I awoke the next morning to the scent of Bvlgari shower gel, I stretched my arms across the bed but it was empty. I hesitated to open my eyes, knowing I would find the empty place next to me in the bed. Had I been dreaming last night? I forced my eyes open to confirm my arms had not missed him. The sheets were pulled tight over me and laid flat as if no one had slept there, but there was a vase of the tiniest daisies sitting on the night stand on what was Ranger's side of the bed.

The man had never given me flowers. Even when I was a bridesmaid and had to carry flowers down the aisle he had made a remark about how he was allergic to many stem flowers. Yet here was a large vase of delicate white and yellow flowers with a simple notecard leaning against them scrawled in what I knew was Ranger's handwriting. I ran my fingers across one of the tiny flowers as I read his note.

"Babe,

Had to take care of an account, didn't want to wake you. Breakfast is in the kitchen.

P.S.

These are feverfews, they are used to relieve headaches. Just in case yours lingered."

Breakfast? I climbed out of bed and padded into the kitchen. My headache was long gone and I felt as if I had slept well for the first time in weeks, which I had. On the counter was a small pink pastry box. I opened it to find a Boston Cream. I went to the fridge to see if there was anything in it and found a tray of fruit and a selection of juices. Leave it to Ranger to leave me healthy options when tempting me with sweets. I gave Rex a piece of Strawberry, he peaked out of his soup can just long enough to grab the fruit and hide again.

Pulling out my phone I dialed Ranger.

"Babe" his voice had an amused undertone that made me smile.

"Thank you." A simple response to his simple hello. I can't remember the last time I had received flowers or breakfast in bed. Okay, so it wasn't in bed. Ranger had purposefully made me get out of bed this morning with the temptation of breakfast, but it was close enough.

"You're Welcome. Let me guess, you have the doughnut in your hand?"

"Did you expect anything different?" Two could play this game.

"Babe" It was refreshing to hear him use his extensive Babe vocabulary again. And the smile that had crossed my face this morning did nothing but grow bigger.

"Everything okay at the office?" I asked as I took a bite of the doughnut, my mouth watering. Where on Earth did he get this magnificent creation?

"Yes. You know, I can make you moan like that too. Want me to come back over?" He teased. I stopped mid-chew, obviously I had vocalized my satisfaction of the doughnut out loud. My face turned six sheets of red.

"I'm okay." I mumbled before completely swallowing my mouthful of doughnut. Ranger just chuckled.

"I'm finishing up the paperwork; I have some free time this afternoon. Then I have to run recon at the funeral home tonight. Will you be my date?"

"You need a woman to patrol the ladies room again?"

"Possibly, but mostly I just like the company."

"Oh, okay. What time will you be by to pick me up?"

"Four, it's an early viewing and we can grab dinner on our way over. Wear the black dress."

We disconnected and I resumed eating my Boston Cream. It was eleven o'clock; I really had gotten a full night's sleep along with a partial morning. I decided to head over to the bonds office to see Connie and Lula and check for any new skips.

"Well look who the cat dragged in." Vinnie passed me on the sidewalk carrying a to-go bag in front of the office.

"Don't start with me Vinnie, or I'll tell Lucille you were at Stevie's Tuesday Night instead of your meeting." Stevie's was the local gentlemen's club Vinnie frequented. If his wife knew, she would have her dad, Harry the Hammer, make it impossible for Vinnie to ever again enjoy himself in that way.

"Got anything new for me?" I asked Connie as I bypassed Vinnie in the doorway with his mouth open.

"She done told you." Lulu added.

"Get to work; I don't pay you to harass me." Vinnie stormed into his office slamming the door.

"Someone done peed on his Cheerios this morning." Lula stood hands on hips in her snow leopard print spandex and purple sequins top that showed a little too much of her girls off.

"Stephanie ran into him last week when she picked up Tom Versuchi at Stevie's" Connie explained.

"That would do it, you threaten to tell his wife again?" She asked me, pointing her finger in my direction. I nodded and walked over to Connie's desk.

"It's a slow week, nothing new. Sorry Steph." Connie apologized.

"That's okay, I've got a Rangeman job tonight."

"Ooooooh, you got a Rangeman job? Or a Range man job?" Lula wiggled her eyebrows.

"It's a security detail at a viewing." I scoffed. Lula snuck her nose closer to me and lifted my hair.

"You smell like man, and I don't mean just any man, you smell like Ranger. You been doing the dirty with him? It's about time! Haven't I told you you need to move on and tap that?"

"I am not sleeping with Ranger!" I interrupted her.

"Not in the way you just described. But maybe I can help convince her" I heard the chimes over the door, but it had been too late. I slowly turned around to look at the door and nearly bumped into him.

"Hey Babe" He smiled.

Connie let out a long slow whistle and my face revisited those six shades of red they had been this morning, except this time much worse. All I could do was sigh in defeat.

"Here's the file you requested." Connie held a file out for Ranger. He leaned towards the desk with his chest in front of me; his body grazed mine in the motion causing a static electricity effect to overcome me. Ranger just smiled.

"Don't forget the black dress tonight." With one last look over his shoulders he smiled his 200 watt smiles and left the building.

Lula began fanning herself heavily with her hand. "I about passed out from the sexual tension that man exudes. He is one FINE work of art. What is wrong with you Stephanie? That man wants to make you sing and you just let him walk on out of here. If I were you I would run after him and do him in the street, I wouldn't care who is watching. I wouldn't even care if I went to jail for naked exposure."

"It's indecent exposure!" Vinnie called from his office.

"You would know! You done been caught for it before!" Lula yelled back. Actually, Vinnie had not been charged with indecent exposure, though this was to all of our surprise.

"She knows very well what Ranger is capable of. And honey, you do smell like Ranger." Connie gave me a sideways knowing smile.

"It's complicated." I argued.

"It always has been, but if you don't tell that man how you feel soon, you might implode." Connie had a point. The electric feeling Ranger had left me with was still buzzing over my body. If only I could get my brain to catch up to it.