Lessons From the Heart

by Rachel Skatvold

  He smiled. “That’s good. I believe you don’t necessarily have to be related by blood to be family. My friend, Levi, is like a brother to me.”

  “I can tell. Your whole family seems to treat him that way.” She paused to pick up a crimson maple leave on the ground and outline the delicate lines branching across it. “I hate to pry, but has he always been in a wheelchair?”

  Toby shrugged and a downcast expression replaced his smile. “No, not until our senior year of high school. It was my fault.” He paused and kicked at a thistle along the path.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to share the details if you don’t feel comfortable.”

  He shook his head. “No, It’s all right. I already told you I was rebellious as a teenager. Well, the night of the homecoming dance cured me of it in a hurry. Levi, Cami, my ex-girlfriend, Mary and I went to an after-party at someone’s house. Levi and Cami were dating back then, believe it or not.”

  Her eyes widened. “They were?”

  He nodded. “They’re just friends now, but that’s Cami’s place to tell you more, if she wants to.”

  She nodded. “So, what happened next?”

  His expression sobered again. “There was alcohol there and you can probably guess, we all drank too much. I thought I was okay to drive home.” He paused and rubbed his forehead. “I ran the stoplight. Never saw the other car before it slammed into us on the passenger’s side…where Levi was sitting.”

  Lexie gasped. “That’s awful. Did anyone else get hurt?”

  He nodded. “I had a concussion and the girls had scratches and bruises, but Levi suffered the most. He was in a coma for two weeks and when he woke up, he couldn’t feel his legs. The doctors said he was paralyzed from the waist down.”

  Tears pricked Lexie’s eyes. “How awful. I’m so sorry, Toby.”

  “Me too.” He paused and gulped hard to keep his composure. “I’ve asked Levi’s forgiveness and he gave it to me. It’s just much harder to forgive myself.”

  “Yeah, I understand that. There are plenty of things I regret from my past. I came to church today to try and find some peace about it.”

  He met her gaze, blue eyes sincere. “And did you?”

  She shrugged as they started walking again. “It’s a start, I guess. The sermon today gave me a lot to think about. You know, I think I’ve been like the footpath where the seeds fall and the birds eat it.” She held up the paint palette charm on her necklace to show him. “My dad gave me this. He always encouraged me to use my artistic ability to serve God.”

  “It sounds like you were close to your dad.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I was. You know, God was always an important part of my dad’s life and he constantly urged me to turn to Him, but I never listened. I think now with all the changes in my life, I’ve been forced to look at things from a new perspective. Everything seems much clearer now.”

  He smiled at her as they reached the corn maze. “I’m glad to hear that. If you ever have questions, I’d be happy to try and answer them, or ask Cami. I call her the Bible scholar in the family.”

  Lexie nodded. “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind.” She glanced down the first path in the maze. “How long do you think it takes to get through there?”

  Toby shrugged and tucked his thumbs into his pants pockets. “Eli holds the record at seven minutes, but for most people it takes them about fifteen to twenty minutes. With me as your tour guide, it’ll probably take about half that. Wanna try it?”

  Lexie grinned, her adventurous side taking over. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  They journeyed through the winding passageways for several minutes with Toby leading the way. Lexie marveled at how complex the maze was. She never would have guessed from the outside it would go so deep into the field. It was peaceful, too, blocking farm sounds. She could only hear insects chirping, birds and the rattling sound of the corn plants when the wind blew.

  “We’re coming toward the halfway point now,” Toby said as they reached a curve in the path. Then she saw three possible choices. He pointed to two paths on the left. “Both these lead to the same area in the maze. Would you like to take one and I’ll take the other?”

  Lexie nodded. “I’m always up for an adventure.”

  “Okay, see you soon.”

  She took the middle path and Toby took the one to the far left. Lexie walked fast, hoping to beat Toby to the place where the paths met each other. She traveled on for about a minute or two. Then a rustling nearby made her stop. “Toby?” She looked around, hoping to spot his plaid shirt, but only saw stalks of corn waving in the breeze. “Is that you?” She braced her hands on her hips, heart pounding. “Toby, if you jump out and scare me, I’m going to be so mad!”

  The rustling increased and Lexie saw corn husks moving aside. She let out a blood-curdling scream as the creature leapt onto the path ahead of her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Toby had almost reached the spot where the maze passages converged when he heard a high-pitched scream. “Lexie?” When she didn’t answer, he raced to the end of his path and then turned onto the middle one Lexie had chosen. “Lexie, answer if you can hear me!” He came around the bend in the path, heart thundering in his chest. Then he saw her lying on the muddy ground with a medium-sized creature standing over her. It had tan and white fur, pointy ears, a long nose—and a wagging tail?

  “Jack,” Toby called, his voice ragged. “Leave her alone, you crazy, troublemaking pup.”

  The dog licked Lexie’s face one more time and then romped toward him, tongue panting happily.

  “You know better than to jump on people, Jack. Head on home.” The dog’s ears plastered against his head for a moment before he galloped down the path toward the farm house, tail wagging again like he hadn’t been scolded.

  The moment Jack was gone, he rushed to Lexie’s side. He sat on the muddy ground and pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

  Her body shook against him as he smoothed back her hair. She didn’t say anything at first, but a faint sound came from lips and gradually became easier to make out—laughter. “Jack…” she eventually managed to say in between gasps for breath and fits of giggles. “He scared me so bad…I fell over. He just kept…licking and licking my face. I couldn’t get up!”

  After decoding her rambled account of what happened, Toby started laughing, too. “Well, the silly dog has jumped out at me more than once. I’m sorry I forgot to warn you. He’s just a harmless young pup who hasn’t learned his manners yet.”

  She sighed and wiped away a few happy tears. “Why are you apologizing? I haven’t laughed this hard in such a long time.”

  He grinned and looked down at her, still holding her in his arms. “You are something else, Lexie Donoghue.” He swept a few strands of hair from her rosy cheek and her sapphire eyes gazed into his. Something had changed, like the leaves slowly displaying their vibrant splashes of color in the autumn. Lexie didn’t pull away from his embrace and he didn’t let her go. She leaned upward, planting a tender kiss on his lips. He hesitated for a moment, the scent of her strawberry lip gloss blurring his thoughts. Toby ran his fingers through her soft auburn curls and kissed her back. He forgot they were sitting in the middle of a muddy corn maze. Holding Lexie Donohue in his arms was all that mattered in the moment.

  After a few more passionate kisses, he pulled back to gaze into her eyes. “Well, that was unexpected.”

  “Yes, it was.” She giggled and hid her face in his shirt. Then she looked at their surroundings and her muddy clothing. “Oh, look at us. We’re a mess! What are your parents going to think?”

  He shrugged with a silly grin. “We’ll tell them the truth. They know how crazy Jack is. We’ll keep the kissing part a secret if you want.”

  Lexie nodded and pulled away from him, her guarded countenance returning again. “Yes, I think that would be best.”

  Toby helped her stand up and studied her face with concern. “Are you sure you’re al
l right? Does anything hurt?”

  She shook her head and avoided his eyes. “No, I’m fine. Jack just surprised me. Besides being covered in mud, I’m fine.”

  He chuckled softly, but she remained silent and shivered in the breeze. Had kissing her back been the wrong move? She was starting to trust him and now he felt her pulling away again. “Well, we better get back to the house. I think my sister might have some clothes you can borrow.”

  Lexie came through the front door of her duplex in one of Cami’s animal rescue t-shirts and an ill-fitting pair of sweat pants she had to roll up several times to avoid tripping. Her hair was a tangled bird’s nest, caked with dried mud and bits of leaves.

  After taking a shower and putting on her pajamas, she went into the laundry room to wash her muddy clothes and feed Picasso. As usual, he let out meows of delight and rubbed against her legs until she poured food into his dish. It kept him occupied while she tossed her muddy clothes in the washer.

  A few minutes later, she made it back to the living room with the kitten trailing close behind. They cuddled in the chair as she found a movie to stream. However, it did little to keep the kiss with Toby out of her mind. It all happened so suddenly. They’d been laughing and then they were sharing a kiss. How had she allowed it to happen?

  Lexie leaned her head against the back of her chair with a sigh and closed her eyes. Toby was an awfully good kisser—not to mention handsome, kind and funny—but could she trust another man? Lexie had fallen head over heels for her ex-fiancé too fast in college and look what that mistake had cost her. Cole was handsome, full of ambition and sweet to her—at least in the beginning. She didn’t recognize what a monster he was until it was almost too late.

  A sound of exasperation rose from Lexie’s throat. Why had she given in to her emotions and kissed Toby? The beginning of the day had gone so well. The sermon at his church gave her things to think about and a hint of the peace she’d been searching for. Now all the worries and anxiety threatened to suffocate her.

  Lexie remembered Cami and Toby’s stories. They had been through so much, but their faith in God had helped them get through it. If only she had a Bible in her possession to answer some of the nagging questions in her mind. Then she remembered seeing Toby using the Bible app on his phone during church.

  After some searching, she found a few apps on her phone and downloaded one. At first, she didn’t know where to start. Then she came across a tab with Bible plans, including a short daily devotional and scripture reading.

  When she found one for beginners, Picasso took interest and started batting at the phone screen with his paw.

  “You like this one?”

  The kitten meowed in response.

  She chuckled and clicked on the icon. “Well, if you approve, I guess it’s worth a shot.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Toby hardly caught a glimpse of Lexie during the next week until Wednesday afternoon when they had another meeting for the Autumn Festival. This time, Lexie arrived first and had saved a seat for him.

  When he approached, she passed him a foam cup of coffee. “Two creams, two sugars, right?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, how’d you guess?”

  “I saw you make your coffee last time.”

  Toby chuckled and took a sip. “You make good coffee. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  After about ten minutes, they split up into their planning groups. As they discussed the decorations for the Festival, he couldn’t help noticing Lexie seemed different—like a weight had been lifted off her. She smiled more often and no longer avoided his eyes when they talked.

  When they were done planning for the day, he offered to walk with Lexie to her car. When they reached it, she fiddled with her keys and leaned against the driver’s side door. “So, I’ll see you at church this Sunday?”

  He nodded and crossed his arms. “My mom wanted me to invite you for lunch, too. She’s making her famous meatloaf and garlic potatoes.”

  Lexie released a contented sigh. “Mmm…that sounds good. I haven’t had that in a long time.”

  She started to open the door, but Toby reached for her hand. He didn’t want to ruin her good mood, by mentioning the thing they were both avoiding, but couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry if I overstepped last weekend. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

  Lexie grinned up at him with an arched eyebrow. “What do you have to apologize for? I kissed you.”

  “Yeah, now that I think of it, I guess you’re right.” Toby raked his free hand through his hair and stared at the ground, releasing a nervous chuckle. “Glad we cleared that up.”

  Lexie moved closer, taking his other hand in hers. “It scared me at first. I never thought I’d trust another man, but you’re different, Toby.”

  His eyes moved to meet hers. “I am?”

  She nodded with tears clouding her eyes. “Yes, you are kind, gentle and patient—even when I tried my hardest to push you away. I want you to know, I’m not going to push anymore.”

  He grinned and lifted one of her hands to kiss the top of it. “And I hope you know, I’m not going anywhere, darlin’.”

  She giggled and wiped her eyes. “I have so much to tell you…about my past. So much I need you to understand about me.”

  “I’m ready to listen whenever you’re ready to tell me, Lexie. There’s no rush.”

  “Are you free this Saturday evening? I wondered if that raincheck for dinner is still good?”

  A grin curved on his lips. “My rainchecks never expire.”

  On Saturday evening, Lexie spent an exorbitant amount of time choosing her outfit, ultimately deciding on her favorite little black dress and a red cover-up. Then she styled her hair, pinning it halfway up with some curls dangling around her face.

  She’d barely finished when Toby knocked on the door. Lexie padded down the hallway in her bare feet, heart pounding as she opened the door.

  Toby stood on the doorstep for a moment dressed in his usual western clothing, but fancied up with a black blazer and a cord tie with a cross pendant. His blue eyes gazed at her as if in a daze. “You look stunning tonight, Lexie.”

  She smiled as her cheeks blushed. “You don’t look so bad yourself, cowboy.”

  Lexie invited him into the living room and the moment he sat on the couch, Picasso hopped into his lap, rubbing against his blazer like crazy. She chuckled at the sight. “Almost ready. I just need to find my shoes and earrings. I’ll grab a lint brush while I’m at it.”

  “Yeah, that would be great. I think I’m already wearing half of Picasso’s fur.”

  About ten minutes later, Lexie was ready to go and Toby had managed to de-fur his blazer. Then they headed outside and he helped her into the passenger side of his truck.

  Lexie sat in silence as they travelled the short distance to the steakhouse in town. Going on a date with Tobias Campbell seemed like a dream she would soon wake up from. A shiver of fear passed through her, wondering if the bottom would drop out like it usually did in her past relationships. She fought against it, determined to have a great date with Toby.

  He glanced at her after finding a parking spot by the restaurant. “Are you cold?”

  Lexie shook her head and managed a smile. “No, I’m fine.” She paused and studied the open terrace and stage by the main part of the restaurant. “You know, I’ve never been here, but it seems so familiar to me somehow.”

  “If you watch national news, you may have heard of Zane Wallace and Hope Dawson who sang in the Stars of Wyoming competition. Well, both of their last names are Wallace now since they got married last winter. They started out right on that stage over there.”

  Her eyes widened as all the pieces fit into place. “Yeah, I remember that now! They did an interview at this restaurant and his parents’ music shop. Didn’t they just have a big hit single on the radio?”

  Toby nodded. “Yeah, they did. It’s kinda nice having someone from Tipton hit it big.”


  Lexie’s smile grew wider. “Wow, this is amazing, Toby. I can’t believe we’re going to eat here.”

  He chuckled and glanced at the restaurant entrance. “Well, we might, if we hurry. This has become quite a popular place since the competition.”

  She followed his gaze, observing the line beginning to form. “I can see that. We better get up there.”

  Toby opened the passenger side door and helped Lexie down. Then he reached for her hand as they walked toward the steakhouse. She didn’t pull away, enjoying the feel of his warm palm enveloping hers.

  After about a half an hour wait, they were seated at a table for two on the outdoor terrace. As a band readied their instruments on the newly named, Wallace stage, Lexie unfolded her cloth napkin and grinned at him. “I still can’t believe this is where Zane and Hope Wallace used to sing. Since you grew up here, did you ever have the chance to meet them?”

  Toby nodded. “I know Hope and her family. I went to school with her older brother, Colin. He moved to London and married a Brit last year, or so I’m told. Zane didn’t grow up in Tipton, but Jonah took guitar lessons with him for a few months, so I had the opportunity to talk with him once or twice. Hope invited my family to the wedding at Morgan Stables. Beautiful ceremony and you couldn’t dream of meeting a nicer couple.”

  “It’s a small world, isn’t it? Do they ever come home to visit?”

  “Yeah, around the holidays if they can make it. Maybe I can introduce you sometime.”

  She clasped her hands together in an attempt to hold in her excitement. “Oh, that would be amazing!’

  After looking over their menus, they both ordered a steak, baked potato and salad. Soon, the waiter came out with their salads and they ate while listening to the band play slow country western style music. Lexie couldn’t stop herself from smiling.