Page 2 of Paroled on Love

"Let me go over some of the rules for you, and get that out of the way. So we can talk about more pleasant stuff. Now, no smoking, no pot or other drugs, no cigarettes, no drinking alcohol. And we prefer no cussing." He chuckled over the last one. "You can have healthy snacks any time you want them, just ask my wife for them. You can have one coke a day, no more than that. Our drinking water through the day while you're working comes from a well, you will draw it up and drink from the dipper. This eliminated the going in the house twenty times a day. Supper is at five-thirty, lights out at ten. You'll have a radio in your room, a small laptop and a television. None of which can be used after ten. But I can assure you, by the time you've worked a few days ten o'clock will feel late to you. I think I've covered everything. Now, how does that sound?"

"Really," she drawled. "You have laptops on a farm?"

"Well, we decided to invest in a few as most kids like to shop on line and stuff. Oh, I forgot to tell you, as long as you do your chores, you'll make ten dollars a week. We go to town on Saturday and you can shop for things if you like. Once a month there is a dance for kids your age. It's a barn dance, but the kids seem to enjoy it. A lot of old folks play music at the dance, so please be kind to them as the

y put time in on this and it is appreciated."

"You're kidding."

"No, I'm not." He didn't smile at her outburst.

"You're going to give me money, let me shop and take me to dances?" She asked a brow going up. "What kind of place is this, anyway?"

"It's rural life out in the sticks. Some actually like it at Douglas Farms. You see, unless you are going shopping or to the dance, there is little other contact with the rest of the world."

"Well, it's certainly different." She let her voice fade as she added. "A lot better than I ever expected."

"We hope you enjoy your stay with us, we aren't tyrants. If there are problems you need to talk over, we listen."

"What kind of chores will I have to do?" She asked curiously.

"Muck out the stalls, feed the animals, collect eggs, keep the barn clean and brush down the horses daily. And milk the cow."

"What kind of animals do you have?"

"Horses, pigs, chickens, ducks, a lazy cat and a riff-raff dog named Hobo and our milk cow too. You'll see to their food and water every day."

"Doesn't sound too hard. Except I don't know much about animals. I guess I can learn though."

"The worse chore is mucking out the stalls."

"What exactly is that?" She asked turning up her nose a bit.

He seemed to study how to tell her. "You pick up dried horse poop, scoop it into a wheel barrow and carry it out to a place that we store them."

"You store horse poop?" She asked scrunching her nose up at that. "That sounds kind of disgusting."

"We use it for other things, yes. It usually becomes fertilizer for the garden, sometimes you will distribute it in the garden for the Misses."

"Why doesn't she do it?"

"Mrs. Douglas does many things on the farm. Among the most dutiful is bookkeeping, and paying bills. Ordering supplies when needed. She also does the wash, cooks the meals, cleans the house and handles all calls that come through to the farm."

"Does anyone else work at this farm?"

"Yes, me and my sons."

"You have sons?"

"Yes, three actually. The two oldest do the hard work of handling the cattle, vet work and they slaughter for us and take our animals to market to sell every year. The only one you'll work with is Jeremiah, he's the youngest. In fact, he's just a bit older than you. A lot of your work will be together, so you should try to get along with him. He'll be training you for your work the first week, then it's up to you to do it."

"Is he hard to get along with?" She asked.

"No, most of the girls really like him."

"Can I ask you a question?" She asked, running her hand down her jeans methodically.

"Sure, go ahead."

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