Mountain Homecoming (44 page)

He released her hand and stared toward the mountains in the distance. “After my mother died, there was nobody who cared about me, and I had nowhere to go. So I struck out on my own.”

The story of the years between that time and when he arrived back in the Cove began to tumble from his lips. He left nothing out and told it with graphic descriptions of the places he'd been and the things he'd done. He told her how he'd taken pleasure in leaving men in a bloody heap on the floor.

When he ended with the story of the young boy whose face had haunted his dreams for years, tears ran down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head. “And today when I attacked Wade, I felt that same urge. It was like I was that person again, and he was going to pay for thinking he could best me.”

Matthew wanted to look at her, but he was afraid of what he might see. Would she hate him because of his cruel actions of years ago? Perhaps she would even change her mind about marrying him because she was afraid he might become that man again in the future.

“Matthew, look at me.” Reluctantly, he raised his head. He expected to see disappointment and maybe fear in Rani's eyes, but he saw only love. “I'm glad you told me this,” she said. “Now I understand why you sent me away last year. But you've made your peace with the past. It doesn't have a hold on you anymore.”

“That's what I thought. But today…”

She reached over and put her fingers on his lips to stop him. “Matthew, today was very different from when you were fighting for a living. Wade intended to kill us, and you were protecting us. Protecting me. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.”

He frowned. “How's that?”

“I may not be your wife yet, but I know that when I am I won't have anything to fear. The Bible says for husbands to love their wives like Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. Today when you charged toward a man with a gun, you were willing to give your life to protect me. I know you'll always do that in the future.”

“But I hit him awfully hard.”

Rani laughed. “Yes, twice. But I watched your face when you drew back for the third blow, and you didn't take it. You realized he was unconscious, and you released him. From what you've told me the old Matthew wouldn't have stopped with two punches.”

He thought for a moment before he nodded. “I think you're right. I did stop.”

“Yes, you did—because you're not the man you were before. With God's help you really have become a new creature.”

He smiled, pulled her to her feet, and wrapped his arms around her. “I need to be sure that you'll never be afraid of me.”

She reached up and caressed his cheek. “How could I ever be afraid of you? There's a part of you that is still that little boy who wants to be accepted and loved. You don't have to look any further. I'm here, and I've promised I will never leave you. I love you too much to do that.”

He hugged her close and whispered in her ear. “I'll make you a good husband, Rani. I promise I will.”

“I know you will, Matthew.”

They stood locked in each other's arms, each lost in their own thoughts. It had been a long day, but God had seen them safely through. Matthew breathed another prayer of thanks and looked past her into the distance. “Look at that sunset, Rani.”

She turned and stared toward the mountains and the sun that was slowly disappearing behind the peaks. Streaks of orange and red fanned out across the sky in a breathtaking picture. “It's beautiful, and we have a lifetime to share the sunsets in our valley.”

His arm circled her waist. “A lifetime with you sounds good to me.” He pulled her closer and let out a contented sigh. “I finally feel like I'm home.”

O
n a warm June afternoon four weeks later Matthew stood next to Stephen at the front of the church and waited for his bride to enter. Josie, who'd returned for the wedding to stand up with Rani, faced him and Stephen. With the church packed with well-wishers, the temperature had grown hotter in the building.

Matthew ran his finger around the edge of his shirt collar and wiped at the perspiration that dotted his forehead. With a grin on his face, Stephen leaned forward. “Are you nervous?” he whispered.

Matthew nodded. “A little.”

Stephen laughed under his breath. “You ought to be. I'm sure glad it's you and not me that's going to have to put up with Rani from now on. She can be quite a handful.”

Matthew smiled and nodded. “That she can be.”

He glanced around at the people present and smiled at Anna, Granny, and Noah sitting in the front pew. Behind them, George Ferguson sat between his parents and nodded when he caught Matthew's eye. Matthew glanced at Laura and smiled at the happiness on her face. She had to be thankful her son was back and would soon be free of charges because of his testimony against Wade. With Wade on his way to prison, he supposed Noah would be a permanent member of the Martin family, and Anna appeared happier than she'd been since he'd come home.

His thoughts were interrupted when the church door opened, and Rani and her father appeared. The sight of her sucked the breath from him, and his heart pounded against his chest. She'd pulled her hair up today, and the veil her mother had worn on her wedding day covered her head. She carried a bouquet of mountain laurel blooms.

She and Simon walked slowly down the aisle, and Matthew couldn't take his eyes off her. God had blessed him far more than he'd expected when he rode back into this valley a year ago. When she finally stood beside him at the altar, Simon reached for his hand and joined it with Rani's. Then he stepped in front of them and opened his Bible.

“Dearly beloved,” Simon read, “we are here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony.”

Holy matrimony
. The words sent a thrill through his soul, and he squeezed her hand. He knew Simon was still speaking, but he could only concentrate on the woman at his side. He answered Simon's questions with a hearty
I do!
when asked and remembered to slip the ring on her finger. But most of it was a blur until he heard the words he'd been waiting for.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Matthew, you may kiss your wife.”

He froze at the words. His wife? Rani was really his wife? He stared at her, and she smiled. “Aren't you going to kiss me?” she whispered.

He exhaled and nodded. “Oh, yes—for the rest of my life.”

He leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. Then they turned and exited the church. Once outside they stopped at the bottom of the steps, and he put his arms around her. She gazed up at him. “I love you, Matthew.”

“I love you too, Mrs. Jackson.”

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck. Stephen and her father rushed out of the church door and hurried down the steps. “No time for standing around,” Stephen said. “Folks are coming out, and they're expecting a piece of cake.”

They laughed and headed toward the tables Anna and Simon had placed there earlier. Several women guarded the cake Granny had made and waited for the arrival of the guests. Before Matthew had time to thank them, the guests poured from the church and crowded around them.

Laura Ferguson was one of the first to congratulate him. “Matthew, I want to thank you kindly for what you done to save my boy. I ain't never gonna forget you for it.”

He shook his head. “No need to thank me, Laura. I'm just glad things are looking up for George. He's a good boy at heart.”

Laura nodded. “I reckon he is. Just thought he'd show his pa and me that he knew more than we did. I don't think he'll stray far from home from now on.”

“I'm glad to hear that.”

“God bless you, Matthew.” She reached out and gave him a quick hug before she hurried away.

Matthew watched her go and thought of how her shy ways reminded him so much of his mother. He could only imagine the courage it had taken for Laura to hug him. It was a gesture he would always treasure.

“We's right happy for you, Matthew.”

He turned to see Cecil and Pearl Davis standing next to him. He stuck out his hand. “Thank you, Cecil. I'm glad you came today, and I'm really glad Josie got to come. I don't think Rani would have married me if Josie wasn't here.”

Pearl smiled. “We's right glad she's home too. It's been awful nice havin' little Jimmy with us for a few days.”

Matthew glanced across the crowd and spied Rani and Josie talking. Rani juggled Jimmy in her arms. She smiled at the toddler and planted a kiss on his cheek. Matthew stared at her and thought of how many nights he'd sat by his fireplace and envisioned Rani beside him holding their child. Now she was his wife, and he might become a father before long.

Before meeting Rani, he'd never given that prospect much thought, but now he knew that's what God had been preparing him for this past year. God had changed his life and given him the chance to prove that he could be a better husband and father than his father had been. The thought humbled him.

With a smile, he walked toward his wife.

Matthew and Rani stood on the porch of their cabin, and she watched her father's buggy disappear down the road. He'd driven them here after the wedding, and now he had left her to begin her new life with her husband.

She stared up at Matthew and smiled. “I enjoyed seeing all our friends after the wedding, but I was ready to come home.”

“I hope you can think of it as home, Rani. Right now it's a simple one-room cabin, but I'll make it better for you. I promise I will.”

She laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “I don't care what it's like. As long as we're together, that's all that matters.”

He stared in the direction of the buggy. “But I'm poor. I don't even have a buggy. Your father had to bring us home from the church.”

“Oh, Matthew,” she said, “I don't need a buggy. I've been riding a horse all my life, and I still like walking. Don't worry about the things we don't have. I'm looking forward to the good times we're going to have as we build our life together.”

He shook his head. “I still don't know what I did to deserve you.” He took her hand and pulled her down the steps. “There's something I want to do before we go inside.”

He led her around the cabin and into the field behind the house. He stopped when they reached the mountain laurel bush.

She smiled at the sight of the blooms that covered the bush. “This is where we met.”

He nodded. “I wanted to bring you back here today.” He walked over and picked a handful of blooms. When he returned, he began to arrange them in her hair. She remained motionless until he stepped back and smiled. “There. It's just like it was a year ago when I first saw you here.”

She shook her head. “Not quite. Scout's not here.”

Matthew laughed. “No, he didn't want me near you that day.” He led her over, and they sat down beside the bush. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “I fell in love with you the minute I saw you. Some folks might think that's not possible, but I knew that day.”

She twisted in his arms and stared up at him. “Do you remember what I was doing when you first saw me?”

“Yes, you had your arms stretched out, and you were whirling in circles while you sang some strange words.”

She nodded. “Yes, it was a prayer a Cherokee woman taught me when I was a child.”

“A prayer? I remember I asked you what you were saying, and you wouldn't tell me. What was it?”

She reached for his hand and held it. “When I was a little girl, I loved to hear the Cherokee woman who lived on the next farm talk about her people and how they loved the land. One day she taught me a prayer of thanks. The day we met, I'd just come from saying goodbye to Josie, and I was so sad. All my friends were leaving, and I just felt empty inside. When I stopped at the mountain laurel bush, the blooms were so beautiful, and I knew God had made them. I felt His presence there, and I began to give Him thanks.”

“And what were you thanking Him for?”