Inbox
By CrimsenLiz
Chapter 15
I decided not to go to the wedding with Adam on Saturday. I needed to get away for a while to a place where everything didn't remind me of Ranger. If he doesn't want me back, it's better to put it all behind me.
Adam told me his parents own a Ranch in Texas and it's a pretty tranquil place. He called his father and asked if I could come and stay for a few weeks. Mr. Rodriguez didn't even hesitate. "Anything for Falcon's daughter." He had said.
So here I am, on a plane to El Paso Texas. I remember the shock in my dad's voice when I said I was going to be staying with Adam's family.
"Hey daddy, I'm going out of town for awhile. Actually I'm going to El Paso to stay at Adam's Parents house. I know this is sudden, but I need to get away. Some things happened since I've been in Miami and Adam and I are no longer seeing each other."
"Are you ok pumpkin? I know how much you liked him, what went wrong?"
I could never lie to my dad.
"Ranger showed up and I realized I'm not completely over him yet and it's not fair to Adam. He suggested I go to Texas and recoup for a while. He is very understanding. I think we'll still be great friends."
"That's good pumpkin. Is there anything I can do for you?"
I really didn't want to go back to Trenton; I just wanted to go straight from Miami to El Paso.
"Actually daddy, there is. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Will you tell everyone I'm away on an extended vacation and I don't know when I'll be back? Don't tell anyone where I went, not even mom. I don't want to be followed."
"Sure thing sweetheart, have Manny call me when you get to El Paso so I know you made it there safely."
"Ok daddy, I love you."
"Love you too pumpkin. Goodbye."
The stewardess tapped me on the shoulder, taking me out of my trance. "Miss, would you like anything to drink? We have several soft drinks to choose from, or if you'd like something a bit stronger we have wine or beer."
I thought about it. I hate planes. A drink would only make it worse. I would pee my pants.
"No thank you. I'm fine."
She walked down the isle asking other passengers if they wanted a drink.
I landed in El Paso rather late. I couldn't get a flight out until 9 pm. A man I could only assume was Manny Rodriguez was standing by the baggage claim when I came off the escalator.
"Ah, and you must be Falcon's daughter. I'd recognize you anywhere with that lovely smile and beautiful hair. Come my dear, we will fix your broken heart and fill you with joy again."
What? Broken heart? How did he know?
"What…Err?" I was at a loss for words.
Manny laughed heartily. "My dear, I've been on this earth for many years, I know a broken heart when I see one. Plus, my son filled me in on the details. Please don't be upset that he told me, I forced it out of him. I wanted to know why such a beautiful woman wanted to come here and not stay in Trenton with my son."
I sighed. We walked to the parking lot and he ushered me to an old ford truck.
"I'm sorry to have you come out this late. I'm just so happy to get away. It's nice to come to a place where you're not "The bombshell bounty hunter" or an entertainment for someone."
He touched my hand. "It will get better Little Falcon."
I smiled. Little Falcon. I liked it.
It didn't take us long to get to the ranch. We drove through an iron arch with "Freedom Ranch" in iron letters above it. It was beautiful. There was a large log house in front of us, with acres and acres of land surrounding it. The immediate land was fenced in. There were stables to the left of the house and what appeared to be a men's workshop to the right.
"Well my dear", Manny said as we pulled up to the house, "We will get you settled in for the night and I'll give you a tour tomorrow. I suspect my wife Isabel is already asleep. She wakes up with the chickens to take care of our horses."
I was thankful not to have to meet anyone else tonight. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep for two days straight.
"It's ok, I'm tired anyway."
"Here is your room Little Falcon. I hope it's ok; Isabel just redecorated it a few months ago. You're the first person to stay in it."
Holy crap, the room was gorgeous. It was done in Chocolate and a soft blue. There were family pictures hung on the walls and Large Blue pillows on the Chocolate brown down comforter. I bet the sheets were at least 400 counts.
There was an attached bathroom with a stand up shower and separate Tub. A HUGE tub. Boy, I could do some damage in that room.
"Well, goodnight my Little Falcon, sleep well." Manny closed the door behind him.
I fell onto the bed with my clothes and shoes on. That's the last thing I remember.
Chapter 16I woke the next day to the smell of steak. What the hell, steak? I looked over at the clock and it said five twenty-three pm. Holy shit! I slept all day!
I got up and quickly found some clothes to wear before taking a shower. I moisturized and exfoliated in record time. I dried my hair a little after putting on jeans and a t-shirt.
I'm going to have to go shopping soon. I only have with me what I took to Miami, and that's not much.
I hurried down the long staircase to find the kitchen. I found it easily, seeing how the ground floor had an open floor plan. Each room flowed into the other.
I saw a beautiful woman, about my mom's age standing at an island counter chopping vegetables. Her skin was tanned and she had a short brown bob cut. "Well hello dear. I was hoping the smell of the food would wake you up. Your father say's you're quite taken with food." She smiled.
Oh how I love food. Especially home cooked.
"I do love food. You must be Isabel; it's nice to finally meet you. Adam has told me so much about you."
This earned me another big smile. "It's nice to finally meet you as well. I'm sorry it didn't work out with you and Adam, but at least you two will still remain friends. I have a feeling you will be around here a lot. Hopefully the rest of your family will visit also. I haven't seen your mother in ages; it would be nice to catch up."
I couldn't take it any longer. The smells were killing me. "What are you making over there? Can I help?"
"Oh dear, I forgot about the steaks on the grill on the patio. You can finish chopping these vegetables for the salad. I'll be right back."
There were French doors leading to the patio, and they were open letting a breeze come through the kitchen. I finished chopping the vegetables as Manny walked in. "Good evening sleeping beauty!"
I gave him my best burg glare. "You should have woken me up! I slept the whole day away!"
"I would have done no such thing my dear. You woke up when your body was ready to. You needed that sleep. I can show you around the ranch tomorrow."
Isabel came into the kitchen with a plate of steaks and baked potatoes. Mmmmm. They looked delicious.
We talked and ate. I caught them up with what was going on with my family. They laughed when I told them about my grandmother. Manny said she was like that even before I was born. She was definitely her own person. No wonder I turned out the way I am.
After we cleaned up the dinner dishes, we settled into the great room and had coffee and chocolate cake that Isabel made earlier in the day. I, don't know how I missed the smell of chocolate cake baking, I must have been tired.
"So Stephanie, what do you plan on doing once you get back to Trenton?" Isabel asked.
"I'm not really sure. I want to continue bounty hunting, but I'm not sure if I want to keep working for Rangeman. I want to get real training so I can excel at my job, instead of screwing it up all the time. I want to be able to defend myself if and when I get into sticky situations, which is often.
Manny stared at me for a moment. Then as if a light bulb had gone off in his head, he smiled. "I have an Idea. I know people who can train you. I have favors I can pull in, but I don't think that will be good enough. I think you should join the Army."
The Army? Why would I want to join the army?
As if he could read my mind, he replied, "Think about it Stephanie. You would get the training and the discipline. With regular training, you could give up and quit any time. With the Army, you signed on the dotted line. They won't let you quit plus you'll be getting paid for the training. You can sign up for a minimum of two years."
Could I? I'm not a spring chicken anymore, I don't know if I could make it. Well, I guess if I can run from psychopaths all the time I could make it through army training.
"What would I have to do to be able to join? I mean, aren't I too old?"
"You're not too old, and all we would have to do is go talk to a friend of mine. He'd be able to get you signed up in no time. You seem to look like you meet the physical requirements."
Wow. I think I really might do this. It's a big step. A step I have to take in order to do things on my own.
"Ok, you've sold me. When can we meet that friend of yours?"
"He happens to be coming here tomorrow to look at one of the horses I'm selling. He can talk to you then."
Good, the sooner, the better. Anything to get me trained and out in the real world away from the Burg and everyone's inquiring eyes.
By this time we were done talking about the army and caught up on family it was midnight. I yawned. I can't believe I'm tired already. All this decision-making must be tiring.
"I think I'm going to call it a night. Thank you for your hospitality and your advice. Hopefully things with your friend will work out tomorrow. Goodnight."
They both gave me a smile. "Goodnight Stephanie." Said Isabel, "Goodnight Little Falcon", said Manny.
This time I changed into the white tank and boy shorts I was supposed to wear for Adam. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. My last thought was, Wow, the Army…
Chapter 17I could get used to staying here at Freedom Ranch. Isabel is an amazing cook. Since I managed to get up at a decent hour, she made me waffles with strawberries and real cream! Give a girl a break; the strawberries had some nutritional value. I moaned my way through the meal, which made Isabel chuckle. I ate in a hurry; even though it was only 8:30 Manny had been up for a few hours and was waiting for me at the stables.
Before I reached the stables I could hear a hearty laugh coming from inside. Huh. I guess Manny's friend was already here.
I walked in and Manny beamed. "Good morning Little Falcon. I would like you to meet my good friend Mark Jones."
Whoa. He was almost as big as Tank. He was tall, muscular and had light brown skin. He looked to be about fifty, give or take a few years.
"Hello, Mr. Jones, nice to meet you."
He gave me a blinding smile. Jeez. What's with these Ex-Army men? They must all go to the same dentist, with their twinkling smiles.
"Please, call me Mark, or Eagle. That's what my friends call me."
Eagle. They must have a thing with birds. "Ok, Eagle."
He smiled at me again. Obviously he approved of me calling him Eagle.
"I hear you are looking to join the army Stephanie?"
He got right to the point. I like that in a man.
"I sure am. I want to know more about what I'm getting into first. Are you a recruiter? Would I have to lose weight, is it going to be hard? When they realize I suck, are they going to kick me out?"
I didn't mean to ask so many questions at once, they just sort of came out.
Eagle threw his head back and laughed. "You don't mess around do you? Yes I'm a recruiter, but not a normal one. I'm a scout for The Army Special Forces."
Special Forces? I'm definitely not cut out for that.
Eagle continued, trying to hide a smile at my shocked face.
"I'm fully aware of your background Stephanie. I'm a friend of your fathers. You need some polishing, but I think with the right training you could be the best of the best."
Was this guy serious? I think he's been talking to the wrong people. No way could he think that about me.
"Would I go into the regular army first or would I go straight into the Special Forces?"
"That's a good question. You would go through regular book camp, take a week of leave in between, and then join the other candidates for training. It's a long training program. If we can get you signed u and leaving for boot camp next week you'll be with a few other recruits that will be joining you in Special Forces training as well. I might as well tell you that under normal circumstances women usually aren't allowed in any Infantry situation, much less the SF, but there have been a few exceptions to that, and you're one of them. You are a rare find.
That doesn't give me much time to decide. But what is there to decide really? Go home to Trenton and be entertainment or go into the Army and become a bad-ass? Hmmm…. that should be a no brainer.
"Where do I sign?" I said smiling.
"I don't have any paperwork with me, but we can go to my office at home and get you squared away."
I don't want to waste any time, in case I change my mind. Let's do this.
"Sounds good to me, lets go."
By the end of the day I had gone through all my paperwork, gotten a physical and signed on the dotted line. I am now property of the United States Army.
Oh Boy.
Chapter 18It's been a long nine weeks. I could lie and tell you I breezed through it. But I would be lying. I'm a bad liar; so let's just say I've come a long way.
My dad was very supportive of my decision. Once again I made him promise not to tell anyone where I was or what I was doing. I didn't want anyone to rain on my parade.
I'm graduating from boot camp today. I invited my father, Adam, Manny and Eagle to come watch. I also had my dad send a note to Tank from me. I missed my favorite Merry Man. I know he's probably been catching a lot of shit about me being gone, so I want to clue him in. He's under strict orders not to tell anyone, Especially Lula. She couldn't keep a secret to save her life.
I walked out of the Women's Barracks dressed in my Class A's. I think I look pretty good. I've definitely become more toned in the past weeks. I have the women's equivalent of a six-pack. I am aware of my surroundings and I know my way around a gun range. The Merry Men would be proud. I really should have invited them all, but I didn't want any of this to get back to Ranger. He didn't want to be apart of my life, so he doesn't need to know about it.
I was so busy making sure my uniform was on correctly that I ran into a new friend of mine. "Oh shit, sorry Reynolds."
Damien Reynolds, or Reynolds as he's known here, has been in my group since the beginning of Basic Training. We became friends almost immediately, and have had each other's back ever since.
He laughed. "God damn Plum, what where you're going, will ya?"
I gave him a burg glare. "Do I look alright Reynolds? It's been awhile since I've had to be presentable for anyone other than a bunch of guys."
"You look fine plum. We better get a move on, or Drill Sgt. Hoover will have our asses."
We joined the others in formation and got ready to march onto the field. There were seats set up for us as well as the guests. Up until now, I wasn't nervous at all, but at the thought of seeing my friends again for the first time since being here, made me sweat. Would they be proud of me? Would they see me as the same old failure Stephanie?
"Snap out of it Plum." Reynolds whispered in my ear.
Shit. Get a grip Plum, I thought to myself.
Once we were standing in front of the guests, I spotted my group of friends immediately. Adam and his father were seated next to each other along with Eagle. Tank sat a few seats down with a grinning Lester.
What the hell? Lester? How did he know I was here? I'll have to ask later. I hope Ranger didn't find out.
The only person I didn't see was my dad. He was the one person I wanted to be here more than anything. He's always supported me no matter what.
I didn't have much time to dwell on it, because the Drill instructors started talking.
Once the instructors were finished talking about how great the group of soldiers were, Drill Sgt. Hoover announced a guest speaker. A well respected person in the Army. "I give you retired Lt. Colonel Frank Plum, known to his comrades as Falcon."
Holy shit, no wonder they didn't tell anyone who the guest speaker would be.
Reynolds leaned over and whispered in my ear. "You have some explaining to do Plum. Are you related to Falcon? Is he your uncle or something?"
"No, he's my father."
He looked at me in awe. "You're fucking with me, right? Falcon is your dad?"
I glared at him. "I think I know who my own father is, Reynolds. Pay attention to what he has to say instead of giving me the third degree."
He shut up for the moment. We both turned our attention back to the podium.
My dad looked my way and gave me a nod. "I'm here today to give this group of young men and women some advice on the career path they have chosen. I've seen and done a lot in my twenty years as a solider and leader in the United States Army, so It's only fitting that I share some of that with you. I started out as nothing and worked my way up the ranks to be one of the most respected men to serve this country. I got there by working hard, and paying attention. You will not get anywhere in this world without working together. Take the time to get to know your peers, and listen to what they have to say. Nothing good comes out of thinking you're better than anyone else.
I not only came here today as a retired Sergeant Major, but as a Father. My daughter is one of the people here today entering the life of a soldier.
I welcome you all into the United States Army with congratulations. Especially my daughter, Private Stephanie "Little Falcon" Plum.
Thank you."
Everyone clapped and cheered. I'm still having trouble believing my dad is such a respected person in the Army's eyes. He has just been dad to me.
We were all announced by name and when it was my turn there was lots of cheering. Figures my cheering section would be the loudest. I could hear Adam screaming "Way to go Gorgeous!" and his dad saying, "I knew you could do it little falcon." Of course Tank and Lester were screaming, "We love you bombshell! Great job!"
After the ceremony I made my way through the crowd to my friends.
I made it to Adam and Manny first. "You're looking good Gorgeous." I gave him a big hug. "I feel good Adam. I feel like a whole new person."
Manny enveloped me in a big bear hug. "I'm so proud of you my dear. I knew you could do it."
I gave him a big smile. "Thank you so much for talking me into this."
Tank and Lester made their way over to me whistling. "Way to go bombshell."
"Thanks guys. It's so good to see you." Tank gave me a big hug and whispered "He'd be so proud of you Steph."
I'm guessing he was talking about Ranger.
Then he passed me off to Lester. "I've missed you, beautiful. It hasn't been the same without you."
I was beginning to tear up. Some of the guys here didn't have anyone at all and I had this great group of people to see me. "I missed you guys too. It's been a long nine weeks."
Just then my dad appeared. "I'm so proud of you Pumpkin. I'm happy to have you follow in my footsteps."
My dad is usually never so talkative. I could get used to it.
"Thanks dad. It means a lot to hear that from you."
He pulled me into a hug and placed a kiss on my temple.
"Hey Plum, what are you doing tonight? A bunch of us guys were thinking of going to that karaoke bar we went to a few weeks ago. Everyone's been asking about you. Wondering when you're coming back to sing!"
Crap. A few weeks ago on one of our off nights, me and some of the guys snuck off to a karaoke bar in Rolla. There isn't crap to do in the towns surrounding Fort Leonard Wood, so we had to go some place else.
I hadn't sung karaoke since college and figured I couldn't be that bad. I ended up kicking everyone's Asses. Actually Damien and I did. We did a few duets together and did a few solos. I try not to brag, but the guys mostly do it for me.
I thought about it for a second. "Only if my friends can come. What do you say guys? Do you want to come out with us tonight?"
"Sure bombshell, we don't have to be on the road until tomorrow morning. The boss thinks we're doing research on a job." Tank replied.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Good. Ranger doesn't know anything about this. Hopefully Lester can keep his mouth shut.
"I promise I won't say a word, Beautiful." Lester chuckled.
Shit! I've got to stop saying things like that out loud!
Adam wrapped his arm around my waste. "Count me in, Gorgeous. Now you've got me curious about that voice of yours." He placed a soft kiss to my lips.
Damn, I missed his kisses. Too bad we're just going to be friends.
I guess I'm still easy to read because Adam leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "That can all change, just say the words."
Damn.
I tried to ignore him. "Dad, Manny, Eagle? Do you guys want to come along?"
Dad replied first. "I've got to get home to your mom sweetheart. She's probably ironed the whole house by now." He shook his head and laughed.
I never thought about that. "Its ok daddy, I'm just glad you got to be here today."
He smiled. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Eagle and I have to be getting back to El Paso. It was nice to see you again Stephanie. I hope you'll visit soon. Isabel was sorry she couldn't make it, but she sends her love."
I was totally caught up in everything I forgot about Isabel. "Tell her I say Hello, and when I get a chance I'll visit."
"Will do, Stephanie." Manny said.
"It was a pleasure seeing you again Little Falcon. I can't think of a better person to carry on that name. Are you taking a bit of leave before going on to the next part of your training?" This came from Eagle who stood by Manny.
I planned on taking a week leave and settling some things in Trenton. I just didn't plan on staying more than a day or two.
"I was planning on flying to Trenton for a few days. I only have a week leave. But now that Tank and Lester are here I was hoping to catch a ride back with them."
I gave them my best smile, hoping to convince them to let me ride along.
"No Problem Steph. It will be nice to catch up with you." Tank said.
"Thanks big guy. It saves me a little cash, and I get to hang out with two of my favorite merry men."
Reynolds cut in. "Ok, now that that's all settled, how about we all meet up in at six and head to Rolla?"
"Fine with me, See you all at six."
It's going to be a great night. A bunch of awesome friends, Alcohol and karaoke, what more could a girl want?
Ranger suddenly passed through my thoughts. Don't you dare Plum! I told myself. If he wanted you, he wouldn't have walked away.
Now…. onto the important things…. what to wear?
Chapter 19I only went to basic training with one other girl. Jessica Thompson. She hated my guts. You'd think since we were the only two women in a large group of men, we would bond. Nope. I think since I bonded immediately with the guys, she was jealous. She assumed I was sleeping with every guy I talked to, especially Damien. She apparently had a huge crush on him and thought I stole him from her. Yeah, Damien would hit on me occasionally, but I've made it clear since we met that I'm not interested in getting involved.
Since my current accommodations have been the barracks, I'm staying at the same hotel as Tank, Lester and Adam. Of course they didn't have any more rooms available so I'm rooming with Adam. I thought it would be uncomfortable, but we seem to be getting along fine. Adam and I had dinner with Manny and Eagle then went shopping. I only had what they allowed me at the barracks, and needed an outfit for tonight.
I decided on tight flare jeans with black stiletto boots and a tight white t-shirt with a black form-fitting vest. I'm glad I didn't bring anything with me; I dropped two dress sizes, so nothing I had from home would fit me anyway.
Adam and I took turns showering and I managed to be in and out in ten minutes. All my army training is paying off. That or I'm used to only getting a few minutes to get ready.
We met up with Tank and Lester a little before six. "Damn Beautiful." Lester said as I walked up to the SUV.
"I take that as approval of my attire?" I threw back at him.
"You'd have my approval no matter what you were wearing Steph."