Thank you to the wonderful authors who inspired this story and gave me permission to use some of their ideas.

If you left unsigned reviews, I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer them, but I appreciate them just the same.

Chapter titles are taken from Bon Jovi's "Have a Nice Day!" and they aren't mine, just as JE's characters aren't. Sadly.

Thank you so much for all your reviews and a special THANK YOU to Stayce for her great ideas and tireless editing


Chapter 11

Anybody, brave enough to take a stand

Since my living room is pretty small, Ranger was standing less than two feet away from me now. He looked at me and our eyes met.

"Why is this so important to you?" I asked when he didn't say anything.

"I have to keep Chita safe," Ranger said.

The use of her nickname stung when it shouldn't have, just a little reminder that I still wasn't over it.

"You have dozens people who can keep her safe," I pointed out.

Ranger took a deep breath and closed the distance between us. We were close enough to touch now.

"None of my men can follow her into a dressing room, or a restroom."

He had a point there. But that left the question why he wanted me for the job.

"Why me? Ella could keep her company," I said.

"I'd consider it a favor," he said.

"Oh, a favor like friends ask each other?" I asked, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "We're friends again now?"

The alcohol had made me brave enough to speak my mind. I could tell I'd touched a nerve by the way Ranger's eyes minimally narrowed.

"I've always considered you my friend," he said.

"Then why didn't you tell me?" I wanted to know. "Why did you tell all the Merry Men, hell, probably the whole town, but I was the last one to know, and I didn't hear it from my friend?"

"Steph," he touched my arm lightly with his fingers. "Please."

"That won't work," I lied as my skin seemed to burn under his touch. "I need to know why I wasn't good enough to know but am good enough to keep your fiancée safe."

"I would have told you, you found out before I got a chance to. I didn't plan on the grapevine working so fast."

I scoffed but I realized it could be true. I hadn't seen Ranger for a while before Connie told me and we hadn't even talked on the phone. Technically it was possible Ranger had gotten engaged the night Hal told Connie. But I was on too much of a roll now; I wanted Ranger to admit his mistake. Then maybe, maybe, I'd forgive him.

"I need a beer," I said to stall for time. "You want one?"

I didn't wait for his answer before I turned to the kitchen. Two glasses of wine and a beer was normally my limit, but for this conversation, I needed all the liquid courage I could get. And the short timeout made me calm down.

When I returned to the living room, Ranger hadn't moved. He accepted the bottle I held out to him and took a sip. I sat down on the couch, tucking my legs under me.

"You don't need to be her bodyguard," he said. "My men can keep her safe. You'd just be on the lookout, follow her where my men can't."

I took a long pull from my beer why I mulled that over. It made sense. I had a vision of Tank holding her purse outside a dressing room and almost choked on my beer. The thought of Cal, flaming skull tattoo and all, sitting next to Conchita at a tiny table for tea made me grin. I could see where I'd fit in. But it raised more questions.

"Let's assume I say yes," I said, craning my neck to look up at Ranger. "What does she need protection from and why?"

"Goons like this afternoon," Ranger said immediately. "You were able to distract them long enough for us to get to you."

"Why are they after her?"

He took another sip from his beer and sat down next to me. "They're not after her. They're trying to get her father to agree to a deal and they're using her to get what they want."

"Did you know this before you got engaged?" I asked.

"It's why she moved in," Ranger said.

I was skating on thin ice here. If I asked the question, Ranger would answer me. But what I wanted to know most of all was if he loved her. And I didn't know if I was ready for his answer. I knew I wasn't ready for his reasons why he'd chosen her over me. I couldn't deny that she was in his life, but with enough effort, I could deny the fact that he would marry her because he loved her. Denial had always been my friend when reality was too much to handle. After a short battle with myself, I decided to change the topic instead of digging deeper.

"It would be temporary, until you can find another woman for the job," I said. "And you have to tell me all about the Ortizes."

Ranger leaned towards me. "So you'll do it?"

"I can't let the Merry Men emasculate themselves," I said, picturing Junior inside Victoria's Secrets, holding outfits outside the dressing room.

Ranger looked like he was thinking about smiling as if he'd read my mind. "They'll appreciate that."

"But I'll need to know what I'm getting into," I reminded him.

Ranger ran a hand over his chin and looked like he was deciding how much to tell me. He took a sip of his beer and sat down next to me.

"Victor Ortiz runs the Latin mafia in Trenton, more or less," he said. "Conchita's father is an honest business man that doesn't want to pay Ortiz's protection fees."

Now it made sense that Ortiz's goons were after Conchita. "They're trying to bully him into paying," I said.

Ranger nodded. "Burning one of his stores down didn't do the trick, so they're starting to apply pressure elsewhere."

"Do you think they'll try something like this afternoon again?"

Ranger nodded again. "I think today was just the start."

"But what can I do against them, especially if they send more guys next time?" I still believed I'd just gotten lucky earlier.

"You'll be a distraction." Ranger smiled. "I trust your instincts, you'll sense when something is up. And my men will always only be a step behind you, they'll be the muscle you need."

"Okay," I said, more to myself than to Ranger. "I'll do it."

Ranger picked up his beer and held it out to me, I picked up mine and we drank to our new arrangement.

"And look at it this way," he said. "When Chita is home, you'll get to use RangeMan's search engines to get all the intel you need on your skips."

Good point. I still had the files from Connie I hadn't even started on.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but I had a good feeling about this. Stephanie Plum, bodyguard. It could work with the backup Ranger would provide.

"When do I start?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," Ranger said at once. "You won't even have to wear the RangeMan uniform."

"But I still don't know why you can't protect her. You'd fit in everywhere your men can't." The thought had just occurred to me.

Ranger took a deep breath. "I can't be with her 24/7. I have a company to run."

Now that doesn't sound much like the doting fiancé to me. Maybe there was less denial involved than I'd thought. "Isn't Conchita more important to you than RangeMan?"

Ranger looked at me for a long minute and our eyes held. I couldn't read his expression, but I got the feeling he was trying to decide what to tell me.

"She is," he said at last and my heart sank. "But without RangeMan I won't be able to provide for her and the baby."

Ouch. That hurt more than a slap in the face could have. Well, I thought, I'd really asked for it. I took a sip of my beer to hide my face behind the bottle. I felt like crying.

"Tomorrow then," I said weakly.

"Thank you," Ranger said softly, leaning forward.

For a spit second I thought he was going to kiss me, and I had a strong desire to kiss him back, but then he just tucked a stray curl behind my ear and leaned back again.

He got up and the moment was broken. "I have pictures of all of Otiz's goons at my office, I'll fill you in first thing."

I cleared my throat but didn't know what to say, so I just nodded.

Ranger left and I was alone. Now I could have cried if I wanted to, but I was still in denial. It was not too late, I told myself, I could still change my mind. And what about the almost kiss? It must have been in my head, there was no way Ranger would cheat, was there? But he'd been so close and I'd wanted him to kiss me...

My head was spinning, I was positively drunk. Maybe I'd wake up and realize I'd dreamt the whole thing, I thought as I sank back against the couch. There was hope.

TBC


A/N: So, do you think Ranger was telling the truth? And did Steph do the right thing when she accepted the job, do you think she can do it?