{"id":14384,"date":"2013-03-26T22:17:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-27T03:17:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=14384"},"modified":"2013-03-26T22:17:26","modified_gmt":"2013-03-27T03:17:26","slug":"mountain-homecoming-by-sandra-robbins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/?p=14384","title":{"rendered":"Mountain Homecoming by Sandra Robbins"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour<\/a><\/strong><\/span> book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old…or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Today’s Wild Card author is: <\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sandra Robbins<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

and the book:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mountain Homecoming<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
Harvest House Publishers (March 1, 2013)<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
***Special thanks to Ginger Chen for sending me a review copy.***<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Sandra Robbins and her husband live in the small college town in Tennessee where she grew up. They count their four children and five grandchildren as the greatest blessings in their lives. Her published books include stories in historical romance and romantic suspense. When not writing or spending time with her family, Sandra enjoys reading, collecting flow blue china, and playing the piano.<\/p>\n

Visit the author’s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:<\/span> <\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>In the second book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins spins a tender tale of God’s faithfulness throughout the generations.<\/p>\n

Rani Martin, Simon and Anna’s only daughter, is a beautiful and spirited young woman living deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. She has plenty of ideas about the man she’ll marry someday, but none of them could have prepared her for the return of Matthew Jackson.<\/p>\n

Matthew left Cades Cove as a child after his father’s death. Now he’s come back to build a new life for himself, and it’s his dearest wish that Rani be a part of that life. But the people of the Cove won’t let him forget the sins of his father, and Matthew can’t forget the darkness of his own past.<\/p>\n

Is there a place for Matthew in the Cove? And can the light of Rani’s love overcome his pain?<\/p>\n

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<\/object><\/div>\n

Product Details:<\/strong><\/p>\n

List Price: $13.99
\nPaperback: 304 pages
\nPublisher: Harvest House Publishers (March 1, 2013)
\nLanguage: English
\nISBN-10: 0736948864
\nISBN-13: 978-0736948869
\nAND NOW…THE FIRST CHAPTER:<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Cades Cove, Tennessee<\/p>\n

June, 1914
\nRani Martin stared through the cabin window at the Smoky Mountains rising above the valley she loved. Usually the sight of the foggy mists curling around the hills made her happy. But try as she might, she couldn\u2019t find anything to cheer her up today.<\/p>\n

There had to be something that would take away the misery gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Poppa always told her she could do anything she set her mind to, but she didn\u2019t know how she could be happy about losing the best friend any girl could ever have.<\/p>\n

After today, there would be no reason for her to visit this cabin. Tomorrow Josie Ferguson and her husband, Ted, would load their belongings in their wagon, take their baby, and do what many of their friends and neighbors had already done\u2014move out of Cades Cove. Josie, the one she\u2019d shared secrets with all her life, would be gone, and Rani would be left behind with only memories of her best friend since childhood.<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t understand what any of the folks who\u2019d left the Cove were thinking. How could they leave the most beautiful place on God\u2019s good earth?<\/p>\n

It was springtime, the best time of year in the Cove. The winter snow had melted and the mountain laurel was in bloom. It wouldn\u2019t be long before rhododendrons dotted the mountainsides and azaleas reappeared on Gregory\u2019s Bald. This year, however, Josie wouldn\u2019t be with her to share the wonder of the Cove coming back to life after a hard winter.<\/p>\n

To Rani the prospect of living anywhere except the mountain valley where she\u2019d been born scared her. She\u2019d had an opportunity to see what existed in the outside world when she spent a year attending school while living with Uncle Charles in Maryville. It had been enough to convince her that life wasn\u2019t nearly as good anywhere else as it was in the Cove. But others didn\u2019t share her thoughts, and they\u2019d left. And now Josie was going too.<\/p>\n

With a sigh she turned back to the task she\u2019d abandoned moments ago, helping pack up the kitchen utensils. Her throat constricted as she pulled the cake plate she and her mother had given Josie from the kitchen cupboard. She wrapped her fingers around the pierced handles and stared down at the hand-painted red and yellow roses on the delicate china dish. She\u2019d thought it the most beautiful plate she\u2019d ever seen when she first spied it at the store in Pigeon Forge.<\/p>\n

Tears filled her eyes, and she loosened her grip with one hand so she could trace the gold band on the fluted rim. \u201cI can\u2019t believe it\u2019s been three years since your wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie Ferguson bit down on her lip and nodded. \u201cTed\u2019s always said this was his favorite of all our wedding gifts. It reminds him of the molasses cake your mother let him and his sister help make the day George was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard Mama tell that story so many times. But she has one about every baby she\u2019s helped deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been a blessing to the women she\u2019s helped birth their babies. Everybody loves Anna Martin.\u201d Josie\u2019s eyes grew wide. \u201cAnd of course your father too. I don\u2019t think I can ever love another pastor like I do your pa. I\u2019ve listened to him on Sundays ever since I can remember.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you won\u2019t be there anymore.\u201d Rani set the plate down on the table and glanced at the baskets and tubs scattered across the kitchen floor. Pots, pans, and cooking utensils protruded above their sides. The tears she\u2019d been holding back poured down her face, and she covered her eyes with her fingers. \u201cFirst my brother decides to spend the summer at Uncle Robert\u2019s farm in Strawberry Plains instead of coming home from school, then my cousin Annie gets married and moves to Townsend. Now you\u2019re going too. What will I do with all of you gone? I\u2019m going to feel so alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani dug her fists into her eyes to stop the tears and gritted her teeth. \u201cWhy couldn\u2019t Stephen have come home when school was out at Milligan College instead of spending the summer on Uncle Robert\u2019s farm?\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie propped her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. \u201cYou know why.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Rani sighed. \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to hear Poppa talk to him all summer about following in his footsteps. I don\u2019t know why Poppa can\u2019t see that Stephen doesn\u2019t feel led to preach even though he agreed to that year at Milligan College. He wants to go to medical school. Of course that\u2019s what Mama wants too. I\u2019m glad they don\u2019t have that problem with me. I don\u2019t want to live anywhere but right here in Cades Cove\u2026even if I am going to be alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie rolled her eyes and shook her head. \u201cLike I said, you won\u2019t be alone. You\u2019ll have your ma and pa, and Stephen will be here for a visit in July.\u201d Josie wrapped her arms around Rani\u2019s shoulders and hugged her close. \u201cI\u2019m the one who\u2019s going to be alone. I won\u2019t know anybody over at Townsend. You know Ted never has taken to farming, and there\u2019s nothing else for him in the Cove. His new job pays real good. They\u2019re going to furnish us a house too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani drew back in shock and gaped at Josie. \u201cHouse? Have you seen what that high and mighty Little River Logging Company calls houses? I went with Poppa to Townsend last month, and I couldn\u2019t believe what the workers were living in. They call them setoff houses because they bring them in on railroad cars and set them off on the hillsides or even right next to the railroad. They\u2019re nothing more than one-room shacks with tar paper roofs. When the lumber company gets through cutting all the trees in one place, they load the houses onto a train and ship them to the next spot for their workers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie\u2019s lip trembled, and her forehead wrinkled. \u201cI know.\u201d Her voice was almost a whisper. \u201cBut what can I do, Rani? Ted is my husband. We have to go where he can find work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani gazed past Josie to the cradle in the next room. \u201cI can\u2019t stand to think about you living in one of those things, especially now since you have a baby. Can\u2019t you convince Ted to stay in Cades Cove? This is the only life you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie pulled the corner of her apron up and wiped her eyes. She took a deep breath. \u201cWe\u2019ll be fine. I\u2019ll come back to visit, and you can come to Townsend to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani snorted and shook her head. \u201cNo thanks. I have no desire to share a one-room setoff house with you and your husband, not to mention your baby. I can\u2019t believe Ted would be so disloyal to the Cove to go work for a company that\u2019s trying to destroy our mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you accusing my husband of turning his back on his friends?\u201d Josie\u2019s eyes flared and grew dark with anger.<\/p>\n

Rani had seen that look before and realized she\u2019d gone too far. She really needed to follow her mother\u2019s advice and not be so outspoken about the company she thought was using the Smokies as a quick way to make money. Her opinion of Little River Lumber differed from that of many who\u2019d left to work for the logging company. Now she had sounded like she believed Ted to be a traitor to his friends.<\/p>\n

She reached out and grasped Josie\u2019s arm. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Josie. I didn\u2019t mean to criticize Ted. It\u2019s just that I\u2019ve been so upset over what Little River\u2019s doing to our mountains. Colonel Townsend has bought 86,000 acres of forest land all the way from Tuckaleechee to Clingman\u2019s Dome. I don\u2019t care if he does own the company, he\u2019s a foolish man. They\u2019re cutting every tree in their path. If somebody doesn\u2019t stop them, the Smokies will end up as barren hillsides.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie waved her hand in dismissal. \u201cAs usual, you\u2019re being overly dramatic. That\u2019s not going to happen. Like I said before, they pay well, and we need the money. End of discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani opened her mouth to respond, but the set of Josie\u2019s jaw told her it would be useless. With a sigh, she picked up the cake plate from the table and handed it to Josie. \u201cI hope you\u2019ll think of me every time you use this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie took the plate and clasped it in her hands like she held a priceless treasure. For the first time Rani caught a glimpse of fear in Josie\u2019s eyes, and the truth struck her. Josie didn\u2019t want to leave Cades Cove, but she had no choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will,\u201d Josie whispered. \u201cI wanted this to be the last thing I packed. After all, you\u2019re my best friend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani burst into tears and threw her arms around Josie. \u201cWe\u2019re more than best friends. I think of you as the sister I never had. \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMe too.\u201d Josie pulled back and wiped at the corner of her eyes. \u201cBut you know we could really be sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie\u2019s words shattered the mood of moments ago and swept all the sadness from Rani\u2019s mind. She took a step backward and wagged her finger in Josie\u2019s direction. \u201cOh no. Don\u2019t start that again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy not? George is crazy about you. All he talks about is how he wants to marry you, and you won\u2019t give him any encouragement. If you married him, we\u2019d be family. Sisters-in-law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani couldn\u2019t believe they were having this conversation again. \u201cI\u2019ve told you at least a hundred times that George is a good friend, but I don\u2019t love him. Even if I did, I don\u2019t think I\u2019d marry him.\u201d<\/p>\n

A skeptical expression crossed Josie\u2019s face. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? Isn\u2019t he good looking enough for you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani\u2019s mouth gaped open at the ridiculous suggestion. \u201cOh, Josie, you know I would never think that. The truth is George is the youngest child in his family, and he\u2019s spoiled rotten. If he doesn\u2019t get his way, he sulks for days. I wouldn\u2019t want a husband that I have to coddle and give in to all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie dropped her gaze to the cake plate she held and wrapped a burlap sack around it before she tucked it in the side of one of the baskets. \u201cI have to admit you\u2019re right. As a matter of fact, Ted told me George had an awful argument with his pa the other night. It seems he\u2019s upset because he\u2019s going to be left behind in the Cove after we leave.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani held up her hands in exasperation. \u201cYou see what I mean. George can only see what he wants. He doesn\u2019t realize what a great opportunity he has to work with his father on one of the best farms in the Cove.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, Rani, you know he\u2019s in love with you. That ought to be enough to make him a good husband.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe it would be for somebody else, but not for me. I\u2019m just eighteen years old. I have plenty of time to think about getting married. When I do, it\u2019s going to be because I love a man so much my heart aches when I\u2019m away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie turned to Rani and propped her hands on her hips. \u201cYeah, you\u2019ve always had those romantic ideas. I think it must come from all those stories about how hard it was for your pa to get your mother to marry him.\u201d She leaned closer to Rani. \u201cWell, for those of us who don\u2019t have a great love like that happen in our lives, we have to settle for the next best thing. It\u2019s not like there\u2019s a lot of men to choose from in the Cove. Being married to George is better than ending up an old maid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani flinched at Josie\u2019s words. She remembered how Josie had cried four years ago when Charlie Simmons left the Cove, bound for California. At the time she\u2019d thought it was because he was Ted\u2019s friend. Now she wasn\u2019t so sure. \u201cIs that what you did, Josie? You settled for the next best thing?\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie\u2019s face drained of color, and she put her hand to her throat. \u201cRani, I didn\u2019t mean\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s goin\u2019 on in here?\u201d<\/p>\n

At the sound of her husband\u2019s voice at the back door Josie\u2019s body stiffened, and she glanced over her shoulder. Rani\u2019s heart lurched at the lack of expression on Josie\u2019s face. She might very well have been looking at a stranger who\u2019d come to her door instead of her husband. \u201cI need to check on the baby,\u201d she said, and hurried from the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Ted Ferguson frowned and gazed after his wife as she hurried into the next room. His eyes darkened, and the look in his eyes told Rani he longed for something he would never have from Josie. After a moment he took a deep breath and smiled at her. \u201cYou two havin\u2019 another one of your friendly arguments?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani forced a laugh from her throat and wiped her eyes. \u201cNo argument. We\u2019re just a little emotional over the two of you leaving the Cove. It seems all my friends are taking off for different places. My family may be the only one left before long.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ted shook his head. \u201cNaw, you won\u2019t be. They\u2019ll have to drag my pa out of the Cove to get him to leave. He says he intends to be buried at the church he\u2019s gone to all his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what my pa says too.\u201d Rani picked up the empty basket sitting on the table. \u201cI left you some fried chicken and a fresh loaf of bread that Mama sent. She thought you might get hungry on your way to Townsend tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe always thinks about other folks. Tell her I\u2019m mighty obliged, and I hope I see her soon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ted followed Rani into the next room where Josie was holding her son. No one spoke for a moment, then Josie swallowed and handed the baby to Ted. \u201cTake care of Jimmy a minute while I walk Rani out.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Rani stepped onto the front porch, she glanced down at her dog lying next to the door. She snapped her fingers, and he jumped to his feet. He shook his shaggy body, wagged his tail, and awaited her command. It was so easy to communicate with animals. Give them love, feed them well, and reward them for good behavior, and they\u2019d do anything you asked. Too bad people weren\u2019t like that.<\/p>\n

Josie had a husband who did all that for her, but today Rani had discovered the secret Josie had kept so well hidden\u2014she would never be able to return Ted\u2019s love. Rani didn\u2019t want to end up like that.<\/p>\n

With a sigh, she reached down and stroked her dog\u2019s head. \u201cGood boy, Scout. You did what I said. Now let\u2019s go home.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Scout at her heels, she and Josie walked to the road that ran in front of the cabin. As they neared the edge of the yard, Rani turned to Josie. \u201cI\u2019m going to miss you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to miss you too. We\u2019re leaving early in the morning. So I guess I won\u2019t see you again. I hope you will come visit me in Townsend. We\u2019ll make room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani nodded. \u201cWe\u2019ll see. You take care of yourself. And Ted and little Jimmy too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Josie smiled, but Rani could see the tears she was fighting to control. \u201cGoodbye, Rani.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rani started to speak, but the words froze in her throat. She pressed her lips together and hugged her friend before she turned and started the long walk home. Scout trotted along beside her, and she didn\u2019t look back. She wanted to, but she didn\u2019t think she could stand the sight of Josie watching her walk away.<\/p>\n

She glanced down at the dog and smiled. \u201cWell, Scout, it\u2019s a two-mile walk home. Do you think you can make it?\u201d<\/p>\n

The dog stared up at her and yelped a reply without breaking his stride.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I can too.\u201d<\/p>\n

She didn\u2019t mind walking. It had always been her way of getting around the Cove, and it gave her time to think. Today she had a lot to mull over. Her discovery about Josie\u2019s feelings that she had settled for the next best thing still bothered her. She\u2019d never imagined that Josie might have been in love with someone else.<\/p>\n

Now that she thought back to four years ago, she remembered Josie seeming happy all summer. At the time, all she would say was that she\u2019d had her first kiss and was in love. Rani thought it had to be Ted because he had been in love with Josie for years. But it must have been Charlie Simmons, and things hadn\u2019t worked out. And soon after Charlie\u2019s departure from the Cove, Josie had agreed to marry Ted after putting him off for so long.<\/p>\n

Today she had learned the truth. Josie had settled for something\u2014someone\u2014she didn\u2019t want. How could she have done that? She must have thought she was doing the right thing, but she\u2019d been wrong. And she was wrong about something else. Being an old maid wasn\u2019t the worst thing that could happen to a woman. To Rani\u2019s way of thinking, being married to someone you didn\u2019t love was far worse.<\/p>\n

She squared her shoulders, clenched her fists at her side, and looked down at Scout. \u201cI promise you, Scout, I will never settle for second best, even if it means I never get married.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the moment he rode into Cades Cove a peace like he hadn\u2019t experienced in years came over Matthew Jackson. He pulled his horse to a stop and breathed in the sweet scent of mountain laurel drifting on the air. It smelled like home. He was back where his heart had remained.<\/p>\n

Had it really been twenty years since he left the Cove? He closed his eyes and tried to recall every memory of the days following the death of his drunkard father. Even now the thought of the life he, his mother, and his little brother had endured made the old anger he\u2019d tried to bury resurface. With his father drunk most of the time, survival had been hard. But his mother had seen to it that there was always food on the table. Then their lives had taken a turn for the worse when a tavern brawl had ended with his father lying dead of a gunshot wound.<\/p>\n

Matthew had been almost ten years old at the time, but overnight he became the man of the family. He\u2019d turned to a newcomer in the Cove, Anna Prentiss. Of course she was Anna Martin now. But to him she\u2019d always be the angel who\u2019d found a place for his family to live and had seen they were taken care of.<\/p>\n

He even remembered the last words he\u2019d spoken to her the day they left the Cove. She stood beside the wagon loaded with his family\u2019s few belongings, and he\u2019d said, \u201cI\u2019ll be back here someday.\u201d And now, thanks to the money he\u2019d saved working for the Little River Company, he had returned with the deed to his old homestead in his pocket.<\/p>\n

But would the people of the Cove welcome the return of Luke Jackson\u2019s son? His father had been a troublemaker and a bully, not to mention an abuser of his wife and children. The sturdy mountain folks didn\u2019t have time for a man who didn\u2019t take care of his family. As his mother used to say, people have long memories, and he was sure they could recall every one of his father\u2019s misdeeds. Now he was about to see if those memories had labeled him a ne\u2019er-do-well like his father.<\/p>\n

He could count on one hand the folks who would welcome him back. Simon and Anna Martin. Granny Lawson. They were the ones who made his childhood bearable, and he could hardly wait to see them. But first things first. He had to go to the place where he was born and fulfill a promise he\u2019d made to his dying mother fifteen years ago.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d leaned close to her frail, fever-ridden body to catch her last words spoken in that familiar mountain twang: \u201cWhen you git back to the Cove, see if????\u2019n my mountain laurel bush is still there, the one yore pa planted for me when we was first married.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all the heartache his father had put her through, she still held to the memory of the early days of her marriage when she\u2019d been so happy. Even now the thought of how her eyes had sparkled for a moment, reliving a happier time, made him feel as if a hammer had crushed his heart. His mother and little Eli, his brother. Gone too soon.<\/p>\n

He cleared his throat and swiped at his eyes. No need to think about those things now. This was homecoming day, but it was different from what he\u2019d dreamed about when he was a boy. He\u2019d come back alone.<\/p>\n

Straightening in the saddle, he spurred the horse forward and concentrated on the road twisting through the valley he loved. All around him were the sights and sounds he\u2019d longed for, but he focused on getting home and seeing the place he\u2019d left twenty years ago.<\/p>\n

When he pulled the horse to a halt at what had once been the cabin where he\u2019d lived, his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. It was worse than he\u2019d expected. The skeleton of a cabin sat near the tulip poplar tree he\u2019d climbed as a boy\u2014bigger now than he remembered. The house\u2019s roof had long ago succumbed to the forces of nature and had caved in. A few timbers marked the spot where it had once been. Weeds grew across what had once been a yard.<\/p>\n

Even in its best days the cabin hadn\u2019t been much, but it could have been if his father had concentrated on making a life for his family instead of spending his time in a drunken stupor. The old hatred welled up in his heart, and he whispered the plea he\u2019d prayed every day since he could remember. \u201cGod, don\u2019t let me be like him. Make me a better man.\u201d<\/p>\n

The promise he\u2019d made his mother flashed into his mind, and he climbed down from the horse and tied the reins to a sapling. Taking a deep breath to slow his racing heart, he headed around the side of the house. Had the mountain laurel plant survived the years?<\/p>\n

His gaze drifted to his feet, and a warning flickered in his head. The weeds along what used to be a path had been trampled. Someone else had passed this way not long ago.<\/p>\n

With hesitant steps, he inched forward. The knee-high weeds swished against his legs. He caught sight of his mother\u2019s plant that now towered higher than his head, and he stopped in amazement. It wasn\u2019t the bloom-covered bush that made his breath catch in his throat. It was a young woman who appeared unaware of his presence. With her arms outstretched and her face turned up to the sun, she whirled in circles in front of the mountain laurel bush while saying something in a language he didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

Her bare feet hammered the hardened earth around the plant in a pounding rhythm. Pink blooms from the mountain laurel bush ringed the top of her head and several more protruded from the mass of black hair that reached below her shoulders.<\/p>\n

She moved with the grace and elegance of a queen, and he thought he had never seen anyone more beautiful. He tried to speak, to alert her she wasn\u2019t alone, but he felt as if he had come under her spell and had been forbidden to move.<\/p>\n

Suddenly the air crackled with frantic barking, and a dog emerged from the other side of the bush. His hackles raised, he positioned himself between Matthew and the girl. She jerked to a stop and stared at him, wide-eyed. The dog snarled and inched forward.<\/p>\n

Her dark eyes narrowed, and with one snap of her fingers she quieted the dog. She didn\u2019t move, and her arched eyebrow told him his company wasn\u2019t welcomed. \u201cStay back, mister, or I\u2019ll sic my dog on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

He glanced down at the dog, whose body still bristled as if he was ready to attack. \u201cI don\u2019t mean you any harm, miss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why did you sneak up on me?\u201d<\/p>\n

He shook his head. \u201cI didn\u2019t. I stopped when I heard your voice. What were you saying?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust some words I learned from a Cherokee woman.\u201d She frowned and glanced past him. \u201cAre you alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am. I just rode into the Cove from Townsend.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her body stiffened, and her lips curled into a sneer. \u201cTownsend? Are you with the Little River Company?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt figures.\u201d She spit the words at him as if they were distasteful. \u201cWe get a lot of Little River workers checking out the Cove. You people are always searching for another stand of timber to cut down, aren\u2019t you?\u201d She bent down, grabbed her discarded shoes, and slipped them on her feet. Then with her arms rigid at her sides and her fists clenched, she took a step toward him. \u201cWell, you can go back and tell your bosses we don\u2019t sell our land and our trees to outsiders who want to clear cut their way through the Smokies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The defiant look in her eyes shot daggers at him, and they felt as if they poked deep holes in his heart. This girl\u2019s words echoed the fierce pride shared by all the Cove residents for this valley, his valley, the place he called home. He wanted to tell her he agreed with her, that all he wanted was to live again among the people he remembered. Instead, other words emerged from his lips. \u201cI worked for their railroad, not the logging company.\u201d<\/p>\n

She shook her head, and one of the blooms tumbled to the ground. Her eyes widened, and she glanced up as if she\u2019d forgotten she wore a crown of flowers. A flush covered her cheeks, and she yanked the blossoms from her thick hair. \u201cThey\u2019re the same to me. Maybe you didn\u2019t cut our trees, but you carried them away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew swallowed hard. There was something so familiar about this girl. Her brown eyes, dark complexion, and the high cheekbones reminded him of someone. It wasn\u2019t possible he could have met her before. She probably hadn\u2019t even been born when he had left the Cove. But still, there was something. He took a step closer, and the dog growled. With a smile he stopped and held up his hands. \u201cI\u2019m not coming closer.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood.\u201d She sniffed and snapped her fingers again. \u201cLet\u2019s go, Scout. It\u2019s time we got home.\u201d<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t move as she strode past him, her head held high and her dog at her side. He turned and watched her disappear around the side of what had once been his home. Her straight back and determined stride reminded him of the spirited mountain women he\u2019d known. They attacked the harsh life in the Cove and planted the seed of unyielding loyalty to the land in their children. Just like his mother had done with him.<\/p>\n

Someone had instilled that same devotion in this girl. He hoped he\u2019d get to meet the person who had done that, for he had just encountered the fierce mountain pride that had ruled his life. And it thrived in the most beautiful woman he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"divider2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

MY REVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Mountain Homecoming<\/a> is the sequel to “Angel of the Cove” in Robbins’ Smoky Mountain Dreams<\/em> series, it can easily stand alone. Mountain Homecoming<\/a> features Rani, grown daughter of Samuel and Anna Martin who were the principal characters in “Angel of the Cove”. Even if this story can be enjoyed without having read the previous installment, I would suggest picking up a copy of both books for the pure reading pleasure they both afford.<\/p>\n

Rani is a true child of Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains and cannot imagine ever living elsewhere but as she has grown older, many of her friends have left the cove in order to find employment so that they can support their families. Just when Rani was feeling lonely and that she would never discover what God had in mind for her life, Matthew Jackson returns to the cove after years away. Unsure of his reception because of his late father’s reputation, Matthew was heartened by the warm welcome he received from the Martin family. He and Rani quickly became close friends and a closer relationship developed between them before either of them was prepared to deal with it. Matthew’s inability to forgive himself for his past created a gulf between himself and Rani that sent her running to spend time with her uncle away from the cove. Could there ever be a happy ending for Matthew and Rani or would she find happiness away from the cove?<\/p>\n

I loved reading about the people of Cades Cove, especially the chance to catch up with familiar faces from “Angel of the Cove” such as Samuel, Anna, and Granny. Once again, Sandra painted a wonderful picture of life in the Smokies that included love for home and family, a touch of humor, some drama, action, and suspense, and of course romance. Most important was the way each character tried to follow the Lord’s will for their lives and how both Rani and Matthew had to come to grips with their own feelings of inadequacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,41,133],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","category-romance","category-smoky-mountains"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14384"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14405,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14384\/revisions\/14405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.daysongreflections.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}