Chapter 2

Leah nervously unzipped her backpack, checking the contents for the umpteenth time during their short drive to Dave Kilwin's farm early the next morning.

"The other workers are going to love you," Jo said. "In a day or two, we'll be a distant memory."

"No way. I'll never forget you, Jo. I'll never forget how you helped me. I want to make you proud."

"You already do. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Look at it as an opportunity to learn. Take full advantage of everything Gary taught you with your eye on the future."

"I will." Leah sucked in a breath and nodded. "It isn't easy making friends when you have a past. I hope the other workers haven't already decided they don't like me."

"I hope not either." Jo had always made a concerted effort to be accepting, to be mindful of the fact that more than anything, her residents needed to know she was on their side, no matter what.

Moving outside their small circle of residents and workers wasn't necessarily being thrown to the wolves, but re-entering society could be tricky. At least Dave knew Leah's history and was willing to give her a chance, and Jo reminded her of that.

"I know, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure I don't let him down."

Jo turned into Dave's driveway and parked in front of the barn, alongside her neighbor's pickup with a big, bold "Kilwin Farms" emblazoned on the driver's side door.

"Before we get out, I have something for you." Leah fumbled inside her backpack, pulled out a small, wrapped box and handed it to Jo.

"What is this?"

"A thank you gift for everything you've done for me. I don't know where I would be right now if it wasn't for you. You took me in when no one else wanted me. You showed me people really do care. You gave me hope I could have a good life, a great life. The day I stepped foot on the farm, I knew you had my back and, for once, I was finally going to get a fair shake in life. I wouldn't be sitting here, shaking in my shoes and almost ready to throw up because my whole life is ahead of me, without you. And I say this not only for myself but for every other resident at the farm. You're changing lives, one person at a time, and you chose me."

Jo's throat clogged, and sudden tears burned the back of her eyes. "I love you, Leah. I have loved every minute of watching you grow and change and become the person I knew you could be from the moment I met you. I have faith in you and even though I might not see you every day, I'll be on the sidelines, rooting you on."

"I know you will be, and it means more than words can ever say."

Jo carefully unwrapped the gift box and lifted the lid. Inside was a necklace, an angel with a serene smile on her face, her hands folded in front of her. A pair of gold slippers peeked out from beneath her flowing white gown. "She's beautiful."

"It's you," Leah said. "Kelli made her out of clay. There's a scripture on the back."

Jo turned her over. "Psalm 34, verse 7."

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them," Leah quoted. "Divine has angels and you're one of them."

Jo removed the necklace from the holder, unclasped the delicate hook, and placed it around her neck. "I'll treasure it forever. Thank you."

"You're welcome, and I meant every word I said."

"I have something for you." Jo reached inside the center console and removed a wrapped package. She handed it to Leah. "This is your graduating-from-the-program gift."

"You didn't have…"

"I wanted to," Jo interrupted. "Go ahead. Open it."

Leah unwrapped the package and lifted the lid on the box, revealing a shiny new cell phone. "A phone?"

"It's all yours. I've included a year's worth of cell service with unlimited talk and text. You can call whoever you want whenever you want."

Leah attempted to hand it back. "I can't accept this."

"You can and you will. I also gave one to Sherry when she moved out."

"Seriously?" Leah turned it over in her hand. "I can call anyone?"

"Anyone. I've already programmed my number, Nash's number, Gary and Delta's number, Sherry's number, the farm's number in it. We'll only be a phone call or text message away."

"Thank you." Leah impulsively hugged Jo, a warm hug filled with love, and Jo could feel her slender shoulders tremble. "I'll take good care of it."

"I know you will. Let's do this." Jo slid out of the SUV and met Leah near the front.

Dave strolled around the corner of the building and caught up with them. "Morning Jo. Morning Leah. You're right on time."

"I'm ready to get to work," Leah said. "I brought…I have my things with me."

A man, in his late fifties, if Jo had to guess, emerged from the door marked "office," and Dave motioned him over. "Leah, this is Shane Barr, my manager. He'll show you to your quarters and get you started by giving you a tour."

Leah extended a hand. The man clasped it and placed his other hand over the top. "Good morning," he said. "Dave didn't mention we were hiring such a pretty young gal."

"I-uh. Th-thank you," Leah stammered as she attempted to pull her hand away.

Barr held tight. "What was your name again?"

"Leah McEllish."

"Leah," Barr repeated. "The housing units are this way."

"Let me know if you need anything," Dave said. "Welcome to Kilwin Farms, Leah."

A sense of uneasiness filled Jo as the man stepped in close to Leah and led her toward a long, low set of buildings.

Jo hurried to catch up with them. They stopped in front of the end unit. Barr opened the door before removing the key and handing it to Leah. "You only get one key. If you lose it, it'll cost you twenty-five bucks to have another one made. Your shift starts at seven. You have a morning and afternoon break with an hour off at noon for lunch. Quitting time is six. I'll rotate shifts so you'll train in each of the areas. The only day you have off is Monday, but if something comes up and you need another day off, let me know and we'll see what we can work out."

"I…don't have a problem with the schedule," Leah said. "I'm here to work and learn."

"Good." Barr ignored Jo. "You're on probation and I'll be keeping a close eye on you."

"I understand." Leah shrank back under the man's intense gaze, and Jo could feel the tips of her ears burn. She started to say something, but held back. Leah would be on her own now, and it appeared Shane Barr had more than a passing interest in the new employee.

They toured the common areas, similar in some ways to Jo's setup, which wasn't a surprise. Dave Kilwin had visited her farm several times, asking questions and getting ideas before starting his expansion and recent remodeling project.

The tour ended where it started, in front of Leah's unit. Barr stood near the door while Jo and Leah stepped inside.

"This is nice." Jo let out a low whistle. "Dave did a good job of renovating the private rooms."

"It is nice." Leah pressed lightly on the bed. "What's over in the corner? Another closet?"

The women crossed the room. Jo eased the door open and found it led to a private bathroom.

"I have my own bathroom," Leah said excitedly.

"Lucky you." Jo pulled the shower curtain aside. "And even a soaking tub. You'll be living in luxury now," she teased.

"I can't wait to try it out."

Barr leaned his hip against the door. "My office is right around the corner."

"Great," Leah said in a low voice. "Just what I need."

"He seems a little too friendly," Jo whispered back.

"I was thinking the same thing." Leah frowned. "The less time he spends in my unit, the better."

The women hurriedly exited Leah's private quarters where an impatient Shane Barr pointedly tapped the top of his watch. "I'll meet you in the barn in ten minutes. That should give you sufficient time to drop your things off and get ready to start your shift, unless you need help unloading."

"No. Uh. We have it covered. Thank you for the offer." Leah sucked in a breath as she watched him walk away. "We better hustle."

The women ran to the SUV, grabbed Leah's things and returned to her unit.

"I hate to say it, but Shane Barr is making me uncomfortable," Leah confessed when they were alone.

"You need to calmly but firmly let him know you aren't interested," Jo said. "The sooner, the better."

"I agree. Otherwise, I think I might have a problem." Leah set her backpack on top of the dresser. "I want this to work so badly. Starting off on the wrong foot with him won't help."

"Allowing him to harass you won't, either," Jo pointed out. "If he doesn't back off after you let him know you're not interested, you might need to talk to Dave about it."

Leah squared her shoulders. "Right. Maybe we're reading too much into it. After all, we just met him. Either way, I've got this."

"That's the spirit."

Leah gave Jo another hug. "I'll make you proud. I promise."

"I know you will." Jo and Leah parted ways near the SUV with her former resident making her way inside the building to track down her new boss.

As Jo drove off, she prayed Shane Barr wouldn't start hitting on Leah and she would soon settle into her new home and new job.

*****

Near noon, Pastor Murphy texted Jo to remind her about their appointment and let her know he was on his way.

Jo ran to the kitchen. "Pastor Murphy is on his way."

"Good luck." Delta trailed behind as Jo strode toward the front porch. "The Ladeaux twins might not be a good fit. Don't make the wrong decision because you think you need to decide soon."

"I won't. I'll go into this with my eyes wide open and listen to my gut." Earlier that morning, after dropping Leah off, Jo had done a little background research on the sisters and discovered their father had raised them. Their mother had been out of the picture from the time they were very young.

Larry Ladeaux had used his daughters for many years to distract his victims and help him with his dirty work, starting out with petty thefts and minor crimes before graduating to armed bank robbery.

It was the only life the two had ever known, taught by a parent who was the worst possible influence. And now he was gone, and they were alone.

Honk. Honk. Pastor Murphy circled around and waited for Jo to hop in. "I was half-expecting you to back out after you researched the Ladeaux twins."

"I have to admit, I was having second thoughts, but I'm committed to meeting them and would like to hear their side of the story." Jo snapped her seatbelt in place. "From what I read, it appears their mother abandoned them not long after they were born and their father, Larry, brought them up in a life of crime."

"In a nutshell," the pastor said. "It's a shame because they're still so young. I'm hoping if they have a strong, positive influence and an opportunity to see for themselves what their future could be like, they'll turn their lives around. As I mentioned before, they've been model prisoners without a single incident recorded. They may just need the Jo Pepperdine second chance."

During the drive, the pastor shared a few more tidbits, information he'd gleaned from the prison officials, and by the time they arrived at the state penitentiary, Jo was feeling optimistic she may have finally found her new residents.

She turned her cell phone in at the check-in desk before following a guard and the pastor through the first of a series of heavy metal doors.

Jo braced herself for the loud clang each set made and couldn't help but think the inmates heard those series of doors open and close, day in and day out. Heavy metal doors that clanged, reminding them they were separated from society, kept locked away for their own safety and the safety of those around them.

She often wondered how her mother had dealt with the emotions of being incarcerated and the feeling of hopelessness knowing she would never make it out alive. It had eaten at Jo so many times, the burden of feeling responsible for her mother. If she had only done things differently all those years ago.

But out of the bad had come good…Jo's farm and her desire to help those who needed a hand up.

The guard motioned them inside an empty visiting room, one Jo had been in more times than she could count.

The guard left and returned a short time later, accompanied by two attractive young women clad in prison uniforms.

Their dark hair was cut short, almost in a bowl cut with a row of bangs that brushed the bottom of their eyebrows, just above their intense blue eyes.

Pastor Murphy greeted them first. "Hello, Courtney and Carli."

"Hello," the woman to his left replied. "You're back."

"I am. Remember the woman, Joanna, I was telling you about?" the pastor asked. "She's here to chat with you." He introduced them as he talked, and Jo shook both of their hands. "It's nice to meet you. You're identical twins."

"We are. I'm Courtney. This is my sister, Carli."

Jo asked about their plans after being released, if they had any specific interests and what they might like to do.

For every question Jo asked, Courtney replied, while Carli stared at her hands. Despite Jo's best efforts, she wasn't able to engage with the other woman, and it almost seemed to her that Courtney enjoyed controlling the situation and—quite possibly—her sister.

Their allotted time flew by and before she knew it, the guard returned to escort the women back to their cells.

Carli slipped out of her chair appearing anxious to escape while Courtney lingered. "We…uh. We're getting out of here the day after tomorrow and we have nowhere to go. I hate to be pushy, but was wondering if we had a shot at being accepted into your place."

Their eyes met, and Jo detected something in Courtney's. Perhaps it was a sense of desperation.

What would they do if Jo didn't take them in? Their father was dead. Their mother could also be dead, or at the very least, had zero interest in her daughters.

Perhaps, in his own weird way, Larry Ladeaux thought he was doing the best he could for Courtney and Carli. Perhaps he had also been raised in a life of crime and it was the only thing he knew to do to survive.

During her research, Jo had discovered they'd spent most of their years living in the Westall Neighborhood, a crime-ridden, drug-infested neighborhood in lower Kansas City. She'd once watched a documentary about Westall, and it had made Jo's stomach churn.

To say it was a rough area was an understatement. No wonder they had been caught up in a life of crime.

The twins had so many strikes against them. If she didn't take them in, would they return to their old neighborhood? How would they survive? By committing more crimes or maybe even selling the only thing they had—their bodies—to make money?

It was an awful thought, and one that had kept Jo up the previous night. If she didn't take them in, they would be on the streets with few prospects and a dismal outlook for their future.

Chances are they would end up in the same situation or one even worse. And if the thought of what would happen to them was keeping her up at night, she could only imagine what was going through their minds.

The bottom line was that Jo Pepperdine was their last hope, their only hope. She cast the pastor a quick glance and could see from the tense expression on his face he also understood exactly what these two women were up against.

Jo sucked in a breath. She'd reached a decision. "I would like to offer both of you a spot at my farm, if you're interested."