CHAPTER 21
Layken struggled to find the energy and strength to climb down from the tractor as the midday sun beat down on his back. Favoring his right side, he limped toward the house while Seymour unhooked the wagons and parked the tractor next to the barn. What would he do without the old man’s help?
He came to a dead stop inside the kitchen, gasping in shock. “What the hell happened? Are you okay?” Sara Beth sat at the kitchen table, her face and right arm covered with angry red welts and blisters. Layken’s heart sank.
She met his gaze, a tear leaking from the corner of her right eye. “I think I must’ve gotten into poison ivy or oak while I was out picking berries.”
“I’d say it’s a tad bit more than just thinking. What have you put on it?” He shuffled closer.
Sara Beth raised her h
