Page 32 of Guiding Little Gabi

Raleigh dipped the cloth he’d picked up from the table in a container of what had appeared to be water, but the moment he wrung it out, Gabi was enveloped in the scent of lemons. Understanding dawned as he lifted the cloth. It was lemon juice, which would work with the other ingredients to form a slightly abrasive paste. This was the secret food coloring removal plan? She had to hand it to the chef. It really was rather creative, and while she liked colors, she had to admit she didn’t want to go through life with a purple body.

“Wait!” Hayleigh declared, drawing everyone’s attention to her as she bent to pick up the can her Daddy had discarded when he’d reached for a cloth. “You missed a spot, Daddy.” She aimed the can and pulled the trigger. The resulting stream was lovely but, unfortunately, missed her target. Instead of the bare spot on her right knee, the foam landed directly in the very center of her Daddy’s groin.

“Crap on a cracker!” she squawked and took a step backward.

It might have been considered an accident except, well, they wereLittlesafter all. Seeing Hayleigh’s rounded eyes, Gabi forgot about everything but supporting her new besties. Grabbing her own can, she pulled the trigger in a very deliberately aimed spurt which bloomed across her Daddy’s shirt as she shouted, “Frost them!” and the game was on. Sadie and Pippi grabbed discarded cans while Bigs stood frozen.

They didn’t remain motionless for long. Cloths were dropped, and additional cans were plucked from the table as an all-out icing war erupted. With white foam flying everywhere, no one within range was safe. Those Bigs who’d gathered to watchshrieked and hustled out of the way while their Littles shouted in support for their friends.

“Get them!” one Little shouted in glee.

“Ice their hair!” another offered and then clapped wildly when Gabi spurted a very nice amount of shaving cream frosting on her Daddy’s head when he bent down to spray her feet.

Before she could take a very well-earned bow, Gabi took a step and her foot slid out from under her. Arms flailing, she screeched and grabbed for her Daddy. Though their fingers did brush against each other’s, both were too slippery to hold on. Gabi toppled backward, screaming, “Daddy!”

Her cry was cut off when she suddenly found herself under water. Stunned, it took a huge splash beside her to understand she’d fallen into the pool and her Daddy had followed. Coming up to the surface, she started to apologize but then screamed again as more splashes erupted as if the entire pool’s surface was being bombed. Her screech turned into laughter as Bigs and Littles cannonballed into the pool. When she swallowed a bit of water and started to choke, she felt herself lifted and her Daddy’s hand slapping against her back.

Once she coughed and regained her breath, Gabi smiled. “Thank you, Daddy. You saved my life!”

Her Daddy grinned. “You’re welcome, teacup. Enjoy this moment because I’ll not be saving your butt for long.”

Well, Gabi found she could possibly live with that. At least for right now. What she’d feared would be her demise had turned into quite the fiasco, but this time she was pretty sure she alone couldn’t be blamed. Not when there were people splashing about as if it were perfectly normal to go swimming with your clothes on.

It was several more moments of pure, unadultered fun until finally, with Hayleigh riding his shoulders, Chef Connor stood inthe water beside Master Derek, who had Sadie wrapped around his torso.

“This didn’t go quite the way I envisioned it,” the chef admitted.

“Maybe not, but hey, doesn’t the concrete look a little less purple?”

Gabi looked as her Daddy lifted her out of the pool and then pulled himself out to stand dripping beside her. She nodded. “It does, Master Derek! It’s like magic or something!”

Master Derek chuckled while Sadie nodded. “I’ve always said there is lots and lots of magic at Rawhide Ranch!”

Derek climbed from the pool, followed by the others, until the group once again stood in a half circle, this time eyes focused on the concrete around the hot tub.

“It’s not yet as pristine as it was, but at least I don’t feel we’ll have to recement the entire pool deck,” Master Derek said before stepping forward. He then turned to face the soaked Littles and their Bigs. “Girls, you’ve convinced me you weren’t trying to pull another prank. But there’s still the issue of not following the rules. So, don’t think this little pool party means you won’t be getting punished. I’m going to let your Daddies, and Mommy in your case as well, Pippi, handle that however they see fit. I don’t want to see this group of Littles in my office again anytime soon. Understand?”

“Yes, Master Derek,” Littles chorused, followed by Sadie’s, “Yes, Daddy.”

Gabi turned to find her Daddy standing two steps away. That was two steps too far. She ran to him, jumping into his arms. His strong arms wrapped around her, holding her close. “I’m so proud of you, teacup. You were very brave. But you still have some consequences to face. Let’s go back to our room and we can change and take care of those, so that we can move on to more pleasant activities.”

Nodding, Gabi took her Daddy’s hand. “Okay, Daddy.” Then she staggered as her four friends pulled her into a group hug. There was certainly something to say for solidarity after all.

As they walked across the grass toward their room, Raleigh asked, “What are you thinking, babygirl?”

Her thoughts bounced around in her head like a pinball in a machine. “I’m thinking I wish we’d gotten a room on a higher floor so it would be a longer walk. Or, better yet, one of the cabins. Those would take even longer to reach.”

Her Daddy chuckled at her words. Chuckled. How could he chuckle when he could surely feel the anxiety radiating from her in waves? She’d really messed up. The good feelings from the group hug had dissolved like shaving cream in water.

Why was she such an idiot? She had thrown away her chance to be with the only man she had ever trusted, the only one she had ever loved. How Romeo and Juliet could she be? Just when everything was going well, she ruined it.

“I’m not going to ask what you’re thinking now. You have a hard enough punishment coming. Suffice it to say, you better start telling my Little girl good things instead of mean ones.”

Darn it! How did he always know?

When they reached the patio outside their room, he turned to her and cupped her neck. “I know you’re nervous, babygirl. You’ve gotten yourself in some hot water. But you know I’d never harm you, right?”

The only thing she wasn’t worried about was him harming her. “I know, Daddy. I’m not worried about that. That doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to it, though.”

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