Mountain Homecoming
151 pages
English

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151 pages
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Description

In the second book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins spins a tender tale of God's faithfulness throughout the generations.Rani Martin, Simon and Anna's only daughter, is a beautiful and spirited young woman living deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. She has plenty of ideas about the man she'll marry someday, but none of them could have prepared her for the return of Matthew Jackson.Matthew left Cades Cove as a child after his father's death. Now he's come back to build a new life for himself, and it's his dearest wish that Rani be a part of that life. But the people of the Cove won't let him forget the sins of his father, and Matthew can't forget the darkness of his own past.Is there a place for Matthew in the Cove? And can the light of Rani's love overcome his pain?

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Publié par
Date de parution 01 mars 2013
Nombre de lectures 0
EAN13 9780736948876
Langue English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0480€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Cover by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover photos Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc. / Thinkstock
Published under representation of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency, Inc.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
MOUNTAIN HOMECOMING
Copyright 2013 by Sandra Robbins
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robbins, Sandra (Sandra S.)
Mountain homecoming / Sandra Robbins.
p. cm.-(Smoky mountain dreams ; bk. 2)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4886-9 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4887-6 (eBook)
1. Mountain people-Fiction. 2. Homecoming-Fiction. 3. Reputation-Fiction 4. Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.)-Fiction. I. Title.
PS3618.O315245M68 2013
813 .6-dc22
2012026967
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
To Guy for your love, encouragement, and support. I could never have achieved my dream without you by my side.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
About the Author
Chapter 1
Cades Cove, Tennessee
June, 1914
R ani Martin stared through the cabin window at the Smoky Mountains rising above the valley she loved. Usually the sight of the foggy mists curling around the hills made her happy. But try as she might, she couldn t find anything to cheer her up today.
There had to be something that would take away the misery gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Poppa always told her she could do anything she set her mind to, but she didn t know how she could be happy about losing the best friend any girl could ever have.
After today, there would be no reason for her to visit this cabin. Tomorrow Josie Ferguson and her husband, Ted, would load their belongings in their wagon, take their baby, and do what many of their friends and neighbors had already done-move out of Cades Cove. Josie, the one she d shared secrets with all her life, would be gone, and Rani would be left behind with only memories of her best friend since childhood.
She didn t understand what any of the folks who d left the Cove were thinking. How could they leave the most beautiful place on God s good earth?
It was springtime, the best time of year in the Cove. The winter snow had melted and the mountain laurel was in bloom. It wouldn t be long before rhododendrons dotted the mountainsides and azaleas reappeared on Gregory s Bald. This year, however, Josie wouldn t be with her to share the wonder of the Cove coming back to life after a hard winter.
To Rani the prospect of living anywhere except the mountain valley where she d been born scared her. She d had an opportunity to see what existed in the outside world when she spent a year attending school while living with Uncle Charles in Maryville. It had been enough to convince her that life wasn t nearly as good anywhere else as it was in the Cove. But others didn t share her thoughts, and they d left. And now Josie was going too.
With a sigh she turned back to the task she d abandoned moments ago, helping pack up the kitchen utensils. Her throat constricted as she pulled the cake plate she and her mother had given Josie from the kitchen cupboard. She wrapped her fingers around the pierced handles and stared down at the hand-painted red and yellow roses on the delicate china dish. She d thought it the most beautiful plate she d ever seen when she first spied it at the store in Pigeon Forge.
Tears filled her eyes, and she loosened her grip with one hand so she could trace the gold band on the fluted rim. I can t believe it s been three years since your wedding.
Josie Ferguson bit down on her lip and nodded. Ted s always said this was his favorite of all our wedding gifts. It reminds him of the molasses cake your mother let him and his sister help make the day George was born.
I ve heard Mama tell that story so many times. But she has one about every baby she s helped deliver.
She s been a blessing to the women she s helped birth their babies. Everybody loves Anna Martin. Josie s eyes grew wide. And of course your father too. I don t think I can ever love another pastor like I do your pa. I ve listened to him on Sundays ever since I can remember.
But you won t be there anymore. Rani set the plate down on the table and glanced at the baskets and tubs scattered across the kitchen floor. Pots, pans, and cooking utensils protruded above their sides. The tears she d been holding back poured down her face, and she covered her eyes with her fingers. First my brother decides to spend the summer at Uncle Robert s farm in Strawberry Plains instead of coming home from school, then my cousin Annie gets married and moves to Townsend. Now you re going too. What will I do with all of you gone? I m going to feel so alone.
No, you won t.
Rani dug her fists into her eyes to stop the tears and gritted her teeth. Why couldn t Stephen have come home when school was out at Milligan College instead of spending the summer on Uncle Robert s farm?
Josie propped her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. You know why.
Yeah, Rani sighed. He didn t want to hear Poppa talk to him all summer about following in his footsteps. I don t know why Poppa can t see that Stephen doesn t feel led to preach even though he agreed to that year at Milligan College. He wants to go to medical school. Of course that s what Mama wants too. I m glad they don t have that problem with me. I don t want to live anywhere but right here in Cades Cove even if I am going to be alone.
Josie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Like I said, you won t be alone. You ll have your ma and pa, and Stephen will be here for a visit in July. Josie wrapped her arms around Rani s shoulders and hugged her close. I m the one who s going to be alone. I won t know anybody over at Townsend. You know Ted never has taken to farming, and there s nothing else for him in the Cove. His new job pays real good. They re going to furnish us a house too.
Rani drew back in shock and gaped at Josie. House? Have you seen what that high and mighty Little River Logging Company calls houses? I went with Poppa to Townsend last month, and I couldn t believe what the workers were living in. They call them setoff houses because they bring them in on railroad cars and set them off on the hillsides or even right next to the railroad. They re nothing more than one-room shacks with tar paper roofs. When the lumber company gets through cutting all the trees in one place, they load the houses onto a train and ship them to the next spot for their workers.
Josie s lip trembled, and her forehead wrinkled. I know. Her voice was almost a whisper. But what can I do, Rani? Ted is my husband. We have to go where he can find work.
Rani gazed past Josie to the cradle in the next room. I can t stand to think about you living in one of those things, especially now since you have a baby. Can t you convince Ted to stay in Cades Cove? This is the only life you know.
Josie pulled the corner of her apron up and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath. We ll be fine. I ll come back to visit, and you can come to Townsend to see me.
Rani snorted and shook her head. No thanks. I have no desire to share a one-room setoff house with you and your husband, not to mention your baby. I can t believe Ted would be so disloyal to the Cove to go work for a company that s trying to destroy our mountains.
Are you accusing my husband of turning his back on his friends? Josie s eyes flared and grew dark with anger.
Rani had seen that look before and realized she d gone too far. She really needed to follow her mother s advice and not be so outspoken about the company she thought was using the Smokies as a quick way to make money. Her opinion of Little River Lumber differed from that of many who d left to work for the logging company. Now she had sounded like she believed Ted to be a traitor to his friends.
She reached out and grasped Josie s arm. I m sorry, Josie. I didn t mean to criticize Ted. It s just that I ve been so upset over what Little River s doing to our mountains. Colonel Townsend has bought 86,000 acres of forest land all the way from Tuckaleechee to Clingman s Dome. I don t care if he does own the company, he s a foolish man. They re cutting every tree in their path. If somebody doesn t stop them, the Smokies will end up as barren hillsides.
Josie waved her hand in dismissal. As usual, you re being overly dramatic. That s not going to happen. Like I said before, they pay well, and we need the money. End of discussion.
Rani opened her mouth to respond, but the set of Josie s jaw told her it would be useless. With a sigh, she picked up the cake plate from the table and handed it to Josie. I hope you ll think of me every time you use this.
Josie took the plate and clasped it in her hands like she held a priceless treasure. For the first time Rani caught a glimpse of fear in Josie s eyes, and the truth struck her. Josie didn t want to leave Cades Cove, but she had no choice.
I will, Josie whispered. I wanted this to be the last thing I packed. After all, you re my best friend.
Rani burst into tears and threw her arms around Josie. We re more than best friends. I think of you as the

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