He looked at her carefully. “I didn’t notice in the dim light of the dining room, but you have burned your face.”
Layla’s small hands flew to her cheeks, and even though she had not noticed it before, she could feel that her skin was indeed hot to the touch. Pressing the pads of her fingers deeper into her cheeks, it stung a little. “I …” Layla mumbled. “In the general store, I never had to think much about the heat of the sun,” she stammered. “I didn’t wear a bonnet often because I didn’t have to worry about the exposure.”
“And when you forgot about the dangers of the sun’s rays, did you also neglect to cover Heath properly?” Mark asked, his voice radiating anger.
Layla’s hand flew to her mouth. “I …” She didn’t know how to explain, so she rushed into an apology. “I’m so sorry, Mark. It was so early that I didn’t think to grab one when I got going this morning. I just got so caught up with my chores and the baby that I completely forgot.”
Mark looked at her critically, stepping toward her. She knew he wasn’t trying to be intimidating; he was merely attempting to get a better look at her face. “Lucky for you, there should be no permanent damage. It looks just to be a sunburn, and your skin should recover just fine. Heath’s skin is susceptible to sunburns as he is a baby, and so you will need to take special care to shade him by placing a hat or a bonnet of some sort onto his head any time he is outdoors.”
“Yes, Mr. Flint. I do apologize. I was so caught up in gathering the strawberries and—”
“Just don’t let it happen again,” Mark grunted, and Layla nodded obediently. “Now,” Mark cleared his throat and motioned back toward the dining room. “We have a meal to finish. If you leave that bread out, I’ll try to salvage what I can and feed it to the pigs tomorrow morning.”
“All right,” Layla replied meekly, ducking her head as she followed Mark back into the dining room and sank into her seat. She had been trying so hard to impress him with this fancy supper, but she made one mistake right after another. She wondered why she was incapable of pleasing him and why it meant so much for her to succeed in this endeavor. Looking over toward Heath, she noted he was happily smooshing his potatoes around the sides of his bowl.
Even when all seems wrong in the world, Heath is here to make me smile, Layla thought as the corner of her mouth twitched. She looked at the baby lovingly and then cast her eyes to the other end of the table where Mark was sitting. He was chewing his food carefully and avoided making eye contact with her. Layla sighed; she’d just have to try again the next day.
Chapter Eight
Mark was utterly exhausted. It had been one of the longest Saturdays in his recollection, and all he really wanted to do was go upstairs and collapse onto his bed.
Long, long day.Mark tiptoed down the hallway to Heath’s room. He cracked the door open so that he might pop his head inside and observe the sleeping babe. “Rest well, my son,” he whispered before pulling himself back out of the room. He left the green door slightly ajar so that he could hear Heath if he should awaken.
Ever since Layla helped Mark with Heath and subsequently came to stay, the baby had slept more soundly, and Mark was extremely grateful for that. It made these nighttime work sessions so much more productive when Mark didn’t have to hop up and down every few minutes to run into Heath’s room. Thinking how thankful he was for Layla’s presence and feeling slightly disheartened by the way their day unfolded together, Mark snuck a peek at Layla’s green door. Since it was open just a half-inch, he thought he might as well look in on her.
“Layla,” Mark whispered softly as he opened the door just enough to stick his head inside the room. He didn’t want to disturb her if she was praying or getting ready for bed, but he did want to speak with her. “Layla,” Mark repeated, but his call went unanswered.
Curled on her side, Layla was sound asleep. Her breathing was light and even, and she seemed very peaceful in her repose. Her face was fixed in a still expression, and he could see that even in sleep, a small smile turned up the corners of her lips.
How does she do that?Mark thought, watching her with admiration. He worked hard all day long, but Mark still found it difficult to unwind at the end of the day.
Some nights, sleep eluded him for hours, and he would lie awake staring at the ceiling. He marveled at how sweet Layla looked when she slept, guilty for being gruff with her earlier in the day.I shall try to be kinder tomorrow,he told himself as he withdrew from the room, never taking his eyes from Layla’s sleeping face, careful not to disturb her slumber.
As he headed into his study, Mark thought about a great many changes that occurred in his home over the last two weeks. He thought of how Layla and Heath played in the garden, and a small smile crept onto his face. The sound of his son’s laughter was the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard, and now that Layla had spent time with Heath, that cheerful giggle rang out quite often.
Thinking of Layla again made him feel guilty. He shook his head at his own behavior. Ever since Trudie left, Mark found it difficult to interact with females; he expected the worst. That was unfair to Layla, and to all women, for that matter, but his insecurities lingered.
Mark lifted a hand to his chin, and he scratched his jawline. The short stubble rubbed coarsely against his calloused hands.I must try harder with Layla. I must not make her feel unwelcome here.Even though she had only been there for a short amount of time, Mark was grateful to her, and he resolved to try and show his appreciation more in the next few days.
***
“You have a good day now, Mr. Flint,” Mr. Samuels, the bank director, of the bank hollered as Mark walked out the front door.
Mark did his best to remember his manners, and instead of simply swatting away the comment and stalking from the establishment, he turned back around. He held the door open behind him and spoke quietly, “Thank you, Mr. Samuels.”
His time in town was underwhelming, as he came away from the bank with more questions than he’d had when he’d started the endeavor with the fruit trees. Shaking his head dismally, he rounded the bend that would lead him back home.I just don’t understand it,he thought, and his horse, Felix, knickered as if the animal could feel his tension, too.I thought I had everything in order.His meeting at the bank hadn’t gone well, and he didn’t want to bring his sour mood home with him. As he got closer to his property, the two-story red brick adobe house looming in the distance, he wondered what Heath and Layla were up to.
Probably back from church,he mused. He liked that Layla took Heath into the church services each Sunday. She had told him how the baby enjoyed the music, and Mark thought church must be the best place to hear songs and hymns. When Mark attended church, the music had also been his favorite part of the service. He looked forward to seeing the pair and wondered which hymns the congregation and the choir might have sung that day. As Mark thought of the sweet sounds of lifted voices as they worshipped, his heart ached. He used to love going to church and being a congregation member. He missed the feeling that came over him when the music moved and flowed forth, but he wasn’t sure he believed in the words of those songs anymore. He couldn’t be sure that God loved him or that his Maker was on his side.
Instead of taking Felix directly down to the stables, Mark hopped off the horse and led the animal around the side of the house, hoping to spot Layla and Heath together. He wasn’t disappointed, as when he came around the backside of the house, he could hear Layla talking to Heath.
Heath sat on the soft sandy earth, a large hat covering most of his face. Mark almost laughed when he saw the enormity of the straw hat but remained quiet as he wanted to watch the pair together. Layla was also sitting in the dirt, and she, too, had a colossal hat perched on her head. Mark felt guilty as he thought again of how his words must have made Layla feel the evening before, but he was also glad to see that she had taken him seriously and remedied the situation.
“Here, Heath,” Layla said clearly. “I want you to reach out your tiny little fingers … Yes, baby, that one. Now, feel this.” Mark moved with Felix as quietly as he possibly could so that he wouldn’t disrupt Layla. Tying the horse to a post situated near the corner of the house, he continued toward the garden.
The long, relatively narrow garden stretched almost the entire length of the back of the house. The berry patches stuck out at one end, but Layla and Heath were situated about mid-way, right in the thick of the full green leaves and plants. He walked toward the pair, stretching his neck so he might also be able to see what Layla was asking Heath to touch.
“Feel those soft green leaves?” Layla said quietly as Heath ran his hand up and down the underside of the leaves. “And here …” Layla continued, adjusting the plant slightly so that Heath could feel the rest of it. “Those are the stem and the vine. If you just keep moving your hand a little bit more, you will reach the pepper itself.” Heath moved his hand as Layla instructed, and he giggled when his little fingers touched the bulging green vegetable.
