-1A Wish Come True
Chapter 6
"Now what are you doing?" Tank asked helping Ranger put newly purchased mats in the back of his Cayenne.
"Teaching Delaney and her friends karate. It's good for hand-eye coordination. The Internet says."
"Uh Huh. It sounds like a plan to be in Philadelphia more to me." Tank was standing there with his hands on his hips.
"I'm being a father. Delaney wants to play baseball and I'm helping her train."
Dark brown eyes were staring at him. "These are little kids, not the next batch of super spies or Army trainees. Go easy on them."
"Delaney's already thinks fast and my daughter is not doing what we have done. She plans on driving the Rangeman rig."
"So we can see the two Rangeman stills you have funded with gambling winnings." That cracked Tank up.
"Yeah."
"I'm beginning to like my job around here. Delaney has made you fun."
"Watch it, Tank."
"Ho Ho will call Delaney."
Ranger quirked an eyebrow at his friend. "Rudder getting settled in?"
"Yes, but Bobby and Lester calmed down when Luis started painting their apartments since the new guy is in Stephanie's old apartment on 4. They were jealous he got the nice apartment. They arranged their furniture just the way Stephanie and Delaney had it. They're going for cozy and they bought a magazine on using flea market fines for decorating."
The boss shook his head, "I don't want to know. I'm thinking those two should marry each other. Hector will be helping me with the security installation at 'The Quiet Corner in a couple of days. He ordered some components."
"I figured you would get Stephanie to agree to one eventually. See you tomorrow." Tank waved as his best friend got behind the wheel.
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Driving the twenty-five miles to Philadelphia, Ranger knew a smile was on his face, he felt it. He did that a lot lately. After their daughter was asleep in her bedroom, he and Stephanie went to bed. This time it wasn't just to sleep. They made love very slowly, every inch of her body was so much better than Ranger remembered. It was still soft, but the curves where that of the mother of his child. Stephanie wasn't the beautiful fresh faced college graduate he met, she had grown-up as he had done, but now she was an exquisite, confident woman.
He still felt the touch of her gentle finger tips on the small scar on his thigh left by the gun shot in Gatlinburg and the one on his arm. None of the other markings that remained from old injuries stood out in the Cuban man's mind. He knew how he received them and where, but those two were like tokens. If he never had taken that assignment, Ranger wondered how long it would have taken him and Stephanie to find each other in Trenton. He may have recognized her picture in the newspaper, but would they have made contact? It was possible, maybe at some point, but that would have been more time he wouldn't have been Delaney's father. No, Ranger looked on those two scars as their second chance.
In talking about how they should go from there, he would come to Philadelphia mid-week if his schedule allowed and stay over-night with them and on the week-ends. He wanted to be there everyday and night, but Ranger would be patient. Stephanie was independent and finding her footing in this life she decided on for her, Delaney, and the dog, and Ranger wasn't stupid enough to think she would give it up so he could take care of them. The Cuban Bad Ass could adapt to it and dessert, Stephanie could incorporate salads couldn't she? Or, he would be running back and forth to Trenton. One thing was very apparent to Ranger, he was crazy in love. This was new territory for him and he wanted to explore with his two Babes.
Ranger parked in the drive of the flower shop so later he could unload the mats, but coming out of the flower shop door after the lights went out and it was locked were Stephanie and Ghost.
"Delaney's bus should be coming," Stephanie told Ranger right before their lips met.
"Babe."
They walked with her gloved hand in his by her mailbox where she got the mail. The white dog was waiting on the sidewalk by the garage. His tail began wagging hearing the sound of an approaching school bus.
Delaney was the third one off behind two other children. Billy and Lindsey were right behind her.
"Mom! Dad!" The little girl saw them standing on the sidewalk and came running. She petted Ghost with a mitten covered hand as he ran next to her.
"Hey, Shark!"
The two other children caught up and their mothers were walking up the sidewalk.
"Lindsey and Billy can join our karate training, Dad. Their Moms said so."
Ranger jogged to his SUV and took something out, "Well, take these home and make sure they fit." He handed the boy and girl white Do-Gis with their names written on the belts that held the bundle together and one with 'Delaney' on it. "I had Ella wash them a few times so they were soft."
"Ella," Delaney explained to her friends, "takes care of Dad when he's not here and his other friends that work for his company. They're guys so they need help."
Stephanie said, "Delaney!"
"Mom, Grandma Mazur said without a girl, a boy couldn't find his socks." She lifted Ranger's jeans. "See, Dad got socks on. I bet Ella puts the clean ones where he could find them. Momma Petunia pins hers together. It did take three Wise Men to find the Baby Jesus. I would have used my GPS in my Rangeman rig."
No one doubted Delaney's logic and the adults were laughing at her. "Yes, Delaney, Ella puts my socks away," Ranger admitted because his daughter knew it was true. "I got the mats. We'll set everything up and figure out when would be a good evening for training."
"Cool!" All three children said at once.
Stephanie almost forgot to introduce Cass to Ranger, "Cass, this is Carlos. Delaney's father." Billy's mother was eying him up.
"Nice to meet you," Ranger shook hands with her.
Before the two mothers and children left for their warm homes, they thanked Ranger for his the karate outfits and training time. He was only too happy to do because that was extra time for him to be here with Stephanie and Delaney.
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Ranger wanted to take Stephanie and Delaney out to eat, but they stayed in for spaghetti. Two sisters had reservations for an evening of pampering so she needed to be at the bed and breakfast.
The pot of water was just on the stove when the doorbell rang. Stephanie ran for the door. Delaney and Ghost were waiting in the entry with Ranger watching over them.
"Hello, welcome to 'The Quiet Corner Bed and Breakfast'," Stephanie greeted the two women standing on the porch. "You must be Chrissy and Abby. Come in."
"I'm Chrissy," a petite woman with short red curly hair announced.
The woman beside her had teased brown hair that was dyed because there were some red roots showing. "I'm Abby."
"I'm Stephanie. This is my daughter, Delaney. Her father, Carlos, and this is Ghost. He's big but gentle."
"Wow, look at this place. Our brother passed the bar exam and tomorrow he is taking his oath. We want to be there for him," the red haired woman told them.
"This is the dining room. There is a brew station for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and I'll put out some snacks if you want. This is the sitting room if you want to relax outside of your rooms," the inn keeper explained. "I'll show you to your rooms." Stephanie started up the stairs with the women following and Delaney.
"One of you is in the room with the view," the little girl told them. "You can see the casino. My Grandma Mazur is a regular there."
"Carlos," Stephanie called back down, "Beth and Junie will be arriving for our guests' facials. Will you let them in for me?"
"Of course, Babe."
He just finished checking on the water and turned it off when the door bell rang again. Answering it, the two cosmetology students were staring back at the handsome man.
"You must be Junie and Beth. I'm Carlos, Delaney's father." Ranger grabbed a box one of the girls was holding.
"I'm Junie and this is Beth," a girl with dark strawberry streaks in her blonde hair enlightened him. "We're here to give facials and manicures."
"Stephanie let me know. Does this go up to the third floor?" Ranger knew by looking at their unusual hair colors they were cosmetology students. The other one who was taller had black hair with blue high lights. They must be good or Stephanie wouldn't have them in her B & B.
Following the two students, Ranger carried the box up to the third floor. He hadn't been up to this floor since his Babe moved to Philadelphia. The room was the perfect calm spa room with it's calm green walls, white trim, and fern prints around the walls. Fluffy towels were rolled on the shelves beckoning to be used. The girls began lighting candles and soft music filtered around the room recognizing birds and water that sounded like a forest. Junie turned on a mist machine for the facials and Beth was warming towels on a heated rack.
"Does Stephanie have anyone booked for Friday evening?" Ranger asked.
Beth opened a schedule book and shook her head.
"Can I book the full works for her?"
Junie made a suggestion, "Are you making this a couples' night? We can check if Aaron is available for a male massage."
Ranger thought about it and liked the idea. "Would we be able to make it a family one? Could Delaney get her nails painted?"
"I could paint her fingers and toes. She likes the cards so I could do diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs on them," Junie volunteered to do the little girl's nails.
Yup, that was his little girl.
Beth was on her cell phone, "Can you do a massage at the B & B on Friday night?"
"About 8," he figured on a time. "I'll pay for this myself," he said going over the price list, "and double since it will be the three of us."
Beth nodded saying, "8."
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While the sisters were getting beautified on the third floor, Stephanie, Ranger, and Delaney were eating dinner. It was even graced with big bowl of salad that a certain man of healthy foods was picking at.
"You don't like my salad?"
His eyebrow crooked, "I do, but." His eyes flicked up to the ceiling. Even though they were women, it was bothering him about strange people sleeping under Stephanie's roof.
"Carlos Manoso, I worked at Aunt Sarah's bed and breakfast and she never had any problems all those years. Well, there was one incident that I know happened."
He studied her and her serious blue eyes crinkled, "Some man with gun shots in him showed up!"
"Babe." He had to smirk at the reference to himself.
"This is completely opposite of you and what you do, and I understand that. The best way to find out if you can trust someone is to trust them. A person staying here is looking for comfortable, an at-home feel, not to hurt someone. Just like the sisters traveling alone, a B & B is more secure than a hotel in a place that is unfamiliar."
"I guess, Babe." Ranger still wasn't won over. He would feel better once the top-of-the-line security system was in place.
"Dad, me and Mom didn't know you when you was a swamp monster, but we helped. We didn't leave you in the mud for the lizards to crawl over. You let us stay in your building and you didn't know we were family. Just take a chance on spinning that big slots wheel. Lady Luck is lookin' out for you."
"Thanks, Delaney. I'm not a lizard kind of guy."
Stephanie choked on her water when an image of New Year's Eve in bed flashed in her head. "Really?"
"Babe."
WORD COUNT 2070