Page 7 of Guiding Little Gabi

When her tears subsided, she chuffed out the question she didn’t want to ask. “C-can I still stay at R-rawhide? I know there’s a rule against lying, but I promise I’ll be g-good if you let me st-stay.”

This was the spot in the Daddy books she adored. The one where the Little would stare up at the Daddy with puppy dog eyes. Her expression would be so adorable that he wouldn’t be able to refuse her.

Only her eyes got red and puffy, and red blotches mottled her face. When anyone looked at her, she was pretty sure endearing was not the word that came to mind.

He stared at her, and she held her breath. Finally, he sighed. “Here at the Ranch, there are very serious consequences for lying. For your safety and the safety of those around you, if the behavior continues, it could be grounds for expulsion without the ability to return. Your lie caused a lot of trouble today, young lady.”

His words crushed her, even though she wasn’t surprised. “I understand,” she tried to say, but her throat was too tight to let anything more than a strangled, “I…” to escape.

“I’m not finished. Don’t interrupt. I have to balance your actions with my desire to allow Littles the ability to earn a second chance.”

She shouldn’t listen to the hope whispering to her. “What do the Littles have to do to earn a second chance?”

His expression grew even more stern and serious. “Those lucky few… and I do mean few… Littles who are allowed a second chance must accept the consequences for all the rules they broke. And they must realize they will be monitored twenty-four seven to ensure no more rules are broken.”

The hope within her grew from a whisper to a murmur. “I would be willing to do all those things. I really am sorry I lied. I was scared I’d be alone here, too. But that’s no excuse.”

“No, it’s not. Nothing is ever made better by lying, whether by commission or omission. I’m afraid I will have to put some thought into this, and I have to go tend to my own Little girl. Here’s what I’m willing to do tonight. You have a choice. You can go back to your room, repack your bags, and leave first thing tomorrow morning, knowing that you will never be allowed back on Rawhide Ranch property again. Or I can confine you to your room until I send someone for you tomorrow. I do not know exactly when that will be. When I’ve worked things out, I’ll send someone to fetch you and we’ll talk?—”

“I choose door number two,” Gabi said, forgetting to wait her turn to speak.

“If you interrupt me again, little lady, you won’t be given that option. As I was saying, someone will bring you back to my office, and I’ll inform you of my decision. I am not promising I’ll decide to let you stay. Do you understand?”

So, it was either leave or take a chance on being able to stay. She didn’t see the choice in that at all. “I understand, Sir.”

“And are you willing to abide by my decision tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll do whatever you decide without a fuss.”

Master Derek finally released his scowl and smiled. With a tight hug, he said, “Good girl.”

Warmth filled her chest. But how much better would it have felt if the one saying those words was Raleigh?

CHAPTER 3

Raleigh Stevens sat behind his desk, staring down at the notes written in something harder to decipher than Morse code and pictured Gabi over his knee, trying her best to explain what she’d written. It gave him no small satisfaction that here in Darling, no one would say a word about it. Especially if he showed them the pages of notes he had to decrypt.

Who in the hell wrote seven pages of notes with no vowels? Gabi, that’s who. If she were anyone else, he’d fire her on the spot. But she wasn’t anyone else. She was his Gabi. Frustrating, scattered, caring, beautiful Gabi. And he loved her more than life itself.

Closing the folder holding the incomprehensible transcripts, he reached for his phone. She was the one who had caused this mess. She could damn well help him fix it. Not that he hadn’t been trying to get her all weekend. Ever since she’d run out of the office on Friday before they’d even unlocked the front door.

Was she just not answering her phone? Had something happened to her? If it hadn’t yet, it would when she got to work today.

First, he’d tell her there was nothing in this life he wanted more than to be her Daddy. Second, he was going to kiss her.Soundly. The way he’d longed to kiss her for the past several months. And third, he was turning her over his knee and blistering her ass.

How dare she disappear like this and not answer her phone? That was never happening again. He’d threatened to put a tracker on her phone so many times it was embarrassing, but no more putting it off. When she clocked into work this morning, he’d put a tracking app on her phone while she stood with her shiny red ass glowing from the corner of his office.

He hadn’t slept for three nights. He’d waffled between blinding rage at her thoughtless, childish behavior and crushing guilt for not declaring his feelings for her years ago. Not knowing where she was or who she was with was unacceptable.

He’d checked the news all weekend, expecting to find that she’d set up a protest at the Tennessee Supreme Courthouse—again—or staged a coup in some third-world country he’d never heard of. Nothing his little teacup had gotten into would have surprised him.

Nothing except nothing, which was what he’d heard from her. Nothing.

When she hadn’t answered her phone, he understood. She’d shocked the hell out of him on Friday morning by demanding he tell her if he ever wanted to be her Daddy or not. Just blurted it out. Out of the blue. Before he’d even had his first cup of coffee.

Of course, he botched that entire conversation completely. Every cell of his being had called him to say yes. He’d wanted to be her Daddy for almost four years, ever since she’d come to work for him. But had he listened to his heart? No. No, he had not.

He’d listened to his guilty conscience. The one that told him she deserved someone better than him. Anyone could do a better job than him after the way he’d let her down so thoroughly six months ago.

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