Page 2 of Christmas with Three Cowboys

“Sir?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper as I stand before his desk, fingers fidgeting behind my back. At least Bucky didn’t cuff me,which is the usual procedure when stepping out of the inmate-reserved areas.

“Have a seat, Carson,” Jeffries replies.

“Is everything okay, sir?” I ask meekly.

He gives me a surprised look. “Why would you ask that?”

“I’m in your office.”

“Oh.” He opens a green folder, flipping through several printed pages with renewed interest. I don’t have a good line of sight from where I’m sitting, so I can only rely on his often-unreadable facial expressions to try and figure out what’s going on. “You’ve been a good inmate.”

I blink a few times, briefly lost as I take deep, calming breaths. “Thank you?”

“I’m serious. You’ve been a model inmate. I’m sure Bucky and the other guards have told you that.”

“Yes. Is there a ‘but’ coming?”

“No.” He pauses to look at me. “Do you remember the Path to Freedom Initiative?”

“The inmate reform program, yes.”

“You applied for that.”

“Every year, sir. But I was never considered.” I pause as my eyes widen with understanding. “Sir…”

Jeffries offers a broad smile. “Congratulations, Carson. You have qualified for a precious slot in the Path to Freedom Initiative.”

I want to jump out of my seat and squeal with joy. My heart is so full, I’m terrified I’m dreaming. But I pinch myself until it hurts and find myself awake, so I take a few more deep breaths in order to contain my excitement while Jeffries holds back a chuckle.

“You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you, sir. I can’t thank you enough.”

“You’ll finish the rest of your sentence outside this correction facility,” he says, “as a live-in ranch employee.”

“A ranch employee?” Panic takes over. “But I don’t have any experience on a ranch.”

“Believe me when I tell you that I picked the best option for you. The Avery Ranch outside of Long Pine is in need of kitchen staff. Specifically, they need a decent cook.”

“Oh, I can do that.”

Jeffries smirks. “Did you think I was going to have you roping calves and shoeing horses?”

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.”

“You never really belonged here, Carson.”

I nod in agreement and bite my tongue. The last thing I want to do right now is go on a tirade about how I was unjustly imprisoned. I’m too tired for that. Besides, it’s been three years. Jake is in the wind, and I had to pick myself back up after he let me take the fall for him. I can’t change the past. I can only reclaim my future. And this Path to Freedom Initiative is precisely what I need.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I think you’re going to like the Avery Ranch. They recently signed up with the program, and they provided us with all the documentation necessary for your transfer,” Jeffries continues. “The facility gets a cut from your salary, but you will retain up to about seventy-five percent of your earnings whilst in their employment.”

“While living on the ranch.”

“Yes. It’ll get you set up for the future”

“I’ll be able to set some cash aside, yes sir.”

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