Chapter 30

Les

"I'mhappy to give you the time off. Can you maybe give me a few days to get things sorted? If you're going to be gone for that long, I'll need someone specific to work your shifts while you're away."

Master Derek's request was more than reasonable. It didn't help Les' disappointment at not being able to hop on a plane to his girl right away, but he would also never leave the Ranch in a lurch like that. So he did the only thing he could rightly do and agreed to wait.

Walking back to his apartment to try and get some sleep, Les' brain was already mapping out everything he'd need to do to be ready to head back permanently. He'd have to find them a house in the area, and he'd need a new job. It killed him to have to quit working at the Ranch, but Rae-Rae was more important than a job, even one as amazing as this one was.

Once he got inside his home, he headed straight for his desk, grabbed a pad and pen, and began writing his list of tasks. He'd take all the time he could to spend with Rae-Rae while he was in Lilton, but he'd also be sure to finish his to-do list because the next time he flew down, it was going to be to stay.

Raelynn

"Are you serious?"Diana looked at Raelynn like she'd gone crazy.

"Yes, you did an amazing job while I was on vacation. I can't think of anyone I would rather have taking over operations for me."

"But that was just a week. What if I'm not good at it long term?"

"I'll still own the shelter and if things aren't working out, you can call and let me know. We'll either work it out or I can find someone else if you aren't wanting to keep the job." Raelynn checked her watch and, noticing that she was behind, she stood to leave. "I have an appointment, but please, think about it, okay? I should be back in a few hours."

Diana looked a bit shell shocked still as Raelynn made her way from the room. Hopefully, she'd consider Raelynn's offer, though, because she hadn't been joking when she'd told the other woman there was no one she'd rather leave in charge.

Raelynn rushed from the building and climbed into her older model sedan. She pulled out just shy of too fast and sped toward her appointment.

Les

"Honestly,it's pretty simple. You do a few security sweeps at night to make sure someone hasn't wandered to places where they shouldn't be or that a Little isn't sleepwalking down the halls. Night owls will sometimes call for information or to get extra towels sent. The full truth is that most nights, I'm reading my books almost all night. It's pretty quiet." Les sat at the seat behind the front desk and opened the screen to the computer to show his vacation relief what to do, "This computer system is the most complicated part of the job, so I'll show you how that works first."

After a long shift of training one of the service subs how to do his job, Les headed back to his apartment to do a bit more packing and make a few more calls. He already had three appointments with the realtor to see local houses, and two job interviews. He'd gotten his plane ticket for this visit, had mapped out the drive from Montana to Texas, planned what stops to make during the actual move and was prepared to tell Raelynn of his impending visit that night on their video call before his shift.

He'd been speaking to her most nights before he went to work, and she went to bed. Les had been texting with her regularly as well. They'd been keeping in touch, but it just wasn't the same as being able to hold Rae-Rae in his arms and love on her the way she deserved.

Les held up two shirts, debating which to take and considered the last video call he'd had with Rae-Rae. During her week at the Ranch, her dark circles had slowly disappeared from under her eyes, but last night, they'd been back again. Her skin had gotten a healthy glow in Montana, but in their call, she'd seemed a bit pale. Les wondered if she'd been sleeping well and taking care of herself. The fact that he couldn't answer that question automatically because he wasn't there really stuck in his craw. He couldn't wait to fix that.

Raelynn

"So,I don't need to be here?" Raelynn paced her living room floor as the Realtor she'd met with the other day set up some sort of fruit basket on the island separating the kitchen from the living room.

"No. You really don't. In fact, it's probably better if you aren't. Buyers can get a bit shy when the owners are present."

"Perfect," Raelynn replied as she grabbed her purse, "I'm going to the shelter to get some things in order. I'll be back in a few hours but call if you need anything. Or, you know.... if it sells."

On the drive to the shelter, Raelynn went over her mental list of things to do and calculated the amount of time she could spend on each thing, so she'd be sure to be done by the time the showing of her house was completed. Diana had agreed to take over running the shelter on a trial basis and she was going to do a thorough job of showing the other woman all the ropes. She wanted Diana to be successful at this. She really was the perfect person to take over for Raelynn.

Raelynn briefly contemplated if she should tell Daddy on their call tonight that she was going back to Montana. If she didn't tonight, she'd have to sometime. The question wasn't if, but more like when she would do it.

Les

Les'alarm roused him from a deep sleep in which he was dreaming of his Little girl, soft and warm in his arms, where she belonged. He hit the stop button on the shrill sound and scrubbed his hands over his face. He'd set the alarm earlier than normal because the Realtor he'd been working with in Texas had a house showing that day. He couldn't be there in person, but Joan agreed to do a video walkthrough with him before any other potential buyers showed up.

Les quickly dressed and headed to the kitchen for some coffee, keeping the phone close and handy so he could answer quickly when the video call came in.