Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (11 page)

“
Can we have
’
em, Viv?
”
Nate asked.
“
The chicken bones?
When you
’
re finished, can we have
’
em for our bone collection?
”

“
Bone collection?
”
Savannah
exclaimed.
“
I hardly think a sawed
-
off dog leg would merit bein
’
called a collection.
”

“
Oh, but we got a lot of bones out in our fort, Mama!
”
Willy exclaimed.
“
We boiled up a dead fox we found in the woods last week
,
and we found a dead rabbit out behind the ol
’
Libby place.
”

“
And don
’
t forget the deer head old man
Marshall
gave us,
”
Nate added.

“
Boys
,
h
ow morbid!
You can
’
t be collectin
’
bones!
It just isn
’
t proper
,
”
Savannah
scolded, stripping several sprigs of sage from the dried stalks of various herbs hanging near the cupboard.

“
Oh, let
’
em be, Mama,
”
Justin chuckled.
“
I
’
ll bet ya a dollar Caleb still has the old bear skull him and me found out near the riverbed that one summer.
”

“
Oh, don
’
t remind me!
”
Savannah
sighed, waving a hand in the air as if to dismiss the memory.
“
That ol
’
thing gave me nightmares for a month!
”

“
A bear skull?
”
Nate and Willy breathed in unison.

Vivianna giggled.
She would
’
ve sworn their eyes were as big as dinner plates!

“
Would ya rub this sage a bit, Viv?
”
Savannah
asked, handing sage leaves to Vivianna as she plucked them from their dried stalk.

“
Of course,
”
Vivianna said.

She listened then as Justin told Nate and Willy the story of the summer he and Caleb had found the skull.
It was wonderful!
For a moment, it almost seemed as if the war had never been—but only for a moment.
Still, Justin was home!
Impatient as she was to steal a private moment with Justin
,
Vivianna calmed herself with the knowledge that her time with Justin would come.
She forced herself to think of Caleb—of how hurt he would be were he to find her and Justin kissing beneath the honeysuckle vine when she
’
d only just refused his proposal.
She would be patient
;
she had to be.
Still, she smiled
,
hoping Justin would take her in his arms and kiss her the way Nate and Willy had seen Benjamin Sidney kissing Tilly Winder.

Vivianna slipped her hand into her skirt pocket
,
letting her fingers caress the worn pages of Justin
’
s letter there.
Justin was home!
For a moment, her mind flitted to her own brothers—to Sam and Augie and the fact they never would return.
Images of her parents entered her mind
,
yet she forced them away.
Justin was home
,
and she would find her happiness again
.
She would!



“
He
’
s a cantankerous ol
’
boy sometimes, Viv,
”
Caleb said, chuckling as Vivianna entered the room with a bowl of chicken stew.
“
Just don
’
t pay him any mind.
”

“
Oh, I
’
m sure he
’
s not as bad as all that,
”
Vivianna said, sitting down in the chair next to her bed as Caleb stood up from it.

“
Well, don
’
t be too certain,
”
Caleb said.
“
And his stomach is growlin
’
like it ain
’
t been fed in a year.
”

“
Then I
’
m glad I brought such a big bowl of stew in,
”
Vivianna said.
She tried not to frown as she looked to Johnny Tabor
and
noted his painfully pallid complexion
,
the sunken appearance of his eyes.

“
It
’
s good to see ya, Johnny,
”
Caleb said.
“
We
’
ll have us some more time to talk when you
’
re on the mend a bit better.
”

Vivianna watched as Johnny Tabor held a trembling hand out to Caleb.
Caleb shook his hand.

“
Good to see you again, Caleb,
”
Johnny Tabor said
,
his thin, dry lips imitating a smile.

Caleb nodded and strode from the room.

Johnny Tabor was sitting up in the bed.
Vivianna assumed Caleb had assisted him in doing so
,
for she was sure he hadn
’
t the strength to do so of his own accord.
Caleb had been talking with Johnny all the while supper was being prepared
,
and Vivianna was glad
,
for it had given her the opportunity to smile unrestrained and unguarded while speaking to Justin.
She could not have felt so comfortable in doing so had Caleb still been in the kitchen.
Now he was gone, and Vivianna turned her attention to the task at hand—Johnny Tabor.
She was determined to ensure that Justin
’
s friend regained his strength.
She could see the worry in Justin
’
s eyes.
Each time Johnny
’
s condition had been mentioned, Justin
’
s eyes would darken with anxiety.
Thus, Vivianna was resolute in her resolve to see Johnny Tabor strengthened.

“
It
’
s chicken stew,
”
she said.

“
Thank you, ma
’
am,
”
the man said.
He held out one weak, trembling hand
,
intending to take the bowl from her.

Ignoring his hand—for she knew he was too weak to hold the bowl—Vivianna ladled a spoonful of stew and held it before his mouth.

Johnny Tabor
’
s brow puckered in a deep frown
,
and a low, quiet growl of irritation and self-disgust rumbled in his throat.

Yet
Vivianna raised one eyebrow in daring.
“
Open your mouth, Mr. Tabor,
”
she ordered.
“
You need some nourishment.
”

Still frowning, Johnny Tabor opened his mouth, allowing Vivianna to feed him.
He swallowed the first bite of stew
,
and as she ladled another spoonful
,
he grumbled,
“
Why are they makin
’
you feed me?
You ought to be out there with Justin.
”

“
Justin has a mother and three brothers starvin
’
for his company, Mr. Tabor,
”
she said, feeding him another spoonful.
“
I
’
m not about to be selfish and spoil their first day with him.
”

Mr. Tabor
’
s eyes narrowed.
He seemed to be studying her.
Vivianna felt her cheeks pink under the intensity of his gaze.

“
You don
’
t want to spoil Caleb
’
s day either.
Now do ya?
”
he mumbled.

Vivianna paused in ladling the stew.
Her first thought was that there was no possible manner in which Mr. Tabor could know of Caleb
’
s proposal to her or of her refusal.
Her second thought was that perhaps Caleb had confided the fact of it to Mr. Tabor while he
’
d been sitting in conversation at his bedside.
Had Caleb truly told Justin
’
s friend of his offer of marriage?
She thought not.
Then the realization struck her
:
Caleb had also known this Johnny Tabor in battle.
Hadn
’
t Justin said that Caleb too used to scout with Johnny?
Perhaps this was how Johnny Tabor had come by any knowledge he owned of the Turner family.
As friend to both Caleb and Justin, perhaps he knew that Vivianna had loved Caleb when the war began—likewise knowing she loved Justin at the end of it.

“
Were you with Caleb when he was wounded, Mr. Tabor?
”
she asked, feeding him another spoonful of stew—attempting to distract him from the present subject of conversation.

“
I was,
”
he said.
“
He was a fine soldier…and he
’
s a good man.
”

“
And you
’
re from
Texas
?
”
she asked
,
feeding him another bite of stew.

“
Yes, ma
’
am,
”
he mumbled.
He held up a hand as she offered another spoonful to him.
“
Pardon me, ma
’
am…but I best not gobble…else it might not stay in me.
”

“
Oh, I
’
m so sorry,
”
Vivianna said
,
a pang of painful sympathy pinching her heart.
“
We
’
ll let that much settle then.
”

“
Do ya know if Justin sent anybody for our packs?
”
he asked.

“
Your packs?
”
she asked, confused.

“
We hung
’
em in a tree near the road before we got too close to town.
We didn
’
t want any of the townsfolk attackin
’
us on our return and stealing the few things we brung with us.
I thought…I thought maybe he
’
d already gone back for
’
em…or sent someone to fetch
’
em,
”
he explained.

“
Oh, I see,
”
Vivianna said.
She shook her head.
“
No
,
he didn
’
t send a
nyone for them.
I suspect they
’
re
still where ya left them…safely hidden until ya can fetch
’
em yourself.
”

The soldier nodded but still frowned.

“
Where in
Texas
are ya from, Mr. Tabor?
”
she asked, slowly ladling another spoonful of stew between his parched lips.

“
San Antonio
,
”
he said.
“
Well, that
’
s where I was born anyway…though I left to enlist from
Fredericksburg
.
”