Chapter 8

"You have new residents already?" Carrie tilted her head. "That was fast."

"I've been working on it for a while," Jo said.

"I'll let you get to your business." Carrie hopped out of the truck and gave Jo a quick hug. "Thanks for having a heart and giving the skunk a chance to find his way home."

"You're welcome, although you have a bigger heart than I do, rescuing him and nursing him back to health." Jo turned to go, and Carrie stopped her. "I'm heading over to Dave's place. I'll let you know if I hear anything."

"Thanks, Carrie. I'm trying to give Leah her space, but would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about her."

"I'll only call if I find out something new." Carrie took off, and Nash swung around to park the truck while Jo made her way over to the trio, who stood chatting with Delta and Gary.

"Hello, Jo." The pastor greeted her. "Delta said you were on a mercy mission."

"To free a stray skunk Carrie Ford rescued and rehabilitated."

"Instead of stuffed and sold?" the pastor joked. "I thought she was a taxidermist."

"She is, but she's also a compassionate animal lover." Jo turned her attention to the two young women. "You made it."

"We did," Courtney said. "Carli and I are excited to be here."

Carli nodded as she shook Jo's hand. Her small hand was cold and her complexion was pale. Jo immediately got the impression she was anxious or stressed. "Welcome to your new home. The other residents are looking forward to meeting you."

"Would you like me to hang around?" Pastor Murphy asked.

"You can stay for the tour if you like."

"I would like him to stay." Courtney gave Jo a nervous smile. "If he, if you have time."

"Of course." Pastor Murphy opened the side door of his van and removed two small backpacks. The twins slipped them on and then fell into step as they made their way toward the housing units.

Duke caught up with them and nudged Jo's hand. "This is Duke. He's our official guard dog. Curtis, our cat, hangs out in the resident's common area. You'll meet her in a minute."

"Curtis is a female?"

"It's a long story. When she first showed up at the farm and adopted us, we thought she was a he. By the time we figured it out, her name had already stuck." Jo led them around the side of the building. "One of you will be housed in the end unit while the other is at the opposite end, next door to the common area. I thought Carli could take the unit closest to the shared space."

A troubled expression crossed Courtney's face. "I was hoping we could be next to each other."

"I put you in my two vacant units. I don't want to disrupt the other residents by asking them to move around. These are their homes and I don't think it's fair to ask them to move." Jo smiled brightly. "You're free to decorate the walls and paint with my approval."

"I suppose," Courtney said in a quiet voice.

"You're not far apart." Jo pointed out that there were only four units between them. "It's a short walk from one end to the other."

They stopped at Courtney's unit first. She unpacked her meager belongings and then they continued to the other end. Carli placed her backpack on the bed but made no move to unpack.

"Would you like to get settled in?" Jo asked.

Carli shook her head and lowered her gaze.

"We don't have a lot of stuff, just what we had when we got to the prison and some old clothes the guards donated."

"We sell women's clothing in the mercantile," Jo said. "Tomorrow, we'll see what we have on hand that might work. Some of them are very nice, gently used items."

"Thank you."

Their next stop was the common area. They toured the living room, the kitchen area and then stepped into the bathrooms, where Jo assigned each of them a medicine cabinet and gave them the key. "We eat dinner together, every night at six on the dot. Breakfast is every morning at seven. If you miss a meal, there's extra food in the common area's kitchen. Breakfast is voluntary. Eating dinner together is mandatory."

Curtis emerged from beneath the coffee table. Her tail shot up in the air as she curiously eyed the strangers.

"This is Curtis." Jo scooped her up.

"She's cute." Courtney patted her head.

Carli leaned in and scratched her ears.

Curtis purred loudly, rubbing her head against Carli's palm.

"And spoiled rotten." Jo set her back down before making her way to the door. While they walked, she briefly went over the work schedule.

They circled around to the mercantile. It was busy and because they were short staffed, Kelli was hustling to keep up.

"I'll introduce you to the residents and our staff at dinner this evening," Jo said. "Gary, our gardener, has a shop over here."

They strolled past the chickens, and Carli abruptly stopped. She backtracked and tentatively approached the coop.

The chickens strutted over to the wire mesh.

Cluck. Cluck.

"Carli," Courtney said excitedly. "They have chickens."

Carli placed a tentative finger inside the mesh, and Henrietta gently pecked the tip of it.

She stroked the chicken's head and began making a soft noise. It reminded Jo of a bird cooing. "Carli likes chickens?"

"Loves chickens," Courtney corrected. "What are their names?"

"Henrietta is the one greeting Carli. Egglina is the other one. They're both friendly. Leah, the resident who just left the farm, is also the one who cared for them."

Carli's head shot up and her eyes lit.

"Would you like to help care for our chickens?" Jo asked.

The woman's head bobbed up and down.

"Are those crazy birds still chasing Laverne around?" the pastor chuckled.

"Yes. In fact, she sneaked back here the other day, planning to set them free, and Henrietta started chasing after her."

Henrietta circled the cage, vocalizing her "cluck of approval."

"Let's head inside and go over your paperwork."

"And this is where I say goodbye," the pastor said.

"Thank you for everything," Courtney said. "Carli and I are determined to make this rehab thing work."

"That's all I ask." Pastor Murphy clasped Courtney's hand. "You're in good hands here with Jo and the others. I'll be around here or there and perhaps I'll even see you in church on Sunday."

He shook Carli's hand next. "Good luck, young lady. Maybe the next time I see you, you'll be chattering away and giving your sister a run for her money."

Carli smiled, and it was the first time Jo noticed she had a dimple. Maybe because she couldn't remember ever seeing her smile. She made a heart with her fingers and pressed it to her chest.

Jo waited until he was gone and then led the women up the front steps and into the house. "The living room is free for you to use when you're not working. During the winter months, we like to hang out here and play board games after dinner."

They crossed through the living room and dining room and made their way into the kitchen, where Delta bustled back and forth. "You already met Delta. She's my right-hand gal. She runs our kitchen. You'll be helping her during your regular rotations."

"Welcome to the most popular place on the farm. Not only do we make meals, but we also bake up a storm for the bakeshop. Do either of you like baking or cooking?"

Both women's hands shot up.

"Wonderful. I can't wait for you to roll up your sleeves and give me a hand."

They chatted briefly, and then Jo led them into her office. "Have a seat."

She made her way around the back of the desk. "You've seen the farm. I've explained how things run. Do you have any questions so far?"

Both shook their heads.

"It seems like a great place," Courtney said. "We're looking forward to settling in."

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to put you next to each other."

"I think…I'm sure it will be all right," she replied. "We were apart in prison. It's just easier for Carli to communicate if I'm nearby."

"I hope Carli's lack of communication will only be temporary." Jo settled into her chair and focused her attention on her non-verbal resident. "Can you speak?"

Carli nodded.

"You just don't want to?"

She shook her head.

"I'm opposed to crutches," Jo said as she reached inside the desk. "However, until we can get to the bottom of why you won't talk, I'm giving you this." She handed her a large flip pad and blue marker. "I'll accept the fact you aren't willing, for whatever reason, to speak. I am asking, however, instead of depending on Courtney to answer for you, that you communicate by using this."

Carli stared at the flip pad and then she looked at her sister, as if seeking her approval.

"Carli?" Jo waved a hand in front of her face. "This isn't a decision for Courtney to make. This is your decision. I want to hear what you have to say, even if you spell it out on this pad of paper."

There was a long moment of tense silence and Jo could almost sense an internal battle waging inside the young woman. Slowly…ever so slowly…she reached for the pad of paper and marker.

Jo held her breath as she flipped it open, removed the marker's cap and began writing. She turned it around so Jo could see.

Okay.

"Wonderful. I'm happy to hear you plan to take part in living here." Jo got down to the business of going over the state's required paperwork. She filled in the blanks with the help of Courtney and Carli, who continued writing out her answers.

An hour later, Jo uploaded the files and submitted them to the state. "It's official. Your records have been filed and you're now residents here at the farm. I'll follow up with your probation officer in the next day or so to make sure he received the information."

A slow smile spread across Courtney's face, and she gave her sister a high five. "Thank you, Ms. Pepperdine. You won't be sorry," she promised.

Ditto, Carli scribbled out.

"You can call me Jo. Welcome to the family." Jo escorted them back to their units, reminded them about the dinner hour, and then headed back inside to the kitchen.

"Well?"

Jo gave a thumbs up. "Carli will communicate using a scratch pad. In other words, Courtney will no longer be answering for her sister."

Delta let out a loud whoop. "That was fast."

"I'm hoping with the help of the flip pad, Carli will become more comfortable in answering for herself. Courtney doesn't have to be her sister's keeper and Carli has a voice again."

"Joanna Pepperdine, the miracle worker."

*****

The dinner hour arrived, and everyone gathered around the table. To celebrate, Delta had whipped up a feast of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn on the cob, freshly baked yeast rolls with apple pie for dessert.

Courtney joined in the conversation, and even Carli answered questions using her flip pad. Jo beamed with pride as her "girls" took the two new ones under their wings and welcomed them.

Nash and Gary helped carry the conversation as Delta kept passing the dishes of food to the twins, deeming them too thin to be living under their roof.

"Watch out for the demon chickens," Laverne said.

"They are not demon chickens," Jo said. "In fact, Henrietta seems to have taken to Carli."

"Really?" Laverne arched a brow.

"My sister loves animals," Courtney said.

Carli nodded enthusiastically and began scribbling. I'll take care of them if no one else wants to.

The evening meal ended. Raylene and the other residents invited the twins back to the common area so they could show them how to log onto the computers and give them the lay of the land.

Nash had some cleanup to do, which left Delta and Gary, who stayed behind to help Jo.

"The new residents seem like a good fit," Gary said.

"I hope so. They're willing to put in the effort which is more than half the battle. I have some concerns about why Carli won't speak, but keep reminding myself I need to be patient," Jo said. "We'll take it one day at a time."

After everyone left, Jo wandered from room to room. The big old house seemed empty now that Delta had married Gary and moved out.

Duke, sensing Jo's melancholy, began following her. "Well? What do you think, Duke?"

He circled Jo and trotted to the door.

"I agree. Let's wander around the yard for a few minutes." Jo let the pup out first and followed him along the length of the flower gardens. Delta was itching to plant the spring flowers now that the last of the frost was gone.

From the driveway, she noticed a light in the window of the end unit, the one Courtney had moved into.

Changing direction, Jo strolled over to the units. She could hear the faint sound of voices and gave the door a light rap.

It grew quiet. The door abruptly opened, and Courtney appeared. "Hello."

"Hello." Jo offered her a small smile. "I thought I would check in to see if you needed anything." She craned her neck, catching a glimpse of Carli perched on the edge of Courtney's bed.

"We…we're fine. The rooms are cozy. Carli and I would like to take you up on the offer to see if there are any clothes in the mercantile that might fit us."

"Of course. We'll run by there first thing in the morning and see what they have," Jo promised.

"Thank you, for everything."

"You're welcome." Jo told them goodnight and the door shut.

She started to walk away but something told her to stay put. She listened as the voices resumed. "Can but won't talk," she whispered under her breath.

She and Duke circled around and Jo ran back inside to grab her cell phone when she discovered she'd missed a call from Leah. There was no message.

Jo promptly called her back. "Hello, Leah. I noticed that I missed your call. How are you doing?"

"Hey, Jo. Not so good."