Eliza Higgins and Henry Doolittle
What if fate had dealt the cards just a little bit differently?
O~O~O
Chapter 13
As Stephanie was loading the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher, there was a knock on the front door and excitement darted through her thinking Ranger may have come back already for some reason.
She was disappointed to see two men in dark blue suits when she opened the door. They were from the F.B.I. and spent forty minutes questioning her about Pete Saffron and the events that took place at Stella's house. They confirmed the amount of the rewards and told her to expect the money in two weeks or less.
Once they were gone, she showered, dressed in jeans and a light blue t-shirt, then changed the sheets and made her bed.
Grabbing her purse from the dresser, she perched on the end of the bed and pulled out the envelope from Stella, finally drumming up the courage to open it. Inside was a note and half of a rather large medallion with words etched on it. She read the note first.
Dearest Stephanie,
It was wonderful to see you and speak with you, but I'm afraid I must leave now. I've been here longer than I originally planned and I'm needed elsewhere.
I wish you much happiness and many blessings with your Carlos. He will protect you and care for you without diminishing your identity and your love for him will cause him to always strive to be the most honorable of men. He adores you and desires you above all others and your love and passion for him will know no bounds.
The enclosed medallion piece will help the two of you over some of the bumpy patches along the way. You'll soon see how.
Much love to you, my child,
Stella
The note was so sweet, it almost brought tears to Stephanie's eyes. She folded it up and slid it back in the envelope. Picking up the medallion, she tried to read the words, but since half of them were missing, she couldn't decipher the message. She tucked it back in the envelope with the note. Standing and crossing the room, she slid the envelope into her lingerie drawer, tucking it under a scented sachet.
Back downstairs in her office, she checked her voicemail messages and started the two remaining searches she needed to complete. While the searches were building, she went to the kitchen and pulled five steaks from the freezer to thaw and checked to see how many frozen hamburger patties she had leftover from her last cookout. There were twelve of them which she figured would be plenty.
She started a large pot of water boiling to cook macaroni for macaroni salad. She knew she had cheese and crackers to make up a tray to snack on. She decided when her searches were finished, she'd head out to the deli to see what else she could find for the cookout. When she got home, she'd make deviled eggs.
r/s/r/s
A little over four hours later, Stephanie left the deli and decided to stop by the bonds office to say hello to Connie. It was only a few blocks away.
"Steph!" Connie said with a big grin. How the heck are you? I've been meaning to call you."
"I'm doing well," Stephanie told her. "A little pissed off at the moment, but I'll get over it."
"Who or what is pissing you off?"
Stephanie leaned on the counter in front of Connie's desk. "I just left the deli. I'm having company tonight and wanted some of their butter brickle bars, but they were all out. I love those things!"
"Oh yeah, those things are heavenly, but they go fast. The deli opens at 8 a.m. and I swear those things are gone by 9 a.m. They should make bigger batches."
"I agree. So, were you going to call me for any particular reason?"
Before Connie could answer, Stephanie felt a tingle at the back of her neck and heard the front door open. Both women looked up to see Ranger entering the office, a body receipt clenched in his right hand with his keys.
His face lit up when he saw Stephanie. "Babe," he said, hurrying to where she stood. He put an arm around her shoulders, squeezed her gently and kissed her head. He loosened his grip but kept his arm around her. Glancing up, he acknowledged Connie and handed her his body receipt.
"Babe," he said, turning his head back to Stephanie, "you look a little sad, is everything okay?"
Stephanie smiled. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just crying on Connie's shoulder because the deli is out of butter brickle bars. It's a tragedy, you know."
Ranger and Connie laughed at the forlorn look on her face. "Babe, it's not considered a tragedy until Lifetime makes a movie about it."
Stephanie chuckled and bumped him with her hip. "Wise guy."
It took Connie a little longer than usual to write out Ranger's check because she kept trying to steal glances at the two of them. There was definitely something going on there.
Suddenly, Stephanie had an idea. Grabbing Ranger's arm she said, "Can I see you outside for a minute?"
Ranger gave her a brief nod and still holding his arm, Stephanie led him out to the alley that ran between the bonds office and the next building over. Pushing him back against the building, she stood up on her tiptoes and cupped his face, pulling him closer for a long, heated kiss.
When they finally broke apart to get some air, Ranger gave her a sexy grin. "Wow, what was that for?"
"I just missed you," Stephanie said breathlessly. "I need to ask you a question too."
"Anything, Steph, just ask."
"Would you mind if I invite Connie to the cookout tonight? I'll be the only female there with four Army guys if I don't. Not that I mind, but I thought it would be nice to have someone else there I know."
"Steph, you didn't need to check with me about that. It's your house. Invite whomever you like. I think Connie is a neat lady and it would be nice to have her there. I'm thinking she's just Bobby's type, but I'm not into matchmaking, so please don't repeat that," he said with a wink.
Ranger gently took her by the arms and turned her around. This time Stephanie was the one with her back against the building as Ranger pressed into her and kissed her with a lot of passion and tongue. Stephanie tightened her arms around his neck when she felt her knees grow weak and Ranger tightened his arms around her to support her.
His heart was racing fast and he wanted her so badly. He loved the way she responded to him and only pulled away when he could no longer deny his need for oxygen. Resting his forehead against hers, he breathed slowly and deliberately and finally loosened his hold on her. Leaning back to look into her eyes, he could see that her desire for him was as strong as his for her.
"I told the guys to be at your house at six," he told her. "But I thought I'd come by about five so we could have a little time alone together before they arrive. I can help you get things ready and light the fire for the grill."
Stephanie fanned her face with her hand. "If anyone can light a fire, it's you, Studly."
"Babe."
"Okay, okay, I'll come up with something else," she said with a grin.
Back inside the bonds office, Connie gave Ranger his check and the two woman watched as he walked out the door. They couldn't not watch, the man's ass was incredible.
Stephanie cleared her throat and Connie tore her gaze from the window and grinned as she looked at Stephanie. "So, you two are seeing each other?"
Steph couldn't help the wide smile that split her face. "Yep."
Connie rolled her eyes. "Yep? You've gotta give me more than yep. What's he like? Is he good in bed?"
"Connie!"
"Damn it, Stephanie! You don't have to give details, although I'd be all ears if you did, just throw me some tidbits."
Stephanie shrugged, not sure what to say. "He's great. Sweet, kind, gorgeous, great kisser ... the whole package."
"Yeah, and what a package!" Connie said, with a dreamy look on her face.
"Watch it, toots," Stephanie pretended to scold her. "That's my package. However, he's coming over to my house for a cookout tonight and bringing three of his Army buddies. I thought you might like to join us."
Connie's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Any of them hold a candle to him?"
"I haven't met them yet, but with three of them to choose from, I think you should come check them out. They'll be there at six," Steph told her.
"I'll be there at six too," Connie said with a grin plastered on her face.
O/O/O
At five o'clock on the dot, Ranger knocked at Stephanie's front door. She swung open the door to find him with his arms full of grocery bags.
"What is all this?" Steph asked, stepping aside to let him in.
Ranger headed to the kitchen and put the bags down on the counter. "Just a few things I picked up for tonight. I know you said you didn't need me to buy anything, but I stopped at the store for something I needed, then just started putting things in my cart, like a man possessed."
Stephanie laughed and started to unload the bags. "Holy cow! There's a lot of stuff here. We'll never go through all the food between what I have ready and what you brought."
Ranger reached into one of the bags while Stephanie was preoccupied with his purchases and pulled out a smaller bag, hiding it in her freezer before she could see it.
Crossing the room and taking the coffee cake box from her, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a soft, but lingering kiss. Breaking it off, he said, "We don't have to eat everything tonight. I'm sure whatever is left over won't go to waste."
"True," Stephanie agreed, reaching around him and grabbing the coffee cake box again. "This looks delicious," she said dreamily, staring through the clear plastic top. "Is raspberry your favorite coffee cake flavor?"
"Babe, I don't usually eat things like coffee cake. At least not on a regular basis. All that sugar is bad for you. I just brought some sweet things for everyone else.
"You're an angel," she told him, slipping from his arms to empty the other bags. "Ooh, homemade chocolate chip cookies, Ritz crackers and ham and cheese logs, baked beans from the deli, spicy hot wings and honey barbecue wings with ranch dip, homemade overstuffed ravioli from Giovichinni's. Man, you went all out here."
Ranger shrugged. "I want tonight to be special. My best friends are meeting my best girl and I want everyone to relax and have fun. Which reminds me, I need to get the beer and ice from the truck. I'll be right back." Giving her a chaste kiss on her cheek, he disappeared from the kitchen.
While she waited for him to return, she pulled some large plastic bowls from the cupboards and filled two with potato chips and two with tortilla chips. She then poured salsa into some smaller bowls and started arranging a tray with cheese and crackers. She already had sliced cheese and chunk cheese and now she had Ranger's ham and cheese logs to add to the tray. With three different types of crackers and four kinds of cheese, the results were pretty and looked very appetizing.
She heard a noise in the back yard and crossed the kitchen to open the sliding glass door to the patio. She found Ranger loading cans of beer and Coke and diet Coke into two coolers along with some bags of ice.
Once that chore was out of the way, he dumped charcoal into the base of the large grill and got the fire going.
Stephanie covered the picnic table with a large plastic red and white checkered tablecloth then started carrying out paper plates, utensils, condiments and the chips and appetizers. Ranger was at the kitchen counter sprinkling salt and pepper on the hamburger patties and rubbing a dry rub into the steaks. Stephanie got a sharp knife and started slicing tomatoes and onions for the burgers.
Everything was under control when Connie showed up at 5:55 and the guys at 5:59. Ranger made the introductions and ushered everyone to the back yard. Spirits were high and everyone was smiling. Who could resist a cookout with good friends and good food?
A/N - Sorry to cut this chapter off at an odd point, but if I didn't, it would be another 24 hours before you got a new chapter. I apologize for getting a bit behind and want to thank all of you once again for your excellent reviews. I love them!