widened instinctively as she realized this was the first opportunity she’d have to prove her value to the ranch. She needed this to go well, or Jessie might decide to buy her out of her contract.
“Don’t look so worried. It’s only four boys, and they’re only staying through the weekend. All you’ll need to do is a couple of team-building exercises for them, highlighting the benefits of working together, cooperation, not killing one another, that sort of thing.” Jessie’s eyes glimmered with humor, but Leah wasn’t sure she was joking. “These are all boys Chase has been working with. They’re in the system but not considered high-risk.”
“Oh, okay.” She bit the corner of her lower lip, wondering which exercises might work best for the group. “I guess I could plan a morning session where we—”
Jessie laughed and grasped her by the shoulders. “Don’t stress yourself out over this, Leah. Nathan will be there to help with them in the morning when they do chores, and we’ll take a ride to The Ridge. We’ll manage lunch after. I’m betting you and I can come up with something fun for them to do. We’ll reserve some time after dinner to get them to open up and talk as a group, once you get to know them. It won’t be anything too formal this time around.”
Leah nearly breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders drooping as she released the tension that had been building. Most programs she’d applied to wanted a structured program that would adhere to rigid guidelines, but from the way Jessie was describing things, she wanted something organic. It would require more skill and finesse on Leah’s part, an ability to read the boys and their needs in the moment, but would give the participants a far greater sense of being heard and understood. It surprised her again to find such a forward-thinking facility.
“You really just want me to let them talk?” Leah shook her head in disbelief. “Are you sure you don’t want me doing something a bit more . . . clinical? You’re paying me an awful lot to just listen.”
“Not when you think about everything you’re giving up. You’re committing to this ranch for five years, Leah. We’ve worked our way through a lot of applications to find just the right person that we thought would fit our program. It means the world to me and Nathan that you believe in what we’re doing here enough to put your life on hold.”
Leah lifted a shoulder. She wasn’t about to tell Jessie she hadn’t really had a life before accepting this job. Everything up until this point had been just stepping stones to land a position even half as promising as this one was. She wasn’t sure why others hadn’t jumped at the chance.
“I appreciate you both giving me the opportunity.”
She couldn’t help the doubts that crept into her mind. What if she couldn’t connect with these kids? What if she could and everyone figured out why? No one knew about her past. Her mother was in jail and would be for the next fifteen years, at least, and no one else cared enough to look for her. This was the new start she’d always prayed for, the second chance to find a life free from the shackles of her past.
Jessie smiled at her, cocking her head to one side, her long, dark ponytail flipping over her shoulder. “We’re happy you see it as an opportunity. I know it’s a lot of work, more than just sitting in an office at a desk seeing patients, but we hope you’ll find it worth the effort.”
A soft, muffled mew sounded from their left and Jessie paused, listening.
“What’s that?” Leah walked toward the sound.
“One of the barn cats must have kittens nearby.”
Jessie crossed her arms and waited for Leah at the porch steps. Leah had expected her to follow and try to find the source of the sound—it was her ranch and kittens, after all—but Jessie didn’t seem fazed and let Leah search for the kittens alone. Making her way around to the side of the patio, she continued to
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