“If you don’t mind, gentlemen,” Layla said, snuggling Heath closer. “The baby and I will just head into the house. We will clean up his mess, and then we will see about making some dinner.”
“Ahh … all right,” Jack said, slowly coming back to himself. “You have a good day there, ma’am.”
“Thank you, and you as well, Jack,” Layla returned politely. She did not wait for Mark to answer as she knew it was best to get the baby out of his dirty nappy immediately. Turning and coasting back into the house, she held Heath tight as she walked up the stairs and stopped in his nursery to handle his business.
Working swiftly, she sang softly to Heath. “So, rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.” Heath squirmed and giggled, which only prompted Layla to keep singing. “Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.” The floorboards creaked behind her. She imagined that Mark had followed them up the stairs, but as he did not speak, she did not acknowledge his presence, either. She kept right on singing and taking care of Heath’s business, smiling as she continued her work.Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, she thought as Heath giggled again.
Chapter Six
The next few days passed quickly for Mark. Though he had a great many things to do around the ranch, he felt obligated to make sure his wife was adjusting to her duties. While she struggled with some of the chores, like plucking eggs from the chicken coop and kneading bread dough, he watched fondly whenever he saw her interacting with Heath. As he rubbed the sides of the palomino Felix’s flanks, he thought of the two of them.
It was nearing supper time, and he would need to head inside shortly. The crisp air that wrapped around him made him think of winters back in Ohio, even though he was standing right next to the horse and its hot breath.
“Glad I’m not there,” Mark muttered.
“Glad you’re not where?” Jack asked, his black hat visible before the rest of him as he came around the corner of the horse stables. He was carrying a saddle that looked to have been freshly cleaned, and Mark thought with satisfaction that the young man had done a good job.
“Nowhere,” Mark answered quickly, taken aback that he was no longer alone, and then caught himself. He didn’t always wish to be so brusque with others, and he knew that he needed to make a concerted effort to be more polite, especially to a hard worker like Jack. “I mean,” he started slowly. “I was thinking about my boyhood days. I used to live in Ohio.”
Jack moved alongside Mark and patted Felix’s sides, mimicking Mark’s massaging motions. “You never told me that.”
“Not much to tell,” Mark replied, forcing himself to relax and make small talk. He usually tried to talk as little about his young life as possible, but he wanted to improve and become a better communicator. “I’m just glad to be here now, as even when the temperature dips here, it’s still warmer than it was there.”
Jack nodded, “Plus, here in Willow Lake, you’ve found yourself a fine-looking missus—” Jack froze under Mark’s steely stare. He stammered, “Umm … I-I mean …”
Mark waited for the young man to get his bearings, but he couldn’t imagine the audacity it took to say something like that. Mark couldn’t believe that Jack would dare mention his wife and her looks. He frowned.
Now that he thought about it, he supposed that Layla was a nice-looking young woman. He had thought the same thing himself the first time she showed up on his doorstep a few weeks earlier, so he could hardly fault Jack for mentioning it now.
“I’m glad Miss Fitzpatrick has come to live with us,” Mark admitted finally. “She and Heath get along well, and I am thankful for her assistance.”
“That’s what I meant to say,” Jack said quickly and gulped. He scratched the thick and matted blond hair underneath his heavy hat, shifting it to one side as he did so.
“Fine,” Mark answered abruptly, rebuking himself once more for being so quick to cut off others.
Jack must have sensed his employer’s unease as he changed topics. “I thought I saw you out in the far fields this afternoon. You got plans for the crop rotation out there or …”
Mark could tell the young man was hoping he would share his thoughts with him, and he obliged. “Now that Miss Fitzpatrick is with us, I feel like I have a little more time. I can get more accomplished each day.” Jack nodded comprehendingly. Mark squinted his eyes and thought about how his life had been not too long ago, marveling at how things had changed so rapidly. “I spent some time in the far fields today because I’m thinking about purchasing some of that adjoining land.”
“From old man Winn?” Jack asked curiously, raising a hand to scratch at the outside of his nose.
“No,” Mark returned. “Old man Winn isn’t in for business much anymore. If I wanted to deal with the Winns, I’d have to contact his son, George, but I’m not thinking about that right now. I thought maybe the land on the other side of the property that belonged to the Beckers might be better.”
“The Beckers?” Jack asked quizzically. “I know they got plenty of land, but there’s also lots of trees already planted on their plots. Are you thinking of chopping some of them down?”
“No,” Mark replied, a little eager at the prospect of getting into a new area of business. “I was thinking of multiplying the number of trees in those groves.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was thinking of buying that land and planting fruit and nut trees. In that soil and in this climate, we ought to be able to plant anything from oranges, lemons, and grapefruit to peaches, limes, and plums. I even thought pecans might do well out there.”
“And what would you do with all that produce?” Jack inquired thoughtfully.
“I’d sell it, of course,” Mark replied. “I mean, we’d use some of it around the house, but I figured we’d sell most of it. Miss Fitzpatrick’s father owns the general stores in town, and I’m sure he could find some space for a little fresh fruit. Plus, he might be able to connect me with other buyers who might be looking to purchase in bulk.”
“Sounds like you got it all worked out,” Jack said, taking his hands from Felix’s side and shoving them into his pockets.
Mark cocked his head and thought it over. It did seem as though he had created a plan that might work effortlessly. A gush of wind blew through the barn, and a cold chill ran up Mark’s spine.
