All belong to Janet Evanovich. I borrow them believing Stephanie and Ranger should be together-Lee Anne.
He saw the greyish smoke in the distance as his Porsche was steering in the direction. About two blocks away there was a flash and a large plume of black smoke causing him to accelerate. Slamming to a stop behind a Trenton cop car blocking the road, Ranger could breath. He saw her and Stephanie was safe.
Not only was Stephanie's white RAV 4 smoldering with broken windows, wet, and a flatten tire, but Morelli's red truck was being hosed by the fire department. It was behind Stephanie's pile of rubble having caught fire. Ranger was laughing at cop's luck.
"Cupcake, look at my truck!" He was angry. There was a whining tone crackling in his Italian voice. The Cuban man was expecting tears to follow.
"Gee, what about me? I'm in one piece and so is my skip." Her hands were in all directions and were close to connecting with the cop's face. "Who invited you anyway, Joe?"
The skip was handcuffed around a telephone, frazzled like he was stunned some time in the very, very recent past. He was shaking the cobwebs out in the haze around them.
"That's my truck!" Joe jumped up and down when a flame rose up from the interior and a fireman drowned it. Water was running out the driver's open door. "Look what you did!"
"ME! I wasn't driving a truck that was leaking oil and parked it next to a burning SUV!"
"You wouldn't be doing this if you married me! My truck wouldn't be smoking!"
"Fuck your truck and you! I broke up with you! I don't want to marry you, Morelli! Go tell it to the stripper I caught you with!"
"She's a pole dancer who teaches and I was getting information"
Stephanie made one huge leap right into Joe's face causing him to step back. "With your tongue down her throat! That's some interrogation!"
Ranger was standing there letting Stephanie get it all out only stepping in if the cop's Italian temper got the best of him. Waiting patiently as he could, Ranger wanted Stephanie to get the cop of of her system for good before he claimed her, finally.
Her cell phone was ringing. "Ding Dong the Wicked Witch."
"What, Mom?" She listen for a few seconds. "I don't care what the 'Burg' thinks! I'm not marrying Joe!" Not yelling another word, the phone hit the pavement shattering into pieces.
"Cupcake, you need to stop this. I'll get another truck and we can work things out. We can get married and settle down."
Inches from the stupid cop's face. "I don't want to marry you! Stephanie's hands were shaking and rattling Joe's head back and forth. "Get it through your head!"
Taking a Ranger sized step to save Morelli's head from being disconnected permanently from his neck. He froze.
"I want to marry him!" Shooting out, Stephanie's finger was pointing right at Ranger. Everything and everyone stood still with her words at the scene. Her blue eyes momentarily met Ranger's then looked away. She was mentally ripping her tongue out not able to meet Ranger's gaze any more. "How could I be so stupid?" Stephanie was berating herself so she didn't cry. Stephanie knew Ranger's thoughts on marriage and now he knew her deepest dream along with a good portion of the 'Burg'. What a time to woman-up and put on her big girl panties announcing her deepest dream to be with handsome Cuban man. In seconds, the grapevine would publicize it to the remainder not in attendance.
Joe was answering his ringing phone. "She doesn't want to marry me, Helen. She's right here," Joe mumbled handing his cell phone to his former girlfriend. A mocha latte hand grabbed it.
"Mrs. Plum, stop. Stephanie's marrying me." No other word, but a toss into Morrelli's watery truck. It was now or never to man-up where his Babe was concerned. And Ranger manned-up.
"That's my phone!" Joe yells going after his wet phone. "My truck!"
Standing there face to face, Stephanie had the doe-in-the-headlights look from blurting out what she wanted for so long and hearing Ranger enlighten Mrs. Plum.
"Marry me, Babe." He was gently holding her hand safe in his.
This was the moment. Finally. "I love you."
He couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Just as it should be. I love you, Babe. I have a ring at my apartment." He slipped the leather tie from his hair knotting it around her ring finger. "That's a ring holder."
Stephanie held out her hand admiring the bow on her finger. "It's perfect. Yes."
Chuckling, Tank was dragging the skip to his Hummer watching Ranger and Stephanie drive away in his Porsche. Cops and firemen were looking at each other forgetting about the smoldering vehicles digesting what was just witnessed.
"It's about time," Eddie Gazarra laughed.