Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (33 page)

Nate and Willy both leaned across the table
and
frowned with intensity as they studied Justin
’
s shoulder.

“
That
’
s a nice one,
”
Nate said.

“
Well, that
’
s nothin
’
,
”
Caleb began, lifting his shirt to reveal a large scar running vertically over his stomach.
“
I got this when I was about your age
,
Nate.
I fell out of the big tree out back and landed on a stump.
”

“
Ooo!
”
Willy breathed.

“
All right, boys,
”
Savannah
scolded softly.
“
We are tryin
’
to have us a nice supper.
I don
’
t care if y
’
all strip down naked and paint your scars red afterward
. B
ut I want to eat my supper with some semblance of propriety.
You hear me
?
”

“
Yes, Mama,
”
Nate said.

Vivianna bit her lip to keep from laughing as Willy mused aloud,
“
Still, I suppose if I do end up hairy
,
I could always just shave everythin
’
the way Justin and Johnny done before they come home.
”
A puzzled frown puckered the young boy
’
s brow.
He looked to Johnny inquisitively and asked,
“
Ya never did tells us what you meant when ya said ya and Justin shaved everythin
’
before ya come home, Johnny.
”

Vivianna giggled as
Savannah
choked on her own cornbread, cleared her throat
,
and giggled.

“
Now, that
’
s enough, Willy,
”
Savannah
scolded.
“
You all just finish up your supper.
”

Caleb and Justin both chuckled
,
and Vivianna glanced to Johnny.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head—entirely humiliated—but she adored his blushing
.
Simply adored it!

“
Ya gotta be careful what ya say to Nate and Willy, Johnny,
”
Justin said, teasingly nudging his friend with one elbow.
“
They can take anything and just run all the way to
New Orleans
with it.
”

“
So I gather,
”
Johnny mumbled.

He was so handsome!
There was an attractive brutality about him—a strength in his features that neither Caleb nor Justin owned.
Silently, Vivianna scolded herself for thinking such fond thoughts where Johnny was concerned.
She loved Justin—Justin and the entire Turner family—and that is where her heart must remain.

“
Oh!
”
Caleb suddenly exclaimed.
“
I plum forgot, Johnny.
”
Vivianna watched as Caleb leaned forward, reaching into the back pocket of his trousers.
“
This letter come for you.
Mr. Douglas walked it over from the post station today.
I
’
m sorry I forgot to give it to you earlier.
”

Instantly, Vivianna was disturbed—rather vexed.
She recognized the emotions in her as those akin to jealousy.
Who had written Johnny Tabor a letter?
She instantly thought of the letters she and Justin had exchanged during the war.
Did Johnny have a lover?
Had he so deliciously kissed her beneath the honeysuckle when a lover waited for him in
Texas
?
Immediately she scolded herself
,
her self-loathing returning as she thought of her own hypocrisy.
After all, she
’
d kissed Johnny Tabor, hadn
’
t she?
And hadn
’
t she kissed him when her own lover was only a short distance away in
Florence
?

Still, even though she had no right to feel the jealous and worried sensations she was experiencing
,
Vivianna held her breath as she watched Caleb offer the letter to Johnny—watched Johnny accept it and smile when he read the writing on the envelope.

“
It
’
s from Jeannie,
”
he mumbled.
He looked to Vivianna and said,
“
My sister.
”

Vivianna was angry with herself—angry for breathing a sigh of gladness at knowing it was Johnny
’
s sister who had written
,
not a lover.

“
I wrote my family weeks ago,
”
he began,
“
tellin
’
’
em I was well and stayin
’
on here awhile.
”
He looked at the letter
and
then to
Savannah
.
“
Do ya mind, ma
’
am?
”
he asked.
“
Do ya mind if I excuse myself so that I can
—”

“
Of course, Johnny!
”
Savannah
assured him.
“
You go on and read your letter.
I
’
m so glad you
’
re hearin
’
from your family.
”

“
Thank ya, ma
’
am,
”
he said, nodding with appreciation.

Vivianna watched as Johnny stood
and
walked across the room and out through the back door.
She blushed when she returned her attention to those at the table, only to find Caleb
’
s gaze intent upon her.
He wore a rather knowing expression—a suspicious grin—but Vivianna simply smiled at him.

“
Isn
’
t that nice?
”
she said.
“
I
’
m sure he
’
s so happy to hear from his family.
”

“
I
’
m sure he is,
”
Caleb said.

“
Would ya like to go for a little walk later, Viv?
”
Justin asked then.

Vivianna
’
s heart leapt with an odd sort of trepidation.
She wasn
’
t at all sure she wanted to take a walk—not with Justin at least.
In that moment, she fully understood how confused she was.

“
I swear, Justin,
”
Nate grumbled
,
“
y
ou and your walkin
’
.
I woulda thought that walkin
’
all the way from
Georgia
woulda walked ya out.
”

“
Well,
”
Justin began, winking at Vivianna,
“
t
his kind of walkin
’
is a whole lot different, Nate.
”

Vivianna blushed—smiled when Justin winked at her.

“
If you say so, Justin,
”
Nate mumbled.
“
Walkin
’
is walkin
’
if ya ask me.
”

Justin chuckled
,
and
Savannah
smiled at Nate
’
s sweet
na
ï
vet
é
.

“
So we
’
ll walk, Viv?
”
Justin asked.

“
Of course,
”
Vivianna said.

Savannah
reached over then—lovingly placed a hand over Vivianna
’
s—and she was reminded of exactly where her loyalties, and her heart, should remain.



Vivianna was distracted.
It was obvious to Justin that her thoughts were not on him—at least, not fully.

“
You got somethin
’
weighin
’
on your mind, Viv?
”
he asked.

She smiled at him and answered,
“
I suppose.
”
She sighed.
“
I suppose we all do…don
’
t we?
”

“
I guess we do,
”
Justin admitted.
It was a warm, balmy night.
The stars were bright overhead—not one cloud in the sky.
He glanced to Vivianna again.
“
Is it somethin
’
ya wanna share?
Or just nothin
’
much of anything?
”

She shrugged—paused—bit her lip nervously.
Finally, she answered,
“
The letters we wrote to one another while you were gone, Justin…do you remember them at all?
”

Justin inhaled a calming breath.
Those damn letters!
He ought
to
bust into her room and burn the dang things!

“
Of course I do, Viv,
”
he told her.
“
Why?
”
But he already knew why.
The letters—they were how he
’
d won her heart away from Caleb.
The letters were the very reason she
’
d fallen in love with him.
Still, Justin had changed since those letters
.
Andersonville had done it—
Andersonville
and the war.
He didn
’
t want to talk about those ridiculous letters.
He wanted Vivianna to love the man he had become—the man he was now—not the lovesick fool who
’
d written letters full of promises Justin knew he could never keep.

“
Did you mean everything you said to me in your letters?
”
she asked.
“
Truly.
If your feelin
’
s have changed, Justin…if…if ya didn
’
t mean the things ya said to me…
”

Justin turned and took Vivianna
’
s shoulders in his hands.
“
Viv,
”
he began,
“
I love you.
I do.
But I wish you
’
d quit worryin
’
over the man I was in them letters…and try to see the man I
’
ve become.
I
’
m stronger now.
I know more what I want.
I see what
’
s important and what
’
s not.
The war grew me up, Viv.
It was a lovesick boy that wrote those letters.
Can
’
t ya see that?
Can
’
t ya see I
’
m a man now
? A
nd you
’
re a woman…and we love each other.
It doesn
’
t mat
t
er how we come to growin
’
up and bein
’
here
. A
ll that matters is that here we are…together…finally together.
”