Page 24 of Cuddling Carly

The marshal was standing out front, waiting.

“Howdy, Wade. I’m Dax.”

“Guess you knew I was here because I typed my code in the keypad at the gate,” Wade said as he got out of his big truck and shook the other man’s hand.

“Yep. I get notifications anytime anyone leaves or comes in. Helps me keep the town safe from unwanted visitors.” He smirked. “And make sure naughty Littles don’t try shenanigans.” Shrugging, he added, “Of course, the notifications don’t completely curtail that. They get in plenty of trouble inside of town limits. But at least I know they aren’t running all over creation when they’re not supposed to.”

Wade chuckled. He instantly liked the other man.

“Of course,” the marshal said, “everyone here is an adult. We aren’t holding anyone against their will. But you know how it is—sometimes Littles will try to pull a fast one on their Bigs.”

Wade wondered if Carly was the mischievous type of Little or the sweet kind. It was possible she was a little bit of both.

“If you don’t mind me asking, are you in town in hopes of meeting a Little?”

Wade almost asked how Dax knew he wasn’t a Little himself but then realized he had to include that info on the application. Plus, Daddies just recognized each other, he figured. He could tell Dax was a Daddy through and through.

“Sort of. Not just any Little.” Wade went on to explain the situation. He finished by saying, “I’m not some crazy stalker guy. And I wanted to tell you the truth upfront. I’m worried about Carly. I just need to know she’s all right. And…to let her know how I feel about her.”

Dax nodded. “I appreciate that. Man, I can’t divulge who is and isn’t in town. It’s against policy. We keep privacy very seriously here. And of course, if she was here and didn’t want to see you…”

“Absolutely,” Wade said, holding up his hands. “Like I said, I don’t want to harass her or anything.”

Dax looked to be thinking it over before finally smiling and saying, “You didn’t have to tell me that whole story or even clue me in on the fact that you’re looking for someone. But you did. And I respect that.” Smiling, he threw in, “You never know who you’ll meet in town. Always lots of Littles playing and running around.”

“Much obliged, Marshal.”

The two shook hands again.

As Wade walked back to his idling pickup, Dax walked behind him, saying, “Guess you know the info is in the official Mountainville app about your vacation rental and all that. Same place you found the gate code.”

“I’m all squared away. And thanks again.” Wade gave him a little wave before shutting the door and driving off.

Something told him the marshal would be keeping an eye on him, just in case he was trying to harass Carly. He didn’t blame him and would do the same in his position. He also appreciated that the man was looking out for Carly.

If she was even there.

But he had a hunch that she was. If not, Dax probably would have come right out and said as much.

Wade was pretty sure he was on the right track.

He was going to find his babygirl.

Chapter Fifteen

The new Mountainville Supreme model was a comfortable diaper, and Carly felt uber Little with it and her new dress on.

But there was still something holding her back as she tried to play in one of the town’s many parks.

“You okay?” Katie asked her.

They were on the swings, and Stella and Katie had soared high, but Carly had kept hers at a restrained pace.

“Yeah. Just…well, honestly, I’m not quite sure what’s wrong.” She looked at her friends as they slowed their swings. “Don’t get me wrong, I love it here. And Auntie Nancy is so kind. Being with y’all is a dream come true. But I keep thinking about what happened to me back home.”

Stella nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe. It might help,” Carly replied.