He probably should have offered Mable his hat, but it was one thing to let her wear it for a night walk and another to sacrifice it in daylight hours. As much as he would have loved to give her some shade, he hadn’t brought his glasses with him, and the bright sun felt even worse in his eyes than the heat.

Hands folded neatly at his back, Malachi gave a nod before he even noticed the deliberate way with which the children regarded him. It was only after the fact when he realized it was even a real question.

“Yes, of course,” came his easy agreement. It didn’t matter to him one bit if he walked between them or not – it was all just beach, wasn’t it?

Malachi took his place in the space between, continuing down the shore at a slow, leisurely pace.

“This is my first time down here,” he admitted, eyes fixed downward to search across the sand.

“I haven’t had much time to come this way since I got off of the ship.”