Breaking Matthew (14 page)

He glanced over at me with wide eyes as the group made its way into the kitchen and dining room. Asa pulled out a chair for Mother, and Roy, Eddie and Thomas took the other three. Roy wasted no time getting down to business.

“Lizzy filled us in on what’s been going on around here. Maybe not every detail, but I think I have a clear picture. So what can we do to help?”

“I’m not sure there’s much you can do,” Asa said. “But Matthew and I’ve been keeping watch at night for anything suspicious, and it’s been quiet so far.”

“We can definitely help out with keeping watch,” Roy said.

“Yeah, that’s our specialty,” Eddie said.

Mother leaned onto the table and pointed her finger at them. “Now listen here,” she said, her tone serious. “There won’t be any of your foolishness while you’re here. I came to you because I was afraid for Ruby, but I don’t aim to heap more trouble on top of trouble. You understand?”

Roy put his hands up, weathered palms on display. “No trouble from us, Lizzy. We left every drop of ’shine at home. We’re just here to protect Ruby, like you asked.”

The sound of wheels on the dirt road made everyone at the table freeze. But seconds later, they were up on their feet. Roy and Eddie headed for the window in the living room, while Thomas moved to the wall on the other side of the table. He pushed aside the curtain to peer outside. Matthew grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the bedroom.

I thought my heart might beat right out of my chest. Were the police already here for my uncles? Maybe it was the Klan coming. I imagined a violent confrontation, and immediately started praying.

“Sit on the floor between the bed and the wall,” Matthew said.

He made sure I was settled, and then he went to stand beside the doorway. It got so quiet, I could hear the tires spin to a halt outside. Then heavy footsteps crunched on the porch. Mother’s voice rang out through the house.

“It’s just James!”

Matthew leaned his back against the wall and blew out a long breath. “This is crazy.” Concern in his eyes, he walked over and offered me a hand up. “You all right?”

I nodded, unable to form any words.

“Come on,” he said.

We walked into the living room just as Mother finished introducing her brothers to James, who had only come as far as a couple of feet into the house. He stood with his arms crossed and his brow mashed down as he looked everyone over.

“Mother, did you invite them?” he asked.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why? I thought…aren’t you just inviting more problems for Ruby? She’s already in enough trouble as it is. We don’t need more criminals holing up here.”

More
criminals? Was that how James saw me? As a criminal?

Roy stepped toward James, and I saw a flicker of fear in James’s eyes. “Don’t worry about your mother or sister,” Roy said. “We ain’t bringing no trouble. Just want to be here in case someone tries something.”

“Well, that’s reassuring,” James muttered.

Roy turned to Asa. “Why don’t we finish our discussion, get some plans in place, and then get everyone settled?”

The men all moved toward the dining table again. Matthew took my hand and squeezed it. “You all right with all this?”

“Do I have much of a choice?”

“I don’t reckon. But I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable either.”

My head was swirling with feelings, so I wasn’t sure how to answer. I just knew I didn’t want Matthew to let go of my hand. But he did.

“It’s going to be all right,” he said. Then he kissed the top of my head and followed the others to the table.

My legs felt just a bit wobbly as I followed. Mother was already pulling food out of the cabinets, so I went over to help her prepare something for all these men to eat. Meanwhile, Asa and Roy took over planning shifts for them all to keep an eye on things. When I glanced over at them all gathered around the table, I noticed James was the only one away from the action. All the others were either seated or standing at the edge of the table, leaning over as Roy used his fingers to draw imaginary maps on the table. But James stood over by the wall, his arms still crossed, his face still angry.

I was sliding the biscuits out of the oven when I heard Thomas say something that caught my attention. “Look, this is all well and good, but I think we’re avoiding the obvious solution here.”

“What’s that?” Roy asked.

Thomas gestured over toward me. “If they are railroading Ruby into a murder conviction, why are we just waiting around? We can take her out to the caverns for a while, get her set up with a new name and all, and she can just—”

“No!” Mother said, slamming a pot of beans onto the counter.

Thomas stopped talking, and all the men turned wide eyes at Mother. “She is not going to become some fugitive like you three. She didn’t murder anybody, and when the jury hears the truth, all this will be straightened out.”

Thomas drummed his fingers on the table. “Look, I didn’t mean to upset you, Lizzy. But we have to think about the reality of what Ruby’s facing here. Even if she’s found not guilty, she may still have a target on her. It might be best to consider it as a last resort.”

“I think he’s right,” Eddie said. “We got some experience at hiding out. Might be best to plan for it, just in case.”

James pushed away from the wall. “I can’t listen to another word of this garbage.” He marched over to the doorway that opened into the living room and faced the table. “This is about the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Ruby is the one who created this mess because she has to go around saving the world, even Negroes. Now, we’ve got you all coming in here like it’s the wild west, preparing for hiding out from the law, and Lord knows what else! I can’t be a part of this.”

That was enough for Matthew. His eyes blazed as he pointed an accusatory finger at James from across the room. “You can’t be a part of this? You haven’t been a part of anything! You haven’t so much as shown your face to Ruby since she was arrested, or even asked her how’s she’s doing.”

“You got no right to blame me for anything!” James yelled. “I have a family to protect, a wife who lost her brother—”

“That brother tried to kill your sister!” Matthew roared back.

Asa stood from his chair and held out his hands toward Matthew and James. “Boys, let’s try to stay calm.”

James turned his fiery glare on Asa. “You are not my daddy, and you have no say in what I do.”

Eddie jumped up from his chair. “Why are you even here? You ain’t no Kellum. You ain’t even part of this family! Why, your mother was a Cass!”

Mother gasped and flew over to the table. “Eddie, you shut your mouth!”

Eddie slumped back into his chair like he’d been slapped. Mother turned to James, who stared at her with incredulous eyes. “What is he talking about?”

“James,” she said with a shaky voice, “it’s a long story. Just come on back in here and let’s talk about this.”

James backed away. “No. Just tell me the truth. Is he saying you’re…you’re not my mother?”

No one said anything. The men around the table had all dropped their heads and were studying the floor or their hands. I didn’t know what to do, but I felt compelled to try.

“James, please don’t leave,” I said, walking toward him. “We’re family, and we need to stick together. Everything can be explained.”

“You…you know about this?” he said.

I stopped beside Mother, whose eyes were wide in shock. Clearly Asa had not informed her what he’d shared with me in confidence, all those years ago. “I—I found out by accident. Just come back and listen.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want any part of this.” Then he stormed out the door and drove away.

Chapter Thirteen

Matthew

I took Ruby out the back door while the others went back to planning things. She buried her face in my chest, and I held her while she cried. I could’ve punched James right in the mouth for tearing her apart like that. He’d always treated Ruby more like a burden than a sister. But I didn’t dare say anything against him.

Once she’d settled down some, I sat with her on the back steps. “Listen, James is gonna be all right,” I said. “He never seemed too attached to the family.”

She wiped the last tears from her face and looked out over the fields. “No…You’re right, I know James will be fine. But what if I never get to see little Abner again? He’s my nephew, and I love him like crazy.”

“I know everything seems all messed up right now, but let’s not worry too much about the future. Let’s focus on the next week or so. You don’t need to be concerning yourself with all the fuss going on in there. You need to be going over in your mind what your story is, and exactly how to answer the questions that are going to come up.”

“You’re right about that. I don’t know how I’m going to be able to sit in front of all those people and lie. What a mess I’ve gotten myself into!”

“You know…you could just tell the truth.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. I can’t put Samuel in that kind of danger. Just look what’s happening to me. It would be a hundred times worse for him, and there would be no uncles or friends to stand up for him.”

I had a feeling she’d throw herself right in between Samuel and any mob after him. I had to consider that maybe that would be even worse. So I decided to shift topics.

“You got a meeting with Mr. Oliver soon to get everything straight, right?”

“Monday morning.”

“Are you going to tell him about Samuel?”

She shook her head again. I didn’t really expect she’d say yes, but there was always hope.

“I’ll come over and pick you up and drive you into town,” I said.

Ruby’s eyes darted over to me. “You aren’t staying here?”

“I figured with all these bodies around, I should go on back to my parents’ house. Your uncles are more than capable of keeping you safe.” The disappointment on her face made my insides warm. She wanted me to be with her, something I’d not yet gotten used to. Was it safety she yearned for? Or was it me? “But if you want me to stay with you, I will.”

“No, you should be with your family. I’m sure they want you home.”

I hated the thought of leaving her, but what I really needed to do was to find out what was going on with Father, and if he was indeed trying to build up evidence against Ruby. It was time for us to have an honest conversation. I especially wanted to know why he was putting my name on land deeds. And I’d have to face his fury over selling them to get the money for Ruby’s bond.

I gave her a hand up and walked with her back into the house. The meeting had broken up, and her uncles were taking bedrolls out to the barn. I found Asa sitting with Mrs. Graves on the sofa. They held hands, and I could see Mrs. Graves had been crying as well.

“I’m going to head on back and stay at my parents’ place now that you have more help,” I said. “I have some family matters to tend to, but I’ll be back Monday morning to take her to her meeting with Mr. Oliver. I promise I’ll be right by Ruby’s side through this.”

Asa stood and offered me a hand. “Thank you so much for everything. I really don’t know how to show you how grateful we are.”

“There’s no need. And if anything comes up, I’m just a few miles away. But I got a feeling once word gets around that Ruby’s uncles are here for a visit, you won’t be getting any more suspicious messages.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Mrs. Graves stood and gave me a hug, thanking me as well. “You are such a blessing to all of us.”

Ruby walked me out to my car. We stood there staring at each other with awkward half smiles. “You sure you don’t need me to stay? I could come back later tonight.”

“No, really. I’ll be fine.”

I shouldn’t leave her.
I shouldn’t love her.

“Try and stay out of trouble, just for one night,” I said.

She laughed. “I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”

I got into my car and waved goodbye as I turned around to drive up the dirt road. When I turned left to head back toward Hanceville, she was still standing right where I left her, watching me drive away.

I spent the ten-minute drive home wondering what in the world I was doing. I wasn’t just falling for Ruby; I was betraying Vanessa. And I was setting us all up for pain if I didn’t do something about it. Was a future with Ruby even possible?

Thomas was right about one thing. Once the trial was over, and Ruby was cleared, that didn’t necessarily mean she was safe. I could take her away from Cullman. She’d always wanted to travel and see the world. We could move west. I could make a life for us. But how?

Father was sure to cut me off completely if I married Ruby. I’d have no job, no money, and no family to help us out until I could get those things. I’d be ensuring a life of poverty for us, at least for a while. But I wasn’t afraid of being poor. I’d never cared for money anyway. Too many expectations came with it. But Ruby deserved a life so much better than she’d had so far.

And what about Vanessa? I did truly care for her, though I had to admit it was completely different from the way I loved Ruby. Vanessa and I were a good fit, and we never fought. I couldn’t remember the last time she had a cross word for me.

I turned onto the dirt lane that wound along our property and caught a glimpse of the stately white house I’d grown up in. Giving it all up would be as easy as breathing. But hurting the people I loved? Mother. Mary. Vanessa. Could I hurt them so deeply as to cut them out of my life? Because I knew deep down, that was where the path with Ruby would lead.

When I pulled my car in front of the house I noticed another car already parked in my usual spot. It was the Paschals’ car. I’d have to face Vanessa and her family a lot sooner than I’d thought.

I trudged up the steps, dreading both conversations I’d be having that evening. When I opened the door, Vanessa was the first to greet me. She came toward me with her hands outstretched for mine. “Sweetie, I hope you don’t mind our surprise, but I couldn’t sit around waiting any longer.”

“What are you doing here?” Stumbling to cover the disappointment she must have heard in my voice, I took her hands and kissed her on the cheek. But her smile faded all the same. “I mean, of course, it’s wonderful to see you, but it’s quite a long trip from Montgomery.”

Mrs. Paschal stepped toward me and offered her hand, which I took immediately. “Mr. Paschal had some business to complete with your father that needed his attention, and Vanessa and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see you. All of you.”

I glanced at Mother and studied her for a moment. She never was very good at disguising her plots, and this one stunk to high heaven of her meddling. But perhaps it was true. I had seen Mr. Paschal’s name in the ledger I’d found in Father’s office. Perhaps they did have some business to attend to, and maybe it wasn’t as underhand as it had seemed from that book. Still, I had to wonder, how did she know I’d be coming home today?

Mother reached over and hugged me. “Thank the Lord you came home,” she whispered in my ear. Then she pulled away and took Mrs. Paschal by the elbow. “Come, let’s get some tea and leave these two lovebirds to talk.”

As soon as they left the room, my nerves tightened. Something strange was going on. “Vanessa, how long have you been here?”

“We arrived yesterday, late in the afternoon. Your mother said you were helping your brother with some repairs to his house and had to stay there last night.”

I nodded, deciding the truth would be difficult to explain. “Would you like to take a walk?”

“That would be nice.”

I ushered her out the door, and we headed around to the back of the house for the path that encircled part of our property. A cool breeze whipped up the dry leaves, and it occurred to me I should’ve asked if she needed a coat. “Are you cold?”

“Not too much,” she said. “It’s a beautiful day. The trees are magnificent this time of year. I think the bright yellow is my favorite. How about yours?”

I hadn’t even noticed the trees, and had no desire to talk about them. I shoved my hands in my pockets and tried to think of what, if anything, I should say about Ruby.

“I’m sorry I haven’t called in a while,” I said. “Things have gotten rather intense around here.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.”

“What have you heard?”

“Your mother says you’ve been spending a great deal of time at the jail with Ruby, and that you went behind your father’s back to pay her bond. He’s very upset.”

That was an understatement. “Father and I have never exactly gotten along. You know that. But it’s worse than ever over Ruby’s situation.”

“Why are you sacrificing so much for her?” She stopped and looked me right in the eyes. “Matthew, are you in love with her?”

And there it was, the direct question, with no room to avoid the truth. “Listen, I want to be honest with you, but I hope you’ll give me a chance to explain. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”

Her eyes widened. “So it’s true.”

“I can explain everything. I do care for Ruby deeply. She’s a very close friend—”

“Who you haven’t spoken to in over four years, but suddenly is the most important person in the world.” She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Have you loved her all this time? Is she the reason you don’t ever come home to see your family?”

“No, it’s not that. I can’t explain everything—”

“You just said you
would
explain everything! So which is it? You can explain, or you
can’t
explain?”

I was getting this all wrong. I hadn’t been prepared for this conversation. I still wasn’t even sure of what I wanted. Everything was so complicated. “I just meant that I would try to explain, and that I would be honest with you.”

“Are you breaking off our engagement? Are you destroying our future for some farm girl who’s probably a murderer?”

“Now hold on a minute! I’m trying to be honest with you. And she didn’t murder anybody.”

Vanessa uncrossed her arms and took a long, deep breath. “Look, you’re just confused. Coming home makes you crazy. We both know that. You just need to get away from here and get some perspective.”

“I can’t—”

“You said you’d look for jobs in Montgomery. Daddy can give you work until something better comes along.”

“Vanessa—”

“We can move past this. Once you get away from all this, you’ll see—”

“Vanessa! I’m not leaving. I promised Ruby I wouldn’t leave her again, and I’m not going to break that promise.”

She stared at me, silent and unblinking, while the leaves swirled around us. I felt sick. How could I have handled this so poorly? At last she took a step back and hugged her arms around her waist. Closing her eyes, she tilted her head back, as if she was soaking up the last warmth of the sun.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “You’re a beautiful, kind, and gracious woman. I don’t deserve you.”

Vanessa lowered her head and opened her eyes. The pain and confusion I saw in them was almost unbearable. “I…I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe this is happening.” She turned and glanced at the house behind us. “I’ll speak to Mother this evening, and we’ll be gone tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“What?” she said, with a strange, high-pitched laugh. “Should we stay here? That’s absurd.”

“You’re still friends. We’re all still friends. My family, and yours. It doesn’t have to be such an awful thing, does it?”

She sucked in a breath and smiled, though I could tell it was forced. “Of course. We’re all still the best of friends. The best.” Then she spun on her heels and headed back up the path for the house.

As I watched her go, I wondered if maybe I shouldn’t have just stayed at the Graves’s farm. I had a feeling that things at this house were only going to get worse.

Supper that evening was about the most awkward meal I’d ever sat through. Mother and Mrs. Paschal chatted away as if nothing was going on, while Vanessa sat beside me in complete silence. Father hadn’t spoken one word to me since he’d arrived home just before supper. Though he did take the opportunity to shoot daggers at me with his eyes every now and again. He and Mr. Paschal both remained quiet, so the women filled the conversation with gossip. As I listened to their chatter, I began to get the impression that Vanessa had not yet mentioned our conversation to her mother.

“Well now,” Mrs. Paschal said as she glanced around the table. “Since we’re all here together, we could get a few things settled about the wedding.”

I felt Vanessa stiffen. I’d been right. Why hadn’t she said anything?

Mother’s face beamed over at me. “We’re all so excited! What do you think of having the wedding in Cullman? I mean, you still have family in these parts, and we’d love to host an engagement party!”