Danny peeked around the edge of the haystack. Three men stood in the wide aisle between stalls, shoulder to shoulder like a judgment wall.
Master Derek stood in the center. His face was unreadable and his posture straight. He looked sharp as a sword.
Daddy Easton stood to his right. His lips were pressed tight, and he scanned the shadows with his eyes like heknewthey were here.
Dr. Sam on the left of the group, stood with his arms crossed. He looked... amused. Mostly.
Danny slapped his hand over his mouth.
Horse shit and beetle dung.
He swallowed hard. They’d messed up.
“Who started this?” Derek’s voice cracked across the space like a whip.
Sadie scrambled up first, hay clinging to her skirt and fleece leggings. “Uhm. I did. Kinda.” Her hands slid behind her back as she peeked at her Daddy from under her lashes.
Danny’s chest burned. That wasn’t right. She was trying to shield them.
“No. No.” He pushed himself forward from his hiding spot. His hands trembled so he took a leaf out of Sadie’s book and folded his hands behind his back. “We all did. We were having fun and throwing out ideas for the stickers. It wasn’t just her.”
Danny looked to his left as he spotted movement. Georgie edged out of the shadows. “And I made the drawings.”
Blake and Lori emerged last. “And I helped too. Really, Master Derek. It isn’t just Sadie’s fault, we all did it.”
“Uh-huh. Me too, but I was the lastest and did the littlest,” murmured Lori.
There was silence. It was heavy, dusty, and almost sacred silence. And it seemed to stretch out for minutes. Then Derek pointed to a low bale behind them.
“I want all of you to sit there but pull your pants and underwear down first. You’ll be sitting bare assed while you listen to me.”
Danny’s stomach flipped. But he obeyed, face burning, fingers clumsy as he pushed clothing past his hips and sat bare bottomed on the scratchy hay. The others followed, subdued and quiet.
“You should think before acting.” Derek stepped forward and paced back and forth in front of them. “Sadie and I have been working on that exact skill.”
Sadie sniffled and ducked her head. A tear slipped down her cheek, and Danny’s heart cracked.
No, no, no. Don’t cry.
His own eyes burned. “She was trying to stop us,” he blurted. “Earlier, she hesitated. We egged her on.”
Derek’s mouth tightened, but he didn’t look away from Sadie. “You don’t get to protect them by lying, little one.”
“You’re right, Daddy,” Sadie whispered. “I let you down.”
He crouched in front of her, large hands resting on his thighs, his tone softer now but no less firm. “You know I love your wild heart. I love your spark, your creativity, the way your brain hops from one fun idea to the next like a bunny on a sugar rush.”
Sadie sniffled and peeked up through her lashes.
“But that fire comes with responsibility. You can’t just set the world alight because it feels exciting in the moment. What happens if someone slips on one of those stickers? Or a visitor sees one and feels unwelcome?”
She bit her lip.
“I need to know you’re learning to pause. That you can pause. Even when your Little brain is bouncing all over the place. Did you pause today before you put that sticker on my door?”
“No, Daddy.”
“Did you think about how it might be taken by someone else? Or how I might feel about it?”
