Chapter 13

Les

He couldn't getover it. She'd kept it and worn it. Rae-Rae had just told him she'd never had another Daddy, that he'd always been her Daddy, and he was so fucking awed that he was shaking.

Les couldn't see through his tears, so when he went back to the drawer, he just grabbed the first thing he touched, then picked a random pair of underwear for her. He didn't get a bra because Little girls don't wear bras. That had always been a thing for him. Rae-Rae wasn't small chested, but it didn't matter. She'd always preferred to not wear one when Little. He hoped that hadn't changed.

He headed to the bed and sat on the edge. She was already naked except for her underwear since he'd removed her pajamas so she could go potty. Les beckoned Rae-Rae and she came to him without hesitation.

"Um, Daddy," she said as she looked at what he'd picked, "I think I need a shirt with that."

Les tried to blink away the tears still flowing from his eyes but it was no use so he took a tissue from the small box on the nightstand and wiped them clear. When he looked, he saw he'd picked a pair of purple overalls that had bell bottom legs. Rae-Rae was right, she needed a shirt. The last thing he wanted was any other Daddies looking at what was his.

He stood and went back to the drawer, choosing a yellow shirt to match the sunflowers embroidered on the overalls. Dressing her was a joy. He bent down and lowered her panties, having her hold his shoulders as she stepped out.

It didn't take long to get her clothed, but it took quite a bit longer to get her hair into decent pigtails. Apparently doing hair was not like riding a bike. If one didn't do it for twenty years, they'd need to re-learn the skill.

With them both dressed for the day, he encouraged Rae-Rae to bring Sami along. The stuffed sloth deserved to have some adventures too. With her sloth in one hand, Rae-Rae took his hand with her free one, and they headed out to start their day of adventure.

Raelynn

"What are we doing today, Daddy?"

They'd had breakfast in the cafeteria and were now headed toward the front doors.

"You'll see, little one. Just be patient."

Raelynn wasn't good at being patient. She wanted things to happen quickly. Like this morning. She'd wanted more than a hot-as-heck kiss. But she had to be patient for that too. Patience sucked.

They exited the doors and Daddy took her hand. "Keep your hand in mine the whole way there, understand?"

"Yes, Daddy."

The tone he'd used made it clear this was a hard and fast rule that she shouldn't disobey. Raelynn resolved to be a good girl today. She wanted rewards, not punishments. Rewards like maybe getting what she'd hoped for this morning.

Daddy led her to a trail that went off to the right. As they stepped onto the path, Daddy asked, "Did Dax tell you the history of the Ranch? Most times he does, unless there is something that needs his attention."

Raelynn's curiosity was piqued as she told Daddy, "He must have been busy. He didn't tell me that, just gave me a quick tour and overview."

"Well," Daddy started, "The Ranch is fifteen-hundred acres including some of the mountains."

Raelynn found herself listening intently, as if it were a bedtime story.

"In eighteen-ninety-two, two boys were brought down in an orphan train and offered jobs working at, what was at the time, a horse ranch owned by two twin brothers. Those brothers were Master Derek's ancestors. It was later discovered the boys brought down to work were, in fact, women, disguised as boys."

Raelynn gasped in shock, and asked, "What happened to them?"

"The two women explained to the twins what happened, and why they did what they did. You see, back then, there were only two options for women who were displaced or had no family."

Daddy's face became sad, and Raelynn wasn't sure she wanted to know if it made Daddy sad, but before she could stop the question, she'd asked, "What options?"

"They could work in the factories, which at the time were brutal on their workers, or they could be sent to a brothel."

"Oh, that's not good at all."

"The twins didn't think so either. They let the women stay and made it their mission to offer shelter and education to as many displaced women as they could."

By the time he said that, they'd come to a building with a sign that said Gift Shop and Exploration Zone. Daddy stopped and gestured up. When she lifted her head, she saw they were at the base of a mountain.

"This is Gem Mountain."

"Wow, it's so big!"

Raelynn felt so tiny standing next to the mountain. Looking up, all she could see was a wall of rock. There was no end to it from where she stood. She couldn't see the top or anything beyond it.

"That it is, little one," Daddy said, a hint of wistfulness in his voice, "it's also what made the Ranch what it is today. The discovery of the sapphires in this mountain allowed the twins to build a large state-of-the-art building. It made it possible for them to house and educate more girls. They taught them etiquette, provided schooling, everything a young lady of the time should know. Before long, men discovered the mission of Rawhide Ranch, and they began to come to the Ranch in search of suitable women for brides. Ones that hadn't been corrupted by the harsh conditions of the time." Daddy began walking toward the doors of the gift shop but didn't stop telling his story, "As time went on, the women the Ranch housed became different, but the mission remains the same."

It was an incredible story and Raelynn fell more in love with the Ranch for having heard it. It was her mission to help women too and she couldn't help but admire what Master Derek had done here.

When they were inside the shop, Raelynn looked around to see souvenirs of all sorts, toy pickaxes, rough sapphires, and candy with rock and gem themes like rock candy on sticks and ring pops. She saw shirts with sayings like "I mined sapphires in Gem Mountain" and "Nothing says love like sapphires". They were cute and she'd love to look around, but she was more interested in actually mining some of the gems themselves.

Daddy led her through a brightly colored entrance that said Exploration Zone. Inside was a large area scattered with pillars and several areas for both kids and adults to try their own hands at mining. There were several buckets of different colors filled with rocks and sand and multiple tables, each with a switch like a light switch next to them.

A display filled one wall with several different sapphires lined up for visitors to see. Raelynn's love of gems led her directly to that wall to peruse the display. She marveled at the different sizes, the different shades of blue. Some were smooth and some were jagged. Some even still had rocks in and on them from where they were mined. It was beautiful. As if it showed the different stages of a sapphire from its mining until it was ready to go into a ring. She found it gorgeous.

"Ready to find some sapphires of your own?" Daddy asked as he flipped the switch next to one of the tables and it came to life.