"Stephanie. Are you listening? I said I will leave tonight and you can stay here. You can pack your stuff up tomorrow and then go to your mom and dads. I think this will be for the best." Joe walked around the couch and slid his jacket back on. The last sound Stephanie heard him make was the clicking of the deadbolt lock sliding into place.

Starting Over

Chapter 2

The sound of the deadbolt startled Stephanie into reality as Joe's words kept playing over and over in her head. As every bit of strength slid from her body she shrank to the floor, landing on her knees. She placed her head in her hands and gave into the tears.

She told herself that this had to be a mistake. Joe wouldn't really leave her like this. He wouldn't really give up on their marriage this quickly. Or would he? As the realization of being alone in the house crept into her mind, the fact that he did indeed do this stung like a fist.

Stephanie remained curled in the floor crying uncontrollably for nearly two hours. She would have stayed there for the entire night if the alarm on the smoke detector hadn't buzzed her awake. She jumped to her feet and ran to the kitchen, where she found the pasta smoking like a freight train. She had kept the pot on simmer to keep it warm for Joe but had forgotten it as soon as he walked through the door. She grabbed the handle of the pot and looked at the charred mess. Staring at the blackened remains of her romantic meal, Stephanie was overcome with anger. This wasn't how this night was supposed to have turned out. This was supposed to have been the beginning for them. A new start. A chance to recapture what her and her husband once had. But instead of starting a new family together, Joe had ripped that dream from her.

Stephanie gripped the burnt pot tighter then with all over her might she tossed it at the dining room table, sending dishes, glasses, and table decorations across the room. She let out a primal screen as she tried to calm her now shaking hands.

"Get a grip Plum. You've been here before. You've dealt with a cheating husband once, so now, you'll just deal with it once again." Stephanie willed herself to calm down enough to form a plan.

"…and then go to your mom and dads."

She glanced around the kitchen and realized everything she saw reeked of Joe. She knew she wasn't going to be able to stay in that house one more night, so she reached for the phone and called the first person that came to her mind.

"Yo." answered the groggy voice.

"Ranger, it's Stephanie. I need help. Can you come to the house?"

"Be there in 10. You ok?"

"No. Hurry Ranger."

Stephanie disconnected the phone then headed upstairs to pack her clothes.

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Exactly seven minutes later Ranger stepped through the front door of Stephanie's house with his gun drawn. He glanced around the room looking for clues to help him identify the situation. He peered into the living room and when he was sure it was clear he made his way into the kitchen. He stopped cold when he saw the dining room table. He thought to himself that the mess before him was proof of a struggle. His heart skipped a beat and he sped up his motions as he moved toward the stairs.

When he was halfway to the second floor he heard her whimpers coming from the bedroom. He took two steps at a time until he reached the doorway. With his gun in hand, he ran through the door looking to stop whatever was happening. But instead of finding an intruder, all he found was Stephanie laying in a shivering mass on the bed crying as if she would never be happy again.

Ranger tucked his gun in his jeans behind his back and ran to Stephanie's side. He gathered her up in his arms and began checking her for injuries.

"Stephanie, I'm here now. What's wrong? Are you hurt? Injured?"

She sniffed away the tears in an effort to speak. After a few seconds of trying, she was able to choke out the words. "Joe left me."

Ranger didn't speak; instead he squeezed her tighter and began to slowly sway her back and forth.

"Shhhh, babe. It's ok."

He gently massaged her back as he lightly ran his fingers through her hair. She cried in his arms for nearly an hour with him whispering soothing words of encouragement in her ear.

When she finally pulled away from him, he hesitantly let her go. She didn't speak as she rose from the bed and walked to the bathroom. When she reemerged a few minutes later her face was newly washed and she was holding a tissue to her eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess Ranger. I had calmed down before I called you, but then I came up here to pack and saw all of his clothes. I just sorta lost it again."

"Don't apologize Stephanie. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I'm just glad I could be some comfort to you."

"You are Ranger, but that's not what I called you for."

Ranger felt a streak of disappointment flow through his body as he waited for her explanation.

"Joe's kicking me out of the house. Technically it is his, since his aunt left it to him so I suppose he has the right. He said he would stay somewhere else tonight and I could pack and leave tomorrow. I just don't think I can stay here one more minute. I was wondering if you could help me get my things together and get out tonight."

Ranger didn't flinch. He whipped out his cell phone and dialed a series of numbers.

"Hey it's me. Need some help. I need you to get the trucks and bring them over to Steph's house. Also, find as many men as you can and bring them along too. What? No, bring all the trucks."

He snapped the phone closed then looked up at Stephanie. "We'll have you out of here within an hour."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have called you."

"You'll never have to worry about that babe."

They sat quietly on the edge of the bed for a moment, until Ranger finally asked. "Where are you planning on going?"

"Oh God Ranger. I don't know. I haven't even thought of that. I guess I can go to mom and dads but I'm not sure where to store my stuff. Those storage building places are probably all closed by now."

"Don't worry about that. We have some empty storage room at the Rangeman building. You are welcome to use it for as long as you need. As for your parents, are you sure you can handle them right now?"

"No. But I have nowhere else to go."

Ranger was about to respond to her when he heard the trucks pull up outside. Stephanie walked to the window and glanced into the street. Parked in front of the house were 4 of the largest, blackest, Ford trucks she has ever seen. And walking up to her front door was 8 of the largest men she had ever laid her eyes on.

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Four hours later the entire contents of Stephanie's belongings were loaded securely on the Rangeman trucks. The men loaded everything she had pointed to, the dining room table she had been given by her mother, the bookshelf from the bedroom her father had made her, and even the dishes her Grandmother had passed down to her on her wedding day.

Stephanie took one last look around the house and was satisfied that nothing of hers remained. Later she may realize she was being irrational, but at this moment all she could think of was leaving Joe with nothing of her own. If he didn't want her as a wife, she was going to make sure he wasn't going to have any other part of her as well.

"Ready babe?" Ranger said as he stood behind her on the front walkway.

"Yeah." Was the only thing she could say?

Ranger loaded her into his truck, then walked back to speak to Tank. They talked for a few minutes before he joined Stephanie in the vehicle. Ten minutes later the caravan of vehicles pulled into the Rangeman garage.

Stephanie looked to Ranger for answers, but he only shook his head at her and explained. "For as long as you need it. Don't think about it right now though, just stay here tonight and when you get your head straight again you can decide if or when you want to leave."

Stephanie was too emotionally drained to argue with him. Instead she allowed him to prop her body against his as he walked her to the 7th floor apartment.

As they entered the living room, she instinctively headed for the couch. Ranger left her to her thoughts and headed downstairs to help the men unload her belongings into one of the storage rooms.

When he returned to his apartment 30 minutes later he found Stephanie sitting in the same place he had left her. He was on his way to comfort her when he heard someone walk through his front door. He glanced around to find a frowning Tank holding a bottle of whiskey. With a nod, Tank walked to the kitchen for glasses. Ranger settled on the couch next to the fragile woman now sharing his apartment.

Tank joined the couple moments later carrying 3 small glasses and the bottle of liquor. None of them spoke as Tank filled the cups. He handed one to Ranger, kept one for himself, and then slid the last towards Stephanie. "Figured you could use this Steph."

Stephanie didn't move for a moment, then finally leaned forward grabbing the glass and pulling it towards her mouth. Just as the warm liquid hit her lips, realization of the situation hit her. She jerked the cup away from her mouth and placed it back on the table. Both men looked at her with confusion.

"I forgot. I can't have this."

It only took a few seconds for Ranger to read her thoughts. When he understood what she meant he tossed back the remaining liquid from his cup then asked Tank to give them some privacy. Without question, the large man sprang to his feet and headed out the door.

When he heard the latch fasten, Ranger turned back towards Stephanie and asked softly, "How far along?"

Her big brown eyes looked at Ranger without emotion. One single tear slid down her cheek as she answered him. "Six weeks."

Continued in Chapter 3