them have time together without her being right there.
They stopped at the barn door and waited for her to catch up to them. “Go on inside. You can’t do your job this morning standing out here,” she said.
“I’m afraid of horses,” Carmella whispered.
Jayden could feel her pain. One of her earliest memories was going out to the farm with Skyler for Sunday dinner at their grandparents’. Skyler wanted Gramps to let her ride the old mule that he sometimes used to plow up the garden. Jayden had been terrified of that huge animal and had cried when Gramps wanted to sit her up on Molly’s back.
“You’re a big sissy,” Skyler told her. “You’re bigger than me, and I’m not afraid.”
At four years old Jayden had grown taller and weighed more than Skyler did at seven, so it was the truth. But from that day forth, Jayden was constantly measuring herself by Skyler.
Ashlyn slipped through the door first. “Back in the real world, I had riding lessons twice a week when I was a kid, and when I go to my dad’s in the summer, I ride every day. Horses are fantastic animals.”
Jayden wondered how the girl had time between the tanning bed, the trips to the beauty shop to keep her dark roots from showing through that platinum hair, the gym, and school to chalk up three DUIs when she had had her driver’s license for only six months.
Henry met them just inside the barn door and nodded at the girls. “Come right in, and I’ll introduce you to the three horses and two mules. We don’t ride them, but we do give them a good place to live out the rest of their lives. You will take them out to the corral, clean their stables, and put down fresh hay this morning. I understand that Ashlyn will be responsible for walking each one of them every afternoon. They should be taken out to the half-mile post and brought back. It takes about thirty minutes to take each animal out there, and that long to bring him back. Do you know anything about putting a halter on and dealing with horses?”
“I know how to ride a horse, but my trainer gets the saddle on him for me,” Ashlyn told him. “Thirty minutes each way means nearly all afternoon every day.”
“That’s right. You’ll be ready for supper by the time you get done. You should be able to walk each one out and back and then spend some time brushing the critter when you get back,” Henry told her.
Ashlyn whipped around to stare at Jayden. Her green eyes bulged, and her palms went up in a defensive gesture. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am. Unless we’re hauling hay as a group or doing something else where all nine of you are concerned, this is your afternoon job,” Jayden answered.
“Why would you do that to me? I’ll sunburn, and you won’t even let me have my good lotion to prevent ashy skin,” she moaned.
“You got three DUIs. Horses and donkeys might be your mode of transportation for the next five years if you get another citation. Do you want your mommy or daddy to drive you to college each morning? Think of walking the animals as your trip to the gym each day,” Jayden answered.
Carmella giggled. “Ashy skin for Ashlyn. Seems appropriate.”
Jayden turned her focus to Carmella. “Did y’all even read your individual jobs for each afternoon?”
Tiffany raised one shoulder. “I didn’t have time to read all that crap.”
“Me either. I figured we’d be doing crafts or talking to therapists about our bad habits,” Carmella answered.
“This is a working farm,” Henry said. “You will be working at one chore or another every day you are here. You are not at a country club.”
“Daddy paid good money for me to come here rather than going to juvie. Believe me, I know how much it costs for us to be here. Daddy told me in a loud voice about a gazillion times. He even said if I get sent home that I have to get a job and pay every cent back to him. Y’all should treat us better than this. We should have counseling lessons in air-conditioned rooms and not have to work like we’re in prison.” Tiffany yawned.
“Honey, we don’t run a fancy spa. We teach responsibility and accountability through hard work and counseling. Ashlyn, since you know a little about horses, you can show these other two how to lead old Dynamite