Chapter 24
Our case was first on the docket. We took our positions at the front of the courtroom. Julie was scared and not really sure what was happening. Lory reached over to hold her hand.
The judge asked Lory and Curt if they wanted Michael to adopt them. When they agreed, he asked Michael if he was positive he wanted to take on the financial responsibility. "I do, your honour," Michael insisted.
"Congratulations, Michael Ramsey, your adoption application has been approved. You are now the father of Mallory and Curtis Romano-Richards. Would you like to apply for a name change?" he asked as he looked at my children.
"Curtis and I would like to change our surname to Ramsey, your honour," Mallory stated. "Would it be possible to change our names today?"
He grabbed a paper from the docket and proceeded to fill in the names. "Approach the bench," he ordered. We signed the document to process the name change. "I will file this name change immediately. Remember to change your name in Stanford's registrar's office."
"Thank you, your honour," Curt and Lory replied.
"Make copies for the Ramseys," he said as he passed the documents to the court secretary. She nodded and left to use the printer in the judge's chambers to copy the papers. Less than a minute later, she returned with the documents. The judge affixed his seal and signature before handing them to me. "Dismissed," he stated.
Julie whispered to Lory, "I thought we were going to Ron and Rachel's court case."
I heard Lory whisper back, "Today is family court day. The Martine custody trial went before the judge in family court. The endangerment charges will go before a jury in the criminal court system."
"That makes sense. I forgot my papa went through a similar process for custody," Julie replied. "Thanks for holding my hand anyways."
In Colombia near the compound...
Three weeks passed since Ranger arrived in Colombia. Lester and the newly trained Rangers team followed Ranger's lead with relative ease. The new Ranger team managed to keep up with his pace. This band of guerrillas was known to be very impatient.
Ranger approached the compound with his team close on his heels. Lester was the only man he was permitted to bring. The rest of his team were younger and required a seasoned Ranger to show them the ropes. He was responsible for selecting a leader from the group. So far, there wasn't a man who stood out.
They stopped silently communicate their responsibilities once they breach the premises. One man, Alex Wilkins, motioned we needed to approach from behind the compound. Ranger smiled inside his head, keeping his blank face firmly in place. His instinct was telling him Wilkins was correct. He let Alex arrange his team as he and Lester observed. Lester and a younger soldier prepared the explosives. They were creating a diversion. Ranger directed Alex and his team around the perimeter.
Once they were in place, they heard the explosives and rapid gunfire. They cautiously entered the compound and immediately found their captured comrades. A beautiful woman resembling his Babe used the distraction to knee her captor in the balls. Ranger fought to maintain his blank face. This woman used Babe's signature move.
He entered the fight to neutralize the other captors. It felt like an hour before the sound of rapid gunfire ceased. Ranger quickly checked the captives and picked the locks. Stitch, the team medic, wrapped the deeper wounds so they could head towards the extraction site. Those who could walk walked, while those who required assistance were helped or carried.
Cassidy Peters, the only female, lifted one of her comrades and carried him from the camp using the fireman's hold. Ranger offered to carry the man, but Cassidy refused his help. He was very impressed with this woman. Cassidy managed to carry the man for several miles before she allowed Lester to carry him.
Nobody spoke until they arrived at the extraction site. Ranger and Cassidy jumped into the helicopter to help pull the injured men into the cargo area. They worked together to secure them. After everyone was restrained, the helicopter flew them to a secure area.
"Why couldn't you let him carry me, Cassidy?" a young man asked as he pointed at Ranger.
"Because Caplan would never forgive me if I let Sarah's younger brother die. I needed to save you," she replied.
"Cass, I thought you would drop me. Your legs were wobbling," he stated.
Ranger listened to them before asking, "You're Zip's sister?"
"Yes. How do you know Zip?" she asked.
"He's one of my employees at Rangeman. We served together in the Rangers," he replied.
"Right… I heard about you Major," she stated. Cassidy took a closer look at Ranger. 'Very attractive and oozes sex appeal,' she thought. "This was my last tour. Do you have any jobs available for women?"
"I could always find a position for you," he said as his eyes smouldered.
'I bet he could,' she thought as a few sexy positions flicked through her head like a movie reel. "Do you have any women working for you?" She vaguely recalled Zip telling her about the woman Ranger called Babe. Zip told her Steph was an attractive woman with blue eyes, dark wild curly hair and a very sexy body. He also said I look like her, but I'm less curvy.
"Babe, Stephanie Ramsey works for Rangeman," he answered. "Who is Sarah?" Ranger never heard about this woman before.
"Caplan's late wife. They married before he joined the Army. While he was away on his first tour, she passed away from breast cancer. It wasn't hereditary in her family. When she found the lump, it was already too late. She was stage 4," Cassidy briefly told him. "Pete and I joined on the first anniversary of her death."
"Are you two?" Ranger wanted to know if they were intimate.
"Together? No. Pete's my best friend. We're compatible as friends, not lovers," she answered. "Do you have anyone special?" She was curious about this attractive man. He could snap his fingers women would quickly respond.
"Babe will always be special, but we never had an intimate relationship," he replied. There was more to the story, but he didn't want to say; she never asked.
The air between them sizzled with mutual attraction. Ranger wanted to know more about her. He knew she wanted the same. They landed the helicopter on a private airfield in Miami Beach. The injured men were transferred to medical helicopters and sent to local hospitals. Everyone else went to the base for debriefing.
Cassidy told her account of the events leading to their capture. It was a routine patrol. Intel stated they were farther away from their location. "We were ambushed. The noise didn't register until we were fighting to escape. We managed to neutralize half of them before the others captured us," Cassidy stated.
It was fortunate they did not lose any men. Their patrol team was held captive for nearly a month. It took time to pinpoint their location. Ranger and his team went to retrieve the soldiers. All the men told the same story starting with their routine patrol to being rescued. Cassidy intrigued Ranger. He wanted to know her better.
Ranger and Lester were required to remain on-site for the next few days. It didn't take him long to approach Cassidy to talk. He had always been a closed-off man, but he found Cassidy very easy to open up to. She readily reciprocated. The night before they left, they spent the night together. Cassidy could easily fall in love with him. He was unlike any man she met before. Likewise, Ranger found himself falling for her. She was unlike any woman he encountered.
"I have a twelve-year-old daughter. Her name is Julie," Carlos told Cassidy.
"My twelve-year-old son's name is Dax," Cassidy told him. When they talked some more, Ranger realized Dax was Julie's best friend at school.
"Our children are close friends," Carlos stated.
At Rangeman Miami…
"Ranger is returning in a few hours," I announced at the morning meeting. The men cheered to hear their boss and friend were safe. "He will resume his Rangeman duties once he takes the required time off."
We discussed the job assignments for the week. Tank dismissed everyone before approaching me. "The boss man needs to talk to you in private. He's at your home," he stated then left the conference room.
I sent Michael a text to tell him where I will be for the next few hours. He trusts me to be alone with Ranger. Julie was visiting Ranger's parents for a few weeks. I sent Junior and Zip to accompany her on the plane.
When I entered my home, Ranger was waiting inside the door. He hugged me and pulled me towards the couch. "What's going on?" I asked him.
"I met someone… Cassidy," he answered.
"As in Dax's mother, Cassidy?" I asked.
"The the same, Babe."
"If your relationship works out, are you changing your will?" I wondered. It really didn't matter to me, I wasn't asking for his money or his company.
"No. I may leave her and Dax an inheritance, but my company and all my assets are yours," he stated.
"It's your money, you're free to change your mind at any time," I stated. "I don't need or want your money."
"Which is the reason I'm leaving everything to you," he confirmed my suspicion.
"I love you, Carlos. Your happiness is all that matters."
"I love you too, Babe. You will always be my first choice," he confessed.
"Carlos, I'm happy with Michael. You are my best friend," I stated.
"As you are mine. I'm having fun with her, but I'm afraid she'll become too attached."
"Do you think she's after you for your money or your looks?" I asked.
"Both," he replied.
"Carlos, give her a chance. She just might surprise you," I said with a wink. "If you change your mind regarding your will, I'll understand."
"Thank you, Babe." He hugged me then went to his basement apartment.
I returned to Rangeman and told my husband everything Ranger and I discussed. He was on the same page as me. Ranger should give Cassidy a chance, but they should tread carefully around their children.
"I want him to find someone special," I told Michael.
"So do I," he admitted. "You're still his first choice."
Laughing, I stated, "He told me that too. Ranger and I are best friends. We're raising Julie as a family. I'm her mama for now. It may change if he ever remarries."
"I doubt he would marry her. Cassidy is a nice enough woman, but she's very high maintenance for a soldier," he stated.
"Ranger deserves to be happy," I reiterated.
"I agree. Julie's been through so much lately and I can't see Ranger sacrificing her happiness for his pleasure. Every action and decision he makes will have Julie's best interest in mind. He loves his daughter."
"She's an amazing girl and deserves to have a loving and doting mother," I added.
"Whatever happens, Julie will always have you." Michael was correct, Julie will always have me as her mother. I love her as much as I love my babies. There's more than enough love to spread around.
"Your birthday is tomorrow. Is there anything in particular you want?" I asked.
"A positive pregnancy test," he replied. "I have everything else I want and need."
"What if I never get pregnant?" I wondered.
"Then you never get pregnant. I still have you and our twins," he replied.
"Good answer," I said with a laugh. My phone reminder chimed. I have an appointment with Bobby. "I'll be back. I need to finish my physical assessment with the medic."
"Okay. It's time for my surveillance shift. Are you staying here tonight?"
"I will if you want me to. When are you finished your shift?"
"0200 hours. I have my next shift at 0800," he replied.
"We'll stay here tonight," I kissed him before leaving for my appointment.
"Hey, Steph. Are you ready?" Bobby asked.
"Absolutely. Did you get the one Ella recommended?" I wondered.
"That one plus a few others," he held up several boxes.
"One would have sufficed." He gave me a urine sample cup to fill.
I filled the cup and left it on the counter. Bobby waited until I opened the door. He used a dropper to place urine in the test strips. We sat on the couch until his timer indicated the results were ready.
"Thanks, Bobby. Do you have the other items?" I asked.
"Right here," he said as he passed me everything.
Once everything was ready, I hugged Bobby and placed the item in my Rangeman apartment. Taking advantage of my time alone, I called my children to give them the news. They were very happy for us.
"His birthday is tomorrow," I reminded them.
"We'll call him in the morning," they said.
"Did your birthday gifts arrive?"
"They did. Thank you, mom. It's perfect. Where did you find the locket?" Lory asked.
"It belonged to my grandma Mazur. She gave it to me when I turned sixteen," I replied. "She asked me to give it to my daughter for her sixteenth birthday."
"What about the pocket watch?" Curt asked.
"That belonged to your grandpa Richards. He knew I had the locket for Lory and he wanted you to have something special for your sixteenth birthday too. I found it stored in the safe deposit box. Do you like it?"
"I love it, mom. We promise to carry on the tradition," he answered.
"It isn't necessary, but I appreciate you adopting the idea. I love both of you so much," I said before ending the call.
Michael's gift was placed on the nightstand with a note to open immediately. I could hardly wait to see his reaction. Feeling very tired, I laid on the bed to catch a few hours of sleep.