Page 1 of Raelynn's Little Repeat Day
PROLOGUE
Twenty Years Ago
It was all too much.Not in a bad way but really, justtoo much. She was only twenty-three years old. No one finds their forever at twenty-three. Right? She hadn’t even finished college yet!
Plenty of people marry their college sweetheart.
The thought had barely crossed her mind before she pushed it back.
And plenty of people end up divorced.
Great. Now she was arguing with herself. If she was being completely honest, what Raelynn Sutherland was about to do was thelastthing she wanted to do. It needed to be done, however. She couldn’t stay here. If she stayed, she’d give in. She’d cave and lethimrun her life.
Because youlovehim running your life!
She’d end up giving over complete control before she could blink. Healthy relationships weren’t meant to be this way, right? They weren’t meant to involve rules, punishments, playtime, and submitting to complete and total care. They weren’t.
Raelynn battled with herself, continuing to stuff clothes into an old, ratty suitcase as quickly as she could. The last thing she wanted was to end up like her mother. She didn’t want to marry her college sweetheart and become a housewife totally dependent on her husband for everything. Raelynndefinitelydidn’t want to be forty-five and alone with no clue how to care for herself.
That’s not what your relationship with him is.
But wasn’t it? Raelynn tried shoving her stuffed sloth, Sami, into the case but he wouldn’t fit. Without hesitation, she grabbed a wad of clothes at random and tossed them aside. Nothing in that wad was more important than Sami. No way could she leave her friend behind. Soon he’d be the only friend she had.
Raelynn took one last look around her studio apartment. There was a mess of her things still lying about, but none of them would fit in her tiny car. She barely had room for this one last suitcase. Checking her watch, Raelynn noticed it was after midnight. She’d have to get moving if she was going to put some distance between herself and Montana by the time Les showed up in the morning to help her pack.
She made one final circle, saying goodbye to the apartment that had been her home–as run down as it was–since her eighteenth birthday. She wheeled her suitcase into the hall, calmly locked the door, then headed to her car, playing with the purple heart-shaped gem on her necklace as nerves settled in.
He’ll never forgive me.
CHAPTER 1
Raelynn- Present Day
“Look,I’m not going anywhere any time soon. Jenny may be new but she’s been training for a month now.” Raelynn watched as the normally timid and shy Diana became a fierce warrior. The most amazing part, though, was that Diana was fighting her.
Sure, in the time Diana had been at the women’s shelter, Raelynn had come to consider her a friend. She often helped out in all areas of the shelter; she was understanding of all the women who came through, seeing as she’d been in their shoes once.
“You admitted to me yourself that you’ve been working pretty much seven days a week for ten years, without a vacation. It’s amazing you haven’t burned out already.”
Diana’s words resonated since Raelynnwasfeeling burnt out. She’d become less enthusiastic about going to the shelter lately. She’d even found herself becoming a little bitter, as she’d spent every day working, leaving little time for anything else. She hadn’t even spent time in Little space in over a month. It was wearing on her.
“You need to get away. Between Jenny and me, we’ve got this handled. Take some time, get away, reset. You’ll come back more refreshed and more eager to help the women who come in.”
Raelynn startled when another voice cut in, “She’s right, you know. You work too much.”
Raelynn looked over to find Rocky standing in the doorway, holding the hand of a very frightened young woman whose face was a mottled mess of fading bruises with a cut on one cheek just below her eye.
Raelynn wasn’t surprised to see such a big, tough-looking guy bringing in another woman needing help. Rocky, and the rest of his motorcycle club, did it quite regularly. They were a bit of a different MC, choosing to spend their time and money helping women escape traumatic relationships. A good number of the women Raelynn had helped to-date had come to her through Devil’s Wrath MC.
Some might consider the shelter and a motorcycle club an odd pairing, but despite their rough looks, the men of Devil’s Wrath had a way about them that put residents at ease. It was a perfect partnership.
“This is Cynthia, she’s in need of some time to heal and find herself again,” Rocky stated.
I can understand that. I desperately need that too.
Not that Raelynn had any physical healing to do, but she did need to get her mind right and be herself for a while. Find that part of her that had been slowly fading over the years. Maybe sheshouldget away. She could take her friend, Priscilla, up on her offer. A Ranch dedicated to BDSM with a special soft spot for Littles–and a mission to shelter Littles in need–sounded like heaven to Raelynn. Even if it did mean going back to Montana. It’s not like the Ranch was located in the same town as him.
Raelynn shook herself from her thoughts, making a quick mental note to call Priscilla again later and learn more.“Welcome, Cynthia! Why don’t we give you a tour and then get you settled into a room, sweetie. What do you say?”
