“I’m so sorry, Layla,” Emmett said, drool running down the side of his face.
When they were just steps from the red front door leading to the store, Layla whispered hastily, “Shhh, Father … Don’t speak now. We just need to get you inside.”
“I have to tell you, Layla. I must tell you. I didn’t mean to drink so much. It was just that barkeep. He kept tipping the bottle and pouring the …” Emmett lifted his hands to imitate the bartender’s movements.
“Papa,” Layla scolded. “We’re trying to help you here. The least you can do is stop moving around so much.” Layla’s crisp tone surprised Mark, but he reasoned if he had been the one dragging his father home heavy with drink, he would have been much gruffer.
Mark pushed open the door to the general store as Layla led the way. She dragged her father’s right side along the aisle and straight to the steps at the back.
“He lives up there,” Layla grunted, the sadness heavy in her voice.
“Let me,” Mark insisted as he stepped toward the stairs, keeping a firm grip around Emmett’s waist. Mark lifted and hoisted easily, and he could get Emmett up the stairs quickly. “Where now?” Mark asked, swiveling his head. Layla stepped onto the landing behind them and pointed over Mark’s shoulder.
“Down the hall. He has the first room on the left.”
Mark followed Layla’s directions, and when he got Emmett to his bedroom, he released the man, letting him fall clumsily onto the bed.
Layla rushed around the bedside, collecting blankets, smoothing them out, and pulling them up around her father’s chest. She grabbed a pillow, fluffed it, and tucked it gently under his head.
“Thank you, my dear girl,” Emmett said, his voice thick. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to keep my promise …” Emmett’s eyelids fluttered, and he fell asleep. Had he not started snoring almost immediately, Mark would have been distressed.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Mark murmured. “I’ve never seen a man just fall asleep that way.”
Layla stepped away from the bed but looked down at her father. “That’s his way,” Layla replied softly. “He gets really rolling, and then he loses all his steam all at once.”
“What did he mean when he said that he was sorry he didn’t keep his promise?” Mark asked but then resented it when Layla’s hands clenched into small fists.
Taking a deep breath, her hands relaxed. Still staring at her father, she answered, “He vowed that he would give up drinking and gambling. On the day we got married, he promised …” When Layla’s voice broke off, Mark stepped toward her to grab her hand.
“I need to pray, Mark. Will you join me?” she asked, and the sadness in her voice made his throat tighten. Before he could reply, she bowed her head. “Dear Lord, please help my father. He has lost his way. Help him find his way back to the person he once was and to me. God, guide my father. He needs you. In Jesus Christ’s name, we pray, Amen.”
Mark had not prayed to his Heavenly Father in what seemed like a very long time, but when he heard Layla concluding the prayer, he squeezed her hand gently and repeated, “Amen.”
Chapter Sixteen
On Sunday morning, Layla tossed and turned in her bed. She kicked her blankets off, only to pull them back on again. She knew that if she could just calm her mind, she would be able to go back to sleep and get the rest she needed, but she couldn’t get the picture of her father drunkenly stumbling down the street out of her mind.
He had shouted,Tell them … tell them Ol’ Emmett …And those words rang out in Layla’s mind.What did he want people to know? What did he want to tell the people?Layla pondered as she shifted from side to side.
Finally, when the sun peeked through the maroon-colored curtains covering her bedroom window, Layla decided it was time to get out of bed. She knew she couldn’t lay there any longer puzzling over the matter. Hopping from the bed, she shivered when her bare feet touched the floor.So, winter has finally arrived,Layla thought as she tiptoed over to her chest of drawers in search of some stockings. The nip in the air told her the unseasonable temperatures abated, at least for the day, and would feel more like a day in the middle of December.
Layla quickly shimmied out of her nightdress and changed into a simple, blue-dyed wool dress. The soft neckline came right up to her chin, and she took a moment to snuggle into it. She found her old, trusty pair of ankle boots and laced her feet into those as well. Once she was satisfied, she set out to begin her daily chores.
When she reached the kitchen, she was surprised to see a lamp was already lit and Mark standing near the hearth, brewing a pot of coffee.
“Good morning,” he said kindly, gazing up at Layla. Framed in the firelight from the hearth, Mark looked less imposing and a little softer around the edges. The tone of his voice this morning lacked its normal terseness, and the alterations comforted Layla.
“Good morning.” She went to the back of the kitchen, where she kept the baskets to collect eggs, fruits, and vegetables.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Mark asked as he stepped away from the fire and timidly toward Layla.
She nodded. “I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened yesterday,” Layla admitted. She ducked her head; in some ways, she was ashamed. She would not have wanted all the townspeople, and especially Mark, to see her father in that condition, but they had. All the citizens of Willow Lake were at the annual fair, and Emmett’s drunken exploits were visible for all to see. She had hoped very much that her father would give up on his vices, but it seemed that he had not made the desired progress.
“I have also been thinking it over,” Mark said quietly. “I’m sorry, Layla. I knew your father because of my first and last game that led to our … arrangement, but I didn’t reallyknowhim. I didn’t know you, either. Now I see how difficult things must have been for you, and I appreciate the way you stand by your father and protect him in every way you can.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Layla said, raising her head to meet his eyes. His cool, dark eyes were uncharacteristically soft this morning. She held his gaze for a moment and did her best to regain her composure. “I was going to get started with the chores since I was up and about anyway.”
“Oh?” Mark asked. “What did you plan to do first?”
