Woody knew his time to return home was close. He wiped the tears from his face and looked at the picture in his wallet. "I miss you, Freddy," Woody said. Woody put away the laminated photo.

"Hey, Woodrow, let us in," Lester called outside his apartment. He anticipated Lester and Bobby's arrival. Woody picked up beer and pizza after his shift.

"Come in," he hollered. "It's unlocked."

Lester entered the apartment before he froze on the spot. "You bought us dinner?"

"Yes. I know you're here for a wellness check. Binkie warned me." Lester nodded. He appreciated Binkie looking out for his friend. "I'm scared to face my family, but happy that Edna and Stephanie would be with me. I won't have to face them alone."

"Stephanie will keep you grounded," Lester said. Bobby readily agreed.

Before Woody could respond, he heard another knock on the door. "Come in," he yelled. Binkie entered the apartment and sat beside Woody on the couch. "Help yourself. I ordered enough for all of us."

"Sweet," Binkie said before grabbing a slice of pizza covered in pepperoni, sausage and bacon. Bobby passed Binkie a beer. "Thanks, man."

They ate in companionable silence. Woody felt comfortable surrounded by his friends, two of them had spent time with Stephanie and Edna. "What's on the agenda?" Bobby asked.

"I got tickets for the tractor pull and rodeo. My cousin's son is mutton busting. His daughter is competing in the barrel race," Woody proudly said. "I can't wait to watch them."

Lester typed a message on his phone. He only had to wait a few minutes before he read the reply. "What put that goofy look on your face?" Binkie asked Lester.

He passed Binkie his phone. Lester had told Stephanie that Joe Morelli married Joyce Barnhardt. They were expecting their first child. Stephanie replied with laughing emojis. Binkie laughed when Stephanie sent another text. "Grandma wanted me to tell you," Stephanie wrote, then filled the remaining text with laughing emojis.

Binkie wrote back, "What will the neighbours think?" Stephanie replied that she didn't give a shit, then sent more laughing emojis.

"I've got to run before I piss myself," Stephanie added. Binkie said something about TMI before passing the phone back to Lester.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stephanie and Edna stayed in the Newark airport until Woody arrived. He was fifteen minutes late due to traffic. "I'll call whenever I can," Stephanie promised. Charlie nodded at the woman who became a mother figure during their trip around Europe. She couldn't talk without bursting into tears. Ranger kissed Stephanie before escorting Charlie to the Rangeman SUV outside the terminal. She would miss Stephanie and Edna. Slick also, to a degree. He was rigid at first, then relaxed after Stephanie told him off. Slick needed that dose of humility.

Charlie felt at home the second she entered Ella and Luis Guzman's apartment. She loved all the clothes and shoes Ella had purchased. Ella even took her shopping to decorate her bedroom in the apartment on the fourth floor, where she would live with her uncle. Based on descriptions of the men from Stephanie, she immediately knew who Lester Santos, Bobby Brown and Tank were. She loved Lester. He was funny.

"Are you ready to go?" Ella asked.

"Yup. I'm wearing my old jeans and shirt," she replied. Lester and Bobby were taking Angie, Mary Alice and her to play paintball. Charlie had never played before and she was nervous.

"It's like shooting a gun," Ella explained. "Ram said you're a natural. Instead of firing bullets into a paper man, you're shooting paintballs at Lester and Bobby."

"Ya, shooting at people, even with paintballs, feels wrong," Charlie said. Ella hugged her and said she'd get used to the idea once she saw how much fun it was to splatter Bobby and Lester with paint.

"The men wouldn't think twice before painting you. Get them first." Ella sent a text to Lester, warning him that Charlie was hesitant to play. Lester said he'd shoot at Charlie's leg to engage her.

"I'll only fire if they shoot in my direction," Charlie said, laughing. She still didn't like the idea of shooting real people, even as a part of a game.

Charlie nervously twisted her fingers as Lester drove to the paintball arena. "Remember, we need to pick different colours," Mary Alice told Charlie. "I like neon yellow."

"I've got hot pink," Angie added. "Uncle Lester always gets dark green, and Uncle Bobby picks electric blue. You have to choose one of white, brown, purple, dark blue, or neon green." Charlie thought for a few minutes before settling on purple.

"Try to avoid getting tagged in the arm or leg. It stings, and the paintballs leave a bruise. Tia Ella has arnica cream to reduce them if you do get hit," Mary Alice said. Angie and Mary Alice argued about how much it hurt when they got hit. Charlie smiled and thought it was nice to have younger siblings.

Lester and Bobby made the girls wear extra protective gear. Bobby explained it was boys against girls. The last man standing was the winner for their team. Charlie rolled her eyes, but she complied. Fifteen minutes later and no shots fired, Charlie, got tagged in the leg. "Fuck, that hurts," she screamed.

"Shhh," Angie whispered from her right. "You'll give away our position."

"It's a little too late for that since Lester shot me," Charlie reasoned, pointing to the green paint on her leg. She heard a noise behind her. Without thinking, Charlie aimed in the direction of the sound, then shot ten times.

"Damn," Lester said. "She got a kill shot. I'm out, Bobby. You're on your own."

Charlie did a happy dance before she got peppered in the back with blue pellets. "Shit! I'm out, girls," she shouted.

Mary Alice hid in the tree and patiently waited for Bobby to walk past her spot. She watched as Bobby fired on Angie, covering her back with blue paint. Mary Alice aimed, then emptied her paintball chamber into Bobby's back. She dropped the gun to the ground, then jumped off the tree branch.

"I win again!" Mary Alice chanted. "Mary Alice five; Uncle Lester and Uncle Bobby zero."

"You mean our team won," Charlie said.

"Sure," Mary Alice replied. "But I'm the winner for our team."

Angie whispered, "Let her have the win. She earned it."

Charlie laughed before wrapping her arm around Mary Alice's shoulder. "Great shot, MA." Mary Alice grinned. She loved playing paintball with her uncles.

~~~~~~~~~~

Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.

Woody, Stephanie and Edna had arrived in Dallas, Texas, late in the evening. They checked into the hotel, ordered room service, then Stephanie and Edna went to bed. Woody waited until he heard the soft snores from their bedroom before calling his family.

"Hello, you have reached the Walker's residence," Woody's mother, Jean, answered.

"Hi, mama," Woody replied.

"Woodrow?" Jean cried. "Toby, it's our son." Woody rolled his eyes when his mom called for his father. His heart ached when he thought about Freddy. Woody rubbed his chest as he waited for his dad to join the call.

He heard another person lift another receiver in the house. "Well, I'll be. I never expected you to call us," Toby told his son. "How are you, Woodrow?"

"I'm fine, pops," Woody replied.

"Son, when are you coming home to visit?"

"My friend, Stephanie, her grandmother Edna and I are in Dallas," he replied. "We are staying in the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Valley View Lane."

"You could stay with us, son. We have plenty of room for your girlfriend and her grandmother," Toby said.

Woody sighed. He sat on the couch and leaned forward. After taking a few deep breaths, he explained, "Stephanie isn't my girlfriend. She is only a friend. Stephanie is dating my boss. Her grandmother is dying from cancer. Stephanie is accompanying her on a quest to complete a bucket list of activities before she passes away." Woody figured the simple explanation was better than describing the complexities of Ranger and Stephanie's relationship.

"How does that concern you, Darlin?" Jean asked.

"Edna had ten destinations on her list. She visited New Orleans, LA and the UK since late January. They just returned from Europe this morning. Edna wanted to see a tractor pull and attend a rodeo in Dallas. That's why I'm here with the women. It's my turn to accompany them. Ranger, my boss, assigned one man per destination."

"What about Stephanie's job? Doesn't she need to earn an income to pay rent or bills?" Jean asked.

"Mama, everyone at Rangeman loves Stephanie. Our friend, Lester Santos, contacted men in the three branches to collect funds for the trips. Half the men haven't even met Stephanie, but they wanted to support her selfless act to help her grandmother," Woody explained. "Stephanie also has a loaded laptop to run searches for Rangeman because she doesn't accept charity."

"She sounds like a woman I would love to meet," Toby said. "Bring her by tomorrow, son. Let the women sleep tonight. I'll fire up the BBQ for dinner. Your mother and I will not take no for an answer."

"See you tomorrow, pops." Woody ended the call with his dad. He rubbed his chest as the visit weighed heavily on his heart. A tear slipped down his face and dripped on his hand.

"Woody?" Stephanie quietly asked as she approached him. "Are you okay? Grandma said we can go to another town for the rodeo."

"It's fine, Darlin. I have to face my family sooner or later. Reckon sooner is best," Woody replied. Stephanie sat on his lap. Woody's arms wrapped around her as he cried. "Have you ever lost someone close to you?"

"Yes," Stephanie replied. "My son."

"What? You had a son? What happened?" Woody asked. He didn't recall seeing children in Stephanie's background check. Stephanie had to stop him from asking more questions.

"I'll tell you about him, but you must promise not to say a word to anyone. Bobby, Ranger, Slick and Binkie know. I expect Lester, Cal, Tank, Zip and Ram would need to hear the story, too," Stephanie replied. "However, I expect you to reciprocate. Let me hear your story."

"Nobody will hear it from me, Darlin. I'll tell you the cause of my nightmares," Woody promised. Stephanie nodded, then told Woody about Frankie and Savannah. Woody was surprised she let her cousin adopt her daughter. "I supposed telling Binkie about Frankie helped him grieve Bradley?"

"Yes. He made me this pillow," Stephanie said. Stephanie passed him the pillow he didn't notice her bring into the room. Woody read the initials and dates. "Binkie helped me as much as I helped him. The pillow signifies that I should remember without feeling guilty. Savannah knows I'm her mother. She wants to meet me, but I've been too chicken shit to visit."

"What about her father? Does she want to meet Morelli?" Woody asked.

"No. Vannah heard stories about the Morelli boys from my grandmother. She knows what he did to me when I was a child and at sixteen. In her words, she said, "Why should I want to meet a sexual deviant? Who says he wouldn't try to assault me despite being his daughter? I have no interest in meeting that lowlife." I was surprised she vehemently refused to know her biological father. Would you like to see a picture?"

"Do you have one?" Woody asked.

Stephanie giggled. "Yes, Vannah learned what I was doing for grandma and heard I've told a few friends about her. I bet my grandmother called her without my knowledge. Anyway, Vannah emailed me a current photo. She's a beautiful young woman," Stephanie said. Stephanie opened her private email with the attachment.

"Holy shit. She's a spitting image of you, Darlin. Your daughter is gorgeous. I don't see any Morelli genes in her," Woody replied. Stephanie opened a side-by-side comparison. She had a photo of her at sixteen to the left of Savannah's photo, and another of Joe on the right at the same age.

"She has Joe's chin and eye shape," Stephanie pointed out. Woody couldn't see it. He saw only Stephanie in Savannah's features. Maybe if he squinted, he could find a small resemblance. Nope. Savannah was all Stephanie.

"But all the parts that matter are all you, Darlin. Down to the corkscrew curls," Woody said. "There isn't enough Morelli in her to make a difference." Stephanie shrugged. "I bet your child with Ranger would be stunning."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I think you're putting the cart before the horse, Woody. Ranger doesn't do stupid things like marriage and children," she said. Her eyes went unfocused before she recalled another conversation. "Wait. Ranger said he'd give me a child if I wanted one, and if he did get married, it would be to me." Stephanie had an epiphany. Ranger loved her. He may have qualified it before, but he truly loved her, as in head over heels in love with her. Stephanie suddenly broke out in tears.

Woody held Stephanie until she cried herself to sleep. "Is Stephie okay?" Edna asked when she shuffled into the living room of the hotel suite.

"Stephanie had an epiphany. She realized Ranger is in love with her," Woody replied.

"Any fool could see Ranger loves Stephanie. He holds her at arm's length to protect her from his enemies, right?" Edna asked. Woody nodded. "It's a fool's errand. Stephanie got kidnapped, shot and stabbed by her enemies. Sure, a few of his enemies found her, but most of them were hers."

Woody knew Edna spoke the truth. "It doesn't change anything. Only Ranger can change his mind. He has to live with his decisions," Woody explained.

"Tell me about your loss," Edna said. She waited for Woody to lay Stephanie on the sofa, placing her head on his lap. Woody gently pulled the elastic holding Stephanie's hair into a ponytail. He ran his fingers through her hair, carefully separating the locks. "Stephanie always had silky hair," Edna said, correctly interpreting his shocked expression.

"It happened a few months before my eighteenth birthday. I was in the field with my twelve-year-old brother. Pops asked me to cut the grass. It was hot outside, and I reckoned it would better get spent at the lake with my girl. Freddy wanted to ride on the lawnmower. My brother was what folks call hyperactive. I believe they call it ADHD now. You know, attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity? Pops said Freddy wasn't permitted to ride the mower until he calmed down some, or I was on it driving beside him. Since Pop was feeding the cattle, he wouldn't know I was letting Freddy do my work. I got ten feet away when Freddy screamed. He sounded like a wounded animal. When I turned and ran to him, I found him beneath the mower. I turned the mower off and used the satellite phone Pop made me carry to call emergency. We thought Freddy would make it, but he lost too much blood. The lawnmower blades cut Freddy in half. It was more than half, now I think about it. I kneeled beside Freddy as he said his last word," Woody said.

Woody was focused on Stephanie's hair and didn't notice she woke up. Stephanie heard every word. She sat up, startling him. "I'm so sorry, Woody." Stephanie hugged him as he cried. Tears swam in her eyes as she attempted to comfort her Texan friend.

"What did Freddy say?" Edna had to know what he said to Woody.

"Thank you," Woody said. He cried in Stephanie's arms. Stephanie looked at her grandmother and wondered how they would get Woody through his guilt and grief.

"It seems we've all lost someone special," Edna said. She shared the story about her daughter Shirley.

Woody told them how losing his brother changed his perception of life. He didn't want to attend Houston college on a football scholarship.

"Is that when you joined the Army?" Stephanie asked. It was only part of the reason. Freddy wanted to join the military when he turned eighteen.

"Yes, Darlin," he replied. "My folks and I were zombies when we buried Freddy. They never noticed when I disappeared until after my first tour. I have nightmares on his birthday and the date he died. Freddy trained to be a bull rider. He was talented and it balanced him. I never got to see him compete. His death was a few weeks before his first competition. Mama and Pop only see me once every few years. How can they look at me when I had a hand in killing their baby?"

Stephanie understood Woody a little more. He was overly protective of her when Ranger assigned him as bodyguard duty. "Woody, do I remind you of Freddy?"

"You're as carefree as Freddy. He loved life," Woody confessed. "Everybody loved Freddy. He was funny, kind, generous and loved unconditionally. Freddy lived everyday as though it was his last day on earth."

"Life itself is a privilege. But to live life to the fullest is a choice," Edna said. "Don't do your brother's memory a disservice by holding onto guilt. What do you think he'd want you to do?"

"Ride a bucking bronco or bull," Woody replied. "I got out of the rodeo circuit when I was fifteen. It's not exactly like riding a bike."

"That only means you can't compete. Does the rodeo or fair have mechanical bulls or broncos to ride?" Stephanie asked.

"I'll ask Pop if he still has the animals. He sold Freddy's bronco years ago," Woody replied. Stephanie slumped her shoulders. "Don't mean he doesn't have another one for the rodeo circuit for me to use."