Page 14 of Rusty

The scent of hayand leather filled the air as Janice made her way to the stables for the morning's pony trek. Her arm still hurt, but there was no way she was gonna miss this. Taking part in group activities seemed like the perfect way to prove she belonged at the ranch. And ponies? Well, ponies were her comfort zone.

On top of that, Janice wanted to get to know the other Littles a bit better. She still felt ashamed of what had happened at the art therapy session. It had seemed like a safe thing to do, like nothing could possibly go wrong with it. Obviously, she'd found a way to fuck it up.

Janice's spirits lifted as she approached the stables. This felt even safer than the art had.

"Alright, folks," Duke called out, his voice carrying across the yard. "Time to saddle up and head out!" Duke was a tough-looking guy with deep tanned skin and a few scars on his face. After the fiasco at the art therapy class, she'd apologized toRosemary for getting so worked up, and they'd talked about the pony trek.

Apparently, Duke North had been a champion rodeo performer before settling down at the ranch. She wondered what that might be like, putting yourself in so much danger, just for the thrill of it.

Danger had never felt even remotely thrilling to her. Just scary.

A small group had gathered for the trek—Sara, Zoey, Rosemary, and a few other Littles she didn't recognize. Janice felt a flutter of excitement as she mounted her pony, her body remembering the motions like an old dance. The pony was sweet, small, and white, and Janice instantly felt comfortable in the saddle.

As they set off, the gentle clip-clop of hooves against the earth filled the air. Janice found herself riding alongside Sara, whose face was alight with joy.

"Isn't this just amazing?" Sara gushed, her eyes sparkling. "I feel so free! If it weren't for the fact that Rosemary's pony keeps pooping, I'd think I was in heaven."

"Hey!" Rosemary called out. "Ponies poop in heaven."

Janice laughed with the others. “I'm having a really nice time," she agreed, her eyes taking in the beauty of the ranch. "You know, except for the poop. The horses here are wonderful. Makes me wish I could work with these amazing creatures every day."

Sara looked thoughtfully at her. "You know, you might be able to do that. Chuck is always looking for people who can help out with the horses. Do you have much horse experience?"

"I'm practically half horse."

"Well, you should definitely talk to him."

"Really?" Janice asked, her heart leaping at the possibility.

“Sure. What kind of work would you like to do with them? You could be a riding instructor, or tend to the stables. . . .”

Janice's eyes sparkled with a mix of longing and uncertainty. She rode in silence for a moment, lost in her thoughts before she finally spoke. "I used to look after the overworked horses on my dad's ranch," she said, her voice tinged with nostalgia. "I loved seeing how my touch could soothe their muscles and help them relax. I always wanted to study how to do it properly, and be an equine physiotherapist."

Sara's eyes widened, impressed by Janice's passion. "That sounds awesome, Janice. Nobody else on the ranch does anything like that. "

A flicker of doubt crossed Janice's features. "I don't know. . . . Maybe I'd be no good at it. ’m not qualified. And I’d probably fail the exam if I tried. It’s pretty tricky, from what I hear."

Sara gave her a kind smile. "You're so hard on yourself, Janice. You know, my Daddy punishes me if I ever say anything bad about myself? 'No self-meanness,' he says.”

"I can't help it."

"You're allowed to believe in yourself. I bet you'd ace that exam."

Janice bit her lip. “Everyone here seems so . . . accomplished. They've all got their niche. Nicole with her art, and Duke leading these treks. And you've got that secret clu—"

Sara grimaced. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Eek, sorry! Anyway, what I'm saying is, I’m worried that Chuck’s not going to see the benefit of having me here.” She hesitated, then confided, "I'm only on a trial period. Chuck said he’d keep an eye on me and see how I’m getting on, but I haven’t seen him for a couple of days.”

“He’s probably watching you on a secret camera and taking notes,” said Sara, nodding solemnly.

Janice felt a jolt of ice-cold fear shoot through her veins. “Seriously?”

One of the awful things her controlling father had done back at his ranch was to keep watch over her, and she hoped it wouldn’t be like that here.

“No, silly!” said Sara, exploding into fits of giggles. “Absolutely not. Don’t worry, Chuck’s not like that. He’s a big old softy deep down. All the Daddy Doms here are. Including my Daddy, Ethan. He’s Discipline Master, but his punishments are really more of a treat, if you catch my drift.” She winked at Janice and then snickered.

Janice blushed. Her father’s punishments had been so terrible over the last few years, that she’d almost forgotten that discipline could be hot, too. And loving.

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