Page 4 of Harmonizing with Little Heaven Leigh

CHAPTER2

This was their third meeting with Craig and Derek to discuss his future with Heaven Leigh. Hisprofessionalfuture, of course. Their personal future was set in stone, as far as he was concerned. He’d never been happier in a relationship.

Heaven Leigh was perfect for him. They fit the way two puzzle pieces fit, and every day he found new things to love about her.

The work side of his life, however, was a bit stressful to manage, and he was very much hoping that would change soon. Angel was used to adapting and working with what he had, but there were certain things that were essential for a chocolatier to really indulge his creativity.

Those things were lacking at Rawhide Ranch, and it had made his job a struggle. He managed but his creations were limited, and everything took him much longer than it should. Space was the biggest issue.

When he’d first been hired onto the Ranch, it hadn’t been a planned situation. Derek hadn’t looked around and decided that he needed to fill a space with a master of chocolate. Rather he’d seen Angel’s work and decided that it would be amazing to have someone with those skills on board.

Because of that, finding space for him to work hadn’t been easy. They had eventually rearranged the main kitchen enough to provide a nook for Angel. It was small, and tight, but it did have the bare minimum basics he needed to make his chocolate art.

“It’s just temporary,” Derek had assured him. “I know it’s not what you’re used to, and I’ve got some ideas. So, if you can just be patient for alittlewhile, I know we can work things out.”

Angel was known for his patience and good humor. He started work and adapted to the situation as best he could without regrets. Living and working someplace where kink was so openly celebrated was amazing, and well worth the extra trouble.

However, things were always moving at Rawhide. There were always new plans on the horizon and “temporary” was a matter of perspective. Moving Angel had been pushed back because of much more essential plans, and while he understood… the addition of Heaven Leigh had made his need for a new environment even more necessary.

His Little girl was a huge help, and he wouldn’t give up a second of their time together. Working with her brightened every day, but his tiny space barely fit one person comfortably. Two was really pushing it. And… working with him had reminded Heaven Leigh of how much she loved to bake.

She wanted to dive back into the career that had made her wealthy and famous, but it was simply impossible. Unless she wanted to use the kitchen in the middle of the night, which she did when the itch overcame her, there was no time or space for her. But luckily there was a solution on the horizon.

Master Derek had acquired a neighboring ranch not too long ago, with the intention of creating a gated community for Rawhide-approved people. This mostly included employees and residents of Rawhide who loved the safety of a vetted, secure environment, but needed more space, more privacy, or less chaos.

When Derek wanted something done, things moved fast. The community, Rawhide Ridge, already had some houses, in varying sizes and styles, built and occupied, but there were also tons of empty parcels just waiting to be filled.

Angel hadn’t been terribly interested when he’d first heard of the plan. He had simple needs, and his two-bedroom apartment suited him fine. He was close to his work, the small space was easy to keep up with, and he had the spare bedroom for his models.

Things had gotten a little tighter when Heaven moved in. He’d needed to rearrange some things to make room for her belongings, but it was still working for the moment because she hadn’t brought much to the Ranch with her.

Moving might be in their future, but he hadn’t even begun to consider it—and then Master Derek had approached him with a suggestion.

They’d met in this very same office, and Derek had gotten right to the point. “You know about Rawhide Ridge, I’m sure. How would you feel about moving over there?”

Angel hesitated and then took a seat. “I’m not really in the market for a house right now. The apartment is comfortable enough for us.”

Derek waved the comment away. “I’m not talking about living quarters. I’m talking about selling you land for a shop of your own. You’ve been looking for more space and I think this is exactly the solution we need.”

Angel frowned, tilting his head. “We certainly need space to work, but I assumed we’d be here, on the grounds, where it wouldn’t be hard to move things into the main building for events, and guests could shop.”

“I understand, and that is a possibility, but hear me out. What I’m picturing is a unique shopping area for people who live there. We already have Dr. Nelson running the Urgent Care clinic and Robyn’s B&B is open and doing quite well. Visitors staying there might love the ability to do some specialty shopping. Maybe something like an old-fashioned main street, but upscale. I think it will reinforce the idea of community, while giving everyone resources close by.”

Angel hadn’t been entirely opposed to the idea; it had just come out of left field. “Well, we, Heaven and I, had been planning a proposal that included a storefront, but we haven’t really worked out the logistics. Baking, and chocolate making, and running a store too is going to be a large project, and I insist that she still has time to be Little when she needs it.”

Derek nodded as if it went without saying, but then he said it anyway. “Of course. Little is an important part of her. Whatever plans we work out need to figure that into the equation.”

“Right, so what we had considered was a shop with very limited hours. Maybe just a couple in the afternoons, or just on the weekend. That works for here, but maybe not for a shopping area where people will expect a bigger window. It will only be the two of us after all.”

“I’ve got some ideas about that. You remember how hard Heaven Leigh struggled with having to live under Littles rules all the time? She’s not the only one who chafes at those restrictions and has the need for some adult space. But obviously I can’t have unsupervised Littles running all over the Ranch—it’s just not feasible.”

Angel snorted. “It definitely isn’t. They get in enough trouble while supervised.” His whole career revolved around making chocolate and Littles couldn’t resist the lure of chocolate. On more than one occasion, he’d had to rescue desserts before they were ready to be served.

“Right. So, some of these shops, like yours for instance, could occasionally provide part-time jobs for Littles who need to step out and be adult for a while. Because they are in a safe gated community under our authority, they’d be handled by the usual Ranch rules.”

The usual Ranch rules included being disciplined for bad behavior, which would, conceivably, become Angel’s responsibility as their boss. “That sounds complicated. Traveling back and forth alone would…”

“Won’t be a problem. Once things are up and running in the commercial area, we’re going to set up a shuttle schedule. It will leave from the main building and go directly to the Ridge without stopping. That way security and safety are always maintained, and guests will be able to visit for shopping. It’s the only way to do it. Anything else would make security at the gate a nightmare.”

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