“This will be your room,” she tells me as she inserts a key into the lock. “You can bolt your door, but just as an aside, we do random room inspections on occasion.”
I nod in understanding and step into a small cube. It’s not bad. It’s very plain, painted a bland shade of white, but at least it seems clean and doesn’t smell moldy. I take in the tiny cot-like bed and small wooden desk with a spindly wooden chair next to it.
Spartan, I decide. And clearly there’s going to be some sort of schoolwork, if they’re giving me a desk.
But out loud I thank Hester. “It’s a nice room. I like the window.” I gesture toward the single window situated behind the desk. At least there aren’t bars on it, although where I would go, I have no idea.
“It’s not much, but you have the basics,” she nods. “Bathrooms are down either end of the hallway, as is the linen closet if you want an extra blanket. Dinner is at seven o’clock sharp.”
With that, Hester leaves me in my barren room to try and make it as cozy as possible. I close the door behind her and immediately toss my duffel bag into the closet, not bothering to unpack my clothes just yet. Instead, I grab my box of stationary from Bess and place it on the empty desk. I place a few sketchpads next to it and drop my pack of coloring pencils in the drawer. The pops of color make the place a little less drab at least.
I sigh, taking in the cot with its clean but coarse sheets. Then, I sink into the chair and collapse against the desk, realizing just how terrible this next year is going to be. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
I prop my head on my elbows and stare at the vast fields beyond my little window. The sight of more taxis pulling up quickly disrupts my musings and crane my head to see the new arrivals. For the next hour or so, I watch as different girls appear, observing their mannerisms, clothing, and speech patterns.
One girl in particular has caught my attention, but not in a good way. The tall, stick-thin blonde pulls up in a private town car and looks every part the privileged princess. Her boots are obviously a new purchase and her luggage is designer and emblazoned with logos. As soon as I see Hester escort the lithe blond into the house, I peek into the hall to see which room she’ll be staying in. Oh shit. I nearly groan when I realize she’s across the hall and one door down from me.
“I think my parents mentioned my various diet restrictions,” the haughty blonde announces, speaking to Hester as if she’s the hired help. “And since they’re paying a lot of money for me to be here, I’m sure that won’t be an issue.”
Hester merely blinks at the girl, obviously a beacon of patience. Meanwhile, I retreat back into my room, not wanting to get caught up with this obnoxious new hall mate. I’m curious to know why she’s at the Lazy R, but not enough to engage in a one on one chat with her. Instead, I go back to my window and keep watching as the rest of the group arrives.
At seven o’clock sharp, a bell rings loudly in the upstairs hallway, summoning us to dinner. I wait a moment and then slip into the stream of girls already making their way downstairs. Once in the large dining room, I immediately notice that the tall blonde from earlier is already bossing some of the other ladies around, dictating who should sit where as if she’s the queen bee.
Defiantly, I pull out a chair she had just designated for another girl and sit down hard in it. The blonde stares daggers at me but there’s nothing she can do about it. My fat ass belongs right here, and here it’s going to stay.
“All right settle in, ladies,” Hester’s sharp voice interrupts our mindless chatter. “Before we dig into dinner – and I know you’re all probably hungry after your various journeys to get here – I want to take a moment to introduce you to the owners of Lazy R Ranch.”
I glance around my long table at the other girls. There are about thirty of us in total, all roughly the same age, and all clearly here for some random infraction. My head is turned toward opposite of where Hester is standing when a deep voice begins speaking. The bass tone is familiar and tingles run down my spine.
“I’m Stanton Regan, and this here is my brother, Shane. We just wanted to take a moment to welcome you all to the Lazy R.”
But I don’t hear another word. Instead, I whip my head around and find myself locking eyes with first one and then the other brother I made love to in a dark alley less than a week ago. Holy shit, it is them! What are the twins doing here?