Beyond These Hills Read online

  Granny waved her hand in dismissal. “Take all the time you want. I’m a-gonna sit here and watch the storm roll in. Tell Anna I’m not ready to come inside yet.”

  “I’ll tell her, Granny. And thanks for the talk. You always make me feel better.” Laurel turned to leave but a gasp from Granny made her whirl around. Granny’s mouth was drawn down at the corner and her hands clutched the arms of her chair. “Granny!” she cried. “Are you all right?”

  Granny’s face relaxed and her mouth pulled into a slight smile. “I’m fine, darlin’. Just had a pain. I’ve had a headache all day.”

  Laurel set the pan of beans down and placed her hands on Granny’s forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

  “No, child, I ain’t got no fever.” She waved a hand in Laurel’s direction. “I have pains all the time. I reckon it ain’t unusual for somebody ninety-one years old to have a few aches. Now take those beans to your grandmother so she can cook ’em.”

  Laurel tilted her head to one side and stared down at Granny. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

  “I’m fine. Now scat and let me have some peace and quiet. I want to soak up my mountains for a while.”

  Laurel laughed and picked up the pan. “All right, then, if you’re sure. I’ll tell Nana to check on you in a little while.”

  As Laurel entered the house, she thought about the things Granny had said about her and Andrew. She didn’t see how she and Andrew could ever have a serious relationship. There were too many obstacles in their way, but perhaps they could be friends.

  Friends? She didn’t know if she could stand to be called his friend when her heart wanted so much more. Granny was right. The only way she was going to solve this problem was to pray about it. Maybe then God would give her the answer.

  The hot breeze blowing through the open car window fanned across Andrew and added to the bad mood he’d been in ever since he climbed out of bed this morning. He shouldn’t be surprised that his attitude had only grown worse as the day progressed.

  The last few weeks had been the worst of his life. The memory of Laurel wearing that polka-dotted dress had haunted him every minute of the day since then and produced a longing in him that could only be erased by seeing her again. But that wasn’t going to happen. True to his word, he’d stayed away. Not because he wanted to, but because he knew it was best for both of them.

  He should be happy today. Thomas Bennett had signed an agreement to sell this morning. The list he’d been given of farms to acquire had dwindled since he’d been in the Cove. Since the night of the meeting, the Nash and Prince families had given up their fight and were now making plans to leave the Cove. Ezra Hopkins was still holding out. As were Simon and Matthew.

  Not a word had come from them, and he hadn’t gone to see either of them. No doubt about it, the two families had become special to him since he arrived. Talking to them about leaving everything they’d ever known made him feel like the traitor Simon had preached about that first day he came to the Cove.

  Did they think of him as a Judas? A man who pretended to like them to their face while all the time plotting to get their land away from them? He let out a ragged breath and shook his head. He hoped not, but he had to make sure. The only way to do that was to get up the courage to talk to them.

  He’d start with Simon. His farm wasn’t far down the road he was traveling now. If he was home, now would be as good a time as any to talk. Besides, he had a few questions about some things he’d read in the Bible Matthew gave him. He slowed the car as the cabin came into view. He pulled to a stop in the yard.

  Granny sat on the porch in her rocking chair, and she waved as he got out of the car. “Land’s sakes, Andrew, I been a-wond’rin’ when you was gonna come back to see us. Come on up and set a spell with me.”

  He smiled as he climbed the steps to the porch and then dropped into the rocker beside her. He took off the hat he wore, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped his forehead. “Thanks, Granny. It’s good to see you.”

  “Good to see you too, boy. Where you been that you ain’t come around in the last few weeks?”

  He shrugged. “Oh, you know, busy. I’ve been talking to the folks about selling their land. I haven’t had a chance to get by here.”

  She grinned at him. “Well, I’m glad you decided to stop today. You want a cool drink? Anna’s in the kitchen, and she’ll come if I holler for her.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m fine, Granny. I wanted to talk to Simon. Is he here?”

  “No, he’s gone over to Gatlinburg with Matthew and Rani. We don’t expect him home ’til later this afternoon. If’n you want to stay for supper, I know Anna would be mighty happy to have you, and you could talk to him then.”

  “I’d better not, but I appreciate the invitation. I’ve been meaning to get over here, though. I’ve been reading a Bible Matthew gave me, and I have some questions I’d like to ask Simon.”

  “What kind of questions?”

  He thought for a moment. “I want to know how Christians, like all of you, have so much faith. I read a verse the other night that confused me. I wanted Simon to explain it.”

  “Which verse was that?”

  “It was one where Jesus was talking to His disciples about faith. He said if they had faith the size of a mustard seed they could move a mountain.” He pointed to the peaks in the distance. “Tell me how that’s possible, Granny. Is Jesus saying that if I have faith in Him, I can look over at Clingman’s Dome and move it somewhere else?”

  Granny shook her head and chuckled. “No, that ain’t what it means. The Bible can be hard to understand at times. That’s why it takes so much studyin’. I been doin’ that all my life. I know that verse, and He wasn’t tellin’ His disciples they could go out and move the mountains around. He was a-tellin’ them that if they had faith even as small as a tiny mustard seed, they could do things that were almost impossible. As impossible as moving a mountain.”

  “Like what?”

  “That depends on the person. Maybe help you forgive a person who’s hurt you. Or stand up to someone who wants to run your life. Or move out of the only home you’ve ever known. Anything that looks like it’s too difficult to do.”

  Her reference to moving out of a home wasn’t lost on Andrew. He gazed at the mountains again. “But it’s the faith that gives you that power?”

  “It is. It’s given me a lot of comfort all my life.”

  He swallowed and asked the question that he still had no idea how to answer for himself. “Do you think I might ever be able to have that kind of faith, Granny?”

  She smiled. “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 stared into Granny’s clouded eyes. “I’ve seen something in all of your lives since I’ve been in the Cove, and it makes me want it too. I’m trying to figure it all out.”

  She reached over and squeezed his arm. “All it takes is openin’ your heart to Him. I hope you can do that.”

  “I do too. I’ll come back and talk to Simon when he’s home.” He pulled his watch from his pocket and frowned. “I guess I ought to get on back to camp. Tell everybody I’m sorry I missed them.” He put his hat on and started to push up, but he stopped. “By the way, how is the rest of the family doing?”

  “Ev’rybody’s doin’ fine.”

  His eyebrows arched. “So Simon went with Matthew and Rani to Gatlinburg?”

  “Yeah, they went yesterday.” Neither of them spoke for a long moment. Then Granny chuckled and rocked back in her chair. “Boy, why don’t you just come out and ask me what you want to know?”

  The amused look on Granny’s face made his face grow warm, and he cleared his throat. “I…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t, huh? Why ain’t you asked about Laurel? You’ve skirted around mentionin’ her name ever since you set down. Don’t you want to know how she’s doin’?”
r />   His shoulders sagged, and he glanced down at the floor. “I do, Granny, but I know it doesn’t matter to her.” He paused for a moment and then looked back up at her. “How is she doing?”

  Granny pursed her lips as if deep in thought before she answered. “’Bout like you are, I’d say. She’s quiet, don’t say much. Looks like she’d cry if you crooked a finger at her. To tell the truth I’m right worried ’bout that girl.”

  Andrew sat up straight in his chair, his eyes wide. “She’s not sick, is she?”

  “Not sick in the body. More like her spirit’s been crushed.” She leaned toward him. “I think she misses you, Andrew.”

  Andrew shook his head. “I can’t believe that.”

  “Believe whatever makes you happy. Does it make you a little bit happy to think she might miss you?”

  A smile pulled at his lips. “Oh, Granny, if I believed she had one thought about missing me, I’d…”

  Granny waited for him to finish. When he didn’t, she threw up her hands in disgust. “I don’t know what it is with young people. The good Lord ought to give them more sense than what they got. I remember how Simon and Anna was so at odds I didn’t think they’d ever git together. I nearly wore my knees out from a-prayin’ for them. Then the same thing happened with Matthew and Rani. Now I see you and Laurel just a-pinin’ away for each other and you’re both too stubborn to make the first move.”

  He shook his head. “Granny, you’re wrong. You…”

  She held up a hand to stop him. “I don’t know what the good Lord has planned for you and Laurel no more than you do. But if’n I was in your shoes, I’d hate to wake up thirty or forty years from now and wonder what might have happened if I’d made that first move. Is that what you want?”

  “No.”

  “Then do somethin’ about it. Go talk to her. Git this thing settled between the two of you.”

  He nodded. “I’ll think about it. Maybe when she gets back from Gatlinburg…”

  “She ain’t in Gatlinburg. She and Willie are stayin’ here with Anna and me while their folks are gone.”

  He cast a wild-eyed stare around. “She’s here? Where?”

  “Right before you drove up she went down to the barn to check on Molly’s puppies. I ’spect you’ll find her there. Why don’t you go down and surprise her?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t think…”

  Granny leaned forward. “Thirty or forty years. What’s it gonna be?”

  It only took a moment for him to decide. He jammed his hat on his head and pushed to his feet. “I’m not going to wonder what might have been,” he muttered. He turned and started toward the steps but whirled and kissed a startled Granny on the cheek. “Thanks, Granny.”

  “My pleasure. Now git on down to the barn.”

  He stared into her face and was humbled by what he saw. There was no anger or distrust as he had encountered with others in the Cove. He only saw love, and in that moment he knew it was the evidence of God’s love for him shining in her eyes.

  He leaned over her and blinked back the moisture in his eyes. “Granny, you said you prayed for Simon and Anna and also for Matthew and Rani. Do you pray for me?”

  Her arm and hand shook as she reached up and patted his cheek. “Every night since the day you come into the Cove. The Lord’s got great things planned for you, Andrew. All you have to do is let Him show you what they are.”

  “Thank you, Granny,” he whispered. She lowered her arm, and her hand lay with the palm up, her fingers slightly curled, in her lap. Her arm trembled again, and he frowned. “Are you all right, Granny?”

  A lopsided smile pulled at her lips. “I’m fine.” He hesitated, unsure what to do. A strong wind stirred the leaves on the trees, and the smell of approaching rain filled his nostrils. “You’d better hurry if you don’t want to get wet. There’s a storm a-comin’.”

  “Do you want me to help you inside?”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Andrew, tonight I want you to find Psalm Twenty-three in your Bible and read it.”

  He nodded. “All right. Does it have special meaning to you?”

  “It does. It reminds me of how beautiful the Cove is with its green fields and streams that come down from the mountains. It makes me thankful for what God has done for me and what He’s going to do.”

  “Then I’ll read it, Granny, and I’ll tell you about it.”

  Her head gave a slight twitch. “Just tell Laurel about it. Now go find her like I told you to do. I need to rest a while.”

  He covered her hand with his and squeezed. “I’ll see you later.”

  The approaching storm’s first clap of thunder rumbled across the valley just as he jumped off the porch. Like a man on the most important mission of his life he strode toward the barn. His steps faltered some when he opened the gate and entered the barnyard, but his resolve urged him on. By the time he reached the barn door, great drops of rain had begun to fall. He stopped and stared into the alleyway that ran the length of the structure between the animal pens on either side. His breath hitched in his chest at what he saw.

  Laurel knelt facing him about halfway down the aisle. She cuddled a puppy in her arms, and a smile curved her lips. He stood there drinking in the sight of her like a man dying of thirst. He took a step forward and she looked up. Her eyebrows lifted in surprise and she eased the puppy back to the ground beside its mother. She pushed to her feet and stepped around the dogs but didn’t come closer. The braid over her shoulder swayed with her movement, and Andrew’s heart beat like a drum in his chest.

  “Andrew,” she whispered, “what are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you.”

  “I thought you said…”

  “Forget what I said. I’ve missed you.”

  Her eyelashes blinked once. “I’ve missed you too.”

  He took off his hat and held it in his hands. The rain that had accumulated in the brim dripped to the ground. “I couldn’t stand it any longer. I had to see you and tell you what I feel. There’s a connection between us that I can’t deny, Laurel. I knew it the first day I met you.”

  She lifted her chin, and he wasn’t sure, but he thought he detected a tear in her eye. “Maybe there was, but it doesn’t matter. Your father wants you to marry Lucy.”

  “I know. Your mother wants you to marry Jimmy. And from what I saw when he was visiting, I thought you might want that too.”

  “I’ve known Jimmy all my life. He’s like an older brother. I don’t want to marry him.”

  “And I don’t want to marry Lucy.”

  Her lips trembled. “Have you told her that?”

  “I’ve written to her and my father. I apologized to her if I had ever done anything to make her think I had marriage in mind. But I told you I have never so much as held her hand. The marriage was our families’ idea.”

  “What did you tell your father?”

  “I told him I wasn’t going to marry Lucy, and I would appreciate him not bringing up the subject again.”

  Laurel tilted her head to one side. “Lucy is only part of what your father wanted. What about politics? Are you going back to Virginia to run for office?”

  Andrew took another step closer. “I don’t know, Laurel. I’m still trying to figure that out. Your family has other expectations for you too. They’re going to move out of the Cove. Will you go with them no matter where, or do you want your own life somewhere else?”

  A tear trickled down her cheek. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

  His heart pricked at the broken sound of her voice. “There are a lot of things standing in our way, Laurel. Our families’ expectations for each of us and the loyalties we owe them. But in spite of all that I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  She gasped. “Andrew, we can’t…”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “Yes, we can, Laurel,” he said. “If we love each other, we can work anything out.” He took a step closer. “I’m standing here holding my heart
out to you. Don’t think about what our parents want or the fact that I was sent here to talk your family into selling their land. Just think about me. I want you, Laurel. Now you have to decide what you want.”

  The sight of tears streaming down her face frightened him more than anything he’d ever experienced. He’d laid his heart out to her, and he didn’t think he could bear for her to trample it under her feet. She took a deep breath.

  “I want you too, Andrew,” she whispered.

  His body went limp with relief as he exhaled a large breath. She felt as he did. He could hardly believe it.

  He didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly they were running toward each other. She threw her arms around his neck just as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. His lips covered hers, and she returned his kiss with an eagerness that matched his own. After a moment she pulled away and laid her cheek against his.

  “I love you, Andrew,” she whispered. “But I’m scared.”

  “I am too, but as long as we love each other, we can work anything out.” He wrapped his fingers around her braid and caressed the silky tresses. “The first time I saw you I couldn’t take my eyes off you. I wanted to touch your hair just to see if such a beautiful creature was real. Now we’re standing here saying that we love each other. I still can’t believe it.”

  “Neither can I.”

  He pulled her closer and lowered his lips to hers. She pressed her mouth to his, and waves of pleasure washed over him. When she pulled back from him, he gazed down at her. “Laurel, you are…” His words were drowned out by a clap of thunder that shook the barn. The rumbling had barely died down when it was replaced by a frantic scream.

  “Laurel!” The high-pitched cry pierced the air, and they froze. “Laurel, come quick!”

  Her face paled, and she pulled out of his arms. “That’s Willie. Something’s wrong.”

  From the sound of Willie’s voice, he knew something terrible must have happened. He grabbed Laurel’s hand and they bolted from the barn. The rain beat down on them as they ran into the barnyard. A drenched Willie, fear on his face, appeared at the gate. “Laurel, Nana needs you. Come quick!” he yelled before he turned and ran back toward the house.