Beyond These Hills (34 page)

Andrew spread his upturned palms in front of him and shrugged. “Well, faith for instance. All of you talk about faith and how it guides your lives. I don't understand how you can believe in something you can't see. In fact I had a conversation with Granny about it the day she died. It was about some verses I'd read that said if you had faith you could move mountains.”

Simon smiled. “I'm sure she explained it didn't mean you could literally make a mountain move to a different spot. It means you can overcome what seems impossible if you put your faith in God.”

“She did, but I don't know how to put my faith in something I can't see.”

Simon exhaled a long breath, uncrossed his legs, and leaned forward. “Andrew, you're not the first person to have that problem. Have you read the accounts of Jesus's birth in the Bible?”

“I have. I've read all about Him, how He preached and healed the sick and how He died.”

“Then you know as Christians we believe that God sent His Son to earth to die on the cross for the sins of mankind. That means every person throughout time—you, me, everybody. If we believe in Him, then one day we'll see Him when we're called away from this earthly home. Until that time we have to live by faith here on earth.”

“But what makes you have that faith?”

Simon reached for his Bible on a table beside his chair and opened it. “Let me read what the Bible says in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. ‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.' When I read that verse, I think about how many adults find it hard to have faith, but to a child it comes naturally. Children want to experience good things that they dream of, and they believe that anything is possible. Jesus often used a child as an example of how we should have faith. God wants to teach us to have that same faith, and He's given us His Word to show us how. As we read it, we hear what He wants to tell us, and He says that faith comes by hearing.”

“But hearing can be interpreted differently by whoever's reading it. Seeing it is something that can't be disputed.”

Simon smiled. “You can't see the wind, but you feel it. You can't see the current underneath the water in a river, but you know if you step into it, you're going to feel its power. Faith is the same way. You can't see it, but once you embrace it, you feel it. We can't come to God unless we believe and have faith that He can control our lives.” He looked back down at his Bible. “Here's another verse from Hebrews. ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Do you believe that God is real, Andrew?”

Andrew stared into Simon's eyes as he debated the question. He thought of the peace that the Martins and Jacksons had in their lives. He'd come to Cades Cove expecting them to be hostile and angry because they were being forced from their homes. They'd been sad and hurt, but never disrespectful to him. They'd talked about how God would take care of them no matter where they went, and they had shown him a way of dealing with life like he'd never known.

In that moment, he knew he wanted what they had. He wanted the peace that came with turning his life over to a higher power and believing that God would give him strength and peace to face whatever he must. He swallowed and nodded. “I do believe.”

Simon smiled. “Then the Bible says all you have to do is believe in Him and ask Him to forgive you of your sins. He'll come into your heart and make you a new man.”

“I want that.”

“Then just ask Him. He's waiting for you.”

Andrew had never prayed before in his life, but somehow it seemed so easy to bow his head and say the few words that would change his life. “God, I know I've done things in the past that weren't right. I've hurt people, and I'm sorry for that. Please forgive me and
make me into a new man. I believe in You, and I will live by faith from this day forward. Amen.”

For a moment he didn't open his eyes but sat still and marveled at the peace that rolled through his body. It felt like he had suddenly become light as a feather and could take flight at any moment. Finally, a big smile curled his lips, and he opened his eyes to see Simon beaming.

“How do you feel?” Simon asked.

“I…I don't know how to describe it. I feel like a new man. It's like I want to tell everybody I know about what's happened to me.” A sudden thought hit him, and his eyes grew wide. “I want my father to know. I said some horrible things to him when we last met. I need to ask his forgiveness and try to make things right between us. But what will I do if he tries to convince me this is all just some emotional experience I've had?”

“The Bible says for us to honor our father and mother. You should always respect and love him as your father, but you're a new man now. Ask God to be with you and guide you as you talk with him.”

Andrew nodded. “I will. He needs to hear what God can do in his life too. I need to go to Virginia right away and talk with him.” Andrew rose from his chair and began to pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. “I'll go back to Gatlinburg in the morning and tell Mr. Eakin I need a week off to go home. I won't drive. I'll go by train. Yes, that's what I'll do tomorrow, right after I stop by to see Laurel.”

Simon rose from his chair and put out a hand to stop Andrew. “Laurel's not at home, Andrew. She left for Tremont earlier this week. She's gone to spend a few weeks with Josie at her hotel.”

Andrew reached out and grasped the edge of the mantel to steady his shaking legs. “So she's visiting Jimmy's family?”

“She is.”

Andrew sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes. “Well, I don't have anybody to blame but myself for that. Maybe she'll be home by
the time I get back from Virginia.” He swallowed and met Simon's stare. “I love her, you know.”

Simon nodded. “I know. Just put the situation in God's hands, Andrew. You can't change Laurel, and you can't change your father.” He tapped his index finger against Andrew's chest. “The only person in this world you can change is yourself. Think about that as you face your father and Laurel.”

“I will, Simon, and thank you for everything. I'll always be grateful to you. And if it means anything to you, I'd hoped in time to be a part of your family. I may have messed that up, but there will always be a special place in my heart for all of you.”

Simon grasped his shoulder and squeezed. “As we do for you, Andrew.”

Later, as he drove back through the Cove to the CCC camp, Andrew thought back over the events of the day. When he'd left Gatlinburg, he felt as if he'd lost everything he held dear. Now he had a renewed spirit, and he believed he could face whatever lay ahead. His father might not like the message Andrew intended to take home, but Andrew would feel better once it was delivered. He loved his father, and that wasn't going to change. They needed to find a way to have a good relationship in the future even though Andrew had no intention of letting his father dominate his life any longer.

Laurel was another matter entirely. A future with her might have ended with the words he spoke to her a week ago. He would always regret that, but he'd survive if she rejected him. Simon had been right about having faith. No matter how things worked out with Laurel, he knew God would take care of him. That was what having faith was all about.

Chapter 17

T
he mountain air chilled Laurel, and she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She'd been in Tremont for over a week, and every night she'd sat out on the front porch of the Tremont Hotel and watched the moonlight reflect on the waters of the Middle Prong of Little River that ran through the town. The hotel, situated across the river from the main part of town, was connected to it by a footbridge.

Her mother had explained to her before she came that the small town had been established to serve as the base of operations for Little River Lumber Company's logging camps that stretched up the mountainside. At the height of the logging in this area it had boasted a post office, a general store, a community center that served as a church, a movie theater, a school, and of course the hotel Jimmy's mother, Josie, managed. Soon all of it would be gone. By the end of the year Little River would abandon all their logging operations in this area. Josie hadn't mentioned what her family would do when the hotel closed, and Laurel hadn't asked.

The front door of the hotel opened, and Jimmy's mother and grandmother stepped onto the front porch. They walked over to where Laurel sat and eased down into two chairs on either side of her.

Josie Ferguson smoothed the hair on the sides of her head back
into the bun at the nape of her neck and sighed. “We got all the dishes washed and the bread for tomorrow rising. I thought we'd spend some time out here with you before we go to bed.”

“I'm glad you came out. I still think I should have helped with the dishes.”

Pearl, Jimmy's grandmother, waved her hand in dismissal and shook her head. “There ain't no reason for you to do that. You're our comp'ny, and we just want you to have a good time.”

“Oh, I'm having a wonderful time. I just wish that Jimmy could be here, though.”

His mother nodded. “I do too. When he came back home from the CCC camp, he took the first job that opened up with the lumber company. He and his pa are helping close down the operation up at Thunderhead and move it over to Spruce Flats. They're staying at one of the shanty houses further up the mountain, but they'll be home this weekend.”

Laurel swiveled in her chair and faced Josie. “There's something I don't understand. Little River's land was bought up by the government for the park years ago. Why has it taken so long for them to get out?”

Josie sighed and shook her head. “You sound just like your mama. She let me have an earful the last time I visited in the Cove, but I explained it to her. When Mr. Townsend, the man who owns Little River, sold his mountain tracts to the government back in 1926, he asked them to allow him to gradually stop his logging operation. They gave him fifteen years to completely shut down. That was a blessing to folks like us who worked for the company. It gave us some time to make plans about what we'd do next.”

“Will Ted and Jimmy work over at Spruce Flats until Little River turns the land over to the government?”

Josie sighed and shook her head. “I don't think so. With Tremont closing down there won't be any need for a hotel, so we'll leave too.”

“Do you know where you'll go after the hotel closes?”

Josie nodded. “Ted and me have been saving for a long time. We
have a little money, and we're gonna buy us a little place over at Oak Ridge close to Ted's folks. Ma and Pa are coming with us. We heard there's gonna be some factories opening up there soon. Ted thinks it'll be a good place for him and Jimmy to get jobs. That's what we're planning.”

Laurel frowned. “The plans for where we'll go are all made. By next spring we'll be living in Gatlinburg at the new house.”

Josie reached over and grasped Laurel's hand. “But just think how wonderful it will be for your mother to have a new studio. It will be better for your pa too. He won't have that farm to keep up anymore.”

“I know, but we'll miss the Cove.”

Pearl nodded and pushed to her feet. “There ain't a day goes by I don't miss the Cove and the way it used to be. But it ain't the same anymore. Neighbors are gone. Cabins are torn down. When your family leaves, that'll be the end of our ties there.” She grunted in disgust. “But I don't need to start a-thinkin' about that tonight. I better get to bed.”

Laurel grabbed her hand as Pearl walked past her toward the front door. “No matter where any of us live, we'll always be friends.”

Pearl smiled and glanced over at Josie. “Maybe better than that. I was kinda hoping you might be family someday.”

Laurel's face grew warm. She released Pearl's hand and wrapped her fingers around the arms of the chair. Neither she nor Josie said anything until Pearl had entered the hotel. “Don't mind Mama,” Josie said. “She set her mind a long time ago that her grandson and Anna's granddaughter would marry someday. But I have to admit that I did too.”

“I know. You and Mama have never made a secret that you'd like to see Jimmy and me get married. What none of you seem to understand is that Jimmy and I are good friends. We don't love each other like married folks should.”

Josie stared at her for a moment before she nodded. “You're right. Married folks should love each other like your ma and pa do.”

Laurel nodded. “And like you and Ted do. I don't feel that way
about Jimmy. I would only end up hurting him if I married him when I don't love him.”

Josie's chin trembled. She took a deep breath and straightened in her chair. “You're right. When a wife doesn't love her husband, it only ends up hurting both of them. I don't want that for Jimmy. I want him to have a wife who loves him with all her heart.”

“He'll find the right person. He's such a good man. You've raised him well, Josie.”