“He does,” Layla agreed. “I was thinking of taking him down to Willow Lake sometime soon. I think he would love hearing the ducks and swimming in the lake.”
“That sounds like a fine plan.” Mark scooped water into his hand and poured the handful of water onto Heath’s belly.
“Da!” Heath shouted excitedly, making Mark startle in surprise.
“He knows it’s me, just by the touch of my hand!” Keeping his palm against Heath’s soft stomach, Mark massaged small circles as he’d seen Layla do.
“Yes, he does,” Layla said. She tipped her head to watch Mark thoughtfully. Mark met her gaze.
“This is fun, Layla. I’m glad I got to be a part of this,” Mark said, at last, tearing his eyes away from her.
“Of course, this is what families do for each other. We share the good times and the bad,” Layla answered as she dipped her hand in the water. “‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!’” she recited.
“Yes,” Mark said, but he was taking in what she just said. He recognized the verse; he thought it might have come from the book of Psalms, but he couldn’t be sure. Layla was right in her thinking—having cake together and sharing a giggle at bath time were the kinds of things families did together. Mark had missed that. He had always longed to be part of a cheerful family. He looked from Heath to Layla and thought:This is my family … and we are happy.
***
Later, after supper, Layla put Heath down to sleep and had settled into the sitting room with her Bible in her lap. An idea occurred to Mark. He hated to disturb her as she was reading, but he wanted to talk with her. “Layla,” he said softly.
“Yes, Mark?” she answered politely, moving her finger to keep her place on the page.
“What are you reading tonight?” Mark craned his neck to see if he could make out the words printed on the page.
“I’m just thumbing through Psalms,” Layla replied. “It has been a rather joyous day, and I always feel best when I’ve read a few Psalms that keep that happy mood going.” She ran a hand through her dark hair and patted a few stray strands into place.
Watching her fluid movements, Mark tried to keep himself calm. He was curious about her reading, and he wanted to ask her to read aloud to him, but he wasn’t sure how to go about it. Nervously, he scratched a nail along the side of his wooden armchair, and he looked out the window just over Layla’s shoulder. At last, he worked up the courage to ask Layla to share with him. “Do you have any favorite passages?”
“Of course,” Layla replied, smiling softly. Her eyes brightened, catching the firelight and sparkling a clear blue color.
“Would you mind—I mean—would you like to read a few passages aloud?” Mark inwardly scolded himself for stammering. He was seldom at a loss for words, but tonight, with Layla, he felt like a young man courting for the first time. His words were coming out in spurts, and inexplicably, his palms were sweating.
“It would be my pleasure,” Layla answered, moving the heavy Bible on her lap so that she could return to where she was reading before. “I just finished reading Psalm sixty-two: ‘My soul waits for God alone. He alone is my rock and my salvation. Trust in Him at all times, O people. Power and love belong to God.’ I find that comforting … my rock and my salvation. It makes me feel safe and secure.”
Mark bobbed his head in agreement. Sitting back in his chair, he stretched out his long legs, his tension easing and his nervousness subsiding. Layla had a splendid reading voice, and the words hummed out of her. He could tell, just by listening, that she believed the words written in the Bible, and that made him wonder about the religion he had once known so well. “If you don’t mind, do you think I could persuade you to read a few more?” Mark asked, tilting his head toward Layla kindly. It was a long day, and he knew she was probably exhausted, so he wanted to give her the option to keep reading or head to bed.
She grinned and simply lowered her head back to the book in response. She flipped one of the thin pages and said, “Here’s another favorite. Psalm eighty-four: ‘How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord! A day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. For the Lord is a sun and shield.’ A sun and a shield …”
Taking in the words, a picture of Layla and Heath wearing their broad sun hats floated into his mind. He smiled in a tight-lipped way and put his hands behind his head, stretching his back further in the cushioned chair. “That one was nice.” Mark raised a hand to cover his mouth as a yawn crept up on him.
Layla tittered, “I can see that you’re getting tired. How about just one more?”
“Yes, please,” Mark said, pulling himself out of his slouching sitting position so that he could listen attentively to the last verse.
“I saved the best for last.” Layla flipped another page with her delicate fingers. “Psalm one-twenty-one: ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills; my help comes from the Lord. He who keeps you will not slumber. The Lord will keep you from all evil.’” She sighed with contentment. “I know sometimes it can seem like God has taken His eye off each of us. Sometimes, bad things happen. Sometimes, we lose our way. But then, I read this verse, and I remember that God will always be there for me. He will keep me from evil. When I think on that and fix my eyes on Him, I feel truly blessed,” Layla spoke quietly, reverently. She closed the book in her lap and folded her hands atop it. As she lifted her eyes toward Mark, he thought about how he wanted to respond.
“Thank you for sharing those words with me, Layla. I can see how they can bring comfort to you … to us all.” He stared into the fire and considered the passages Layla shared. He breathed in deeply through his nose and let the air flow back out through his mouth. Mark’s day had started rather rocky, but this conclusion was very satisfying.
“I think we should turn in now,” Layla whispered, standing gracefully from her chair.
Mark was not ready to say goodnight to her, but he knew that it was probably for the best. They could always spend more time together tomorrow.
Chapter Fourteen
Layla woke the following morning feeling reinvigorated after the wonderful evening she and Mark enjoyed together. While Layla hadn’t caught a glimpse of the charming smile Eliza had mentioned, she thought that he had been quite joyful.
Thinking of Eliza made Layla feel like heading into town. She donned one of the dresses she regularly wore when she spent her days in the store, but had not been able to wear much around the ranch. It was the color of the sky. The cotton material nipped in at her waist, and the collar fringed in lace came up to her throat. A hat accompanied it but having learned her lesson about spending time in the hot sun, she decided to put aside the matching hat in favor of her straw sun hat.
“Good morning, Heath,” Layla sang as she went to see the baby. He was standing in his crib but wasn’t making any noise until Layla walked in; then, he bounced up and down. “I’m happy to see you, too,” Layla cooed as she gathered him in her arms and snuggled his warmth to her chest.
