Cross Roads

&

Building Blocks

Chapter 55

Ranger I know must be questioning his sanity now that things have settled down after last night in The Square. It could be just something to do when Grandma and her friends were in the general vicinity of 1000 miles. The exception was in bed, he was anything but soft. We were laying there all sweaty in the after glory of a Cuban induced orgasm, when we heard every parent's nightmare. "Plllffffff!" We just looked at each other in shock. Did Sophia witness the acrobatics of her naked Mommy and Daddy?

He was chuckling, "Babe, she's a baby. She won't remember anything."

Sophia was giggling in her crib. He had the nerve in all his Macho glory to slip out of bed and pick her up. A naked Ranger carrying our beautiful blue-eyed daughter, I wish I could capture the image with my phone, but having a naked Ranger in it could be dangerous for me and anyone else. Me, I'd look at it all day and not get any work done. And, I don't want to share his Cuban magnificence with anyone. Thats all mine, every glorious inch of it. His body was still lean, toned muscles had regained more definition. Those chocolate pools weren't tired or sunken in anymore, but full of life. The hollows in the jaw line now filled in. Those always strong muscled arms cradling our precious daughter.

"What are you doing up?" I wiggled a little foot.

Sophia gave me a big grin, her blue eyes lifting up to see Ranger, and cuddled more into his chest happy her Daddy was holding her. And, Ranger was equally happy to do it. I came back from the bathroom. Julie was sound asleep as was Grandma when I checked. Aspen and Garner were both stretched out on the two soft animal pillows in the corner near the crib both picked up their heads when I stepped into the bedroom. Sophia was back asleep still in Ranger's arm with the soft blue natural cotton sheet and satiny summer blanket covering them both. His eyes closed, but I knew he wasn't asleep.

"Let me put her back."

Ranger shook his head, the dark silk hair brushing against the blue pillow, "Come here. I just want to hold you both."

I snuggled in beside him and the strong band held me there. Ranger doesn't sigh very often, but he did, "This feels so close to Heaven holding both of you," saying quietly, his eyes still closed to savor the moment. "That day in your office when I held Sophia for the first time it was like magic, so real and so perfect. I was afraid to let her go if that was the only time I would ever have had to hold her." He was watching the angelic face sleeping, Sophia's baby chest rising and falling under the blankets.

Whispering into Ranger, "I had hoped you would want to be a tiny part of her life. I never would have denied you seeing her even if you didn't want us."

"I can't imagine a day without either of you," Ranger bent down to brush a kiss across my lips. "I love you, Stephanie."

"Carlos, I love you." I slipped out of the warmth of his body heat to take Sophia back to her crib, "You can't sleep with her like that all night."

"I've slept in a lot worse, Babe."

I must have had a horrid expression on my face. Images of cold hard ground, hot bug infested jungles, and doorways just to get relief from pounding rain and wind flashed in my brain. I've always surmised what Ranger did 'in the wind' for the government and he did give me some details at times, but seeing him laying comfortable in front of me with those pictures running through my mind or worse never coming back were too much. He got up and laid Sophia in her crib raising the side without a sound and came back to me. I felt tears sliding down my face leaving marks on the sheet where they landed.

His knuckles gliding up my cheeks to stop the tears, "It's over. No more 'in the wind'. I'll be sleeping next to you every night for the rest of my life."

"But, just the image of hard ground or being hurt." I finger on my lips ceased the continuation of words.

"I'm here," placing my hand so I could feel his beating heart, "That job is done. No more. You're stuck with me from now on."

I could only nod; there was no other man I would want glued in my life. His eyes were dark with passion as he lowered me down on the pillows. "Let me show you about sticking together."

And he did most of the night.

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Ranger was making Julie breakfast, she was still sleeping when Sophia and I left for work. Garner and Aspen stayed home to protect the place. Hopefully, I could finish everything so I could take the afternoon off to spend with them. It would give the two of them some time together this morning and she could accompany Ranger to his physical therapy two blocks away. His home gym was scheduled to arrive this morning, also.

She was probably worn out from our evening up at The Square. Before we got ice cream, Julie, Sophia, and I roamed around 'Something Old is New Again' while Ranger and our four legged companions sat outside. He enjoyed a cold beer at an outdoor table. We purchased an old 'Yahtzee' that was still in cellophane so it was basically new and some Crazy Eight cards. I didn't have any games to play at the house. So, there we sat at one of the outdoor tables in front of 'Gimme A Break' eating ice cream and playing 'Yahtzee' the three of us with Sophia on my lap. She had her first tiny taste of old fashioned frozen custard. It was yummy and I totally ignored all the calories in it because I could work them off later. I borrowed a couple of pencils from Hunter, who has a friend, Boone, which runs a rental car business. I'll be driving a 15-passenger 'Party Bus' on Saturday for our little 'field trip'. I'm actually thinking Ranger may wear a paper bag over his head so he's not seen with our group. That made the seniors' night that we all could go together. Spud offered to drive them, but he thought he was developing a cataract and would need someone to direct his driving if his vision grew cloudy.

We started a trend. More people came out and were playing cards and games outside. Hunter may have a game night and fell instantly in love with our newest addition. I threw two pig ear chewies into the stroller basket and they laid beside us chewing on them. Grandma thumb wrestled him for two reserved tables for the big poetry event. She did also hinted that she bought a new dress for the occasion once it was confirmed Oprah was indeed making an appearance. Elsie found extra dice in the resale shop so the six of them got extra score sheets and played at a table next to us.

I watched. Grandma was trying for a 'Yahtzee' of ones, she had three. "I need snake eyes! This calls for some nipple luck," rubbing the two die over her saggy breasts. "This is what got me to win all those nipple nickels." Throwing them, I'll be damned, she got her two ones. Ranger never said a word, but just kept his eyebrow raised.

"Wow! This has been a really fun trip so far," Julie laughed, "I can't wait to tell my friends when I get home."

Ranger groaned under his breath, "I wouldn't admit to anything."

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Sophia and I were dropping off some new addresses so Amy could put our brochures in the mail which were requested vie e-mail. I saw Ranger's mysterious Cayenne pull into a visitor's spot. It was parked one day in the the extra spot by the row house with that musical car seat that has showed up in Ranger's vehicles. Julie got out taking the dog's leashes. I couldn't believe they were in the SUV, but I guess he knew what he was doing.

"Eeeeeh!" Sophia greeted them coming through our glass doors into the lobby.

A big smile lighting up Baby Daddy's face.

"What are you doing here? And should you be driving?"

I got an eyebrow, "Clay said short distances and we came to see if you wanted to go to lunch?"

Pointing to the clock on the wall, "It's a little early. Im finishing up a few things so I could get out of here early. I have to go check on some new orders in the factory and give Clark a report, and then I'm free."

"Can I see how you make your clothes, Steph?" Julie asked. "That night shirt you had for me was so soft."

Ranger smirked, "I've never had a tour either."

"You were in a cast," I told the damn smart-ass Cuban man. "I'll be in the factory if anyone is looking for me, Amy."

"OK," looking up from stuffing envelopes. "Amado is so excited about taking over your row house lease after you move. It saves him from searching for a place to live before he starts his new job with the engineering firm here."

"It worked out for all of us," Ranger nodded as we headed to my office.

I handed Ranger our daughter when we got to my office so I could grab the headphones I wear on her around the equipment and put them on her. She could still hear but the sound was muffled.

"I wear those on Sophia because she is so young. If the noise of the sewing machines and air dryer are too loud for you, Julie, there are headphones in the factory."

"OK."

I picked up my invoice file and took Garner's leash. Julie still had Aspen's and Ranger had Sophia. We were ready.

Heading back towards the cafeteria, I activated the opener for the steel doors in the hallway.

"This first room here," looking through the glass windows, "is where the cotton fabric is dyed. So we don't waste fabric or unsold inventory, the company only keeps in stock our top five favorite colors in various sizes. If we have an order for a lesser color or special orders, then those are dyed on an individual basis. Once the dying is complete, the fabric is loaded on the belt and sent through a high powered blow dryer."

We continued on until we arrived at the sewing and embroidery area. "Hi, Gloria," greeting our head sewer, "this is Carlos and Julie."

"Hello," the cheery woman greeted. "And, who is this handsome boy?" rubbing Aspen and Garner's ears.

"Aspen," I told her.

"Stephanie told me the Velcro helped. My daughter went through the bone lengthening process on a leg so I had to find ways to get clothes around the brace."

"It did. Thank you. I appreciated that I wasn't stuck in sweats," Ranger shook her hand. Gloria even altered a pair of jeans for him to wear.

"Stephanie, we just finished these up," holding up a T-shirt in one of our popular new colors, Cornflower blue. With white lettering, it read 'The Reading Poetry Group' with a quill pen embroidered below it. She turned it around. If I was surprised, I know Ranger had to be in shock. It said 'Sponsored by 'The Good Mother Earth Company' and 'Rangeman LLC.''

"Babe! Your Grandma rhymes about the ineptness of my men and I'm sponsoring her to tell more", Ranger muttered with a tight jaw. I noticed a vein bulging slightly.

"Where did these come from?"

"Clark brought the design to us yesterday," Gloria related very unsure. "Your Grandma, I think, cajoled him into donating the shirts. They took up a collection among the members to cover a portion of the cost as he explained it to me and Rosie."

I better call Grandma. "Grandma, what are these T-shirts you had made here?"

"We thought it would unite us as a group," she told me over the phone.

"Did you ask Ranger to sponsor you?"

Well, no, not exactly, but since he's family and getting free advertising in my poems I knew he would want to be on board."

"Really?"

"Yes. Let me talk to him if he's there.""

"Here," handing my phone to Ranger and taking Sophia, "Grandma wants to talk to you."

He hesitated now a moment and knew he had no other choice. I hoped I remembered how to do CPR in case she sent him into a coronary or I would recieve a postcard she mailed from someplace very, very far away. "Yo."

"Thanks for sponsoring us. You got a family to support now, just bought a house, and were giving you free advertising on our backs. Maybe you can pick up some extra work because my Baby Granddaughters deserve the best." And," pausing, "me and that Abuela of yours caught your sister-in-law and saved your family, remember that. You don't want me to call her now, do you?"

I saw Rangers jaw tighten more, and then he started to smirk. Grandma must have used her infinite wisdom on him or blackmail. "Rangeman is happy to lend its support," exchanging the phone for a baby again.

"Got everything worked out, Stephanie. It was just a little miscue. I'll see you later. I'm getting ready for my big night. Can I use some of your exfoliating stuff? I want my skin to glow."

"Sure, Grandma. I'll bring these home, I guess. Bye, Grandma."

"See ya."

Sophia let out a squeal. Something had her attention. Gloria was holding a patchwork dog. It was just the simple shape of a Scotty dog but brightly colored with pieces of cotton material from our company. "Me, Rosie, and Selma have been saving all the scrapes and sewing them together. Then cutting out dogs, cats, pigs, giraffes, and bunnies to sew and stuff. A whole zoo," laying out the stuffed toys on a work table. "If we keep making these when it's slow, do you think the food bank would give them out with the Christmas baskets for the children."

"Gloria, these are beautiful. Any child would want to snuggle with one of these at night," holding a soft blue, glue, yellow, and white giraffe against my cheek. "How many do you have?"

"About 75. Two less if your girls want one."

"Thanks," Julie hugging the giraffe. Sophia reached for the puppy Gloria first showed us.

"Aaaah baaa baaa!" I think that was thank you.

"I have a meeting next week with Reverend Chuck and the other community leaders involved in planning the Christmas food baskets. Right now I have 562 orders for our Believe Christmas shirts on hold until after Labor Day when we selling them," I told her

"What shirts, Steph?"Julie asked.

"The Good Mother Earth is selling these," walking over to a large closed bin and producing a pale green T-shirt with the 'Believe' Christmas tree embroidered on it.

"For each one of these the company sells, $1 will go to the food bank. Were going to make them in long sleeves too."

"That's a nice way to help people. If I send you money after they go on sale, can I buy one and donate my dollar?"

Ranger the father spoke up, "Julie, I'll buy you one. Save your allowance."

"No," shaking her head, "I want to help on my own."

He nodded, but I heard, "Damn stubborn women."

I think he knows he's up against tough competition in Julie, Sophia, and me.

"Just the way I want it, Babe."