Chapter 3

Dolly did not knowwhat had overcome her in the past few minutes. Not only had she allowed a stranger to drive her from the front gate, she now held said stranger's hand as they ascended the six steps that led from the driveway to the front porch. Yes, touching him was causing her body to react in ways she had never felt before, but she hadn't ever responded like this either. Problem was she was here to learn, not tie herself to someone before she even checked in.

Dolly forced herself to not look at the man beside her, but instead focus on the massive set of double doors that led into the building. Doors where a tall, broad man wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots with a cotton snap-front shirt and bolo tie stood. In deference to the heat, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to just below his elbows, exposing powerful forearms. From her extensive study of the resort's website over the past months, she knew this blue-eyed, brown-haired man was the owner.

"Welcome to Rawhide Ranch," he said with a smile that settled the nerves that had begun dancing in her belly that morning. "I'm Derek Hawkins, the owner."

"Daddy, you were supposed to wait for me," A tiny brunette burst through the door and faced him. Planting her pink cowgirl boots on the wide planks of the porch, she placed her hands on her hips and frowned up at the much bigger man.

"Sorry, angel, but I can't ask guests to wait in the driveway while you finish hugging the new stuffie shipment," he responded with a smirk. "Now, you might want to adjust your attitude before I adjust it for you."

The woman took a deep breath and huffed a sigh as she dropped her hands away from her hips and did a little tap dance. Then she turned her attention to them. "Hello. Are you Dolly?"

Dolly could not help smiling and she nodded at the woman who was definitely a Little and too cute for words. "Yes, I am. You must be Sadie."

"That's me! But… I thought you were coming alone. Or did I read the reservation wrong?" Sadie looked from Dolly's face to her hand that was still linked with Mr. Nelson's then back to her face again.

Stunned she was still holding hands with the kind stranger Dolly pulled her hand free. "No, I am single. I'm here alone."

"Whew, that's good, because I have put together a list of Doms who are interested in meeting you," Sadie said as she wrapped her hand around Dolly's wrist. "Let's get you checked in. Then you can have your meeting with Daddy and after that, I'll show you where your room is. We can talk about men while you get settled."

Turning to the man beside her, Dolly gave him a smile. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Nelson. I guess I'll see you around."

She reached for her suitcase, but before she could claim it, Derek took control of it. "I'll see this gets to your room, darlin'. You go on with Sadie and I'll see you in my office in about twenty minutes."

Dolly swallowed as her submissive side surged forward. "Yes, Sir."

With one last peek at her fellow guest, she allowed Sadie to pull her through the front doors into the resort. Her adventure of deep submersion into submissive life at Rawhide Ranch had apparently begun.

"Mr. Nelson?" Derek asked once the women were out of earshot.

Quincy shrugged. "The guard introduced me as Mr. Nelson. I didn't bother to introduce myself properly."

"But you held her hand coming up the stairs? And carried her suitcase? Interesting. Would you like me to put you on Sadie's list of Doms who want to scene with her?"

Quincy chuckled and got really honest with his host. "I'd prefer it if you could burn Sadie's list."

"I'll see what I can do," Derek said as he extended his hand. "Welcome back to Rawhide Ranch, Colonel Doctor Nelson."

Quincy shook his head as he took Derek's hand and shook it. "Not anymore. I retired two weeks ago. Please, while I'm here it's just Quincy Nelson." Especially since I don't know if I'll be continuing as a doctor, he finished silently.

"All right then, just Quincy Nelson. Let's go to my office and have a chat about your expectations for your stay."

Quincy nodded and followed Derek into the building, not surprised to see the other man pulled Dolly's suitcase behind him.

"Give me just a minute to speak with Sadie and I'll meet you at my office."

"Sure thing."

Halfway across the lobby, Quincy stopped and took a deep breath. As he released it, he felt several tons of stress and tension he did not realize he still carried with him, roll off his shoulders. He jumped then chuckled when something caused a loud bang across the lobby as he took a second, easier breath.

One more deep breath and he looked around, noting only a few minor changes in the lobby since his last visit a year before.

The lobby was sprawling with vaulted ceilings, warm wooden floorings, and exposed logs that gave the place the rustic-ranch vibe. The front windows looked out over horses in the near pastures and mountains in the distance.

The massive double-sided stone fireplace held a number of pots of flowering plants instead of a fire that would keep the lobby warm during the cold fall and winter months. Area rugs on which sat large armchairs and small side tables were situated in various groupings around the room, encouraging guests to sit and read or meet and visit.

The place was just as he remembered, and a feeling of coming home swept through him.

"Quincy? Everything okay?" Derek asked as he joined him in the middle of the big lobby.

He nodded with a smile. "Everything's fine. Just taking a moment to relax before I have to face the intimidating Master Derek in his lair."

The two men laughed as Derek led the way to the door that led from the lobby directly into his private office. The bench just outside the door was empty, which meant no one had been naughty yet, but that would change, probably before lunchtime as it seemed that every time Quincy visited his favorite place on Earth, at least one or two Littles occupied the bench on a daily basis.

Entering the office, he sat in one of the two large leather chairs in front of the huge ornate mahogany desk while Derek rounded it to settle in his chair. The office had not changed, except for the artwork on the bulletin board hanging on one wall. There was still a straight-backed armless chair in one corner, and the giant armoire that Quincy knew was filled with paddles, whips, and other implements to inflict pain on naughty submissive bottoms. The couch held several brightly colored throw pillows and a fuzzy blanket. He had a feeling Sadie used the couch for naps more than Derek used it for cozy chats with guests.

"Still looking for a submissive woman who would be willing to enter in a long-distance relationship?" Derek asked as he pulled Quincy's file from a short stack on one side of his desk.

"Not so much anymore. Since I've retired, I'm looking for a submissive woman who would be interested in having me relocate to their locale or move with me somewhere we decide on together."

It was the first time he had said the words aloud, and with the acknowledgement, Quincy felt yet another boulder of anxiety roll off his shoulders. If he weren't careful, he would float away after releasing all the stress, tension, and worries he had been toting around since making the decision to leave the military.

"Can I ask what your plans are, now that you've retired?" Derek asked as he settled deeper into his chair.

"To be perfectly honest, I don't have any. Yet. My retirement income is enough to live on until I decide what I want to do next. Since Janine died, I have no ties to a home or place. Right now, I don't even know if I want to continue being a physician or not. I've been approached to teach, but I'm sure I don't want to be tied to a classroom all day every day. That's part of the reason I'm here. I'm hoping to figure out what my next chapter will be."

"Mmmhmm," Derek said. "You updated your interest sheet, and your other paperwork is in order, so I'll let you go get checked in. As usual, we'll be having a meet and greet in the lobby before dinner. If you're interested, I can have Sadie put together a list of single submissive female guests for you."

Quincy chuckled before rising and shaking Derek's hand over the desk. "No need to put Sadie to work. I'll see you this evening."