Chapter 6

Raelynn

He wantedto be her Daddy. Could she handle that? Having her dream, only to lose it at the end of the week?

Who said you'd have to lose it?

The thought kept rolling in her mind even as she considered the distance between their homes. She lived in Texas. She'd only be here a week before she went back home. She had a shelter to run. She couldn't close that. There were too many women who needed it.

She thought about the past and how happy she'd been with him. Leaving had been her biggest regret in life. If she hadn't done it, she wouldn't have ended up where she was, though, and she was happy helping women, making the world a better place.

Still, she missed the comfort and care of having him there. She missed his sternness, and indulgence. She even missed the way he spanked her bottom as if it was his greatest pleasure in life. As all these thoughts flitted through her brain, she knew what her answer would be.

"I'd love to have you be my Daddy."

Before the words had left her lips, she felt the last of the tension she'd been carrying for so long melt away. His bright smile and the way his eyes became more blue than gray showed his joy, and in her heart of hearts, was a joy that mirrored his and a contentment she hadn't felt in twenty years.

"I have to get some sleep, but I want to do this right. I should be up by late afternoon, and then we can meet and talk about limits, rules and expectations."

She quickly agreed and they both stood, getting ready to part ways. She wasn't exactly sure what to do as they parted. Did she shake his hand? Hug? She didn't know, but he took charge, wrapping her in a warm embrace and whispering in her ear, "Thank you for giving me this. I won't let you down."

"You never have," she returned.

He gave her a funny look but didn't say anything, just tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before saying, "See you later, Rae-Rae."

"Okay," she said as he walked away to get some rest.

Yep, Rawhide Ranch was a magical place indeed.

Raelynn wasn'tsure what to do with herself while she waited for her meeting with Les. She could do any number of things but doing them alone didn't seem fun at all. She browsed the gift shop but wasn't really paying attention to all it had to offer. She was too lost in her own thoughts.

When she'd decided on this trip, she'd had no idea how it would end up, and everything that had happened since last night was running in circles in her mind. She still couldn't believe it. The urge to pinch herself and make sure she wasn't dreaming was strong. She just wasn't sure she wanted to know if she was dreaming. It was too good of a dream to abandon.

"Hi," someone said from behind her. Turning, she found a pretty brunette smiling at her. The carefree air about her immediately seemed to suck Raelynn in. This was obviously someone people were drawn to.

The woman waved at Raelynn and introduced herself, "I'm Sadie. Sadie Hawkins. Are you visiting?"

"Yes, I got here yesterday." Raelynn held out her hand to shake. "I'm Raelynn Sutherland. It's nice to meet you."

"I couldn't help but notice that you seemed a bit lost. Would you like someone to show you around?"

"Oh, I explored yesterday. I'm just kind of lost in thought. A lot has happened since I got here."

Raelynn wasn't sure why she'd said that except maybe the fact that Sadie seemed to be the kind of person who was easy to talk to.

"Really, now. That sounds like there's a story behind it." Sadie linked her elbow with Raelynn's like they'd been friends for years and she did it all the time. "Let's go find a seat and talk about it."

Raelynn found herself swept away; she really could use someone to listen. Besides, she hadn't known Sadie but for a few minutes and she already knew the woman had a heart of gold and would make a great friend.

"Wait,so you get here and your long lost love works here?"

Sadie's eyes were wide, and Raelynn thought if her jaw dropped much further, it might scrape the ground beneath the bench.

"Yep," Raelynn confirmed.

"Les is a good man. He hasn't been here as long as a lot of the people have but he's always friendly and he's super protective."

"That sounds like him. He's always been that way."

"And you said yes, right? Tell me you said yes."

"I did."

"This is so perfect!" Sadie bounced in her seat, excitement radiating off of her.

"It is?" Raelynn was a bit confused. She agreed that it was perfect but wasn't sure why Sadie would be so excited about it.

"Yes! Repeat Day is this week! You get to repeat your greatest relationship during the week of Repeat Day!"

Wow. Raelynn had never heard of Repeat Day, but it did seem like a great coincidence that it would be coming up.

"When do you meet him?"

"He said he'd be up by late afternoon."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get you ready!"

Sadie took her hand and pulled her to a standing position as Raelynn asked, "Ready?"

"Yeah. You said he was going to be your Daddy so you can be comfortable going into Little space. The first step is to dress in a way that makes you feel Little."

"Oh, okay." Raelynn was a little dazed by Sadie's energy but she let her new friend lead her back to the main building.

"Do you have stuff of your own? If not, there are plenty of options to pick from in the shop."

"Oh, I brought some of my favorites," Raelynn told her.

Sadie nodded and they continued their trek to the guest wing.

"Is it okay if I help you?"

"Um, sure. That'd be great."

Raelynn smiled. Spending more time with this whirlwind named Sadie sounded like it would be a lot of fun and, based on the cute Little outfit she was wearing, Sadie had great taste. Raelynn found herself super excited about the activity.