Page 8 of Rekindling Little River (Littles of Rawhide Ranch #14)

River

“We’re going to find my Little here ?” River looked at the door that Tay held open for them with no small amount of doubt.

“You sound so skeptical!”

“Well, despite what is commonly said, not everything can be found in a book.”

“No, it certainly can’t. But”—Tay winked and made an after you gesture—“this particular library currently houses my friend who once lost her own Little. There’s no better place to begin a search than with a person who has been there.”

River had to admit that it made sense, so they kept their doubts to themself as Tay led them through the shelves of books and around sitting areas, stopping in a section of the library that seemed to be used for playing board games.

A curvaceous redhead was organizing the boxes of games on shelves when Tay caught her attention.

“Mandi, can you take a break? I have a new friend who could benefit from your experience.”

Big gray eyes turned toward them as Mandi sucked in a breath, obviously not having heard them come in. She didn’t remain surprised for long, however, as she smiled at Tay and offered her hand to River.

“Hi. I’m Mandi.”

“River. It’s nice to meet you.”

“River thinks they’ve lost their Little and I was hoping you could help them. You know, since you felt that way too when you first got here.”

Mandi led the way to a table surrounded by chairs and gestured for them to sit. She took a deep breath and offered a sympathetic smile to River.

“You can’t lose your Little. They’re a part of you.

They won’t just disappear and never return.

But I’ve learned an important lesson. My Little side is not just shy, she’s also cautious and when things get rough, she gets scared.

I thought I’d lost my Little for good at the end of a tough breakup, but she wasn’t gone.

She just didn’t feel safe surfacing. Not until I met my Mommy.

With time and patience, my Mommy was able to reassure the most vulnerable part of me that she was safe and loved. ”

What Mandi said resonated with River. It made sense.

Unfortunately, River wasn’t certain having an idea of the root cause was going to help their situation.

If they needed to feel safe and loved to let their Little free, they might as well have lost them forever.

They did their best not to let their disappointment show while nodding their understanding.

They weren’t certain it worked but if their new friends noticed, they let it slide and allowed River to change the subject.

They sat in the library for a while, chatting, getting to know one another, and making plans to meet when both Mandi and Tay were off. Maybe having new friends to play with would help.

Dave

He didn’t know if it would seem stalkerish and frankly, at that point, he didn’t care.

Dave sat in front of River’s room, awaiting their arrival.

He was done leaving things to chance. River thought no one would want them.

Dave couldn’t allow that misconception to continue.

He’d pined after them from the moment they’d met.

He’d been newly separated and brokenhearted and still he’d lusted after them.

He’d become more infatuated with every encounter, drawn to their strength, loyalty, and kindness.

He sat with his back to their door, book in hand, content to read and wait. If things went according to plan, then Dave would have the opportunity to prove to River that he could be what they needed. Then, he’d just have to make sure he didn’t fuck it up.

He’d gotten about a quarter of the way through the book he was reading when a shadow fell over him and River’s puzzled voice greeted him. “Dave?”

He scrambled to his feet, placing the bookmark in his story and offering a sheepish smile to River as he explained, “I was hoping maybe we could talk.”

“So, you’re lounging at my door?”

“Well, I didn’t want to miss you.”

The look River gave him clearly said they didn’t know what to think of his antics, but they nodded their head anyway and stepped around him to open their door.

As they gestured for Dave to enter, he fought the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans.

This was it. His shot. He couldn’t mess it up.

River led the way to the sitting area and after taking one of the seats for themselves and indicating the other, asked, “What would you like to talk about?”

Maybe his time would have been better spent practicing what he wanted to say as he waited instead of reading.

Now that he was here, his words seemed to want to jumble in his head.

He took a deep breath, however, and tried to calm his nerves.

Finally, he decided the best approach was a straightforward one.

“I was wondering if you’d let me be your Daddy.”