Page 13 of Their Little Foursome

Though Lori had known her Daddy wouldn’t take her someplace terrible, she had to admit, nothing she’d seen or anyone she’d met was what she’d expected. When he’d told her they were going to a ranch, she’d been expecting a sprawling ranch-style home with a barn, hay stacks dotting a field or two, and of course, the required livestock such as cattle, and maybe a horse or two if she were lucky. The first clue her vision was skewed was when her Daddy had presented his driver’s license to a uniformed guard before the man had welcomed them to Rawhide Ranch and opened a pair of huge iron gates, and an entirely different world appeared before them.

The requisite pastures enclosed with fencing were there, spreading out over gently rolling hills. She’d even spotted a couple of horses grazing on grass. Huge trees lined both sides of the drive that had seemed to go on forever. But when they’d crested a hill, she’d gasped out loud at the sight of the buildings nestled in a valley.

Some outbuildings appeared to be barns and stables, but she’d also seen a pair of large brick buildings, what looked like a small apartment complex, and then there was the icing on the cake—the building where her Daddy had stopped and climbed from the car. Even as he’d opened her door, she’d seen a man with hair as black as coal hanging in a long plait down his back walking toward them. She’d watched as her Daddy had moved his fingers and hands and she’d recognized he was signing. It was a language that fascinated her in that one could converse without having to actually speak, something she often found very hard to do, especially with strangers.

After the exchange, her Daddy had introduced her as he unlatched her seatbelt and helped her out. “Lori, this is Moses. He’s going to take our luggage for us and park the car.”

Lori had concentrated on forming the letters with her fingers. Her motions had been clumsy as it had been years since the last time she’d used the ASL alphabet to communicate in silence. She’d visualized each letter as she spelled out “hello”. The man’s smile had been broad and he’d nodded, his fingers moving slowly.

“W-e-l-c-o-m-e, that spells welcome,” she’d said, taken aback when Moses nodded.

“He can also read lips,” Daddy had remarked as he’d passed his keys to Moses.

“That’s amazing.” She’d thought about how it would be not to hear sounds around you but be able to communicate clearer and far faster than just knowing how to sign the letters of the alphabet. If she’d been able to read lips, she could know what someone across a room was saying, or be able to eavesdrop without having to get close to the speaker. Perhaps knowing what was being planned would have kept her from trusting that someone was good and letting them get too close. If she’d readlips, would she have had enough time to run before it was too late? That thought had caused her to stumble.

“Careful there.” Her Daddy had tightened his grip on her hand as they’d climbed the steps to the ranch house which was, in reality, a huge three-story structure.

A wide porch stretched across the entire front of the building. Rockers and chairs with fluffy cushions were ready to accept a weary traveler. There was even a porch swing, big enough for more than two, hanging down at one end of the porch’s expanse. She’d seen a couple seated at the other end, large mugs in their hands as they shared what looked to be a plate of cookies. As if noticing her perusal, the woman had turned her head and given her a little wave.

Lori’s returning wave had caused her Daddy to look over and nod at the couple before he’d looked down at her. “See, sweetie? I told you this was a friendly place.”

Words had failed her as she’d attempted to take it all in before her view changed yet again when they’d stepped through the double doors into the biggest lobby she’d ever seen.

It had been both a bit scary and exciting to meet Daddy’s friend, Master Jared. Her Daddy had often spoken of the man, telling her stories that made her laugh and some that had her eyes widening and her blood heating. Meeting the man who’d helped teach her Daddy to become a lawyer had been nice but meeting the very man who’d guided him to become her Daddy, was a bit overwhelming. She hadn’t really meant to ask him about spanking her Daddy, but when he’d laughed and joked with her Daddy, she’d been so enthralled she’d forgotten to be nervous. The appearance of his wife, Miss Erika, had helped her feel even better. Erika was as nice as anyone could be and between her and Luna, who had the coolest hair ever, she’d not felt the overwhelming press of anxiety she normally did when she and her Daddy ventured far from their house.

She’d continued to think about these things as Daddy had retrieved their key cards and they made their way into the guest wing where they were staying. As her Daddy set her down in the middle of their room, she asked, “Can I dye my hair pink?”

By the look on his face, it appeared she’d caught her Daddy off-guard yet again. “I rather like your hair just the way it is. Why would you want to change it?”

“’Cuz Luna’s is so pretty. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, but I think my Little girl is perfect just the way she is.”

Warmth spread through her even as she mentally rolled her eyes. Wasn’t that something a Daddy was supposed to say? She smiled, thinking he’d probably say the same thing if her hair were green with orange polka-dots… or even if she dyed it every color of the rainbow. Lori forgot all about hair when her Daddy took her on a tour of what turned out to be a suite. They had a seating area with a couch, the biggest ottoman she’d ever seen, and a coffee table. A small table with two chairs was tucked into a nook, and a pair of French doors led out to a patio.

“Daddy, there’s a pool!”

Gordon chuckled as she pressed her nose to the glass. “There is, but it’s too chilly to swim outside. If you want to swim, Luna mentioned there is an indoor pool as well as an indoor playground on a lower level.”

“That sounds like fun!”

Their tour moved to the small kitchenette and he opened a cabinet.

“What do we have here?”

Lori looked to see what appeared to be the makings of hot chocolate. Two containers held white, fluffy marshmallows. You had a choice of large or miniature ones, or better yet, both!

“What’s this?” Her Daddy pulled a jar out of the cabinet and shook it as if it were a snow globe, causing the contents to shift. A vortex of rainbow colors swirled inside the glass.

“Sprinkles!” Lori shouted, clapping her hands before reaching for the jar. “Can we make some?”

“Yes, but not right now. We’re already behind schedule. You should have been asleep a half hour ago.”

This time, the eye roll wasn’t simply in her mind. Her Daddy was a stickler for schedules, organization, and planning everything. She supposed it was important for his job, but he wasn’t in a courtroom. “We don’t need a schedule, Daddy, we’re on vacay!”

“A vacation that will be a lot more fun for both of us if you get enough rest,” Gordon said, putting the jar back and closing the cabinet door. “Speaking of, let’s find your room.”

“My room? I want to stay here with you!”

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