Page 51 of M!lked For His Pleasure
“After you’ve completed the program.”
“That’s a very vague answer.”
“Because the answer depends heavily on you. The program is designed to take a minimum of twelve weeks to complete. Four weeks per stage, unless it’s decided you need additional time at any given stage, with the final stage being ranch hand. That stage is dedicated to helping you learn independence and responsibility. Along with your responsibilities as a ranch hand, you’ll attend classes on things like money management, interviewing techniques, and other basic skills. And we’ll be working on helping you figure out what you want to do with your life.”
A lump formed in her throat, and she had to blink rapidly so the tears wouldn’t fall. “What’s the longest it’s taken anyone to graduate?”
“Sixteen weeks. That was a particularly stubborn kitten.”
“How so?”
An almost wistful smile curved his lips, as if he was enjoying the trip down memory lane. “If there was a rule, she was determined to test it, just to see what the consequence would be. Stubborn and curious, which made her role as a kitten allthe more amusing for me. Eventually, she realized there wasn’t a single rule on the Ranch she could break without some form of punishment. After that, she sailed through the rest of the program with flying colors.”
“What if she hadn’t accepted the rules? What if she’d kept pushing and pushing? Would you have sent her away?” An odd ache settled in Dorothy’s chest as she asked the question, and she couldn’t decide if she wanted him to tell her that yes, if she was enough of a brat he would simply eject her from the program.
Or if she needed the reassurance that no matter what she said or did, he wouldn’t give up on her the way everyone else in her life had.
“At some point, I would have sat her down for a very serious conversation about what she really wanted. If she truly felt the program wasn’t working and she wanted to leave, I would have let her go.”
“But if she wanted to get better?” she whispered.
Uncle Luke shifted slightly, and the intensity in his gaze stole the breath from her very lungs. “Then there would have been nothing she could do to make me send her away. I don’t give up on people, Dorothy. No matter how broken they think they are.”
His face swam in her vision and she turned her head so he couldn’t see the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. What the hell waswrongwith her? “Where is your problem student now?”
“She’s currently completing her residency at one of the world’s top hospitals, though I obviously can’t tell you which one. I get an email from her at least once a week thanking me for giving her a second chance at life.”
A doctor, huh? Maybe there was something to this program, after all.
Not that she was about to lethimknow she was thinking that, not even for a second. Because even if his stupid program could change her life, she was still here against her will. It just wasn’t fair.
“Any other questions?” Uncle Luke asked gently, for once sounding more like the Uncle Luke she remembered and less like the asshole he’d apparently become.
“How much longer ‘til we get there?”
“About an hour.”
“Fine. I’m going to take a nap.”
“Probably a good idea. You’ve got a long afternoon ahead of you.”
The seat on his plane lay flat enough for her to stretch out in relative comfort. She didn’t actually expect to sleep when she closed her eyes, but a few seconds later she was gently shaken awake by Uncle Luke’s large hand.
“Come on, darlin’. Time to get to work.”
Chapter Four
Everything was, more or less, exactly how he’d described. Though she felt he’dvastlyundersold the size and scope of his ranch. Just the working side of the ranch seemed to go on forever and ever, clear to the horizon.
There was at least a clear divide between what she thought of as the ‘real’ ranch and the ‘kinky fuckery’ side of his operation. To her great relief, the Kinky Fuckery side was much cleaner, though she didn’t have much time for exploring since she was escorted directly to the tack room as soon as they arrived.
The tack room was exactly what it sounded like. Only, instead of a bunch of saddles and other horse-related things, it was filled with what she could only assume was kink paraphernalia. Long strips of leather with wooden handles attached to them hung on one wall, along with thick wooden paddles and slender pieces of wood with curved ends. Along another wall there were four signs, each listing a different animal, with a space beneath them for that animal’s gear.
Puppy, Kitten, Horse.
And Cow.
Her heart went racing again at the sight of the long skinny tail, ears, and hooves hanging beneath the sign for Cow. Where was the rest of her ‘uniform’?
