Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (49 page)

“
Yes, ma
’
am,
”
Vivianna sniffled
,
tears trickling over her cheeks.

Savannah
released her then.
“
Would ya mind helpin
’
me pluck this chicken?
”
she asked.
“
I thought we
’
d have us a real nice supper.
I can
’
t imagine how long it
’
s been since that boy had a nice supper.
”

“
Of course,
”
Vivianna said.

Savannah
looked to Johnny.
She smiled.
“
Did ya look in at the railroad, Johnny?
”

“
Yes, ma
’
am,
”
he said.
“
They
’
re startin
’
on the new line and repairs on Monday.
”
He paused
and
lowered his head.
Vivianna thought there was a look of guilt or shame about him.
“
I…I do thank you for your kindness and patience, Miss Savannah,
”
he said.
“
For lettin
’
me stay on and
—”

Savannah
shook her head.
“
None of that, Johnny,
”
she scolded.
“
To be honest, I won
’
t want to let you leave when the time comes.
Besides bringin
’
my Justin back to me…you
’
re a fine measure of a man, Johnny Tabor.
And you
’
ve done far more for us than you
’
ll ever know.
”
Savannah
looked to Vivianna then.
“
Isn
’
t that right, Viv?
”

There was thick insinuation in her words
,
and it caused Vivianna to feel unsettled.
“
Yes, ma
’
am,
”
she managed.
Still, as
Savannah
continued to stare at her—smiled a knowing smile—she was even further unsettled.

“
Miss Savannah,
”
Johnny began,
“
believe me…I don
’
t deserve your kindness or your praise.
I
—”

“
I would ask one favor of ya, Johnny, however,
”
Savannah
interrupted.
“
Would you mind peekin
’
in on the boys for me?
I just don
’
t like when they take up to boilin
’
animals alone.
Would ya mind just givin
’
them a hand?
And don
’
t let
’
em bother Charles Maggee if he
’
s still out there spendin
’
some time with his sons at the cemetery.
Make sure they leave him to his peace.
Would ya mind?
”

“
Of course not, ma
’
am,
”
Johnny said.
“
I
’
ll look after them awhile.
Lowell
can be a mighty handful.
”

“
Thank ya, Johnny.
I
’
ll send Vivianna over with some lunch for the four of you in a
while.
You
’
re probably starvin
’
.
”

“
Thank ya, ma
’
am,
”
he said.
He glanced to Vivianna for a moment
,
smiled
, and
then left the house.

The moment Johnny was gone, Vivianna felt cold.
The memories of her family
,
the ache in her heart
,
returned.
Yet she brushed new tears from her cheeks and went to the sink to help
Savannah
with the chicken.
She was puzzled when she saw that the chicken had already been plucked and cleaned.
She looked to
Savannah
,
curious.

Savannah
smiled, took her hand
,
and led her to the table.

“
Let
’
s sit a moment, Viv,
”
she said.
“
I
’
d like to talk to you.
”

“
Of course,
”
Vivianna said.

Once they were seated at the table,
Savannah
reached across the top of it, taking Vivianna
’
s hands in hers.
“
How long have ya been in love with Johnny, darlin
’
?
”
she asked.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“
Pardon?
”
Vivianna gasped.
Vivianna was certain her heart had dropped to her stomach!
An odd sort of terror washed over her.
How could
Savannah
know of her feelings for Johnny?
She
’
d only just discovered the depth of them herself!
Furthermore, she knew
Savannah
wanted her to marry Justin—or Caleb, in the very least of it.
Wasn
’
t
Savannah
always saying she loved Vivianna like a daughter?
Wasn
’
t she always saying she didn
’
t know what she
’
d do without her?

“
M-Miss
Savannah
, I…I…
”
Vivianna stammered.

Savannah
squeezed Vivianna
’
s hands once more.
“
That Johnny Tabor is a treasure!
”
she said.
She giggled and winked.
“
And handsome as anything!
I swear if I were twenty years younger
,
I
’
d try for him myself!
Any man that would do what he
’
s done for Justin…what he
’
s done for us…he
’
s a rare man indeed.
I knew he
’
d steal your heart, Viv.
The minute I saw him, I knew.
”
Savannah
shook her head.
“
My boys
’
heads are filled with nothin
’
but mud, I swear.
Nothin
’
but mud.
”
She sighed and continued,
“
They
’
re just like their
d
addy…especially Justin and Caleb.
Oh, I loved their daddy
—
you know how much I did
—
but you need a man with somethin
’
in his heart besides himself.
”
She leaned forward
,
lowering her voice.
“
Now you and I both know Johnny
’
s haunted
. I
t
’
s obvious somethin
’
s prickin
’
his heart.
But I
’
m sure you can soothe whatever
’
s worryin
’
him.
”
Savannah
sighed
and
smiled.
“
Neither of my boys could ever completely fill your heart, Viv…or love ya the way you deserved to be loved.
”

Vivianna was overwhelmed!
She still couldn
’
t understand how Savannah Turner could know about something she
’
d only just discovered—especially something so wildly unsettling.

“
But…but, Miss Savannah…I…I…
”
Vivianna began.
It was uncomfortable
,
sitting talking with the mother of the man she was supposed to love
about the man she did love.

Savannah
shook her head and interrupted
.
“
I think it
’
s about time you started callin
’
me
Savannah
. Don
’
t you?
”

Vivianna tried to hold back her tears.
The day had been too overwhelming
. T
oo many emotions were still battling in her—the pain of mourning her family
,
the bliss Johnny had stirred.

“
Oh, honey, don
’
t cry!
”
Savannah
soothed.
“
It
’
s all right.
There, there now.
What
’
s all this?
”

“
I…I can
’
t love him,
”
Vivianna whispered.
“
I don
’
t even know him.
”

“
Oh, sure ya do, darlin
’
,
”
Savannah
reassured.
“
Just
’
cause ya haven
’
t known him your whole life
,
it doesn
’
t mean ya don
’
t know him
. I
t doesn
’
t mean ya can
’
t be in love with him.
He
’
s been here for months now.
I figure ya know him about as well as you know anybody.
”
She paused
,
her smile fading a little.
“
I daresay I know Johnny better than I know Justin just now…and Justin
’
s my own son.
”

Vivianna experienced an odd sort of relief in
Savannah
’
s having noticed the change in Justin.
Caleb had seen it too.
She wished she
’
d seen it sooner—that she hadn
’
t been so blinded by his letters and the promises of love.

Still, even if there w
ere
n
’
t Justin to consider—even though she had somehow fallen in love with Johnny—it didn
’
t mean Johnny had fallen in love with her.
Oh, certainly he
’
d kissed her—kissed her as she
’
d never imagined being kissed.
Certainly he
’
d managed to unlock her emotions
,
her heart.
But did he know he
’
d unlocked them
,
only to own them?
Did he want them?

“
It…it doesn
’
t mean he feels anything for me,
”
Vivianna mumbled.

Savannah
laughed.
“
Oh, darlin
’
!
My sweet Vivianna!
”

Vivianna frowned.
She saw nothing amusing in what she
’
d said.

“
Viv…what do you think has been keepin
’
that boy here?
”
Savannah
asked.
“
Surely ya don
’
t think he enjoys fixin
’
up the barn and weedin
’
out the garden, do ya?
”

“
He…he only feels an obligation, I
’
m sure,
”
Vivianna said.
“
He feels behold
e
n to you for takin
’
him in
,
to Justin for savin
’
his life…however he saved it.
”

“
Is that what you really think?
”

Vivianna shrugged.
“
I
’
m afraid to think otherwise.
”
She paused
and
then whispered,
“
After all…I loved Justin, didn
’
t I?
And he loved me once…at least I thought he did.
Justin wrote professin
’
he loved me
. A
nd still…
”

“
Johnny Tabor isn
’
t Justin, Vivianna,
”
Savannah
firmly reminded.
She inhaled a deep breath
,
and suddenly, her eyes lit up with a rather mischievous light—the same light of mischief that Vivianna had so often seen in Nate
’s
and Willy
’
s eyes.
“
I
’
ll tell ya somethin
’
,
”
Savannah
began
.
“
W
hy don
’
t you just give Johnny a little test?
”

“
What do ya mean?
”
Vivianna asked.

“
I daresay he
’
s kissed ya, hasn
’
t he?
”

Vivianna blushed—but nodded.

“
Kissed ya good, I bet, too.
”

Vivianna smiled—and nodded.

“
Well, see if he
’
ll kiss ya again, Viv,
”
Savannah
suggested.
“
Let him know you want him to kiss ya…and see if he
’
ll kiss ya again.
My guess is he most certainly will.
”

“
I don
’
t know
. T
oday
,
he
—”

“
Oh!
Today, was it?
”
Savannah
giggled.
She shook her head and clicked her tongue.
“
That poor boy must be knowin
’
a world of confusion.
First he brings Justin home to you…knowin
’
you were meant for Justin.
Then finds out he wants ya for himself…at the same time knowin
’
Justin
’
s got mud between his ears.
I
’
m guessin
’
that
’
s the only reason a man like Johnny Tabor would try for a girl that supposedly belongs to his friend
. M
y guess is Johnny knows Justin
’
s changed.
He probably doesn
’
t care for the way Justin
’
s treatin
’
you.
Still, I
’
m sure it
’
s tearin
’
him up in one way or the other.
”

“
I don
’
t want him torn
—
not between me and Justin…not because of me,
”
Vivianna said.
A sense of panic was rising in her.
She didn
’
t want Johnny to feel guilt—or confusion—or anything unpleasant.

“
Don
’
t worry, darlin
’
.
I
’
m sure Johnny won
’
t linger in feeling guilty over it.
Not when Justin
’
s changed so.
Johnny
’
s got a strong character…and a powerful will.
He
’
s his own man,
”
Savannah
said.
“
So what do ya say?
Will ya tempt him into kissin
’
ya once more?
Pardon me for bein
’
vulgar, Viv
,
but a woman can tell by a man
’
s kiss whether he
’
s in love with her…or simply havin
’
a moment of overwhelmin
’
want.
”

Vivianna inhaled
and
closed her eyes.
Justin had claimed he needed time to heal.
It was then that Vivianna had begun to realize it was Justin
’
s letters she loved
,
not Justin—not the man he
’
d become.
Thus, she
’
d decided to put them away
,
and Johnny had offered to help her.
They
’
d gone to her home—to where she
’
d once laughed and played with her brothers
,
once known the loving comfort of her parents—and there Johnny had finally succeeded in entirely unlocking her heart.
It had been in those precious moments—no matter how painful accepting the loss of her family was—that she
’
d first consciously realized she
’
d fallen in love with Johnny.
For weeks and weeks before, she
’
d simply thought he was simply too attractive to be ignored.
Yet she realized that morning that she
’
d begun to fall in love with him the first night he
’
d arrived—the night she
’
d kissed him in thinking he might not live to see morning.
Suddenly, the memory frightened her—even terrified her!
To think that Johnny might have died—that she might never have known the wonder of his character
,
the bliss of being in his arms
,
the ecstasy of tasting his kiss.
She might never have talked with him
,
laughed and walked with the man who had so stealthily, yet so easily, stolen her heart.
She wondered for a moment if perhaps Johnny did love her—if perhaps it was why he was so determined she put Justin
’
s letters away.
Perhaps it was why he accompanied her to the house—to make certain the letters she
’
d pined over for so long were tucked away in the attic.
Further she wondered if this was why he knew she had not mourned her family—because he loved her and had somehow seen her deeply imprisoned pain.