Thank you for reading. Another one is at an end and now I'm on to my other stories. Happy Labor Day.

Lee Anne

A Family Affair

Chapter 12

Leaving Philadelphia, the over-board, security enhanced Mercedes was heading towards Trenton with the newlyweds, a baby girl happy for a car ride, and Grandma Mazur. She spent the afternoon slot hopping at the casino and slept at the opposite end of the hall from the suite she shared with Stephanie and Addison. She was deposited on the Plum's doorstep with her collection of edible underwear and slot winnings. She was heading straight to the computer to list her autographed 'undies' on EBAY, she needed funding for a casino trip to Monte Carlo.

The next stop was Rangeman to exchange the overnight bags from Philadelphia for suitcases packed courtesy of Ella and a fresh supply of formula and disposable diapers. Passports were tucked in a pocket of Ranger's bag. The Mercedes was unpacked and the reinforced Cayenne was loaded with the things for a house hunting honeymoon in Point Pleasant.

"We'll be back in about three weeks," Ranger told his second-in-command before he turned the key in the ignition.

"We'll be here," Tank replied watching the happy newlyweds and baby pull out of the garage. Stephanie had her husband detour slightly making a stop before Point Pleasant.

"Ring the bell, Baby Girl," Stephanie said guiding Addison's finger to the doorbell of a simple two-story red brick house.

Waiting on the porch, they heard someone unlocking the front door.

"Stephanie, is everything all right?" a saddened and concerned Isabel Manoso asked. Her dark eyes were red from crying.

"Everything is fine, Isabel. I have someone for you," she choked. Stephanie knew how her grief was wearing her down before Ranger returned and she could hardly begin to imagine what it was like for his Cuban parents losing their youngest child. She tugged on a strong arm and Ranger stepped into his mother's sight.

Her Mocha latte hands grabbed her son feeling the warm body under them. "Carlos! Oh, Carlos!"

"It's me, Momma," Ranger was hugging his sobbing mother and attempting to step into the house before the neighborhood saw or heard.

"Isabel," Mr. Manoso called out hurrying to comfort his grieving wife stopped seeing the happy reason why she was crying. "Son?"

"Hi, Poppa. The government construed things a little."

Stephanie punched his arm. "Who? We wanted you to hear it from Ranger before the government announced his 'death' was a mistake."

"Ouch, Babe," he said rubbing his upper arm. "OK, I had some help faking my death."

His mother was flabbergasted. "What? You did this on purpose! This poor girl!"

"Momma, I know! I'm making up for it," Ranger raised his voice hoping to get a word in the conversation. He knew what would calm Isabel Manoso down in a second. He held up Stephanie's left hand.

"You got married! It's about time you got off the Cuban pot! Welcome to the family!" Mrs. Manoso was rocking Stephanie in a bear hug. "You were a part of it before this and our beautiful granddaughter."

"She is a beauty, Son," Ricardo Sr. stated something everyone was aware of and in particular her possessive father. Ranger did give Addison up so his father could hold her. "Now, explain everything to us."

"He's alive! Carlos is alive!" Isabel was punching buttons on the cordless phone yelling into the phone then immediately calling another speed-dial number.

As Ranger was relating the details of his 'stupid' plan after his cover was blown, this brother and sisters who lived locally were charging in the Manoso front door to see for themselves their brother was back from the dead. He had to stop relating the story to hug them.

"The assassination of President Cosgrove was foiled by Stephanie and her Grandmother Edna. She hit him with a baby bottle before he was able to get off another shot and Rooh ul Qist recognized me. Edna stunned the damp terrorist with a miniature stun gun hidden in her purse.

"I bet that was shocking," the older Ricardo joked. "Wait, when did you get married? There was a wedding after at the Liberty Bell Center reported on TV. It was you and Stephanie!" He put the remaining pieces together.

The Noon News was about over when the anchor paused to relay something. "This came into the 'Action News Station' a short time ago," Stormy Wither reported, "A statement was issued by the State Department. Over a week ago it was reported the owner of Rangeman, Security Expert and Bounty Hunter Carlos Manoso was killed in an explosion in Tripoli." A picture of Ranger in his Bad Ass black uniform with a handcuffed skip was on the screen. "Due to mix-up in identification and unable to identify himself due to his injuries, Carlos Manoso was reported as having died, but after intense verification, the government confirmed Carlos Manoso is alive. A wrong identification was made previously. Let's go to Ed Brimley for an update on this developing story."

"Thanks, Stormy!" A wide-eyed crazed reporter was on the screen. "Can you believe it? Well known bounty hunter and businessman, Carlos Manoso isn't dead! Those crooks out there were breathing a sigh of relief, but misguided! I'm here at the childhood home of Stephanie Plum. Nicknamed by Trenton as the Bombshell Bounty Hunter and girlfriend of Ranger Manoso as he is known!" His crazy face and unruly hair were filling the television screen. The camera showed him knocking on the Plum's front door.

It opened with a microphone held up to the storm door. "Are you Mr. Plum, the father of the Bombshell Bounty Hunter?"

"Yes, why?" Frank bellowed stepping onto the front porch.

"It is true? Carlos Manoso, the boyfriend of your daughter, Stephanie Plum, Trenton Bounty Hunter and all around scary guy, Carlos 'Ranger' Manoso is alive?"

Cool as a cucumber like he was interviewed all the time, Frank said confidently, "Yes, he is. We are extremely grateful Ranger is alive. My daughter and granddaughter flew to an undisclosed hospital to be by his side while he makes a full recovery."

Ed Brimley's face was hogging the camera again. "Take that bad guys! Your worst nightmare is coming back!"

The storm door flies open with Grandma Mazur shuffling out in pearls and a bright purple dress.

"Who are you?" the reported asked.

"Edna Mazur. M-A-Z-U-R," she spelled her last name. "I'm Stephanie's grandmother."

"What do you think about Bounty Hunter, Carlos Manoso, be alive?"

"Ain't that a pip?" Grandma hooted waving an old lady arm. "Woo Hoo! You can't kill a looker like that with that kind of package!"

"Do you know where they are?"

"Sure," Grandma said right into the camera. "The moment Stephanie arrived at Ranger's beside, they were married right there on the spot! They got hitched and are on their honeymoon as he recuperates. There's a news flash for you!" Grandma was pointed a finger right into the news camera. "How do I look on TV? This dress is slimming I was told."

"Sir, is this true?" Ed Brimley and his microphone were in Frank's face.

Mr. Plum jumped back as the reporter was invading his personal space. "I won't confirm or deny that. You will need to wait for a statement from Ranger and Stephanie regarding their marital status. She's a loon. Don't listen to her," he waved a hand at his mother-in-law.

"I'll give you a loon!" Grandma shook a fist at her son-in-law.

"Frank, who got married?" Ellen Plum asks from the storm door.

Grandma shouts at her, "Your daughter and the bounty hunter!"

"WHAT?" Ellen shrieks. The camera catches her fainting and dropping to the entry floor.

"Ellen, get up. Mrs. Bertuli will see this on the 6 O'clock news. You can't take a nap now!"

Ed was hogging the TV screen again. Grandma and Frank were shoving each other in the background not too concerned about Ellen. His green eyes were wilder still up close to the camera. "You have it first hand from this ace reporter, Carlos Manoso is alive and it appears from these sources a married man! Bad guys enjoy your vacation while it lasts! Ranger Manoso will be BACK! This is Ed Brimley reporting from 'THE BURG!"

Ranger, Stephanie, and his family were laughing at the news report.

Stephanie was giggling with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Ranger, I think Ed Brimly has a fascination with you."

"That was a good picture of you, Son."

Ranger was still chuckling at the news report and Stephanie's family. He was taking the teasing with a raised eyebrow. "'Babe, your family will never change."

"Nope and you're permanently part of it now!"

With some difficulty, the newlyweds and daughter extricated themselves from his happy Cuban family celebrating Ranger's return and made it to Point Pleasant. It took three days touring houses with a second real estate agent; the first showed them a house in a retirement community thinking the man on the phone sounded old. He was abandoned at the shuffleboard court. The second one listened to their requirements. Stephanie wanted a house with no more than four bedrooms. She didn't want a mansion. Ranger wanted to build sand castles. Myrtle Finch thought that was a nice hobby.

"I know you wanted to be in Point Pleasant, but I wanted to show you this one. It was just listed," Myrtle explained directing Ranger to Mantoloking. The real estate agent didn't question why the castle builder insisted on driving, but the back door of his black SUV was heavy to open. "Maybe it will give me a better idea of the perfect beach property you want to purchase."

The plain cedar shingled Dutch Colonial house didn't impress Ranger from the driveway and was thinking a box trip might be order for the grey haired lady. It was a private beach community so she did have that going for her. Coming up the steps from the lower entry, Ranger and Stephanie both looked at each other, out the wall of glass was sand and ocean waves. He and Addison went right out the French doors to the warm sand now between the Cuban toes. Stephanie toured the house without her husband. Father and daughter found a beach chair in a shaded spot by the barbeque pit to watch the ocean.

By the look on Stephanie's face when she came out to join Ranger, he told Myrtle, "We'll take it." He also cancelled her trip to the unknown.

The three of them left the next morning for a honeymoon in the Bahamas. Stephanie, Ranger, and Addison would be back in one week to finalize everything. He left everything in the competent hands of his attorney and Rangeman accountants so all they had to do was sign papers and shop for furniture. Some furniture came with the house, but Stephanie Manoso's very own black credit card was waiting when they returned.

FOUR YEARS LATER:

Stephanie walked out their beach house heading for the big colorful umbrella down by the blue waves. "Addie, what are you doing to Daddy?"

The ruins of a sand castle were still in the sand not having been washed away. Their daughter in her yellow bathing suit was dumping buckets of sand on Ranger's legs. His toes were stinking up out of the sand. Scotty, their black Scotty dog was running at the water's edge.

"I buryin' Daddy."

"Why?"

She looked up with her father's eyes and wavy dark hair, but her mother's 'Burg' attitude telling her Mommy, "Cause I want too!"

"Addie wants too, Babe," Ranger laughed from his sitting position. His arms reached up for Dylan, their son who joined the family in early spring.

The little girl watched mother spread a blanket and open the small soft cooler. "Whatcha got, Mommy?"

"A peanut butter and jelly sandwich and apple juice for you, Addie," she told her. Taking a break from burying Ranger in the sand, she sat down on the blanket.

Stephanie handed her husband his 'PBJ' and a bottle of water. A fresh pan of cool water went into the sand beside them for their messy dog.

"This is the best lunch, huh, Daddy."

He waited for Stephanie to find her spot before he took a bite. "You bet, Baby Girl."

Today was their fourth anniversary. Since buying the shingled Dutch Colonial, Ranger gave raises to Tank, Bobby, and Lester, not that they weren't paid well before. And more responsibility to his two friends. Ranger worked most weeks Monday thru Thursday at Rangeman; he, Stephanie, Addison, and now Dylan with their Scotty dog, Scotty, left for the weekend in Mantoloking at the end of his work week for long weekends at the beach. Their someday was more than Ranger ever expected. He had been thinking about the words President Cosgrove said at their wedding as he was being covered in sand, they were true. The simple thing of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the beach with his family was his perfect someday. They were filled with love and would always be theirs.

The End.

P. S.-Some crazy fool paid Grandma $1.5 million for her signed edible undies on EBAY. She went to Monte Carlos and hit a jackpot. Not only did she win money, but met Clive, a British Sean Connery impersonator. They travel around to casinos all the time. They were taking a bus from Atlantic City to babysit tonight so Ranger and Stephanie could go out for their anniversary.