When we took Lisa home to Val on Saturday neither of us was really ready to let her go. She'd recovered from her ear infection and she was truly a happy baby. She was a joy to have around and the guys made up excuses to come upstairs and play with her. Her favorite time of day was after her morning nap when we went downstairs and stayed in the break room for lunch. We ate lunch and she played with all of her friends. Sometimes I thought they were all about the same age. Gabe was particularly fascinated. Cal was curious, but then Lisa was pretty curious about him too. She especially liked to rub her hands over his head. We were going to miss her. Even if he decided he wanted to keep me and have the life I wanted, it would be a long time between fish, kittens and puppies before we got to babies.

We made a list of our usual restaurants and dives. We checked out Pinos and Shortys and found that neither of them had any employees who fit the bill. Then we checked out all of our clients. They weren't really screaming anything either.

On Monday I headed to the studio to start getting ready for the Talk Show. It would last for a couple of weeks. We'd film it all in one week. Lula had taken care of arranging for the guests. When I arrived with Mitch in tow, Brenda had added another person to her security staff. I was overjoyed to see Joyce Barnhardt. Overjoyed is a stretch. I was pissed.

"What is she doing her," I glared at Lula.

"Honey don't blame me. Brenda done hired her. I tole her that the bitch was nothin but trouble and you and her was like oil and water, but she didn't care. She said with you here and your natural attraction to crazies, we needed all the help we could get."

"Joyce Barnhardt would step to the side and let the axe murderer get me," I reminded her.

"Yea, I tole Brenda that too," she sighed. "She didn't seem too concerned."

"Well, Mitch is my muscle, so keep that demon away from me."

"You got it. You are the talent. We'll keep her away," she stomped off toward Brenda's office. I assume to let her have it.

"So that's the evil Joyce Barnhardt," Mitch grinned. "She sort of looks like Barbie after a lot of cosmetic surgery."

My lip twitched. She did. "Yea, that's her."

"Do you want me to take her out," he said seriously and flipped the lock on his holster.

I bit my lip to keep from either laughing or screaming yes, I'm not sure which. "That's okay," I managed. "We'll deal with it."

"Well," he locked the gun back down, "let me know if you change your mind."

"Will do," I nodded. Seriously, he was becoming my favorite. If Ranger dumped me I'd be seriously pissed that I'd given him to Carrie. I reached for my ringing phone. "Hello."

"Hey Sweetheart," Brian said cheerfully. "How are you doing? Is my baby brother taking good care of you?"

I smiled, "it's good to hear from you Brian. How is Australia?"

"Australia is gorgeous. You didn't answer any of my questions."

"Your baby brother abandoned me because that washed up has been Brenda wanted him to be her new stylist."

"Whoa," he said in amazement.

"Yea, it's my own fault. He loves misery and she's a misery magnet. I shouldn't have introduced them."

"I guess not. What about the other question?"

"Well, I guess that depends on your view of things. The world thinks I'm deliriously happy. I'm married to Ranger. We're living in the penthouse at Haywood…"

"Why not your house," he asked.

"Someone blew up my house…and my car…oh and they shot at me too."

"Honey," he sighed. "I swear to God. You need a full time keeper."

"You're starting to sound like him," I growled.

"Well, on his one thing we agree."

"Really," I shook my head.

"We agree you should be safe, but you attract the crazies."

"It's because we're in the suck zone," I explained.

"Of course you are," he agreed. "Do you need me to come back? Can I help?"

"I don't think so. You need to finish detox. It's just another one of those things, you know?"

"I know," he paused. "For the record, Ranger and I agree on a lot more than that."

"I know," I sighed.

"Has the dumbass told you that he loves you yet?"

"You mean besides in his own way or with a condom or any of that shit?"

"Right," he winced.

"No, he has not," I said quietly.

"What are you going to do," he sighed.

"I have no freaking idea," I admitted wiping at the escaping tears.

"I know you love him. You must be some kind of glutton for punishment."

"I must be," I whispered.

"I love you. If you change your mind, I'll be there in a heartbeat. If you change your mind about the other thing…I'll be waiting."

"Brian," I whispered over my tears.

"Sorry sweetheart, but you're hard to get over."

"Thank you," I sighed. "You know I love you."

"I know," he said quietly. "I should have whisked you away the moment I got you instead of leaving you there. We'd have a couple of kids by now."

"It's been less than a year," I laughed over my tears.

"I work fast," he chuckled. "Take care, sweetheart." He hung up.

I sighed and closed the phone.

"So, this guy loves you?"

"What," I blinked at Mitch as I dried my tears.

"This FBI guy, he loves you," he asked.

"Brian loves me. He's not FBI anymore though."

"Why are you still here?"

I shrugged, "I love my husband."

He gazed at me thoughtfully. "I'll work on this."

"Mitch," I shook my head.

"We'll figure something out," he smiled and kissed my head. "It will be all right. You'll see."

For hours and hours I went over guest lists and tried on clothes. The clothes were from a local boutique that I had never shopped in because I couldn't afford it. How strange that I'd be wearing their things now. Instead of suits or dresses, I opted for simple slacks and tops. I was being billed as the Bombshell Bounty Hunter not as Martha Stewart. I didn't need to go over the top. Besides, according to the woman who owned the shop, the bling on my left hand was enough to put any outfit over the top.

Afterwards Mitch and I headed out and past a scowling Joyce Barnhardt.

"Joyce…have you seen Dickie," I stopped to ask.

"Dickie?"

"Dickie Orr…you remember him, he was my first husband. The one who you were fucking on my dining room table," I said drily.

"Your first husband," she raised a brow.

"Yes my first husband," I held up my left hand. "Ricardo Carlos Manoso is my second husband."

"And your last husband," Ranger said walking toward us with a smile and kissing me soundly.

"Of course," I smiled up at him.

"You really married her," Joyce said in amazement. "What were you thinking?"

"Have you seen Dickie," he asked coolly.

"Dickie," she said thoughtfully and tapped her fingernails on the wall, "no, I can't say that I have."

"Okay then," Ranger said and turned to me. "Did you eat lunch?"

"Why, what time is it?"

"Babe…it's after four," he chuckled.

I winced, "I forgot."

He patted my ass, "come on, and let's get some fuel in you. Nice to see you again Joyce," he said blandly as he led me away.

I was pretty sure I heard her growl as we walked.

"She's a real piece of work," Mitch said thoughtfully. "She doesn't stand up much to you though my Intergalactic Princess."

"Somebody talks too much," I sighed. "I'm guessing it's Lester."

Mitch just grinned.

"In any case, you're right," Ranger high fived his friend. "Joyce is a ghost in Stephanie's shadow."

I felt it then. It was the first tingle. I stopped and turned back to see Joyce was walking away toward the dressing rooms. "Nah," I muttered shaking my head and laughing. "That's just ridiculous."

"What Babe," Ranger asked.

"Nothing," I smiled up at him. "It's nothing."

"Thanks Mitch," Ranger said when we got to the parking lot. "I've got her from here." He waved at Cal on watch on the other side of the parking lot and opened my door.

"Where are we going?"

"To sign the papers for the house," he said seriously.

"We got the house," I blinked at him.

"We got the house," he agreed. "I bought the other property too. Demolition starts soon."

"Okay," I nodded.

"Babe…if you don't want the house…"

"It's not that," I sighed.

"I know," he said softly. "Will, you just trust me on this? Don't you think this house will be a perfect Bat Cave?"

I smiled, "yea, I do."

"Okay then," he kissed my head and started driving.

We signed the papers and took possession of the house. I have to tell you, it was weird. We stopped and got pizza and beer and headed for our house. Yea, how weird is that? Ranger and I just bought a house. For the second time in my life I signed my name Stephanie P. Manoso. Yikes!

We walked into the house and sat down on the hearth and opened the pizza.

"It has nice flow," Ranger said seriously.

"It does," I agreed.

"And the bamboo will look good in here."

"Yea, it will," I agreed.

"Of course we need furniture," he said seriously. "Do you want to hire a decorator?"

I blinked at him.

He winced, "what was I thinking? You want to do it yourself?"

I nodded.

"Okay," he smiled.

"You don't want to help?"

He smiled, "why don't you have fun looking at stuff and then show me a couple of the options and I'll kind of give you my opinion."

"Okay," I nodded biting into some pizza.

"And we can decorate a couple of the guest rooms for when the kids come to visit or we get Lisa again," he suggested.

"Sure," I nodded and bit back the grin. He wanted babies with me. He was that far (mentally I put my thumb and forefinger less than inch apart) from admitting it.

"It's kind of quiet at the apartment with Lisa gone," he sighed.

"Yep," I agreed. "Don't worry; the fish will cheer the place up. Now should we wait till we get moved in to get the fish or should we…" I never finished the sentence. Within moments I was on my back on the berber carpet and Ranger was kissing me like a crazy man and tugging at my clothes at the same time.

"No fish," he growled in my neck as he divested himself of his pants.

"No rug burn," I groaned as his fingers slipped slowly inside of me.

He settled his shirt under my ass and moments later he was buried inside of me. "No fish," he hissed as he plunged.

"No fish," I gasped wrapping my legs up and around him.

"You and me," he said meeting my eyes. "It's you and me."

I sighed at the possession in his eyes and his body, "that's all it's ever been."

He smiled in satisfaction and gave me my earth shattering orgasm.

I guess sugar is really over rated.