Part 1: No Regrets(Divine Creek Ranch 2)(83)

She walked out into the garage and opened the automatic door. The enclosed space reeked of smoke. What was left of her old life filled a stack of boxes the size of a small car. Having laid Matthew down for the night, Kelly followed her out into the garage.

“Want some company?”

“Sure.” Rachel could have put this off for a few days, but she felt driven to put the whole experience with the fire behind her as quickly as possible. It was late, but she’d had a nap earlier and didn’t feel sleepy.

Rachel noticed that Kelly had a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray cleanser and a three-gallon bucket full of sudsy water. “If you find any clothes worth saving, they can soak overnight in this.”

“Thank you,” she said quietly as she lifted the lid on her cedar chest.

Lifting the tissue-wrapped tablecloth and christening dress and several other similarly wrapped bundles from the chest, she handed them all to Kelly, who took them inside the duplex for safekeeping. She re-covered the cedar chest with the old blanket to protect it and carefully moved it out of the way.

Pulling the Dumpster over to the stack of boxes, she opened the first box. The sharp, acrid odor hit her in the face and transported her back to the moment when she realized she had to grab what she could and run.

She grimaced and said, “Would you mind getting that box of trash bags from the kitchen, Kelly?”



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“Sure.” Kelly hopped up and returned quickly with them.

Rachel looked in the box that was full of her clothing, now coated in a layer of smoky soot. Kelly opened a trash bag and held it while Rachel made quick work of sorting the contents of the box into the trash bag or into the bucket of hot, soapy water. She sorted all the boxes of clothing first, most of which went into the Dumpster, she noted with a disgusted sigh.

Rachel removed photographs from frames and tossed the grimy, soot-smeared frames in the trash. The knickknacks and collectibles that were cleanable Kelly worked on with the paper towels and spray. Kelly handled each item with care, taking them inside to wash in a sink of soapy warm water after removing most of the soot out in the garage. The last thing Rachel needed was for her new home to begin to smell like smoke, and so she was choosy with what she attempted to salvage.

It was eleven when she stopped for the evening. Kelly said goodnight and took Matthew back to her place to get some sleep. She’d be leaving in the morning to return to Abilene. Rachel hugged her and thanked her for all the help, glad for this chance to have gotten to know a member of Eli’s family. Rachel took her shower then smoothed on a little of the jasmine-scented lotion Eli had purchased for her.





* * * *



“Thanks, Ethan. I appreciate your advice,” Eli said as they left Ethan’s office at The Dancing Pony. It was after closing time, and the evening had been slow, which gave Eli the opportunity to talk to Ethan privately. He’d broached the subject of Rachel’s earlier statement as delicately as he could, knowing that Ethan would not want it widely known that he knew much about the topic of erotic spanking.

“I hope that helps, Eli. Remember, if you put her needs first, you’re both going to be satisfied with the outcome. Take small steps and let her responses be your guide. It’s very considerate of you to look into this for her,” Ethan said, dropping his keys in his pocket.

“I felt awkward asking you because I didn’t want to take a chance on offending you.” Eli looked him in the eye as Ethan stopped and turned to him in the dimly lit hallway.



Her Gentle Giant, Part 1: No Regrets

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Ethan grinned and shook his head, reassuring Eli. “I know. Grace and Rachel are close. If Gracie feels all right talking to her about it, then I should feel equally comfortable talking with you about it. My door is always open.

I appreciate your discretion, though. You heading home?” he asked.

“When all the ladies are in their cars safely, yeah. I’ll be headed home.

Kelly is going back to Abilene tomorrow.”

“Wish I could have met her. Maybe next time. Has Rachel been staying with you?” Ethan asked.

“Yeah.”

“How’s that working out?”

Eli couldn’t fight the sappy grin that spread on his face. “It’s been great having her there, but she’ll be over at her place after tonight. Kelly’s been staying there the last few nights.”

“Rachel’s independent.”

“That she is. I came home today to find she had landscaped and was working on my lawnmower.”

Ethan chuckled. “Sounds about right. She’s independent in a good way, which comes from being on her own for a few years. So you like having her over there?”