on the inside and get it finished by fall.”

“I really appreciate you asking them to come.”

Simon chuckled. “They were all glad to do it. Especially Pete. He says he doesn't know how he would have made it these last few weeks without all the help you've been to him. He plans to be here even if all he can do is sit in a chair and oversee the work.”

“That's awfully nice of Pete. I didn't mind helping out a bit while he was so bad, and I got to know the Fergusons a lot better.” He paused a moment and bit down on his lip. “I guess you wonder why I haven't been at church lately.”

Simon shook his head. “No, I had an idea why you stayed away.”

Matthew stuck his hands in his pockets and stared down at the ground. “I'll come back. I thought for now it might be a good idea for me not to see Rani. And I didn't know how you and Anna feel about me after learning about Rani and me.”

“If that's what kept you away, you can come next Sunday. Anna and I have forgiven you for not telling us. And as for Rani, she won't be there for quite a while.”

Matthew frowned. “Why not?”

Simon sighed and pushed his hat back on his head. “She's gone to stay with Doc over in Maryville for a while. I don't know when she'll be back.”

Matthew swallowed hard and tried not to let Simon see how his words had shocked him. “That's good to know. Maybe being with Doc can help her through this rough time.”

Simon shook his head. “I don't know about that. She sure did cry a lot before she left.” He reached out and clamped his hand down on Matthew's shoulder. “What about you, Matthew? What do you need right now to help you?”

Matthew stared at the man he'd wished could be his father when he was a boy. Maybe wanting a stable family and a father he could respect had been part of the attraction to Rani, but not all of it. He gave a slight shake of his head. “I don't know, Simon. Hard work is helping a lot, but I sure miss being with all of you in the evenings.”

“And we miss you too. I want you to know I'm here for you if you ever need to talk. I want to help you any way I can.”

Matthew exhaled. “You can't change my past, Simon. Just take care of Rani.”

“We will.” He pointed to the bricks in the back of the wagon. “Now let's get these unloaded so I can make some visits this afternoon. And by the way, Anna said to tell you to come for supper tonight. She and Granny have been missing you.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but not just yet. I need some time to work through things in my head before I come back there. Tell Granny and Anna I'll see them soon.”

Simon sighed. “All right. But let me know if I can help.”

“I will. And, Simon, thank you for not holding it against me about Rani. I'll try to make it up to you and Anna.”

Simon nodded, and they didn't speak anymore as they set to work unloading the bricks. When they were all stacked beside the others at the side of the cabin site, Simon climbed in his wagon and drove out of the yard. Scout stood beside Matthew and looked from him to the departing wagon. After a moment Matthew snapped his fingers and pointed in the direction of the wagon.

“Go on, boy. That's where you belong.”

Scout looked up at him, whined, and pawed at the ground as if uncertain what to do. After a moment, he glanced back at the wagon that was disappearing in the distance and ran after Simon. Matthew watched him go and thought of the first night Scout had allowed him to approach him, the same night Rani had declared to him she wasn't a girl but a woman.

He could feel the muscle in his jaw twitching, and he pulled the brim of his hat lower. He wondered what she was doing right now in Maryville. Had she already put any thought of him out of her head? Was she on her way to a new life? He'd told himself that's what he wanted for her. But in his heart he knew that wasn't true.

More than anything he wanted her with him to share in the building of his cabin, but he had put an end to that. Maybe in time he could live with his decision, but right now it was more difficult than he could ever have imagined.

“I declare, Miss Rani. What's happened to your appetite? When you stayed with us to go to school, I couldn't fill you up. Now you eat like a bird. I never let nobody I cook for starve to death, and I don't intend to start now. We've got to put some meat on those bones.”

Rani looked up from where she sat at the dining room table into the face of Uncle Charles's housekeeper, Mrs. Miller. The woman's round face always seemed to have a rosy tint, probably because of the time she spent hovering over the stove in the kitchen. Streaks of gray ran through her once dark hair, and kindness sparkled in her brown eyes.

Rani glanced at Uncle Charles, who was focused on devouring a piece of fried chicken. “Your food is wonderful,” Rani said to Mrs. Miller. “In fact it's some of the best I've ever eaten. It's just that I haven't felt well since I arrived.”

Mrs. Miller clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Then we have to do something about that.” She shoveled a big piece of cornbread onto Rani's plate and stepped back. “We'll start with cornbread. Eat that, and you'll feel better.”

Uncle Charles laughed and placed the chicken bone back on his plate. “You can't argue with Mrs. Miller, Rani. She's been taking care of me ever since I moved to Maryville, and I don't know what I would do without her.”

Mrs. Miller beamed and straightened her shoulders. “It's a pleasure helping out where you're appreciated.” She stared down at Rani and frowned. “But we gotta do something to get some life back into this girl, Doc.”

He nodded. “I agree with you. That's why I've planned a little trip for us this afternoon.”

Rani laid her fork on her plate and leaned forward. “What kind of trip?”

“Well, not a long trip. Just downtown, really. Do you remember I told you about my friend's grandson—the potter?”

“Yes. You said he had a kiln. Are we going to his studio?”

“We are. He's working on the pieces he's going to show in Knoxville next spring, and I thought you might like to meet him.”

Rani's eyes grew wide. “Oh, Uncle Charles, I would love to meet him and see his work. When are we going?”

He glanced at Mrs. Miller and then down to Rani's plate. “As soon as you finish your cornbread.”

Rani's eyes filled with laughter, and she reached across the table and grasped Uncle Charles's hand. “Thank you—and you, Mrs. Miller—for all you've done for me. I appreciate both of you so much, and I promise I'm going to be better company from now on.”

Uncle Charles squeezed her hand and smiled. “We just want you to be happy, darling.”

Mrs. Miller sniffed and wiped at her eyes. “We sure do. If you think of anything you want to eat, you tell me, and I'll cook it for you.”

Rani smiled. “I will, Mrs. Miller, and I promise to work on regaining my healthy appetite.”

She picked up her fork, scooped up some green beans, and popped them into her mouth. She closed her eyes and smiled. “Um-m-m, these are good.” She chewed for a moment and then swallowed. “See? I'm already eating better.”

Mrs. Miller laughed and turned to go back to the kitchen. “Just wait until you see the egg custard pie I made for dessert.”

She hurried toward the kitchen, and Uncle Charles watched her go before he glanced back at Rani. “That woman is a jewel. She has such a kind heart, and she sure takes good care of me.”

Rani swallowed and wiped her mouth on her napkin. “I like her very much. You were lucky to find her.”

“I sure was. I don't know if I ever told you or not, but when I moved into this house, her husband was very sick and couldn't work. She'd used up all their money on medical bills and needed a job. I offered to pay her to clean my house and cook for me and to treat her husband for free, and she agreed. He died about a year later, and she's worked for me ever since.”

“I'm glad she didn't move away. Mama feels better knowing you have her looking after you.”