Chapter 21

Stephanie sat with her elbows on her desk and her head in her hands. What had happened to her life? Ranger! Ranger had happened and everything that was ordered was now chaos. It was at once a scary and wonderful chaos, and still something she had trouble believing. Ranger was back from the dead. She wanted to think everything would be all right, but for now the turmoil was making her crazy. She needed time to process what had happened, and what she had learned today. And she needed time to process the end of her and Alan. In the deepest corner of her mind she would admit that she was relieved to have Alan gone from her life. She cared about him, but as much as she had tried to convince herself, she didn't love him. The thought of Alan making love to her held no appeal after Ranger's kiss that morning. Had it only been this morning? Surely, this was the longest day of her life.

"It has been a long day," Ranger agreed, "and an eventful one."

Stephanie's head jerked up and she saw Ranger sitting on the leather sofa across the room from her. She hid her surprise that he'd once again made it into her locked facility. "Was I talking out loud?" she asked.

"You were." He smoothed his hand over the leather cushions of the sofa. "You went for the real deal, I see, instead of the Naugahyde Vinnie favored."

She stood so abruptly that her chair careened backwards and bounced off the wall behind her. Leave it to Ranger to notice that she'd modeled her office after a classed-up version of the bonds office. "Don't judge me!" she said. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to build a new life. I took pieces of my old life and remanufactured them in my new one. It was the best I could do."

"I'm not judging you, and you're right. I have no idea how hard it was. You sacrificed your previous life to give your daughter a future life. I have nothing but respect for you and what you've been able to do."

Her brief spurt of anger began to dissolve. "Ranger, please! I'm glad you're here, but I just need a little time alone. I'm safe in the office. I'm locked in and I'll be careful when I leave. There is no privacy at home with Cally and Luke there. I just need a moment to process!"

"I'll give you your moment," he said. "I'll wait for you outside if you like, but I am staying. Tank left me and I'll need a ride home."

"Home," she said. "You need a ride to my home."

"Yes, and I need to talk to you privately which is why I'm intruding on your solitude. Let me say what I need to and then I'll give you some space."

"I … all right," she conceded.

Ranger stood and started to walk toward her, but there was just a slight hesitation in his stride, and that hesitation melted the last bits of her irritation. She was reminded again, that she wasn't the only one who was in a difficult situation. She walked to him and took his hand. "Let's talk," she said. She motioned to the sofa and they sat next to one another.

"I'm leaving tomorrow," he said abruptly.

"Leaving?" she asked. Her heart plummeted.

"Yes, I hadn't planned on leaving this quickly, but we need to get rolling on this investigation. I won't have your life disrupted any longer than it's already been. The sooner this is behind us, the sooner we can look forward. Luke is here for the next couple of days as well as Tank. They'll watch out for you. After that I have something else in mind."

She was having trouble staying focused on his words. Her mind was still spinning with the earlier words he'd said. "I'm leaving." Why would he do such an abrupt about-face? Because she'd told him Alan was her lover, that's why! She'd known before she went to see Alan, she was going to break it off. All the internal dialogue she'd had about taking things slow was crazy, because from the moment they'd kissed that morning she'd known. She looked forward to having him share her bed. He'd said it would be platonic and that had been worth an eye roll. But then, he must have taken her seriously when she said that she had a relationship with Alan, because now he was leaving.

"How do you feel about that?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't hear…"

"I said I'd like to bring someone in on this who would live with you. Watch your back until this is all sorted out. Lester."

"Lester!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, he's at loose ends now, and since Luke already knows it seems the best solution to bring in Lester."

She nodded her head slightly, still too stunned by his original proclamation to make any additional comment.

Ranger reached out to tug an unruly curl. "You're upset?" he asked.

"It's just that you just got here. I'm not even used to you being alive and…"

"Babe, I'm coming back," he said. "I'm only leaving to take care of some loose ends, and then I'm coming back, permanently."

"Permanently?"

"Yes," he said softly. "I don't care what your relationship with Alan is. If you and I no longer have relationship potential, then so be it, but I won't live without you in my life any longer. I watched you today, and I saw it on your face. You can't go back. You can't change who you've become, so I'll move here. And I'll get to know every part of who you are now."

"Ranger, I…" It was all she could say before he reached for her and pulled her onto his lap. She felt his hands slide up her arms over her shoulders and cradle her head, his fingers entwining her curls. And then she felt his hands slowly guide her face to his. His eyes held hers and he spoke softly.

"You don't know the man I've become, and I don't know the woman you've become, but I want to know you. Alan is going to have to make room for me, even if it's just as your friend."

She was staring at his mouth, and almost of its own accord her hand raised to caress his face. Her finger grazed his lower lip. "Alan is no longer a concern." Her reply to him was equally as soft. "I told him I couldn't continue to see him."

Ranger held her back away from him. "Why did you tell him that?" he asked.

"I told him that," she said, "because I've done the two-man thing before, and I'm not doing it again." She touched her lips to his and tentatively probed them with her tongue. Ranger's groan was guttural as he slid sideways and lay back on the sofa, pulling Stephanie on top of him.

His hands were under her shirt, skimming up her abdomen, skirting the edge of her bra, only seconds away from her nipples and from her falling over the edge of reason. Then without warning he pulled back and let his hands slide around her, holding her close. He broke the ongoing kiss. As their lips parted, she raised her head and frowned at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She looked toward the door, remembering he'd heard someone entering her apartment earlier in the day long before she'd been aware they'd had an audience.

"You make me feel like a teenager," he said, "balancing on the edge of control. It's been a long time since I felt that way."

"How long?" she asked.

"Since the night I first found you in my bed."

"Hah!" she scoffed. "What you were close to losing that night was control of your temper. I don't think you were all that happy to find me in your bed."

"I wasn't happy because I knew what ever brought you there meant that you were in serious trouble. I wasn't happy because I knew you and Morelli were very much 'on,' and you expected me not to cross your moral line."

"I was a fool."

"You've never been a fool, Babe." His lips found hers again and they shared a deep and lingering kiss before he pulled back once more. "Make no mistake," he said. "I plan to be in your bed on a regular and very un-platonic basis. I had planned to have some time for the two of us to become reacquainted, but the sudden arrival of Cally and Luke followed by, well." He shook his head slightly and she smiled. What did one call what had followed Cally's arrival?

Stephanie sighed. "You're right of course. I want to keep Cally close, where I know she's safe, but at the same time, I really want her gone."

"Finish up your work," Ranger said. "Then we'll go home. I need to talk to Cally and Luke before I leave. That will have to happen either tonight or tomorrow morning."

Later, when they were in her car Ranger asked her, "You're okay with Lester coming?"

"Yes," she said. "I feel like he's already here every time I look at Luke."

"He's a good kid. Out of all my guys who'd have picked Lester to become the model family man. Luke was raised in a tight family group. I think they always wanted more children, but it didn't happen."

"When did it happen?" Stephanie asked. "I don't remember Lester being involved with anyone before," she hesitated and then said, "before I left."

"It was a year after. Lester came to me and told me he'd gotten a woman pregnant. He was distraught. I thought he wanted me to somehow intervene for him and fix his problem. And he did, but not the way I expected. He was begging her to marry him and she wouldn't. He wanted me to talk her into it. I declined. I don't know all the details, but they didn't marry until after Luke was born, and they were very happy from all appearances. She died two years ago, and it's been a tough road for Lester."

"It will be good to see him," Stephanie said. Ranger hit the messaging icon on his phone and sent a quick message to Tank. Call Lester and give him a complete report.

As they pulled into her driveway, they saw lights on in the condo. "Good," Ranger said. "They're home. I need to bring them up-to-date."