Page 7

CHAPTER 6

Barren paced back and forth across his office in irritation. Why wasn’t she answering her phone? He’d sent her several text messages. And had nothing back in reply. Last night he’d given in and called her. It had gone straight to voicemail.

Was it him? Was she ignoring his messages and calls? He’d gotten her number so he could check in with her and to make sure that everything went okay with her pickup. He’d had to force himself not to message her for at least forty-eight hours. So he didn’t seem like a stalker.

But she was always on his mind. He was worried that someone might take advantage of her happy, sweet nature. That she might find herself doing something she didn’t want to do because no one was watching out for her. Then he reminded herself that Rawhide was the safest place for her….

Well, other than by your side.

“Not your girl,” he told himself. His phone rang and he fumbled as he tried to answer it. He was like a damn teenager with a crush. It was ridiculous.

“Hello?”

“Barren, it’s Eliot.”

“Oh.”

There was a beat of silence. “Sorry, were you expecting someone else?” There was a hint of amusement in Eliot’s voice.

“Ah, yeah. Sorry.”

“Really? Who were you expecting to call?”

“It was nothing. Forget I said anything. How are you? Are Isla and Marcus all right?”

“They’re fine. I wouldn’t allow them to be otherwise. But I wanted to know how your trip to Rawhide went. Did you meet anyone?”

“No. Well, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Eliot asked.

“I didn’t meet someone at Rawhide, but I met her when she was on her way there. Her vehicle broke down.”

“Obviously she made an impression.”

“She was very sweet and kind. So open and bubbly and adorable.” Shit. Could he hear himself?

“Please tell me you got her phone number? Does she live somewhere close? Have you called her?”

“Wow. Slow down, I only met her once. I don’t even know her. Although she is rather open about her life, so I probably know more about her than I would someone else after a few dates.”

“That’s good for you. The last thing you need is someone secretive in your life.”

No. He’d experienced enough secrets with Krystal to last him a lifetime. “She’s not in my life. She’s a girl I met for a few hours who I helped out of a sticky situation.”

And who called you her Knight in Pressed Pants. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like that nickname. “And she is literally a girl. I’m old enough to be her father.”

“And there’s something wrong with being with someone younger than you?”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

He needed to watch what he said. Isla and Marcus were far younger than Eliot. “No, of course not.”

“I know it’s strange to come out of a long-term relationship and think of being with someone else. I never thought I would, but I know that Anna wouldn’t want me to be miserable. She’d want me to be happy.”

“Of course she would. I don’t think Krystal is wishing happiness on me.”

“No, she took all of your happiness and it’s time to get it back. It might be with this girl, or it might not. But don’t rule her out simply because she’s younger. Maybe you’re what she needs, did you ever think about that?”

“Well, if she’s been thinking about me then how come she won’t answer her phone?”

“She might be busy? Or her phone might be off?” Eliot suggested.

Barren groaned, running his hand over his face. “Yeah, it’s possible. Still, I have no way to contact her if she doesn’t answer her phone and I’m heading into stalker territory if I keep ringing.”

“You could call Rawhide Ranch to check on her,” Eliot suggested.

“Again, heading into stalker territory.”

“And they likely wouldn’t tell you anything as it would breach her privacy. You could go for another visit?”

“What if she wants nothing to do with me?”

“Just… don’t let what Krystal said about you affect the way you feel about yourself or getting into another relationship. She’s a liar and a manipulator. Maybe this girl isn’t the one. But there will be someone out there.”

Uh-huh. Sure. He ended the call as his assistant knocked on his door.

“Hey, Melly.”

“I’ve got Mr. Lancaster on the phone,” she told him. “He wants to speak to you again about finding a buyer for his company and why they can’t proceed further.”

“Jesus, I explained to him that all of the owners have to agree to the sale. What does he expect me to do? I’m not going to find a buyer if the company isn’t actually for sale. Anyway, arrange another Zoom meeting with him, will you? But make it next week when I have more patience.”

She nodded and left as his phone rang again. It was an unknown number, but it was coming from Montana.

Was it her? A surge of excitement ran through him, and he had to calm himself. This was really ridiculous. “Hello?”

“Yeah, hi. This is Zeus Matherson from ZM Mechanics in Porter’s Corner. I’m calling about a 1970s cherry-red Chev that got towed to my garage five days ago? I have an owner name listed and a number, but I haven’t been able to get hold of her.”

“You haven’t?” he asked. So maybe she wasn’t screening just his calls?

“Nope, I had your number on here from roadside assistance. Figured you might know how to get hold of her? Her vehicle is ready to be collected.”

“Uh, thanks for calling. I’ll get in touch with her and get her to call you or come in.”

“Thanks, appreciate it. Really nice ride she has. I’m sure she’s eager to get it back.”

Barren sat there for a moment. He could just call Rawhide and leave a message for her. Or he could do something for himself for once in his life. He could take a chance without knowing whether it was going to pay off.

Fuck it.

For once he wasn’t going to plan everything out. He wasn’t going to think through every outcome and possibility. He was just going to go with his gut.

“Get ready, the real fun is about to begin,” someone whispered to her as they pressed something into her hand.

Phoebe glanced down at the bag in her hand. It held several tubes with strings hanging from them.

Uh-oh.

Tonight was outdoor movie night. And she was sitting among some of the other Littles on the Ranch. Most of these Littles were ones who lived or worked here. She’d been here for five days now, and she was having so much fun.

When she’d first arrived, she’d spent half a day in the Nursery before figuring out that her Little wasn’t really that young. So she’d ended up in the preschool and that was where she’d settled in best. All day long, she got to paint pictures and practice doing her letters and play with her new friends.

Yet, no matter how welcoming people were or how much time she could spend in Little headspace here, it still felt like something was missing.

Or someone.

She couldn’t help but think about Barren. Which was silly. She’d only met him for a few hours. There was no reason for his face to pop into her mind every time she wished she had a Daddy. He was probably back home living his best life. No doubt he’d forgotten all about her.

Tommy, one of the Littles who lived in the dorms, sat down next to her. “Did you get your glitter bombs?”

“Yes,” she whispered back in his ear so he could hear her over the movie playing. It was cold out, so they were all sitting with blankets over them and had jackets, hats, and gloves on.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“One of Sadie’s pranks.”

Oh, that’s who’d handed her the bag. Sadie was Master Derek’s Little. She was sweet and funny and kind. And she also loved pranks.

As the movie ended, Sadie stood up. “Littles! Bomb them!”

All of the Littles jumped up with whoops and cries. Glitter exploded everywhere. Some of it landed straight in Phoebe’s face. She sat there for a moment, feeling stunned.

Then she jumped to her feet with a giggle and opened her own bag, pulling out a bomb. She pulled the string and glitter exploded out of the homemade bomb. She didn’t really aim for anyone, but it was still fun to do.

In truth, the idea of pranking one of the Bigs kind of terrified her. She didn’t want to get punished or kicked off the Ranch for breaking a rule. Although she didn’t think that anyone would be escorted off the Ranch for a prank like this. Master Derek would have to get rid of all the Littles since she saw most of them running around and giggling as they blew glitter everywhere.

With a laugh, she let Tommy take her hand as they darted through the crowd.

What was happening right now? It was utter chaos. Barren just stood there, staring at the group of people in front of him. It was obvious that they’d been having a movie night as the large screen was still up, playing the credits.

Someone had turned on the outside lights so that the area was lit up. Enough for him to see that everything had gone horribly wrong. Littles were running everywhere. It was a cascade of glitter and giggles. He wasn’t even sure what or who to focus on. Well, he was really looking for one person.

Erika had met him at the front desk to check him in while Moses had whisked away his suitcase so he could come straight back here to find her.

“Barren, you’re back.” Derek walked up to him, holding on to the hand of his Little, Sadie. The pout on her face disappeared as she saw Barren.

“Barren! I didn’t know you were coming back here!”

“Yes, it was a last-minute decision.” His eyebrows rose as he ran his gaze over her. She was covered in glitter. From her hair to her face and chest, down to her shoes.

“That’s a lot of glitter to get off,” he commented.

“Hmm. I might need to hang her upside down and shake her,” Derek said.

“Daddy!” she cried.

Derek discreetly winked at him. “Seems like you arrived just in time. Everyone is rounding up the Littles. You might want to grab your Little before she tries to disappear to get out of punishment.”

“What? Who is your Little, Barren? Why don’t I know about this?” Sadie asked.

“You don’t need to know everything, angel,” Derek told her.

“I really don’t think that’s true,” Sadie said with another pout.

Barren gazed behind them to see that all the Littles were being wrangled by their Tops, Miss Price, and Nanny J.

“Excuse me, Barren. Time to take my naughty Little home.”

Barren nodded, wondering if Sadie was going to be able to sit tomorrow. He searched through all the Littles being corralled and led off.

There she was.

He spotted her and his heart nearly broke. She looked so alone. So scared and worried. The Phoebe he’d met was full of smiles and chatter. She didn’t stand off to the side on her own with her arms wrapped around her.

Without hesitation, he strode toward her. Nobody ignored his girl or made her feel bad. And yes, he was just aware that he’d called her “his”.

Was she going to get punished? Worry flooded her. She shouldn’t have taken part in the prank. She was supposed to be on her best behavior so that people didn’t get annoyed with her and not want her around. Had she learned nothing from her brothers all these years? From them telling her that she was too much and that she had to tone it down?

Idiot.

Now what was going to happen? Would she be spanked? She wasn’t afraid of being spanked… or at least she didn’t think she was. But she’d never been spanked before and she wasn’t sure that she wanted someone like Master Derek or Nanny J to dish out her first spanking.

No? So who would you rather do it?

“Phoebe.”

She stared at him for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes and opened them again. Nope. Her brain wasn’t imagining him. He was still standing right there. Had she conjured him up by thinking about him so much?

“Hey, are you all right?” he asked in concern.

But she couldn’t seem to answer him. She’d been putting it out into the universe that she wanted a Daddy and somehow she kept thinking of him at the same time… so maybe the universe had brought him to her.

Or maybe he’s just here on vacation. So don’t make a dick out of yourself.

“Phoebe? Are you feeling all right?”

“Barren!” she cried before she threw herself into his arms. “You’re here!”

Yep.

That was a good start on not making a dick of herself. Realizing that she was hugging him like a long-lost friend, she took a step back… only to stare at him in horror. Because she’d forgotten the glitter. And now his white shirt and very nicely pressed tan slacks were covered in pink glitter.

With a gasp, she placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh no! You’re like a giant disco ball. Or a mermaid. I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid.” She winced. “I really hope that glitter washes out. Do you want me to wash your clothes? Here, I can do it.” She reached for the buttons of his shirt.

He grasped hold of her hands, stilling them.

“Phoebe.”

She glanced up at him. “Yes?”

“You don’t need to wash my clothes. The glitter will come out. It’s fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Hmm. Now, if you’d glitter bombed me, that might be another story.” He raised an eyebrow, giving her a stern look.

Guilt swirled in her stomach. “It was just a small prank. And I didn’t mean to get glitter on you.”

“Ahh, so if I had been here you wouldn’t have participated? Or wouldn’t have glitter bombed me?” he queried as his right brow arched.

“Well, I can’t say that exactly.” She gave him a small grin.

“Sassy girl,” he replied. “You’re going to get yourself into trouble if you participate in Sadie’s pranks.”

“I don’t think I had much choice. It was an all-for-one-one-for-all type of deal.”

“Ahh, so you were just doing it because that’s what all the other Littles were doing?”

“Exactly.” He got it. She couldn’t be blamed and punished for that, right?

He tapped her nose. “That’s not going to fly as an excuse, little girl. You always have a choice. You chose to participate, even knowing there would be consequences.”

Well. Rats.

Shit. She grew all tense and the small smile dropped off her face. What had he said? Was it the threat of consequences? He knew that she was new to this. Had she experienced punishment while here on the Ranch? If anyone had spanked her… okay, he had no right to feel jealous and getting angry was foolish.

She wasn’t his … yet . He had this feeling in his gut that she was meant to be, though.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, fighting the urge to cup her face between his hands. Instead, he reached out and lightly touched her hand. Which was freezing. “Where are your gloves?”

“Oh, um. I don’t know. I had some on, but I took them off for glitter-gate,” she said, glancing around as though they were going to magically appear.

“You should always wear your gloves when it’s cold,” he scolded. “At least you’re wearing a jacket.”

“Nanny J told me that I had to,” she confessed. “No jacket–no movie.”

“You’ve been spending time in the Nursery?” he asked.

“Um, I tried the Nursery, but it wasn’t for me. I like it in the Butterflies room with Miss Price. Do you think everyone is going to be mad at me? They won’t kick me off the Ranch, will they?”

He’d like to see anyone try… he would take on anyone who upset her like that. But he also knew that wasn’t going to happen.

“Of course they won’t, little girl,” he soothed. “It was just a harmless prank. A bit of glitter never hurt anyone. There might be a few lines written, maybe some sore bottoms tomorrow, but no one is kicking you out.”

“I’ve never been punished before.”

“Really? Not even during your stay here?”

She shook her head. “I haven’t been naughty.”

Hmm. He found that hard to believe. The Phoebe he’d met was someone he’d thought would get into trouble on her first day. If not in her first hour. So maybe she’d been on her best behavior since she’d come here? Because it was all new and she was unsure? Or because she was scared of getting punished? He wondered if it was those things or something else.

“Ahh, here you are, Phoebe.” Miss Price walked up to them, looking stern. “You’ll need an escort back to your room. I can take you now before I go and help Nanny J deal with a number of naughty Littles.”

He hated the way Phoebe lowered her gaze, her shoulders rising.

“Actually, Miss Price, I thought I could escort Phoebe back to her room.” He met the gaze of the other woman calmly. She eyed him up, obviously torn. He knew that she just wanted to make sure that Phoebe was safe.

“I don’t know. Does Phoebe know you?”

“Barren is my Knight in Pressed Pants,” Phoebe told her. “He rescued me when my pickup broke down. I trust him.”

“Do you want him to walk you to your room, Phoebe?” Miss Price asked. “Because you can say no. Your safety and happiness are important.”

He noticed the way Phoebe straightened. The relief that filled her face. He got the feeling that she wasn’t used to people caring about her like this. “You can say no, Phoebe,” he told her. “Without any consequences.”

Phoebe nodded, smiling. “But I would like you to walk back with me, Barren. Please.”

Miss Price still stared at them both. “All right, Phoebe is a guest rather than a Ranch Little, but I still care about her as though she were one of my own. Take care of her.”

“Well, that was me warned,” he joked as Miss Price turned away.

“You were right about everyone here being welcoming and protective. I’ve never felt more safe to be myself,” she said as he grasped hold of her hand. It was still too cold.

“Are you being yourself?” he asked as he walked her toward the guest wing.

“I’m trying to,” she told him. “Sometimes, it’s scary.”

They entered the guest wing and he paused, turning to her. “I understand that. But you shouldn’t feel like you have to change to make anyone else happy. All right?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Have you met some friends or someone else?” he asked. Wow. That was subtle. He winced as he waited for her to reply.

“I’ve made some friends. Tommy, in the preschool is so much fun and all the other Littles have been so welcoming.”

“I’m glad, sweetheart.” But he hated that she sounded so shocked by that. As though she hadn’t anticipated that someone might want to be nice and welcoming to her.

“I don’t know what you mean by someone else, though?” she asked.

“I suppose I mean have you met anyone who you would like to be your Daddy.” He wasn’t even breathing as he asked that.

“No,” she said quietly. “I haven’t met anyone like that since I’ve been here.”

He wanted to question her further, but he wasn’t sure he should push her.

“That’s not… I mean, I came here because I wanted a safe space. You know?” she asked.

Right. She wasn’t looking for a Daddy and he should back the hell off. “I understand.”

Rats. Why had she said that? Basically she’d just told him that she didn’t want a Daddy when that wasn’t actually true. Well, it was true that wasn’t the reason she’d come to Rawhide Ranch. But just because she hadn’t been actively searching for a Daddy didn’t mean she didn’t want one. Although there was only one Daddy she wanted.

Oh crap. She couldn’t believe she was thinking that. She didn’t know him. She shouldn’t be imagining him as her Daddy. Over these five days she’d been keeping herself extra busy so she didn’t think about it.

But it hadn’t worked. Every night she’d climbed into bed and dreamed about him, wondering what he was doing, if he thought about her. It was so dumb. All he’d done was pay her a bit of attention and care and now she was dreaming of being his.

So no, she hadn’t even thought about trying to find another Daddy. Or being with anyone else like that. Heck, she’d barely met any Daddies. She’d spent her time hiding with the other Littles.

Urgh. Was that what she’d been doing? She’d been hiding?

“I didn’t mean… I mean if I did find someone… I just wasn’t searching for one… I was just… urgh.”

“Hey, you don’t need to explain anything to me,” he reassured her. “You don’t owe me anything. Well, other than an explanation about why you haven’t been answering my calls or texts.”

“You called and texted me?” She gaped at him in shock.

“I did. You sound shocked.”

“I just didn’t think you would call me. I figured you would go back to your life and forget about me.”

“You would be very hard to forget about,” he told her.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Yeah, I’ve been told that before. But not in a good way.”

Barren scowled. “Who told you that in a bad way?”

Surprise filled her at that sharp demand. He looked so ferocious. “Why do you want to know who?”

“Because I will teach them a lesson. Nobody gets to put you down.”

“They don’t?” she asked breathlessly. He was speaking directly to the lost Little girl inside her. The one who just wanted to be accepted for who she was. And it was almost making her dizzy.

Who knew acceptance could be so damn sexy? Could be all that she really wanted. And she wanted more of it.

“Would you want a Little girl?” she asked. “If the right one came along?”