They walked through the kitchen, which smelled of freshly baked bread and cinnamon. Mrs. Neale stood at the counter, her fists buried in a batch of dough. When she looked over, she gave him a subtle nod. The weight of everyone’s expectations suddenly seemed as heavy as the iron skillet on the stovetop. He only hoped he wouldn’t let them down.
Opening the back door, he led Sofia out to the lawn, where he spotted Olivia immediately. She was seated on a bench at the far end of the yard, surrounded by greenery and blooming flowers. Even at a distance, he could sense the aura of sadness enveloping her.
Sofia tugged her hand free and raced across the grass, waving the paper. “Miss Olivia! Miss Olivia! I brought you a picture.” She came to a halt in front of her.
Olivia smiled as she took the offering. “Hi, Sofia. Did you draw this?”
“Yes. To help you feel better.”
Darius came to stand beside the bench. “Hello, Olivia. I hope you don’t mind my bringing Sofia. She was dying to come back and see you.”
Olivia raised her gaze to his, and his chest tightened. Her beautiful brown eyes seemed hollow, and the light that usually glowed within them was missing.
“I don’t mind. It’s good to see you both.” Her words fell flat, no emotion behind them.
“Open your picture, Miss Olivia.” Sofia bounced from one foot to the other.
Olivia wrestled the paper against the breeze that threatened to tear it from her grasp, then stared at the crude stick figures, her expression unreadable.
Darius almost groaned.
Sofia had drawn a woman, presumably Olivia, judging by the long dark hair, with a baby in her arms. At the top of the page, another figure that looked like an angel spread its wings above them.
“That’s you and baby Abigail. Oh!” Sofia’s hand flew to her mouth. “I’m not supposed to talk about her. But I wanted you to have a picture so you could remember her.”
Darius winced. Why hadn’t he asked to see the drawing before she showed it to Olivia?
“It’s beautiful.” Olivia’s voice was strained. “And who is this?” She pointed to the angelic figure.
“That’s my mommy. She’s in heaven now. Daddy says she watches over me. So I asked her to watch over you and Abigail too.”
Darius’s throat slammed shut. His beautiful girl, with a heart the size of a western prairie, had meant well. He knelt beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “That’s a lovely thought, Mouse. I’m sure all God’s angels will watch over them.” He darted a glance at Olivia.
Her eyes remained focused on the picture while tears streamed down her face. His spirits plummeted to the dampness of the grass seeping through his pant leg. Ruth had asked him to help Olivia feel better, not to reduce her to tears again.
Olivia refolded the page. “Thank you, Sofia. I’ll put this up in my bedroom so I can see it every day.”
His daughter beamed at her, then darted off across the lawn, calling over her shoulder, “You need some swings in this yard for when all the babies grow up.”
Darius rolled his eyes and dropped to the bench beside her. “I’m sorry, Olivia. I thought bringing Sofia might cheer you up. I didn’t expect this.”
She wiped the back of her hand across her wet face. “Please don’t apologize. This is the sweetest thing anyone’s done for me. I love it.” A genuine smile emerged, and her eyes brightened.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He handed her the flowers. “These are for you too.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” She buried her face in the blooms, inhaling deeply.
“It was the least I could do, especially after I bungled your marriage proposal.” He gave a tentative smile, hoping to discover how she felt about the whole situation. “Am I forgiven?”
She raised her head with a sigh. “There’s nothing to forgive. I was the one in the wrong. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Totally understandable, given the situation.” He squinted against the sun’s glare to watch Sofia, who was doing twirls on the lawn that made her dress billow out. “How would you feel about coming for a walk with Sofia and me to the park nearby?”
She hesitated for the briefest of seconds, then nodded. “I believe a walk might do me some good.”
31
The fresh air and exercise certainly helped lift Olivia’s spirits, as did the precious girl who chattered the whole way to the park. Sofia’s innocent exuberance was just the distraction Olivia needed from thinking about infants and bottles and diapers. Perhaps, if she were lucky, some of the girl’s joy would rub off on her too.
While Sofia alternated between walking beside her and darting ahead to get a better view of the park, Darius matched his pace to Olivia’s. He was so thoughtful to bring his daughter and a bouquet of flowers to cheer her up. And to laugh off her crazy marriage proposal.
She could see in hindsight that losing Matteo had made her cling even harder to Abigail. And now that she was aware of this tendency, she could hopefully avoid it in the future. Somehow she’d have to find a way to cope with being around babies and not getting swept away by grief—or by the desire to adopt all the ones destined for the Infants’ Home.
They turned into the park, following the winding path to an open area where a swing set and slide came into view.
“Daddy! Can you push me on the swing?” Sofia’s childish delight rang out.
“Coming.” Darius ran over to join her at the equipment.
Olivia found a bench where she could watch Sofia and the other children playing, absorbing their heartwarming laughter into her battered soul. A soft breeze lifted pieces of her hair off her neck, and above her in the canopy of trees, the birds warbled their songs. All of it eased the ache in her heart just a little.
After a while, Darius came to join her,
