Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (50 page)

“
Vivianna,
”
Savannah
said.

Vivianna was pulled from her thoughts and musings.
She opened her eyes to see
Savannah
looking on her with a mother
’
s loving gaze.

“
I want you to be happy.
I do love you like my own daughter, Viv.
I want you to be happy and loved…passionately loved.
Johnny loves you
,
I
’
m certain of it.
Don
’
t be afraid
. D
on
’
t worry that I might mind that my boys aren
’
t gonna win your heart…because I don
’
t.
Let Johnny know ya love him, Viv.
”

Vivianna nodded.
“
Maybe…maybe I
’
ll try,
”
she said.
“
It
’
s been such a long day already,
”
she sighed.
“
It
’
s only midday
,
and already I feel wrung out.
”

“
Oh
,
m
ercy!
”
Savannah
exclaimed.
“
My poor boys!
They must be starvin
’
by now!
”
Savannah
lovingly squeezed Vivianna
’
s hands once more.
“
Now…you just take the rest of the day to gather your thoughts and feelin
’
s, Viv.
I
’
ll get somethin
’
together for the boys and run it on out there myself.
”
She shook her head.
“
I swear
,
if Charles Maggee is still out at the cemetery…well, somebody oughta run over and save Johnny from four more hours of the tales
.
Charles does drag on!
”

“
I can run it out there,
”
Vivianna offered
,
though she did feel an incredible weight of fatigue.

“
And now we
’
ve got us another little wild boy to watch out for, Viv!
”
Savannah
continued.
She giggled.
“
I swear, he looked just like someone had smashed a pumpkin over his head when he arrived!
I just had to get that hair whittled down to somethin
’
manageable.
He
’
s a darlin
’
, isn
’
t he?
”

Vivianna smiled.
“
Yes,
”
she said.
“
I suppose Justin will be surprised to see him.
”
She thought of Justin
’
s last letter—of his obvious affection for the boy.
No doubt he
’
d be happy to see him safe.

“
Yes
,
he will!
”
Savannah
shook her head with disbelief.
“
And to think he made his way all the way from
Georgia
.
”
She laughed
.
“
I bet that orphanage he run away from didn
’
t even raise an eyebrow about missin
’
a handful like
Lowell
seems to be.
The way he kissed you, Viv!
Mercy!
I
’
ll have my hands full with that one.
But what
’
s one more when you have four already?
Isn
’
t that right?
”

Vivianna nodded.
Yet in truth, she thought Lowell Wheeler seemed more than likely to equal two or three boys when it came to mischief
,
rather than just one.



“
What
’
s takin
’
Justin so long?
”
Nate asked.

Caleb shrugged his tired shoulders.
“
He just said he had somethin
’
to do in town is all,
”
he said.

“
At suppertime?
”
Willy asked.
“
What
’
s more important than supper?
”

“
Diggin
’
worms maybe,
”
Lowell
suggested.

Vivianna and
Savannah
giggled.
Johnny smiled
,
and even Caleb grinned.

“
Diggin
’
worms?
”
Nate exclaimed.
“
This late in the day?
”

“
Oh yeah!
”
Lowell
said
,
his blue eyes wide with sudden excitement.
“
Don
’
t y
’
all have them big ol
’
earthworms
’
round here?
The kind that come out mostly at evenin
’
and night?
Them
’
s the best kind for fishin
’
.
”

“
Well, I suppose Justin
could
be out diggin
’
worms,
”
Savannah
said.
“
But I
’
m guessin
’
he just had some things to finish up in town.
”

Caleb had come home for supper as usual.
He
’
d been quite astonished to find Lowell Wheeler there—especially once he
’
d heard the tale of how
Lowell
came to be in
Florence
.
Justin, however, had not returned for supper.
Furthermore, Caleb seemed irritated concerning the fact.
Vivianna wondered what could have kept Justin in town too.
All afternoon, she
’
d wondered what Justin
’
s reaction would be when he saw
Lowell
.
She
’
d wondered if perhaps
Lowell
could touch Justin
’
s heart—help him to find a thread of the man he used to be.

“
I heard you got work with the railroad, Johnny,
”
Caleb said, rattling Vivianna from her thoughts.

“
Yes, I did,
”
Johnny affirmed.
“
I figure I better start doin
’
somethin
’
before Miss Savannah tosses me out.
”

Savannah
reached over and affectionately squeezed Johnny
’
s arm.
“
You
’
ve done so much around here, Johnny…so much for us in so many, many ways.
And I know Caleb
’
s grateful to have you here to help me and Viv and the boys durin
’
the day.
”

“
Thank ya for endeavorin
’
to make me feel better about stayin
’
on, Miss Savannah,
”
Johnny said.

“
I hear railroadin
’
is hard work,
”
Caleb offered.

Johnny shrugged.
“
Hard work is good for a man…the way I see it.
”

“
Yes, it is,
”
Caleb agreed.
“
It keeps a man
’
s mind busy and his body wore out.
”

“
Caleb!
”
Willy exclaimed.
“
Ya oughta see the mice bones and such me and Nate and Lowell here dug outta them owl pellets Johnny give us!
”

“
Were there an awful lot?
”
Caleb asked, smiling.

“
Oh yes!
”
Willy said.

“
It was fun diggin
’
through the fur to find
’
em too,
”
Lowell
added.
“
It
’
s so soft and all.
”

“
And we boiled up that fox,
”
Nate said.
“
It smelled right rotten when we started
. B
ut once we strained out the stomach and all
—”

“
May I remind you boys that we are tryin
’
to have our supper?
”
Savannah
gently scolded.

“
Sorry, Mama,
”
Nate said.

“
Sorry,
”
Willy added.

“
Me too, Miss
Savannah
,
”
Lowell
offered.
“
I don
’
t rightly like to think about all them fox innards boilin
’
around in that pot when I
’
m eatin
’
neither.
”

Johnny and Caleb chuckled.

“
Johnny says you were out at the old place today, Viv,
”
Caleb said then.
“
Is everything still in order out there?
”

Vivianna nodded.
Her emotions were close, but she managed not to tear up.
“
Yes.
It
’
s a little closed up…needs a good airin
’
out and some dustin
’
. B
ut everything is just fine.
”

“
I
’
m glad,
”
Caleb said, folding his napkin and placing it on the table beside his empty plate.
“
It
’
s a fine house.
”
He leaned back in his chair and sighed
,
satisfied by finishing up a good meal.

Johnny folded his napkin as well.
“
Thank you for supper, Miss Savannah,
”
he said.
“
I ain
’
t just flatterin
’
when I say your fried chicken is better than my own mama
’
s.
”

Savannah
smiled.
“
Why, thank you, Johnny!
A woman cannot receive a kinder compliment than bein
’
told she
’
s cooked up somethin
’
better than a man
’
s mama
’
s.
”

All through supper, Vivianna had tried to keep her gaze from lingering on Johnny.
She was afraid that if
Savannah
had been able to see her affection for him, then perhaps others could too.
She remembered that Caleb suspected too
,
for he
’
d told her, only the night before, what a fine man Johnny was.
He
’
d told her he
’
d seen her light up whenever Johnny was around.
Still, Vivianna was not so certain that Johnny lit up whenever she was around.
Oh, his kisses caused her to think that perhaps he did.
Still, she was uncertain.
The day had been trying
,
even for the wonder she
’
d known in Johnny
’
s arms.
Her newly unleashed emotions were yet confusing—overwhelming—
and
caused a great weight of uncertainty.
Just as she
’
d had to accept that they
’
d been imprisoned and lately freed
,
she now had to sort them—order them out before she could reason properly.