“I’m so, so sorry,” Diana said as she and Novalene gave her a three-way hug.

Family doesn’t have to share DNA, her gramps’s voice came to her mind. He was so right. These folks—the counselors, girls, and even Elijah—were family even if they didn’t share a drop of blood.

“For some of them, it might be their first time to deal with death,” Jayden said.

“Poor things.” Novalene took a step back. “They’ll learn today that their parents’ money can’t buy a cure for death and the pain of losing something or someone dear to them.”

“Ain’t it the truth.” Diana picked up a tissue and wiped Jayden’s cheeks.

Jayden whipped up two applesauce Bundt cakes. While they baked, she made gazpacho and put it in the refrigerator to chill. Cold soup served with chunks of homemade Italian bread, wedges of cheese, and chicken salad sandwiches would be good for hot, sweaty girls who’d used up a lot of energy and emotion that morning.

The whole time she worked, she worried about all the girls, but even more about her three—Ashlyn in particular. They hadn’t discussed the death of grandparents or pets, but Ashlyn had said something about her nanny dying, and that was when she turned to alcohol. When the cakes were out of the pans and cooling, she chopped up peppers, onions, and tomatoes to sprinkle on top of the gazpacho and sliced the warm bread when it came out of the oven.

“French fries and hamburgers, my butt,” she fumed as she thought about the two women from the day before.

You just need someone to be pissed at, don’t you, baby girl? Her grandfather’s voice was pretty real in her head.

“Yes, I do,” she agreed aloud.

Remember what I told you about arguing with yourself.

“I’m not arguing. I’m agreeing with you.” She got down bowls for the soup and then started making chicken salad sandwiches.

If you’re fighting with yourself, you’re about to mess up.

“I told you, I’m in complete agreement with you,” she said again.

Follow your heart, and then you won’t be pissed at anyone—most of all yourself.

With dirt smeared on their sweaty faces, the girls filed in at noon. Ashlyn was first in line with Tiffany and Carmella right behind her. She managed a weak smile when she saw the gazpacho. “That looks really good. It’s so hot outside that cold soup will go down good.”

“I’m glad.” Jayden smiled. “Did you get finished, or do you have to do more digging this afternoon?”

“Elijah says it’s big enough and deep enough. We had four shovels, and we had a system,” Ashlyn said. “He said he’ll bring Dynamite out to the grave when we get done eating and then we can have our service.”

“There’s a poem called ‘The Rainbow Bridge.’ I’ve never read it, but Quinley said that her friend gave it to her when she lost her dog. She says it would be perfect for the funeral.” Tiffany held out her tray for a sprinkling of peppers, onions, and fresh tomatoes to be put on top of her soup. “Would you be able to find it and print it off so I can read it at the service?”

“I’ll do my best,” Jayden promised.

“And we all want a song,” Carmella said. “Can we borrow your phone and play ‘The River’ by Garth Brooks? The words kind of fit all of us here, and we’re all sorry that Dynamite is gone. We should’ve told him how much he meant to us. We’ve decided that for the rest of our lives, it’s going to be our theme song from what we’ve learned while we’ve been here. It talks about a dreamer, and we’re in Daydream Cabin.”

“I can make that happen.” Jayden tried to remember the words to the song but only something about daring to dance on the tides came to mind.

“Thank you,” Carmella said. “We’re planning to walk back out there together after we eat. We brought the wheelbarrows back with us to put the rocks in that we’ll gather as we go.”

“We’ll all go with you,” Jayden told her.

Elijah arrived as the last girl sat down. He picked up a tray and asked, “What is this?”

“Gazpacho and sandwiches,” Jayden answered. “I figured something cold might be good after the morning they’ve all had.”

“Haven’t had it in years, but it sure looks good. Is that cinnamon I smell?” He added several spoonfuls of extra vegetables to his soup and picked up two chicken salad sandwiches.

“Applesauce cake with brown sugar and cinnamon in the center, and fresh fruit salad for dessert. How’s it going in the barn?” she asked.

“I went ahead and put Dynamite in the hole the girls dug. I covered him with a horse blanket. Everything is ready,” he answered. “Y’all want me to drive you out there after we eat?”

“The girls are planning to walk. I’ll tag along with them,” she said.

“Me too,” Diana piped up from the table. “We’ll stay back a little way and give the girls some space, but it won’t hurt us to walk a mile today.”

“Speak for yourself,” Novalene said. “I’ll ride with Elijah. These old bones have sat out in the sun all morning. Watching those girls work so hard was all the exercise I need for the next six months.”

“How did they do?” Jayden asked.

“They cried a lot,” Diana said.

“And giggled a little when they remembered something special like the story of Dynamite and the snake,” Novalene added.

“But mostly they worked like troupers to get that hole big enough to put a horse in,” Elijah said. “They should be emotionally and physically drained by bedtime tonight.”

“Same as you, huh?” Jayden nudged him with her shoulder.

“You got that right,” he said.

Jayden could tell that Tiffany was nervous about reading the poem. Her hands shook as she took her place at the end of the grave. A relentless, broiling sun beat down on everyone’s heads, but the girls didn’t even seem to mind. Sweat circles and dirt stained their uniforms as they gathered around the hole with the horse lying in the bottom, covered with a blanket. She pulled a piece of paper from her pocket and read:

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and women do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where beloved creatures find rest.

On this golden land, they wait, and they play,

Until the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

They trot through the grass without even a care,

Until one day they whinny and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes sharp and alert.

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the herd.

For just at that second, there’s no room for remorse.

As they see each other . . .

Her voice broke and Ashlyn slipped her arm around Tiffany’s shoulders.

So, they run to each other, these friends from long past.

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart

Has turned to joy once more in each heart.

They nuzzle with a love that will last forever.