It had taken half an hour to get to the stables where the Trenton mounted police kept their horses. In that miniscule hour the greater-half of Trenton heard the news, Stephanie Plum, the Bombshell Bounty Hunter was back. The most interesting part of that was that she was driving a truck with horses. Steph, who had shown absolutely no interest in horses before she left, was driving four horses around. Actually that was the second most interesting part, the first being Adam, the little boy with her.

The news of the boy hit two men in their town rather hard, the two who had some type of a relationship before she left. Joe Morelli's first thought was whoever the kid belonged to it, if it was Steph's, it wasn't his kid too. He had heard enough about blond hair to determine that. He then started thinking about if she was alright and puzzling out where she had been before she came back.

Ranger's first thoughts were much different. The very first thing that came to his mind was relief, pure and simple. All he felt was relief, the most important person to him was still very alive and breathing, that she had come back from wherever in one piece. His focus was completely on her safety since he first got the news from his employees. He had always thought that he was impenetrable, that nothing could get through him. That theory was just proved wrong yet again. The little white girl from the Burg had proved that wrong more than once, even if she didn't know in, she was now the center of his universe. She had become his light and that scared him more than he would admit. He didn't even react when someone told him about the little boy, just thought that the kid was damn lucky to have his Babe in his life.

His focus wouldn't come after he heard, just the thought that he might be able to touch her, kiss her or even just see her again sent him into fits of wonder, something that the man with legendary control wasn't use to by any stretch of the matter.

Tank POV:

The two men in front of me continusly talked about the bombshell. When Ranger determined that he couldn't do anything except see her.

"Lets go get your babe man."

Most people didn't even know that I could talk that much; hell I rarely did unless something needed to be done pronto. Ranger looked at me in disbelief for a couple seconds than shook himself out of the stupor that was becoming normal today and began sorting the things that he had done. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice me looking at him strangely until he walked past me to go to the lobby.

I had worked with him for years and I am one of the few people who knew that he and the Bomber had some type of screwed-up relationship, at least it was few until the two men in Bomber's life almost went at each other. If Ranger's enemies hadn't known that they could use Steph to get to him they did after that stupid stunt. I could still remember the day, fresh in my memory:

Flashback:

He looked at the black car pulling, then down at his watch. Wasn't time for the meeting yet, so it had to be other employees. Great just great. Lester and Bobby got out then opened the door for Bomber. Shit, this wasn't planned, so it won't end well. Mostly since they were discussing her and the fact that the Cop thought that she was his, idiot.

The distraction had to have gone well, considering how Bomber was looking. She was beautiful in her own right in jeans and a t-shirt, but for these jobs she sure knew how to play her assets. I still don't understand how Ranger can stay in the same car as her and not take her, considering the sexual tension between them. Hell even after she blows up a car, they still have all the tension.

Come to think of it, that's one of the reasons I'm here tonight, the Cop saw how Ranger held her at her most recent fiasco and didn't like it one bit. Don't blame the man though, if he ever looked at Lula like he looks at Bomber, I'd have to kill him.

When Bomber got close enough I saw a light in her eyes that seems to be going out more and more every day. Her fight that made her so good at her job was shining in her eyes, so that meant the distraction went wonderfully. By the time the group got to me I was ready to turn them away.

That was until she shivered. Damn it all! I had to let her in; Ranger would kill me if she got sick because of the cold. Then again it was no wonder that she was cold, hell the outfit she was wearing; I don't understand how she could walk in it. The fabric hugged ALL of her, or at least the little she wore. The shoes were something I didn't understand either. They were defiantly "FMP", no doubt in my mind. She isn't my type but I was getting harder by the second looking at those shoes and the long legs they showcased perfectly.

I looked at her and said, "Get inside Bomber, if you get sick Ranger will have my ass."

She smiled up at me and said, "Thanks Tank."

Ten minutes later Ranger and Morelli arrived and we walked inside together. Ranger looked over at Bomber and she ducked, smart woman .Not even five minutes later the Cop was taunting Ranger and he was serving it right back. Somewhere along the lines it got loud enough to where she could hear, Hell, all of Shorty's could hear! She walked over to our table and told both of them off, it was damn funny.

It might have been damn funny but she was losing the fight in her eyes and that wasn't good. When she stormed out both men who claimed to love her looked stunned. Ranger was the first to react and ran out the door and to his car.

Later that night I learned that she had left, without a trace, which was when life slid downhill, though I doubt that she knew that then.

~End Flashback~

As Ranger got his keys a person walked in, someone who ment a hell of a lot to him, Stephanie Plum.