Page 20

CHAPTER 20

Kayley

What we ended up doing after checking the schedule was return to our room, change clothes, and then head over to the stable to go on a trail ride. I suspected I’d be sore tomorrow morning, but as Vic and I ambled along on our steeds and followed Wren, I realized this was… peaceful.

We brought a picnic lunch with us and when we stopped to eat, I loved sitting in the piney shade and staring out at the mountains.

“This is beautiful land,” I said.

Wren smiled. “We like it. It’s home.”

“Did you grow up around here?” I asked.

The hint of a shadow crossed her features before her smile returned. “No. But hopefully it’s the last place I’ll ever live, because it’s my home, and the people here are my family.”

When we returned from the trail ride, we decided to test the outside pool and splash area. I was beginning to wonder if we could de-grumpify some adults by letting them have play time they were denied as kids. Maybe install adult-sized playgrounds all over.

Sounds like a research paper I could write.

I mean, I was kidding.

Kind of.

We attended another rope class and then headed downstairs for an early dinner. To be honest, I found myself yawning uncontrollably.

Vic smiled at me over his menu. “Did I wear you out, baby?”

I nodded. “I think so. I hate to spend my vacation sleeping, but I think it’s finally all catching up with me.”

While leaving the Italian restaurant, Vic and I ran into Master Derek in the lobby. He was asking how we were enjoying our stay when a slightly plump petite woman ran up. She wore jeans and a long-sleeved plaid shirt with the tails out and sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and pink, sparkly Chucks without socks. Her red hair lay in loose braids low on either side of her head.

“Master Derek, I need to talk to you fast, please!”

He glanced at us and Vic tipped his head, indicating we didn’t mind the interruption.

“Do we need to go to my office, Emmy?” Derek asked.

“No, sir. This’ll be quick. We’ve got a crate arriving in about an hour and we need it fast-tracked for approval to get it inside.”

“Who is ‘we’?”

“Me and Lilah. And Daddy, sort of. But it’s for the Ranch.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “And what is it?”

She beamed. “This place has long been lacking a disco horse!”

Derek slapped a hand over his eyes. “You cannot glue mirrors to a horse!”

She planted her hands on her hips in indignation. “Well, duh ! Uh, duh, sir. That’d be cruel! We, I mean me and Lilah, we… eh… acquired a disco horse. Not a bio-horse,” she quickly added. “It’s kinda like a statue. I mean, it is a statue. Sort of.”

He heavily sighed, not removing his hand from his eyes. “Do I even want to know?”

“Probably not. It involved bad decisions, a bottle of Malort, and a rigged strip poker game.”

“Do I need to ban Malort from the premises?” he asked, finally dropping his hand.

She beamed. “No, because we were on the winning end of it! Besides, it didn’t happen on the Ranch, and we weren’t the ones stupid enough to make the bad decision to drink it.”

“Wait, strip poker? Where were you? Who was with you?”

“It was me, Lilah, and Daddy.”

A slight scowl darkened Derek’s features. “Your Daddy took you to a strip poker game?”

“No, sir! We were safe. It was just a party with some old friends of ours from out of town. Uh, vanilla-ish friends.” A sneakily evil gleam twinkled in her eyes. “It was Daddy who suggested they play, then me and Lilah kinda… uh, egged on the losers.”

“They were probably all losers if they were drinking Malort,” Derek said.

She grinned. “Did you know it’s really hard to deal and focus on cards when drunk on Malort?”

“Okay, now I have more questions than answers,” Derek said. “Where did this disco horse come from, anyway?”

“Lilah and I saw it in a store the other day but Daddy wouldn’t buy it for us. He said if we could either come up with the money ourselves, or get someone to buy it for us, we could have it. But we’d have to keep it here because it’s too big for our living room.”

I almost felt sorry for Derek. He looked as confused as I felt.

“So how did the poker game lead to you and Lilah acquiring this thing if you weren’t in the game?” he asked.

She bounced on her toes, her hands clasped behind her back, and widely grinning. I could easily picture her as a kid, or a tween.

“Well, we kind of backed them into a corner and got them to agree to buy it if they lost. I mean, there’s more to it, but Daddy will probably tell it better. Pleeeease?”

“Do I need to call your Daddy to verify this story?”

She solemnly nodded. “If you want to, Master Derek. He said he kind of expects you to call him. He’s at work until late today. He had to take another paramedic’s shift because the guy was injured yesterday.”

Another heavily weighted sigh escaped Derek. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“I promise we didn’t break any rules! And Daddy gave me and Lilah permission to be sneaky and do heavy pours on the Malort. But that’s what’s in the crate—eh, the disco horse, not Malort—so can we pleeeeease get it waved through? I promise it’s not anything bad or against the rules. Please, Master Derek?”

“All right, all right,” Derek grumbled after another heavy sigh. “I have a feeling I’ll regret this, but I’ll allow it. How big is this thing?”

She held her hands out sideways, then up and down. “Kinda big. Not as big as a real horse, but it’s big. Heavy, too.”

“Why is it coming here, exactly?”

“Daddy said besides it being too big that he wanted me to share it with everyone.” She grinned. “He said Sadie will probably love it, and to tell you—I quote—you’re welcome.”

Derek snorted. “That means he’s being a sneaky sadist. Okay, fine. Have them put it in the multi-purpose room in the Littles’ Wing. Will you need help uncrating it?”

“Yes, please!”

“Tell your Daddy I’ll take it out of his hide if there’s more to this.” He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I still might take it out of his hide after I see this darn thing.”

“Thank you!” she squealed and started to run off when he called out to her.

“Hey, it’s not covered with glitter, is it? You know how I feel about glitter.” He waggled a finger at her. “ No glitter, little lady.”

She shook her head. “Nope! No glitter! It’s a horse-shaped disco ball!”

At that she ran off.

Honestly, by this point I was dying and couldn’t hold it in any longer. I…

Well, I howled . Hey, even Vic snickered and didn’t bother hiding it.

Derek arched an eyebrow at me but his barely concealed smile betrayed that he wasn’t at all upset. “See what I have to put up with?” he said just loudly enough we could hear him.

“Yeah,” I somehow managed to choke out, now wanting more than I ever dreamed possible to see what a disco horse looked like.

He stepped closer, his voice still low. “And it’s moments like these I viciously defend and protect,” he said. “Hence my initial reluctance about allowing you in.”

He tipped his head in the direction the woman ran off in. “Them. I protect them, and everyone else in my care. If they’re on this Ranch, I’m ultimately responsible for their safety and well-being. Emmy’s Daddy has Lilah under his protection, for now, and they live over on Rawhide Ridge.”

My psychologist suddenly took the reins. “That’s admirable,” I said. “And while I completely understand the safety aspect, you can’t personally shoulder the weight of everyone’s psychological health. That’s determined by factors far beyond your ken, for the most part.”

He grimly smiled. “Tell me what I just ‘begrudgingly’ allowed won’t bring joy to the Littles,” he said. “No, I’m not unrealistic. They absolutely have to do the work to heal themselves, but what I do or don’t do plays a huge role, too, and can mean the difference between them having a safe place to heal and grow and explore, or them ending up in a dark place beyond our ability to help.”

I guess I hadn’t focused on that part of things since we got here, between my own shock and then trying to enjoy my time with Vic and figure out… well, us .

This truly was more than “just” a kinky vacation spot.

I suddenly felt desperate to lighten the mood. “Frankly, you’re an idiot of you don’t ban Malort from the Ranch,” I said. “That stuff’s disgusting.”

Vic winced but Derek laughed. “You and I are in complete agreement on that. But while I can dictate what the unpartnered Littles and even submissives can or can’t do while on the Ranch, I can’t proactively ban everything. Oh, I can choose not to carry or serve it here, but outside of excluding things like illegal drugs, it’d be like trying to ban certain brands of soda and would create unnecessary work for my staff, as well as resentment among guests. I’d rather let people learn some lessons for themselves, as long as it isn’t disruptive to the Ranch’s operations.”

“You want people to touch the stove on their own,” I noted.

His smile widened. “You are very perceptive. It’s also been my experience that, sometimes, those lessons are the ones best learned and most vividly remembered.”

“Not to get up in your business,” I said, dropping my voice, “but please ease my mind and assure me you have qualified mental health professionals working with the people who are under your care.”

“We do,” he said. “And they are experienced dealing with people in the lifestyle, as well as with trauma.” He eyed me. “Although I would never turn down discussing employment if another qualified expert in that field wanted to inquire.”

I shoved away the curious flutter that tickled my brain over the idea. My life was in California. And, unfortunately, intrinsically tied to DC for the indefinite future.

“That’s flattering, but unfortunately not practical for me,” I said. “Not with my current contract and professional obligations.” I belatedly realized why Vic kept swiveling his head as we talked, because I was treading into don’t blow your cover territory by discussing this in public, even though no one currently stood close enough to us to overhear.

“But if you ever find you need someone to conduct telehealth consultations,” I added, “I’d be happy to discuss that with you. I’m also experienced dealing with neurodivergent clients, and I use trauma-informed treatment methods. And I would be willing to work on a sliding scale for those who need it.”

He nodded. “Understood, and thanks.” Someone else called for Derek, and he said good-bye to head over and deal with whatever it was.

Vic draped an arm around my shoulders. “Disco horse, huh?” he muttered. “Bet that will be popular around here with some of them.”

I laughed. “I’m sure you’re not wrong.”