This is where I say that Janet Evanovich owns these characters, except for a few of my own imagination.

As a number of you know, 'Married' was my first submission onto this terrific site and while I shudder with horror at the learning curve I experienced writing for more than my own enjoyment only, I forged ahead. Not taking my own advice to stop at one, I followed it eventually with the sequel 'Love is a Four Letter Word', getting better as a writer (I hope). It has been awhile since I wandered around in this scenario, but I knew eventually that I needed to finish what I started. Therefore, this is the sequel to 'Love is a Four Letter Word'.

Thank you in advance for reading along.

Chapter 1

Dios. There had to be another way.

I wracked my brain thinking of some other solution.

Tank stood by silently with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He had been the first to broach the subject. His eyes said that he knew it was the right thing to do and the sooner I realized it, the better it would go. Les and Bobby had also taken me aside and had given their opinions. What they were suggesting ….

His eyes followed me as I paced back and forth in my office.

"Fuck!"

I strode to my desk and picked up my cellphone laying on the blotter. I looked at it with revulsion, knowing that this one phone call could change our relationship forever. Almost unconsciously I pressed the one button that I came to value more every day.

"Babe."

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie pulled into the open parking space by the elevator. She had come to the conclusion a long time ago that it was being left for her exclusive use. Ranger had three others for his personal use and other Rangeman vehicles lined up in precise straight rows along the outer walls.

She stepped out of her car. It was a 2013 Buick Regal, so new to her that she could practically smell the new car smell. Her dad had been smug as she drove up to the house to show them her new wheels. At least one of his children had now seen the light and realized how reliable his favorite make of cars were. Stephanie preferred to believe that it had been the best deal for the money.

So many things had changed in the past seventeen months.

Stephanie had finished completely revamping Kennedy Horse Accessories and was generating business on an internet site with Open Houses at racing events.

Tank and Lula had two very active growing twin boys who were keeping their parents very, very busy. Lula was a stay-at-home mom. Thomas Ricardo was the big brother by a whopping seven minutes but James Pierre was the undisputed leader and chief instigator.

Tank and Lula had been in the secret process of adopting when they found out they were expecting, a beautiful surprise since Lula had been advised by various doctors that the damage Ramirez had inflicted on Lula ruled her unable to have children.

Their boys were now eleven months old and even the nanny and housekeeper were having a hard time watching them. The twinkle in their eyes usually precluded some mischief. They were going to be a handful when they grew older and Tank was already making plans for baby boot camp.

Joyce Barnhardt had moved away, deciding that a new line of work in a new city was the way to go. It was completely possible that the final straw might have been that she had been caught in her latest and most humiliating clandestine location, a marriage and divorce courtroom with the presiding judge. The cameras which had not been turned off, had captured every moan, every word and every position on film.

Vinnie had been as vocal as everyone else wishing her good riddance, but it was clear that he would be missing their 'office meetings'.

Connie continued to work at Plum Bonds Agency, but she had established some new rules and conditions. Not wanting to hear any more inappropriate sounds coming from her boss's office, she had had the walls soundproofed while he and Lucille had taken a two week cruise to the Caribbean.

Vinnie had returned to his new office with his brand new computer set on Parental Control and she had the codes to rescind it. They sat down and hammered out a new agreement.

In return for the codes, he approved an immediate 50% pay rise, a clothing budget, three weeks paid holiday and no more Saturday shifts. A muscle-bound ape with The Family's colored tie sat in the waiting room drinking Vinnie's coffee as the meeting progressed.

Connie was now much happier and Vinnie whimpered his way to Harry, his father-in-law for more money.

Stephanie had ceased working as a BEA some time ago. She had taken over as Manager of Kennedy Horse Accessories. Six months later, she signed the final papers buying the business from Matthew Kennedy and it was now a very successful on-line business.

Stephanie was finally putting the business degree that her parents had paid for to good use.

She was knowledgeable about the equine business having ridden horses for years. She was working on her own personal line of equestrian clothing and the orders were beginning to show a profit. The wonderful lady in Point Pleasant was now unable to keep up with the orders and she had been forced to hire out the manufacturing of the clothing. Stephanie was feeling more confident each season as more and more orders came in for her apparel.

Stephanie had grudgingly sold her little house on the beach at Point Pleasant. She had loved to head there for some special down-time, but what little time off she had was spent traveling, or with Ranger.

Stephanie and Ranger had one of those weird relationships that allowed the odd weekend to be spent together, but during the workweek they were totally absorbed in their own careers.

They had their own apartments, Ranger on seven and Stephanie in a cute little condo on the edge of the Burg, but just far enough away that she was no longer the topic of conversation.

Ranger still consented to short missions but he had backed away from the long term and out of country insertions. He had finally passed on the reins to younger operatives and was feeling relief that when his latest contract was up, nobody would come begging him to sign another.

~~~o0o~~~

Tank stood watching as Ranger phoned the one person he needed more in his life everyday.

He had seen the progression of their relationship begin to expand. A dinner here, a weekend there. Slowly they had evolved into meeting either at his new ocean-view retreat outside of Miami, at her place, or sometimes they took off out of town, or in the private jet to some little get-away warm and away from prying eyes.

Stephanie had grown up in more ways than one. She was now a very confident, self-assured businesswoman.

Her business had taken off. The lovely thing about Stephanie was that once the potential clients met her, she needed no assistance from anybody else to get going. Word spread and her cellphone was ringing off the hook and there was a steady stream of emails coming in on her trusty laptop.

Stephanie put her hand up to press the elevator button but it arrived and almost immediately the door opened. She was reaching to press five when the button lit up automatically and the elevator rose.

She stepped out into the main office. Ranger had been keeping up with new and more intricate systems and Hector and his team were always busy installing new equipment, new programs or shortcuts that made the life of the Rangemen easier to access necessary data. Her old cubicle was no longer. In fact, all the cubicles had been dismantled and new state-of-the-art work stations stood in their place. Sometimes, Stephanie would look around and miss the old look. There were so many good memories of working at Rangeman with the practical jokes and pranks that were played on a continual basis. She had had a lot of fun working there.

Now, the employees were newer and younger, much younger. Stephanie looked around. Cal and Hal were running their own offices. Junior was no longer at Rangeman. He was forced to take over from his father in their family business. His dad had suffered a debilitating stroke and the recovery would be slow. Hector was setting up the new branch in Denver. His computer skills were absolutely scary and with one stroke he could bring up the most minute detail in each branch. Manny was the new operations officer in charge of co-ordinating with the government alphabet branches. He was constantly on the road setting up and planning everywhere from Florida and the persistent drug trade, to Texas and the never-ending underground slave trade coming in up and down the coast. Rangeman had a finger on the pulse of dishonesty and Manny and his own version of spidey sense was helping to clean it up.

Stephanie headed for Ranger's office. The door was closed so she stopped and politely knocked. She heard the word, 'Enter', and stepped in.

Seated in chairs and the couch were the core team, as she still loved to think of them. Les and Bobby were seated on the sofa and Tank had taken possession of the extra large guest chair in front of Ranger's desk. Ranger was seated in his office chair and rose as she walked in. He looked so handsome in his work attire and she mentally licked her lips.

Stephanie was hoping that someday her thoughts of Ranger would come true. Some days Stephanie was afraid to think of Ranger and what might come true.

He came around and enveloped her in a hug and a kiss to just behind her ear. It was a favorite spot and he loved when she would wriggle in pleasure.

He guided her around his desk and sat down, pulling her to sit on his lap. She was his, and he was hers. Unfortunately they just had to admit it to themselves.

She looked at the men. They had started to show a few signs of age. A gray hair here, crows feet there. Their fitness routines were still the same in the morning but there were subtle differences; a smaller weight on the benches, a few less repetitions, a little less time on the treadmill.

Stephanie waited patiently for the reason he had called.

Ranger spoke.

"Babe, I need your help."