Beyond These Hills (27 page)

Anna glanced at those around the grave. Just as Simon had suspected, very few came today. Even though Ezra and Susie Nash and Thomas and Minerva Bennett had sold their farms, they hadn't moved yet and were joined by Nate Hopkins, who still hadn't given in. Names of friends drifted through her head, and she choked back a sob. Ferguson, Davis, Whitson, Long, Adams, Carter, Simmons, and of course John and Martha Martin—all gone now from the Cove and scattered like ashes in the wind. Soon their family would join them, but Granny would be staying behind.

She took a deep breath and stared across the cemetery. There were others who would be staying behind too. Uncle Charles, who had brought her to this beautiful valley, had asked to be buried here. Toward the back of the cemetery was her son Willie's grave. Not a day went by that she didn't think of that little boy and the joy he'd brought her during his short life. George Ferguson, the first baby she'd helped Granny deliver, was buried just past Willie's grave. He'd been killed a few years ago in a logging accident near Tremont.

Her gaze went to Jimmy Ferguson, George's nephew, who stood across the grave from her. He glanced at Laurel from time to time, but she didn't appear to notice. She had eyes only for Andrew, and Jimmy didn't look too happy about that. Contrary to what Laurel said, Jimmy's feelings for her were deeper than a brother for a sister. It troubled Anna to think how he must be hurting.

Andrew seemed like a nice young man, and he'd never done anything to offend any of them. In fact, he'd bent over backward to
make them comfortable even though the government increased the pressure on them to sell every day. And she had to give Andrew credit—he had been respectful enough of their love for Jimmy to tell him about Granny's death.

“And so we come today to celebrate Granny's life.” Simon's words pulled her from her thoughts, and she directed her attention back to him. “Let us pray.”

Everyone bowed their heads, but Anna kept her eyes open and stared straight ahead. All those she'd thought about as she stood beside the grave reemerged in her mind, and she thanked God for each of them and for what they'd meant in her life. Then she thanked God for what Granny had meant to them and all the people of the Cove she'd served so faithfully.

She prayed silently until she heard Simon say his
amen
. As her family raised their heads, she looked at each one and asked God to meet the special needs in their lives. For Rani to cope with leaving the valley she loved so dearly, for Matthew to deal with the shadow of pain that crossed his face from time to time, for Laurel to make the right choices in the bloom of first love, and for Willie—named for the little boy buried nearby—to grow into a man with character like his father and grandfather. And she prayed for those not present. Her son Stephen, who worked as a doctor in a remote African village, her grandson Charlie, who may well have been lost to them forever, her adopted son, Noah, who preached God's Word to his congregation, and her brother, Robert, who had been God's messenger to send her to the Cove.

As the mourners started to disperse, Laurel and Andrew walked around the grave and stopped next to her. Laurel hugged her and held her at arm's length. “Nana, you looked like you were a hundred miles away during the graveside service. What were you thinking about?”

Anna reached up and patted her granddaughter's cheek. “I was reminiscing about the life I've had here in the Cove and all the people
who helped make it so wonderful for me. Granny was the first to welcome me, and I owe her so much.”

“We all do,” Laurel said.

Anna moved away from the grave as some of the men picked up their shovels and began to fill it in. “Let's go wait in the church until they're finished. Then I want to place some flowers on the grave.”

Andrew touched Laurel's arm. “You go with your mother and grandmother. I'll see if I can help your father and grandfather, and then I'll come inside.”

Anna motioned for Rani to join them. When she stopped beside her, Anna reached up and touched both Rani's and Laurel's cheeks. “I hope I've told both of you how much I love you. We get so busy with our everyday lives that we often forget to say it to those who mean the most to us. I'm afraid I didn't say it enough to Granny.”

Rani threw her arms around her and hugged Anna. “Mama, you've always shown us how much you love us, and you showed Granny too. I'm so thankful I have you in my life. I love you so much.”

Laurel kissed her on the cheek. “And I love you too, Nana. Now let's go inside and wait for them to finish with the grave.”

Anna nodded and allowed them to lead her up the steps of the church. She glanced over her shoulder once more before entering and bit her lip. She felt as if a big part of her heart lay underneath the dirt that was being shoveled into the grave. After a moment she inhaled and walked into the church where Granny had first brought her over forty years ago.

Andrew hadn't expected to be invited to supper with Laurel's family after the funeral, but Anna had insisted he join them. He didn't know if Laurel had put the idea in her head or not, but he was
happy to receive the invitation. The more he was with the Martins and the Jacksons the more he realized how different their lives were from the one he'd always known. Their behavior tonight at supper had proven that to him more than ever.

He had wondered how they would react after the funeral and had come to the Martins half expecting the evening to be filled with tearful stories. Instead the conversation at supper had been cheerful as they related one incident after another of happy memories with Granny. Fits of laughter, sometimes almost uncontrollable, had punctuated each story.

One of the stories that had gotten the loudest response was Anna's account of Simon falling off the roof of Granny's house years ago when he climbed up to lay out apples to dry. Her description of Granny's skirts flopping around her legs and chickens scattering as she ran to see if he was dead or alive had all of them nearly falling out of their chairs.

There was no doubt about it. He had enjoyed the evening more than any he could ever remember. It felt so comfortable to sit with Simon and Matthew on the porch of the Martins' cabin as he was doing now. The only problem was that Jimmy Ferguson had also enjoyed the evening, and it was plain to see he had a special place in this family.

He kept reminding himself that Jimmy's ties with them went back years. There had been lots of stories about his family and Granny at supper, too. The only time the conversation had gotten serious was when Jimmy thanked Anna and Simon for saving his mother's life when she was a small child. The love that shone in his eyes for Anna when he told her he wouldn't be here today if not for her had even touched Andrew's heart.

But that didn't change the fact that Jimmy made no secret that he didn't like Andrew. Even now in the evening twilight Jimmy watched him like a hawk circling his prey. He wondered what Jimmy was planning next to keep him away from Laurel.

As if he could read Andrew's thoughts, Jimmy cleared his throat and leaned forward in his chair. “I want to thank you for backing me up with Lieutenant Gray about taking the day off for Granny's funeral and for letting me ride with you.”

Andrew's eyebrows arched at the sincere tone of Jimmy's voice. “No problem, Jimmy. I was glad to do it. I knew you'd want to be here.”

Jimmy nodded. “Yeah, I reckon the rest of my family would have liked to come. Of course none of them know about it yet. My pa's folks moved over to Oak Ridge when they sold out, and my ma's are with her and my pa over at Tremont.” He stared into the distance for a few moments. “Yeah, they're all gone, and I reckon I'll be leaving next week too.”

Matthew swiveled in his chair to face Jimmy. “Where are you going?”

“Back to Tremont, I guess. When I signed my Oath of Enrollment for the CCC, I enrolled for six months. That time's up next week, so I've got to leave. I'll head on back home and see if Pa can get me a job in the lumber camp up there.”

Simon frowned. “But I thought the camps were closing down now that the government's bought their land back.”

“They're winding down, that's for sure. But Pa says they'll still be able to operate for a few more years. After that, I don't know what we'll do.” He glanced from Simon to Matthew. “What are you going to do?”

Matthew settled back in his chair and stared out toward the mountains that were now barely visible in the gathering darkness. “Simon and Rani and I were on our way home from Gatlinburg when Granny had the stroke. We'd been there to sign the papers for some land we bought and to arrange with a carpenter to start building a house for us. The house ought to be ready for us to move into by spring.” He glanced at Andrew. “Do you think they'll give us that much time before we have to leave?”

Andrew nodded. “I'm sure it can be arranged. I hadn't heard you mention this. Does Laurel know about it?”

“She does. We're going to build a studio for Rani with our house right behind it. It won't be the same as living in the Cove, but at least we'll all be together.”

“I hope you know I wish you the best. I know this isn't easy for you.”

Before anyone could answer, the front door opened and Laurel stepped onto the front porch. A shaft of light from inside the house framed her in the doorway. Andrew jumped to his feet and pointed to his chair. “Take my seat, Laurel.”

“Thanks, Andrew.” She turned her attention to her father. “Poppa, Mama and Nana want you and Grandpa to come help them. They need to decide what to do with some of Granny's belongings.”

Matthew pushed to his feet and sighed. “Let's go see what they're up to now, Simon.”

Simon laughed and stood. Before he could take a step, Andrew spoke up. “Jimmy and I need to get back to camp soon. I enjoyed the evening. Please thank your wife for inviting me. It's always a pleasure to visit here.”

Simon's gaze darted to Laurel and back to him. “We're glad to have you anytime.”

Laurel waited beside the door until her father and grandfather had entered before she smiled at Andrew and walked toward him. Andrew stuck his hands in his pocket and leaned against the railing around the porch until she stopped in front of him. “So you need to get back to camp?”

“Yes. Jimmy and I need to get back before lights-out.”

Jimmy's chair squeaked as he pushed to his feet. “If we're leaving soon, I'd better go tell Anna and Rani goodbye. I may not see them again before I leave for home.”

A look of surprise flashed across Laurel's face. “You're going home?”

He nodded. “My time's up next week, and I'm going back to Tremont. I sure would like it if you came to visit us after I get there. Ma would like it too. What do you say?”

“I'll think about it, Jimmy, but I doubt if I can. We're going to be busy closing down the lodge. Not to mention getting ready to move. I'll let you know.”

Jimmy pursed his lips and nodded. “All right.”

He strode to the door, jerked it open, and entered the house. Andrew tried to hide his smile, but he didn't succeed. “Jimmy doesn't like having me around.”

She stared into his eyes. “I've told you how I feel about him.”

He put his arm around her waist and drew her closer. “You have, but Jimmy doesn't seem to be getting the message. I don't like the way he looks at you.”

She arched an eyebrow and directed a coy look at him. “Then you need to learn to deal with your emotions better.”

His hand tightened on her waist. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. “I'll try, but it's hard to do when I think about you all the time.”

She smiled. “I'm glad you think about me. Can you come to our house tomorrow night?”

He shook his head. “I'm afraid not. Superintendent Eakin wants me to come to Gatlinburg. I'll probably be there for a week, but I'll come by as soon as I get back.”

“We have to go to Gatlinburg next week to take some of Mama's pottery to Mr. Bryan's store. Maybe I can see you then.”

“That would be great. I'll be staying at the Mountain View Hotel while I'm there. That's where the Park offices are too. While you're there, come over to the hotel. The secretary in the office will be able to tell you if I'm in town or if I'm out in the Park somewhere with the Superintendent.”