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She passed everything, keeping her boots on, and went around the corner and into the kitchen. The scent of sizzling meat met her nose, and her taste buds perked right up.
“There you are,” Emma said, turning from the oven where she’d just pulled out a tray of foil-wrapped potatoes. She stepped over to Ginger and hugged her. “Long day, right?”
“Really long,” Ginger said, setting her folder on the counter and her bag next to the island. She indicated Nate behind her. “This is Nathaniel Mulbury, and his nephew Connor. He goes by Nate.” She smiled at Connor. “And you go by Connor, right bud?”
The boy nodded as if she were asking a serious question, and she reached out and lovingly swiped the hair off his forehead. “He just woke up, so he’s a bit shy right now.” She stepped further into the kitchen. “This is Emma Clemson,” she said. “She’s my right hand and my left hand. If it looks like I know what I’m doing around here, it’s because of her.”
Emma just smiled and shook her head, sending her dark curls cascading around her shoulders. “Not true.”
“Come in, come in. Let’s get over to the table.” Ginger stepped that way, unsurprised to see Emma pick up her folder of important documents and move them to the file holder on the opposite counter, out of the way.
“I’ll go grab the others,” Emma said. She picked up Ginger’s suitcase and took it with her, calling, “Jess, Michelle. They’re here.”
Nate still hadn’t said anything, and he sat in a chair at the corner of the table. Connor stayed in his lap, and Ginger didn’t know what to do to break the tension. She reminded herself that the first night was always like this, that he just needed some time to adjust to a new way of living. One where he didn’t have to share a bathroom with dozens of other men.
Ginger sat beside him and folded her hands in her lap. “Do you like steak?”
He turned his head toward her as if in slow motion. “I haven’t had steak in years. But yeah.” He spoke slowly and nodded his head. “I think I used to like steak.”
“Emma’s a really good cook.”
“Do you cook, Ginger?”
She really liked how he said her name, with all the tenderness of a really good man. She sighed and shook her head. “I mean, I can if I have to, but Emma’s here, so I don’t have to.” She gave him a smile, and for the first time, he returned it. He obviously had no idea what a smile transformed his face into, though he probably had at one point in the past.
“All right,” Michelle said, her voice too brusque for their current conversation. She breezed into the room like a hurricane and took the chair on the other side of Nate. “Do you want to do the business first, or eat, and then talk afterward?”
“I’m exhausted,” he said. “So let’s get this over with, and then I can go to bed after dinner.”
Michelle’s gaze barely flicked toward Ginger, but she still caught the anxiety there. “Good plan. So this outlines the rules of Hope Eternal Ranch. You can go over it whenever. Ginger will talk to you about your assignment, probably in the morning.”
“Or a day or two,” she said. “It’s Sunday tomorrow.”
“Oh, right.” Michelle barely missed a beat. “We need you to sign this one for the Bureau of Prisons. The BOP really likes all their paperwork in line as soon as possible.” She held up a page and set it on the table in front of Nate.
“What is it?” he asked, though he was already reaching for the pen.
“It states that you understand that you work here. That you’ll get paid. That we’ll provide adequate housing for you and Connor.” She paused as she looked at the boy. “But you’ll have to pay for your own groceries, gas—a vehicle should you choose to purchase one.” She let another beat or two of silence pass, because most inmates usually had questions about their pay, their budget, or how they were supposed to pay for things.
Nate said nothing.
Michelle looked at Ginger and took another breath. “It says that you’ll have a parole officer visit at least once a month, unannounced, and that you’ll do daily check-ins with Ginger for the first week, whereupon they’ll move to weekly, and then peter out as time goes by.” She craned her neck to look at the paper. “Oh, and that you can’t leave the property for any reason.”
“Ever?” He looked from the paper to Michelle and then Ginger. “How do I buy groceries if I can’t leave the ranch?”
“There’s a delivery service,” Ginger said. “And you can go with someone else. If you want to leave the ranch by yourself, there is a form you fill out for your parole officer, and it’s up to him whether you can go or not.” She glanced at Michelle. “Right?” It had been several months since they’d had anyone from the prison system come to Hope Eternal.
“Right.” Michelle picked up the pen. “Sound good?”
“What choice do I have?” Nate asked, the first sign of attitude from him that Ginger had seen. He took the pen and signed with a few hills and valleys in ink that looked nothing like his name at all.
“Great.” Michelle whisked the paper away and stood up. “Let’s eat.”
“Yes,” Ginger said, her stomach quite upset with her dietary choices from that day. “I’m starving.”
Nate once again said nothing, and Ginger wondered if staying silent was a lesson he’d learned behind bars that had allowed him to survive. She wanted to ask him, but she thought he’d probably had enough questions for one day.
She reached over and patted his hand where it lay over Connor’s and said, “I’m glad you’re here, Nate.” She wasn’t sure if her tone revealed too much or not, so she quickly added, “You too, Connor,” and got up to go help Emma in the kitchen so she wouldn’t further embarrass herself.
