Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Reese woke early the next morning, feeling better than she had in ages. She was a teeny bit sore inside and out, but there was something about it she loved. She felt as if she really belonged to him. She turned over and was surprised to see Arlo wasn’t there, but she smelled the rich scent of coffee coming from the kitchen, so she decided to get up to use the bathroom and brush her teeth and her hair. She could always save her pouting for later. It was never a bad time to use a perfectly good pout, she told herself as she met her eyes in the mirror.
When she went back into the bedroom, Arlo was there, his coffee in one hand and a cup of hot cocoa in the other. He set both mugs down on the side table and grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder.
“Off with this robe, my pretty girl. I’m not done with you.”
He tossed her down on the bed and yanked her robe off, making her giggle as she pretended to kick at him.
“Oh, sassy this morning, are you?” he asked, one brow arched.
He stripped off his cotton pajama pants and then he was on her. She kept giggling as he kissed her neck, then her breasts, sucking and biting at her skin until she squealed. Then he rolled onto his back, taking her with him, and settled her so she was straddling his body. He reached into the drawer of the side table and grabbed a condom, quickly opened the packet and sheathed his already-hard cock.
“Come and ride Daddy, babygirl.”
As she raised up on her knees, then lowered herself onto him, and she was already so wet he slid inside her easily. Pleasure shot through her at a hundred miles an hour, making her tremble. He helped to guide her until she found her rhythm, sliding up and down on his cock as he slapped her ass.
Why was it being spanked made it so much better? She couldn’t really figure it out; all she knew was that it sure as heck was working for her. Every sharp smack on her bottom sent tingles through her as she rode Daddy’s cock.
He stopped spanking her to take her nipples between his fingers, rolling them, then pinching, and that felt amazing, too. Desire rose, making her feel like she was flying as she rode him, as his hips thrust up to meet her, driving his flesh deep inside her.
“Daddy,” she panted. “Need to come. Please?”
“Yes, baby. Come for Daddy. Come all over Daddy’s cock like a good girl.”
It was as if her body knew she’d been given permission, because the moment he said it, her body shattered, and she cried out as her climax washed over her, wave after head-spinning wave. And before she was done, her Daddy came, pumping up into her, hard and fast, and she could feel the heat and the pulsing through the condom as he groaned.
He pulled her down into his arms and they laid together quietly, both of them panting as he stroked her hair, and she ran her hands over his broad chest.
“I sure do like that,” she said.
“So do I.”
“I wanna do it a lot, Daddy.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that,” he teased, his tone very serious.
“Daddy! Why not?”
“Because once in a while we have work to do. We can’t spend all day in bed. Come on, little boss. Let’s get cleaned up, then we need to go check on the animals.”
“Okay, Daddy. I guess you’re right.”
“I usually am,” he said with a wink, making her laugh.
They got up and showered together, and it was a sweet, sensual experience as he washed her body, then her hair, and dried her with a towel when they got out. They had a quick breakfast, then headed out to the barn.
When they got there, she was surprised to see Wren and Sadie apparently waiting by the door for them, then Hayleigh and Everly appeared from inside. All of them were giggling like mad.
“What are you guys doing here so early in the morning?” Reese asked.
“We have a surprise for you, Reesey!” Wren bounced over to her and grabbed her hand.
“A surprise? For me? Did you know about this?” She turned an almost accusatory look toward Arlo.
His smirk told her everything she needed to know, but before she could say anything, Bossy P flapped out the door yelling “Go to the barn,” as he landed on his new favorite spot: Daddy’s shoulder. She loved that her animals loved him as much as she did. She truly was living a dream.
Sadie and Hayleigh slid the giant barn doors all the way open to reveal the barn. She had been there for the painting and decorating, but when they’d left the day before it had still been kind of a mess.
Not anymore. Everything was perfectly put in its place, and she swore Sadie had doubled the bedazzles, because the whole thing sparkled. All of her crew had homes perfectly designed to fit their individual needs. All of the supplies they’d bought the night before were even in their rightful places.
“It looks amazing,” she breathed out on a sigh.
“This is only part of it. C’mon!” Wren exclaimed.
Her friend dragged her to the steps of the loft where her makeshift bedroom was. The first thing she noticed at the top of the stairs was a door. Before it had just been open, which had been nice for Bossy P to come and go as he pleased but hadn’t really afforded her any privacy.
“We installed a lock, too, and only you and Master Derek have a key,” Wren told her as she pushed open the door to what Reese could only describe as her dream room.
Everything appeared to be brand new. The wooden slat walls had been covered and painted a soft robin’s-egg blue. The old bed frame and dresser were gone, replaced with a matching bed, dresser, nightstand, and even a desk in bright white wood. The canopy bed was strung with twinkling fairy lights that bordered the ceiling. The bedding had been replaced with a pretty blue and white comforter that she was sure would feel like she was sleeping on a cloud, and even the pillowcases and sheets matched.
She stood in awe, turning round and round, slowly trying to take it all in. Her best friend was silent beside her, no doubt waiting for her to say something. Anything.
“The pillowcases match,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
For a girl who had always used hand-me-down bedding that never matched—hand-me-down everything—it was a big deal. Wren seemed to get it right away, and reached over and grabbed her hand, giving a little squeeze.
“I know. Do you like it? We wanted you to be able to stay here close to the animals as long as you want to, but none of the Daddies were too keen on the state of this room, and so we all decided to make it better.”
“You all did this just for me? Why?”
“Why not?” Sadie asked from behind. “You deserve a comfortable and safe place to call home, Reese.”
“Home,” Reese whispered. “I’m home?”
The idea was so foreign. What was a home? She’d never really had one. Sure, she’d lived in a lot of houses, and she had her apartment, but nothing had been permanent. Everything had just been a hold over until she moved again.
Even the Ranch had been another temporary residence. Until she met Arlo. Well, Arlo and the rest of the Ranch gang. But this? This was something else entirely. This was her space. Her space, created by the people who loved her, in a place she could be wholly herself and be accepted because of who she was. No other reason. Just because she was Reese Reynolds, and these people cared about her and wanted her to stick around. It was a lot to take in.
Tears dripped down her face as she turned to Wren and threw her arms around her neck.
“Thank you. Thank you all so much.”
She reached out for the other girls and they all joined in one giant group hug, sniffling and wiping their eyes as they were overcome with emotion.
“This is like a dream come true,” she said as they all parted and she took another look around.
“Look, we even put a perch and swing in the corner for Bossy P,” Hayleigh pointed out.
Reese smiled and shook her head. “It’s perfect. Everything. How did you get it all done so fast?”
“Ranch magic.” Sadie winked and they all began to giggle.
The sound of a loud power tool drew their attention. It wasn’t unheard of to hear loud noises, especially as they put the finishing touches on the pens and stuff, but this sounded like they were drilling right into the side of the barn.
“Speaking of Ranch magic… there is one last thing you need to see.” Sadie smiled hugely.
“There’s more? I don’t think I can take any more!”
“Too bad,” Hayleigh sing-songed.
They ushered her out the door and back down the stairs.
“Oh, oops! I forgot to tell you we redid the bathroom, too. It’s not super fancy, because it will likely be used by more than just you, but it’s a lot cleaner, and the shower, sink, toilet, and tile are all brand new.”
She peeked into the fresh new bathroom as they passed it. It might not be “fancy” by her friend’s standards, but it looked pretty freaking amazing to her.
On the way out of the barn she gave Stella a pat and a kiss on her nose and peeked at each of the other animals. Everyone seemed comfortable and happy. They were all home.
A crowd of people had congregated outside. All familiar smiling faces. All members of her new extended family. But front and center, next to the larger than life Master Derek was her Daddy. And she was sure his smile matched her own. Running to him, she jumped into his arms and threw hers around his neck.
He swung her in a circle, laughing. “I take it you like your surprise, little boss?”
“I love it. It's perfect, and you all are so sneaky! I had no idea.”
“We were happy to do it, darlin’,” Master Derek told her. “And if you turn around you’ll see the finishing touch. It was supposed to be up when you got here, but the sealer was still wet and we didn’t want to risk ruining it.”
Arlo set her on her feet and turned her body to reveal a giant sign that read, “Reese’s Perfectly Imperfect Petting Zoo”, and around it were colorful handprints.
“Those are all of our handprints because we want you to know you always have us to support you and help you no matter what. You’re not doing this alone anymore, little girl,” Arlo whispered in her ear as he pulled her back against the front of his big, strong body.
“I’ve also got the paperwork that makes you a certified animal rescue.” Jared, the silver-fox lawyer of the Ranch, stepped forward and handed her a manila envelope. “You’re official.”
“I can never repay you all for this. Never.” Reese shook her head. It wasn’t possible. It was all too much, and she couldn’t even begin to put a price on it.
“No repayment necessary, darlin’. We’ve been over this. You’re family now,” Derek told her.
He had told her that once. As had Arlo and Wren, but actions spoke louder than words, and everything in front of her was just proof that they meant what they’d said.
“Thank you.”
What else could she say, really? Words couldn’t come near to describing the amount of gratitude in her heart. Putting her hands over her Daddy’s she laid her head back against his chest and sighed.
She was finally home.
Reese watched as Bigs and Littles alike loved on her animals, and Bossy P sat on one of his many perches overlooking everything. He was so much more relaxed now that they’d been at the Ranch for a couple of months. He was super perceptive, and it was like he knew Arlo and the rest of their new-found family were going to take care of things, and he could just be the ornery parrot he was made to be. She loved that for him.
She loved it for all of them, herself included.
Opening day of the petting zoo had started rough when one of the turkeys got too close to Clancy and he fainted. It sent a couple of Littles into worried fits, but when he came to and they could see he was completely fine and just a tad bit overdramatic, they thought it was hilarious. Reese didn’t like that he was so afraid of birds, but even she could appreciate the hilarity of his drama-queen antics.
They had been so busy all day she’d barely had time to breathe. Of course, her Daddy made sure she did by taking her to her room for a thirty-minute lunch break, but she had fretted the whole time she ate her sandwich and fruit salad. The spanking he had given her that morning to calm her nerves had apparently worn off. If she wasn’t afraid the guests would hear it, she may have even asked for another.
But as the day wound down and she did some self-reflecting, she realized she’d been silly. She had so much love and help, and the animals were so happy with all of the attention, that really nothing could have gone wrong. Not here. Not at Rawhide Ranch where the magic just kept everyone safe and happy.
“That smile on your face tells me everything I need to know, little boss,” her Daddy said as he came by her with a wheelbarrow to begin their clean-up for the night after their last guest had left for the evening.
Chef Connor barely managed to get Hayleigh out of the pigs’ pen with a threat none of them had been privy to, but Reese had seen the look on her friend’s face as she got up and let her Daddy dust her off, and she could tell it was a doozy.
“It’s been a good day, Daddy.”
She sighed happily as she leaned against Stella’s stall. Her sweet cow had practically been smiling all day as she accepted treats and pets from countless hands. Stella rested her head on Reese’s shoulder, and Reese gave her a big squeeze.
“I’ll say it has. Everyone had an incredible time, babygirl. Master Derek came out to check a few times and was very impressed with everything. He thinks your petting zoo is going to be a big draw for our community, and he’s already discussing building other accommodations when the rescue requests begin to come in.” He left the wheelbarrow and approached her. “I’m so proud of you, little boss.”
“Me? I barely had anything to do with it. I could have never done all this by myself.”
Arlo closed the gap between them and took both of her hands in his.
“You didn’t have to. You got it started. You worked your tail off, and when you needed help, you sought it out. So many people would have given up long before now, but not you. You’ve just kept on fighting. Defying the odds. Making your own dreams come true. None of this would be here if it weren’t for you. All of those smiles and giggles, all of that joy people felt today, you gave that to them, baby.”
Reese soaked in his words like a sponge. He was always praising her and building her up, but this… this was something so very different. This was a deep love and respect she’d never even dreamed of.
She forced the words out. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re very welcome. Now, I’ve got a very important question to ask you, though.”
He let go of her hands and took a step back. She instantly missed the closeness, and the look on his face made her tummy nervous. She leaned further into Stella, whose head was still resting on her shoulder.
“What question?” Reese asked when the silence became too much.
Then… just like out of a scene from a movie, her Daddy got down on one knee and pulled a ring box out of his pocket.
“Reese, I never in my life thought I would find my other half. But you have proved that theory so very wrong. I know we came together in an unfortunate way, and my heart still hurts to think about what you went through, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thankful that it led you to me. So Reese, my little boss, would you do me the honor of keeping me the happiest man on the planet by becoming my Little wife?” He opened the ring box to reveal a sparkly round diamond set in a simple white-gold band that caught the sunlight and momentarily dazzled her.
She stood frozen, not even knowing what to do. How was it that all of the hard, terrible stuff she’d been through had ultimately led her here? To this place and this Daddy and this moment, where all of her dreams were coming true?
Stella moved her head from Reese’s shoulder only to nudge her hard enough to force her to take a step toward her Daddy.
Reese shot her a look before turning back to Arlo.
“This doesn’t even feel real,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I know what you mean, babygirl, but I promise you it’s very real. And if I have to spend every day of the rest of my life proving to you how real it is, how real we are, I will. Now be a good girl and say ‘Yes, Daddy’.”
“Yes, Daddy,” she answered breathlessly, but without another thought. There was no other option, honestly. Not in her mind, anyway.
Arlo slipped the ring on her finger and looked up at her. “Thank you, baby.”
“Kiss the girl!” Bossy P swooped down from one of his many perches and landed on Stella’s stall door. “Kiss the girl!” he repeated more insistently.
Reese giggled. “You heard the parrot, Daddy.”