CHAPTER 25

Present Day Trenton

Stephanie spent the morning running up and down the stairs, carrying small tables, lamps, wastebaskets and other decorative furnishings in and out of the guest room that would become Connor's room. He was arriving this afternoon, after deciding to live in Trenton with his father during his last year in high school.

Steph wasn't sure how she felt about Connor living with them for the next year. She'd been excited about Julie coming to live with them permanently, but Connor was an unknown entity. And from what little Ranger had said, Connor was not happy about having to move to New Jersey, and especially not happy with Ranger. Add to that the anticipated tension between Julie and Connor, and this next year promised to be a stress-filled one.

Regardless of that, though, Stephanie was determined to make Connor feel welcome. She was a flurry of activity trying to change the bland guest room to one a teenaged boy would enjoy living in. The problem was she had no idea what Connor might like. She'd only met him that one hectic time in Corrine's hospital room. He was too old for a theme-based room, but she worried that a simple masculine room would be too boring for him. Ranger was absolutely no help at all, and even Julie had no ideas for her. In desperation, she'd called Chase and learned that Connor had become fascinated with Chase's motorcycles. She'd finally settled for an industrial-inspired contemporary look for the bedroom, with chrome, glass and black leather accents. To that she added a couple of large prints featuring decked out choppers and sport bikes.

She stood back and looked at the final result. She thought it looked great, but she had no idea how Connor would feel about it. Shrugging, she turned and walked down the hall to the master bedroom. It was a muggy hot summer day and she was going to spend a few hours with Julie swimming in the beautiful pool out back. It wasn't the beach, but sand was overrated, she mused, especially when it worked its way into delicate places. A few hours cooling off in the pool and catching some rays on the lounger was just what she needed to de-stress.

An hour later, Ranger answered the security buzz that sounded from the front gates. He glanced at the tablet-sized monitor set above the alarm panel and saw a helmeted rider on a motorcycle outside the gate. He held the communication button and asked, "May I help you?"

A male voice sounded over the speaker. "It's Connor."

Great, Ranger mused, Chase is letting him ride a motorcycle. Ranger was not happy about that. His assessment of Connor was that he was too immature to handle the responsibility of riding a motorcycle. "You're early," Ranger replied over the intercom. "We weren't expecting you until this afternoon."

"I didn't have much to pack. Are you going to let me in?" Ranger hit the open key, while the intercom squawked once more. "Hold the gate open," Connor said. "Chase isn't far behind me with my truck."

Ranger watched the monitor as Connor roared up the driveway. Chase pulled onto the property soon thereafter. Ranger closed the gate and strode out the front door to meet them. Connor had taken off his helmet and was looking around at the house and grounds, his mouth open and a look of wonder on his face.

"You own all of this?" Connor asked, a touch of awe in his voice.

Chase stepped out of the truck and met Ranger halfway. After shaking hands, Ranger tilted his chin toward Connor, who was still looking at the impressive façade and grounds.

"What's with the motorcycle?" Ranger asked.

"It's my gift to him. He's had a rough couple of weeks and I thought he deserved something special," Chase told him. "Don't worry, he took an intensive riding class from one of my instructors."

"You gave him the bike?"

"He can handle it," Chase said. "I've been riding with him the past few days and he's been very responsible."

Ranger shook his head. "We'll see," was his last comment on the subject. "Let's get the truck unloaded and Connor settled. We'll have lunch before you head back to Newark. I see you brought your own bike for the ride back." The back of the pickup truck was filled with Connor's meager belongings and a second motorcycle.

"Yeah, it seemed the easiest way to get everything here, including the truck. Though the truck isn't going to last much longer without a major overhaul." Chase shrugged. "It was John Madrid's truck. Connor is very attached to it. Do you have room in your garage for this clunker?"

Ranger took in the dilapidated condition of the ancient truck. It had only been parked in the driveway for a few minutes and there was already a puddle of oil forming underneath it. Louis was going to be kept busy cleaning up oil drops until the truck could be fixed.

Ranger carried the last of Connor's boxes up to his bedroom where he found Connor glued to the window that overlooked the backyard ... and the pool. Connor whirled around, twin red spots high on his cheeks. He rushed to take the box from Ranger.

"Is this room going to suit you for the next year?" Ranger asked.

Connor looked around and replied, "Yeah. It's fine. It's got a bed and a TV. As long as I can set up my PlayStation..."

Ranger inclined his head, and started back out the door. "I'll give you a tour of the house and then we'll have lunch with Chase. You can unpack this afternoon."

Ranger led Connor through the upper and ground floor rooms, and then introduced him to Ella when they got to the kitchen. She was busy preparing lunch but stopped to greet the newest member of the Mañoso household.

"Mrs. Guzman and her husband Louis keep the house and grounds running smoothly," Ranger told him. "They live in the cottage out back. Mrs. Guzman manages the house and Mr. Guzman manages the rest of the estate. Ella, is there anything you want to clarify for Connor?"

"First, please call me Ella," she said, smiling at the teenager. "If you are like all the other teenaged boys I've ever met, you are always hungry. I'll keep snacks and your favorite foods stocked, if you'll let me know what you like. I keep a shopping list on the refrigerator. Feel free to add to it. If you like, I'll do your laundry once a week. Just bring your dirty clothes down to the laundry room. Sheets and towels are changed every Monday. Also, a housecleaning crew comes in once a week, usually on Thursdays. It would be helpful if you could keep your bedroom floor clear on that day so they can vacuum the rugs. And Connor, welcome." She passed a plate of apple and orange slices toward him, which he gratefully scooped up. "If you need anything during the week, just ask."

"Wow, I've never had such service before. I'm not sure I can get used to it, but I'll happily try," Connor told her, grinning. "Thanks, Ella. I think I'm going to like living here." He smiled at her as he popped a piece of fruit into his mouth. The smile faded as Ranger beckoned to him to follow him out into the garage.

"You can park your truck in the far bay," Ranger pointed past the Cayenne and the Macan, where Louis was laying down a large piece of cardboard on the cement. "Your truck is leaking oil. We're going to have get that fixed, soon," he explained, as Louis joined them. The men shook hands as Ranger introduced them. "Connor, this is Louis Guzman. He is the property manager for the estate. Louis, this is Connor Madrid. He'll be staying with us for at least the next year. Thanks for the cardboard. The truck's oil leak will be fixed ASAP." Ranger glanced at Connor, who frowned.

"What about my bike? Do I park that outside or can I park it next to my truck?" asked Connor.

"Next to your truck, for now," was Ranger's terse response.

They exited through a side door into the backyard, joining Chase on the path to the pool. As they drew nearer, they saw Stephanie sunning herself on one of the pool loungers and Julie pulling herself up the pool steps from the deep end. Her bright yellow bikini was practically glowing against her darker skin as rivulets of water poured off her curvy frame.

Connor halted in his tracks as he stared at Julie, whispering, "Sweet Jesus."

Ranger halted too, and he gripped Connor's arm. "That's my daughter, Julie," he said, his grip tightening. "Like you, she's just recently come to live with Stephanie and me."

Connor's mouth dropped open. "Your daughter? So, that makes her my ... sister?"

"Yes."

"Damn."

"Excuse me?" Ranger said, looking hard at Connor.

Connor forced himself to drag his eyes from Julie to Ranger. What he saw in Ranger's eyes made him change his next words. "She's ...um... very pretty. Though isn't she a little old to be your daughter?"

"She's thirteen," Ranger retorted.

"Double damn."

Stephanie heard the guys talking and stood, slipping on a swimsuit cover. Julie moved over to stand next to Stephanie, her eyes darting between Chase and Connor as they came toward them. Stepping forward, Steph greeted Chase with a hug. When she embraced Connor, he looked like a deer caught in headlights, his arms at his side.

"Connor, welcome to our home," Steph said. "Actually, welcome to your home. It's your home now, too."

"Uh, thanks," Connor stammered, trying to keep his eyes focused on Stephanie instead of staring at Julie and her skimpy bikini.

Ranger put his hand on Julie's shoulder, but he was looking at Connor. "Connor and Chase, this is my daughter, Julie. Julie, this is Connor Madrid and his uncle, Chase Fields."

"It's nice to meet you." Julie shook both men's hands and, with a mischievous grin, asked, "I'm sorry, but this is all so new to me. If Connor is my half-brother, does that make Chase my half-uncle?"

Chase laughed while Ranger frowned. "Chase isn't related to you, Julie. Anymore than I am related to your half-brother and sister." Ranger turned to Connor and explained, "Julie's mother, my first wife, remarried and has two children. They live in Miami, Florida."

"Hey, no sweat," Connor tossed out. "Most of my friends are part of a blended family. It's commonplace these days. Nice to meet you, sis." He grinned at Julie, and got a giggle from her in return.

Stephanie put her arms around Julie's and Connor's shoulders and said, "Well, now that everyone knows each other, why don't we have lunch. Connor, if you haven't met Ella yet, you are in for a treat. She is a fabulous cook. Chase, please join us." Stephanie led everyone up the path to the back patio, where Ella had laid out enough food to feed an army.

There were the usual comments about the wonderful looking food while everyone served themselves, but silence reigned as they tucked in to their lunch. After a few minutes, Stephanie spoke up. "I know you're on your summer break and probably don't want to think about school, but I checked out the local high school and it's pretty nice. It's much better than the one I went to in the Burg. That's Chambersburg, in downtown Trenton. It makes it easier that you'll both be at the same school, Julie as a freshman and you as a senior. I hear they have a great music and art program, and Julie, they even have a martial arts club."

Ranger looked over at his daughter. "You're interested in martial arts?"

Julie's cheeks turned a light pink, but her mouth twitched a little. "Yeah. I took some classes in Miami, but they were so expensive, I had to stop. I was hoping I could get back into it here."

Inwardly, Ranger frowned at his daughter's comments about the classes' costs, but kept his thoughts to himself. "What did you study?" Ranger probed.

"I started with judo, but my teacher also taught aikido. I like both forms."

"Judo?" Connor chimed in. "I took judo lessons for a few years, too. I had to stop after my dad died." Connor shot a glance at Ranger, and then turned back to Julie. "Like you, we didn't have the money for extra stuff. What's aikido? I've never heard of it."

Julie was warming up to the topic, as Ranger sat back and watched his two children interact. "It's similar to judo, but it has a different philosophy," Julie explained. "It's mainly used as a defense, rather than as an attack, and you always have to keep the safety of your attacker in mind."

Connor snorted. "Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose? Isn't the idea of combat to take down your attacker?"

"Yes, but how you take them down makes all the difference. Aikido is just as effective as judo in incapacitating your attacker, but it is gentler in its takedowns. There's an entire mental and spiritual aspect to aikido that separates it from most martial arts."

"Interesting. I'd like to learn more about it," Connor said. "Maybe we could both take some classes?"

"That would be fun," Julie replied. "There are so many types of martial arts, it's hard to decide what to focus on." She glanced over at Ranger. "One of the other instructors specialized in juego de maní. I tried it a couple of times and liked its fluidity."

Ranger smiled. "Maní? You know that's Cuban?"

Julie nodded. "That's why I tried it, to touch base with my roots. It's pretty popular in Miami, with all the Cubans who live there. And I like the music element, too."

"It has the typical Cuban grace and style combined with its rhythmic movements. Did you try using weapons or just do the movements?" Ranger asked.

"Just the movements," Julie answered. "I wasn't able to stay in the class long enough to learn how to use the sticks or knives. I'd like to learn, though."

Smiling to herself, Stephanie was enjoying the back and forth conversation between brother and sister, and father and daughter, but when the subject of Cuba was mentioned, she noticed Connor frown. Was he just realizing that he too, was half Cuban? Stephanie sighed. Another new thing for Connor to adjust to, as if his plate wasn't already full enough.

Ranger nodded to his daughter. "I think we can arrange for you to start up classes again. In fact, a couple of my employees teach various forms of martial arts in their spare time. Lester is an expert at judo and Tank is a master at krav maga. If it interests you, I think they would enjoy showing you their specialties. And if you don't mind learning from your old dad, I could show you some basic hand-to-hand combat techniques. We could practice using the gym at RangeMan."

"I'd like that, Dad."

"What about you, Connor?" Ranger asked. "Would you be up for some one-on-one time with me? We have a well-equipped gym at RangeMan."

Connor held Ranger's gaze for a while before he answered. "Yeah, I'd like some mat time with you."