Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (60 page)

“
Let
’
s me and you have us a talk, Charles,
”
the sheriff said.

Mr. Maggee nodded and followed Sheriff Pidwell into the jailhouse as the crowd quickly diluted.

As Johnny stumbled toward Vivianna at last, she flew to him
.
He was so weak, the force of her embrace forced them both to their knees
. Y
et he held her tightly
,
strok
ing
her hair with one bloody hand.

“
Johnny!
”
she breathed, kissing his cheek over and over
,
kissing him on the mouth
,
careless of straggling onlookers.

“
Vivi,
”
he breathed as she kissed him
,
“
I thought…I thought they were gonna hang me…and then…then I
’
d never be able to tell you the truth.
”

“
Mr.
Johnny!
”
Lowell
cried, throwing his arms around Johnny from behind.
“
Oh, Mr. Johnny!
I thought they were gonna hang you for sure!
”

“
Me too,
Lowell
,
”
Johnny said.
“
Me too.
”

Vivianna glanced up to see
Savannah
standing nearby.
Tears were streaming down her face as she watched Johnny and Vivianna—as she held one hand on Nate
’
s head, the other on Willy
’
s
,
to keep them from racing forward.
Nate and Willy were also crying
,
wiping dripping noses on their shirtsleeves.

“
Oh, Johnny!
”
Vivianna sobbed as he held her.
“
I love you!
I love you!
”

“
I love you, Vivi,
”
he breathed into her hair.
“
And I can
’
t wait one more minute to tell you the truth.
All I could think of…all I could think was that I was gonna hang…and you
’
d never know the truth.
”

He released her
,
and she watched as he struggled to reach into the front pocket of his trousers.

Withdrawing a worn, tattered piece of paper, he offered it to her and said,
“
This is how Justin saved my life, Vivi.
Justin gave me this…one night when I thought I didn
’
t have a reason to live. This is what saved me, Vivi.
You saved me.
”

Vivianna wept as she unfolded the piece of paper—recognized it as a page of a letter she
’
d written to Justin over two years before.

“
Whenever I am able, I slip away to the arbor and the honeysuckle vine
,
”
she began.
“
There I imagine you are home again…that you and I are together on your father
’
s swing
,
talking of family and friends
,
of long summer walks and pollywogs in puddles
.
”

“
I
’
ve carried that letter ever since
,
except for
Andersonville
,
”
he mumbled.
“
I buried
it
in my tin box that day
,
just before me and Justin were captured…buried it with the other letters you
’
d written to Justin…the ones he gave to me…the ones I answered.
”
He chuckled
and
coughed with the pain it caused him.
“
It
’
s why it took us so long to get home once we were released.
I told Justin I
’
d get him home…but that we had to go back for my tin box first.
It took us a whole week just to get back to where I buried it.
”

“
Johnny,
”
Vivianna breathed, placing a loving hand to his bruised cheek.

“
I had to go back for them, ya see, Vivi,
”
he panted
,
“
’c
ause you thought Justin wrote the letters to you
.
I knew you were in love with him…that I had to get him home to you.
But I wanted your letters with me
so I
’
d have
’
em always…so I could make
-
believe you
’
d written them to me
and not
to
Justin.
”

He coughed again.
She could tell he was in pain.

“
Johnny,
”
she said,
“
we have to get you home.
”

But he shook his head.
“
I
’
m a liar, Vivianna,
”
he said.
“
I
’
m a sinful devil of a liar.
I let you think Justin wrote those letters.
All this time I let you think
—”

“
It
’
s you I
’
ve always loved, Johnny Tabor,
”
Vivianna told him.
Taking his face between her hands, she forced his eyes to look into hers and said,
“
Don
’
t you see?
I did fall in love
with
the man who wrote those letters
.
I fell in love with you.
”

A tear trickled from the corner of one of Johnny
’
s eyes.
Exhausted from both the mob beating and emotion, he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to hers for a moment before finding her mouth with his own.

His kiss was hot, demanding
,
and as passionate a kiss as ever he
’
d given her.

“
Best save that for lingerin
’
beneath the honeysuckle vine, Mr. Johnny,
”
Lowell said.

Johnny
’
s mouth left Vivianna
’
s as he chuckled.
“
Have you been lookin
’
in on folks again when you shouldn
’
t, Lowell?
”
he asked.

Vivianna stroked his face—smoothed the dirt and blood from his broad brow.

“
Yes, sir, Mr. Johnny,
”
Lowell admitted.

Vivianna brushed the tears from her cheeks
and
pressed one last kiss to Johnny
’
s lips as Caleb,
Savannah
,
and the younger Turner boys approached.

“
You
’
re a hard man to bring down, Johnny Tabor,
”
Caleb said, helping Johnny to his feet.

“
Oh, my darlin
’
!
”
Savannah
sobbed, reaching up to dab at the blood near his mouth with a lace handkerchief.
“
I am just so sorry!
Oh, my dear boy!
”

“
Thank ya, Miss Savannah,
”
Johnny mumbled.

Johnny looked to Nate and Willy
,
still wiping tears on their shirtsleeves.

“
It
’
s all right, boys,
”
Johnny said, tousling their hair.
“
I
’
m fine.
Everything is fine.
”

Nate and Willy rushed forward
,
flinging themselves against Johnny and hugging him desperately.
Vivianna watched as
Lowell
joined them
,
smiling at the pure joy displayed on his young face.

The mob had nearly succeeded in hanging Johnny.
Justin
had been the cause of it.
Vi
vianna looked to Justin
,
and he shook his head
in an
expression of
guilt and self-loathing.
She wanted to go to Justin—to slap him once more.
Yet the knowledge she
’
d nearly lost the man she loved began to wash over her like a sudden illness
,
and she began to sway—felt the bleak darkness of a faint overtaking her.

“
Vivi!
”
she heard Johnny
say
—and she was in his arms.
He kissed her cheek, her mouth—and she was invigorated before the faint took her.

“
Johnny!
”
she breathed.
“
I nearly lost you!
What if they
’
d…what if they
’
d…
”

“
They didn
’
t,
”
he told her.
“
They didn
’
t.
I
’
m here…and I
’
ll never leave you, Vivianna.
I love you.
”
He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek
,
grinned
,
and added,
“
But I do hate
Alabama
.
Do you think you could marry me quick and let me take you home to
Texas
?
”

Still trembling with residual terror, she nodded
,
wrapped her arms around Johnny
’
s neck
,
and whispered,
“
Yes!
Oh yes, Johnny!
I love you.
Oh, how I love you!
”

“
Kiss her again,
Mr.
Johnny,
”
Lowell
said.
“
The way I taught ya now.
”

Vivianna watched as Johnny looked to Lowell.
He chuckled and nodded at the boy.

“
Pull her in good to ya…like a gun stock to your shoulder,
”
Lowell instructed.

Johnny did as he was told—pulled Vivianna into a commanding embrace.

“
Now kiss her good and hard…like I told ya,
”
Lowell said.

“
He
’
s a bossy little cuss, ain
’
t he?
”
Johnny asked, gazing into Vivianna
’
s eyes.

“
Yes,
”
Vivianna breathed.
Johnny was holding her
;
she was in his arms!
Her boundless joy was overwhelming.

“
Still, I g
uess I better d
o what he says,
”
Johnny mumbled.

“
I guess so,
”
Vivianna whispered.

“
That
’
s the way,
Mr.
Johnny!
”
Vivianna heard Lowell giggle as Johnny
’
s mouth melted to her own.
“
Step up and see how it
’
s done, fellers!
I taught him everything he knows about kissin
’
women, Miss Savannah.
”

“
Then heaven help me, Lowell!
”
Savannah laughed.
“
Heaven help me!
”