CHAPTER NINETEEN
Rusty
R usty and Janice rode out toward the hilltop. The setting sun cast long shadows over the landscape, painting the sky with hues of fireweed and wild prairie blooms.
"Alright, Midnight," Rusty said to his midnight-black stallion. "Let's stop here."
He dismounted from his horse and helped Janice off her mare.
She was beaming with happiness, and she gave Snickers a huge stroke and a cuddle when she got down from her.
“Well done, girl,” she said, nuzzling her. “You did perfect.”
Snickers looked perfectly content, and the sight warmed Rusty’s heart beyond measure.
After securing the horses, Rusty turned to Janice. “Now, babygirl,” he said. “This is your very first exercise in trusting me. I’m going to blindfold you now, okay?”
Janice looked around at the rocky hill surrounding them. It was steep and would be easy to fall and hurt herself, but even so, she nodded. “I trust you, Daddy.”
Damn, it felt good to hear her calling him that. He would never, ever let her down again. He knew that now. And if he ever made a mistake, he’d talk to Janice about it. Let her make the decisions alongside him.
He tied a silky black blindfold around Janice’s eyes, breathing in the scent of her as his lips grazed her cheek. “I’m going to put my arms around you and guide you now, darlin’. Okay?”
“Mm-hmm,” said Janice bravely. “Sure thing, Daddy.”
Rusty stood behind Janice, sliding his hands around her waist, and then he carefully guided her up the hill, letting her know when she needed to step over something, and if she needed a change of direction. His voice was soft and confident, and she did everything just as he said.
When they reached the right spot, Rusty checked the scene before him, making sure everything was just so. Then, with a smile, he undid the blindfold.
“Oh, wow,” breathed Janice. “This looks so good!”
Rusty had spent hours meticulously planning every detail of the scene, from the soft, plush pillows scattered about the blanket to the flickering battery-operated string lights that would illuminate their reunion. Rusty knew how important it was to make everything perfect for Janice, to show her how much she truly meant to him.
"Rusty . . . this is. . . ." she breathed, her voice filled with awe. "It's magical."
He led her to the blanket, helping her sit down amidst the plush pillows before settling beside her.
“This is actually a recreation of a scene I set up on a hillside ten years ago,” said Rusty.
Janice frowned. “I don’t remember having a picnic on a hillside with you. I thought I remembered everything.”
“That’s because it never happened,” Rusty old her. “I’d set the whole thing up, made it real special for you, then just as I was about to head back down the hill to come get you, you father came marching up to me full of threats and ultimatums.”
Janice looked down, her lip trembling. “That’s the reason we never did this.”
“I’d set all this up for your twenty-first birthday,” said Rusty. “But your father told me he wouldn’t give you a single thing for your birthday, and would take your name off his will if we went through with it.”
“Oh, Rusty.” Janice reached out for his hand. “You must have felt sick with worry.”
“I now know that I made the wrong choice,” Rusty told her. “I should have spoken to you about what happened. At least let you make the decision, instead of taking it away from you. Back then, I hoped you could have had some kind of good relationship with your father. I hoped that without me in the picture, he would support and protect you and be a good father.”
“But he wasn’t a good father,” said Janice. “And that day, I lost you as my Daddy.”
Rusty clenched his jaw. “Won’t be happenin’ again, sweetheart. I’m here to nurture and protect you. And do a hell of a lot more besides.” He growled playfully and tickled her tummy.
“Daddy!” she squealed. “Careful or you’ll make me roll down the hillside.”
“If you do, I’ll roll down after you,” he joked.
He began opening up the hamper he’d left up here with various dishes. There were dishes wrapped in aluminum foil, still piping hot: beef sliders, a black bean and corn salad, ranch-style pasta salad, cornbread muffins. It was the exact same menu he’d prepared ten years ago. And since then, he’d struggled to eat any of those dishes, because they left a bitter taste in his mouth. Not anymore.
"Rusty, thank you," Janice said. “This all looks amazing. I wish we’d been able to do this on my twenty-first birthday.”
“So do I,” said Rusty. “But I’m glad as hell I get to do it with you now you’re almost thirty-one.”
“Don’t!” said Janice. “I feel so old!”
“You’re perfect at every age,” said Rusty, reaching out to stroke her cheek and then handing her a plate of food, piled high.
They began to eat, savoring the food and each other's company as the sky shifted from pink to deep indigo.
As the stars appeared overhead, Rusty and Janice leaned back against the pillows, their hands entwined as they began a heartfelt conversation about their past and their dreams for the future.
"Rusty, I've been thinking a lot about our time apart," Janice said, her voice soft and vulnerable. "And I realized that what hurt the most was not knowing why you left."
"Janice, I'm so sorry for the pain I caused you," Rusty admitted, his voice choked with emotion. "I should have talked to you, explained everything. I just wanted to protect you."
"Rusty, we're stronger together," she assured him, her eyes filled with love and understanding. "That's something I've learned during our time apart. We need to communicate, and be honest with each other."
"You're right, little one," Rusty agreed, his heart swelling with gratitude for the woman beside him. "From now on, we'll face everything together, side by side."
Underneath the stars' soft glow, Rusty took a deep breath and finally decided to share the truth with Janice. "I called your father the other night," he confessed, his hazel eyes filled with sincerity. "I told him we weren’t together anymore and begged him not to ruin your life."
Janice looked into his eyes. "Rusty, the only way my father could ruin my life is if he made you leave me again," she said softly, her voice wavering.
"Never again," Rusty vowed, his grip on her hand tightening. "I'll never let anyone or anything come between us."
"Thank you," Janice whispered, her gratitude evident in her expression. She looked at Rusty with admiration and continued, "You tried to contact my father and deal with things like a man. I'm sorry he's such a bitter person, Rusty. You’re a man, and he’s just . . . well, he’s a meanie."
Rusty nodded, taking a moment to process Janice's words. He wished he could change Angus Jameson into a good person. To make him care for his daughter as a father should. But it was impossible. Rusty couldn't change Angus, but he could make sure that he was there for Janice every step of the way.
"Janice, I promise to always be here for you, no matter what your father does or says," Rusty vowed, his gaze unwavering.
"Thank you, Rusty." Janice smiled through her tears, reaching out for his hand. “You know, you don’t need to worry about not being good enough for me. I don’t care about silly titles or land or any of that stuff. Never had. All I ever wanted was just to be happy. To be free. And now that you and I are back together, I’m both of those things.”
“You have an amazing job now, too,” said Rusty. “Don’t forget that.”
Janice grinned. “Oh, I won’t. I have so much to tell you about. Trent’s had me studying super hard. He’s quite a taskmaster.”
Rusty chuckled. “Is he now? I’ll have to have words with him about that.”
“Don’t even think about it!” said Janice with another laugh. “I’m loving every minute of it.” She took a long deep breath as she looked out at the silvery moon that was appearing low in the sky. “I’m so glad I’m not in Scotland right now. This, here, feels like home. I may have grown up in Colorado, but my life there wasn’t comfortable. Not recently, anyway. This place has it all. A beautiful ranch. The scent of sagebrush and the sound of cattle. The rugged mountains. Open air. And best of all, you.”
Rusty put his arm around Janice, giving her a big squeeze. Suddenly, though, she felt him stiffen.
"Say, Rusty, what about your family’s ranch in Colorado? Has my father done anything to jeopardize it?"
Rusty nodded. "Yeah. He kicked my cousins off the land.”
“Oh no!”
“But I found a solution,” Rusty said, with a twisted smile. “You met Takis yet? He’ll tell you he’s the groundskeeper here, but actually he’s secretly extremely wealthy. A millionaire, some say. Bought out this ranch from the North brothers when they were in trouble.”
Janice’s eyes widened. “A secret millionaire groundskeeper? Well, well. And here I was thinking the Mischief Makers were the ranch’s biggest secret.”
Rusty arched a brow playfully. “The Mischief Makers?”
Janice’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oops! Nothing. Definitely not a secret society of prankster Littles. Nope. Nothing to see here. Move along please, sir.”
Rusty laughed. “Well, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, playing along, “but I spoke to Takis about my family’s situation, and, to cut a long story short, he decided to buy the ranch off them. He fell on some hard times a little while ago, but apparently there's plenty in the coffers again now this ranch is working so well."
"Really?" Janice's eyes widened with surprise. "But why would he do that?"
"Well," Rusty continued, his voice tinged with excitement, "he wants to make a sister ranch to Littlecreek Ranch in Colorado. What your father doesn’t know is that my cousins are all Daddy Doms too. Takis wants them to stay where they are and set up another sanctuary for Littles in need."
With that, Janice started to giggle. She giggled and giggled. “My father’s going to love that. His neighbors being a DDlg ranch and all!”
Rusty chuckled. “He sure is.” He paused. “Actually, in all seriousness, Takis has already spoken to him. Told him what he’s got in mind, and let Angus know that Takis has got even more land and more wealth than your father has.”
“He does?”
“Scotland’s not that big, sweetheart. If you own a bit of land there, chances are it’s the size of a postage stamp. And Takis? Well, he owns about a hundred gyms, two ranches, and a fetish club or two, by the sounds of it. Plus, rumor has it, he owns a Greek island.”
Janice’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “And he spends his days pretending to be a groundskeeper in Montana?”
“That’s about the size of it,” replied Rusty. “Likes to keep a low profile most of the time, I guess.”
"Rusty, I can't believe you managed to turn things around like this," Janice said, her eyes sparkling with delight. "I love the idea of another sanctuary. And now we'll be able to help even more Littles!"
Rusty could see the joy radiating from Janice, and it warmed his heart to know that their future together held such promise.
The last of the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow that illuminated Janice's radiant hair. Rusty couldn't help but admire her beauty, her eyes sparkling like emeralds as she gazed out over the ranch spread out beneath them.
Rusty's heart swelled with love for his partner, and he reached out to gently cup her face in his hands.
“I’m so proud of you, babygirl,” he said. “You’re a sweet Little, and an amazing woman. I hope you know that you are more than worthy of happiness, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure you never doubt that again."
“I know you will, Daddy,” said Janice, smiling. “And also, I know I’m worthy. I even told my father as much.”
“You did?” Rusty whistled. “I’m impressed.”
“We’re not silly young things anymore,” said Janice. “We’re brave, and bold, and unstoppable.”
“Amen to that,” agreed Rusty, lost in Janice’s gorgeous eyes.
With the world around them fading away, Rusty leaned in, pressing his lips against Janice's in a passionate and tender kiss. It was a kiss that seemed to encompass all the love, trust, and hope that had blossomed between them, and when they finally pulled away, Rusty knew that this time, nothing would tear them apart.