“Trust me,” she’d said. “You’ll want something that makes you feel good.”
A driver was waiting for me at the airport, holding a sign with my name. Professional, polite, he loaded my bags and didn’t ask questions during the hour-long drive.
Rawhide Ranch appeared like something out of a dream. A massive layout of wooden buildings with stone accents, set against a backdrop of pine trees and distant peaks. The main lodge was intense, with a wide porch extending the entire length of the front and floor-to-ceiling windows that reflected the late afternoon sun. The iron gates that we’d entered through put us on a path to this building, making it impossible to miss the entrance.
The driver helped me with my bags, then tipped his hat and left. I stood there for a moment, luggage at my feet, trying to absorb the reality of where I was. The door opened before I could ascend the half dozen steps to the set of double doors.
Majesty stood there, his smile immediate and warm. “You made it.”
“I did.” My nervousness melted slightly at the sight of him. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but somehow still carried that commanding presence.
“Come on, let’s get you settled.” He grabbed my bags like they weighed nothing and gestured for me to follow.
Inside, the lodge was even more impressive. Exposed beams, a massive stone fireplace, comfortable furniture arranged in intimate groupings. It managed to feel both grand and welcoming at the same time.
Lex appeared from a hallway to the left, and my breath caught slightly. He wore dark slacks and a fitted button-down, sleeves rolled up, looking every bit the professional educator.
“Cami. Good flight?” he asked, his dark eyes assessing but kind.
“Uneventful, which is the best kind,” I replied.
“We’ll take you to your room first, then we’ll give you the full tour,” Majesty said, leading the way. We went on a golf cart with the bags and arrived at one of the many cabins around the Ranch. This one appeared larger than most of the others we’d passed. I no longer needed to worry about if we were going to be cramped into a small space. This place was big enough for a family of six.
My room was on the second floor, spacious and beautifully appointed with a large bed, sitting area, and windows overlooking the mountains. An attached bathroom with a soaking tub made me want to immediately hide in there for an hour.
“This is incredible,” I said, setting my purse down on the dresser.
“We want you comfortable,” Lex said from the doorway. “You’ll be spending the next few weeks here, after all.”
Majesty set my bags on the luggage rack. “Take some time to unpack and settle in. Meet us downstairs in an hour? We’ll show you around, then have dinner.”
“That sounds perfect.”
After they left, I stood in the middle of the room and exhaled slowly. I was here and ready to dig into everything. The sights, the animals, seeing what all the other buildings were. And they’d mentioned me sitting down and going through registration with somebody so they could make sure that I understood all the rules. Whatever. Whenever. I was open to everything I needed to do in order to explore the Ranch fully. Hurrying, I began to unpack to get this part over with so I could get to the good stuff.
An hour later, I found them in the living room.
“Ready for the tour?” Majesty asked, standing as I approached.
“Ready.”
After returning to the main building, they walked me through the lodge first. I saw libraries, Littles playing, game rooms, restaurants, and so much more. They gave me a map that I tucked into my pocket so I wouldn’t get lost if I were ever alone. There were steps that we walked down before Lex spoke.
“And this,” Lex said, “is the main play space.”
I stepped inside and my breath caught.
The room was enormous, with various stations set up throughout. Lex pointed them out by name, spanking benches, a St. Andrew’s cross, suspension points in the ceiling, tables with restraint points.
“Whoa” I said, running my hand along my jeans. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s functional,” Lex corrected, but there was pride in his voice. “Beauty is secondary to purpose.”
“Can’t it be both?” I asked.
His mouth quirked. “It can, and it is.”
We continued through the space, and they explained what each station was used for, what kind of scenes typically happened where, how they maintained safety and cleanliness.
