Chapter 5

I walked over to Mac and the older couple that had their camper squished by a tree, holding out three steaming cups of coffee. "I know it's not much, but I figured you all could use a little pick me up this morning." The woman smiled and carefully took the cup for herself, as well as her husband after Mac grabbed his.

"Thanks Stephanie." Mac's grateful smile made me happy, and I couldn't help but watch as Vince and Ram along with a third man carefully dismantled the tree sitting on the camper as to not cause any further damage to any of the contents of the camper.

"I'm so sorry about the tree." I began, "I'm Stephanie and those two goofs over there are Ram and Vince."

"I can't thank those boys enough for helping us this morning. They helped us get out of the camper and called our son and the insurance for us." The husband rubbed the back of his neck with a weather worn hand with one hand before holding his other out to me. "I'm sorry, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Walter Penny and this is my lovely wife, Betty." As I shook hands with the man, I could tell his hands were used to seeing hard work. Calluses and cracks lined his hands, though his touch was gentle.

"It's nice to meet you, though I'm sorry it happened to be under these circumstances. Is there anything you need right now that I might be able to help with?"

"Oh, Dear. Thank you, but no. We've got things under control. We only live about 30 minutes away and thankfully the tree missed the truck. Our son Bart is here to help us with things. I appreciate the thought, Honey." Betty reached out and hugged me. I kinda froze, not knowing what to do. In a moment of faith in humanity, I hugged her back, though I wasn't too familiar with such outward displays of affection.

I watched as the guys, plus Bart, worked, cutting the tree trunk into pieces small enough to move off of the camper. As we chatted about the area, I was able to watch the men finish their task, bodies glistening with sweat as their muscles strained with the weight of the wooden rounds, they hucked to the side of the campsite. Mesmerized by all the sexy man muscle, I didn't even hear Betty sidle up to me, grinning from ear to ear.

"So, which of the two is yours?" I shook my head in confusion and whipped my head around to look at her, my hair falling into my face.

"Um... what now?" Yeah, I'm so eloquent. Insert facepalm right about now. "Oh, uh... neither. We work together."

"Honey. Don't try to pull the wool over these eyes. I see the way you look at them and I can't for the life of me figure out which one is yours."

"I mean it. We just work together." I stammered, trying not to be a bumbling idiot. "We work together, and I couldn't any way. Company policy." I tried to explain, but Betty gave me a knowing look.

"Well, if it's any consolation, they both keep glancing over here, looking like you hung the moon. If I were forty years younger, I'd give 'em both a run for their money." She giggled and patted me on the back. "I better go, I think that's my daughter-in-law coming up now." She indicated toward an inbound blue Prius with a cute young redhead behind the wheel. I took the empty coffee cups from her and watched her greet the young woman who then pulled out a small child from the backseat.

The little girl was just darling, with tiny pigtails sitting high on her head, a small, bright pink, floral dress and the smallest pair of Mary Jane shoes I had ever seen. My ovaries hurt watching them, and I yearned to hold my own child in my arms one day. Horrified at the direction my thoughts had gone, I shook myself out of my musings and took the coffee cups back to Bertie.

Just about eleven o'clock, Vince returned to Bertie, covered in sawdust, mud and filth. I had been scrolling through my phone lounging on the couch in the main area, waiting for the instant pot full of Harvest Apple Pork Stew to finish it's slow-release count down. He gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head as he headed for the shower. Just as the bathroom door closed, Ram came in just as filthy.

"Hey Angel. I saw you meet Walter and Betty. Aren't they just the nicest couple you've ever met?" He tugged his shirt over his head, exposing his mouthwatering abs to me once again, causing my brain to short circuit for a moment.

"We helped out Mac and his maintenance guy as much as we could. The playground's clear for the kids, the general store suffered some roof damage but the got it tarped over. Most of the roadways blocked by trees and downed branches are passable even in an extra wide camper like Bertie." He used the shirt to wipe off his face, giving me a front row seat to his rippling abs and pecs.

I may or may not have checked myself for drool. He leaned down, his face now at the same level as mine.

"I love when you look at me like that. It makes me feel like the sexiest man on the planet." Leaning in slowly, watching my reaction, he smirked the tiniest little bit before crashing his lips against mine. His soft, luscious lips brushed against mine, begging for reciprocation. Unable to deny him, I wrapped my arms around his neck, bringing him closer as our tongues began to draw along one another's in a sensual oral dance. Ram was a master of many, many things, and kissing was definitely one of them.

I could feel myself melting into him as his arms wrapped around my body, bringing me closer to him than ever before. Soft mewls of pleasure escaped when his teeth gently scraped the juncture of my neck and shoulder, causing a dampness in my panties that I didn't have up until right then. Some noise, indicating that had Vince walked out of the bathroom, startled me out of Ram's arms. I cleared my throat and touched my kiss swollen lips with wide eyes. What did I just do?! I needed to change the subject. And quick!

"I uh, I have... lunch about ready." My God! I needed to get it together. "We can eat once you finish getting cleaned up."

"Yes, Ma'am." His slow, sexy wink made my lower region clench in response.

Once Ram closed the bathroom door behind him, I hurried to the occupy myself at the kitchen counter, following the directions in the recipe I had found online earlier. I figured I didn't know how to really cook, but I could follow directions fairly well. Okay, I admit it. I suck at that too, but when I can watch and follow along with a video, I couldn't go wrong. I opened the instant pot and was blow away by the aroma from within. Five minutes later I had three bowls dished up and sitting on the table waiting for the guys to finish. Vince slipped into his seat after giving me another kiss to the top of my head.

"Smells amazing, Mama. I didn't know you could cook?" After blowing on it to cool it, he spooned some into his mouth. His eyes closed and a low moan filled the air, making me all warm and fuzzy inside. "Oh, my God. This is better than my mother's pork soup." A lopsided grin formed on my face in wonder as he kept shoveling it in faster and faster before the bowl was completely empty, well before Ram had joined us. He rose, patting his stomach before adding extra soup to Ram's bowl and then refilling his own.

"Thanks. I just followed the directions." I shrugged and dropped my head, hiding my blush. After tasting the soup, I could understand what he was talking about. It was absolutely fantastic.

"That smells gonzo." Ram announced as he kissed the side of my head, sliding into his seat only wearing a pair of boxers. Once he had dug in, he too, finished his bowl returning for a second helping. "You gotta save this recipe. It's a keeper for sure."

Lounging together on the couch later, we all sat with our hands over our bellies stuffed to the gills. "I wanted to go do something outdoors today, but between the mess the storm left and being full, I just want to lay down and nap."

"We could take a nap then head out for a walk later. I don't know how much trail we'll be able access around the lake, but we can check it out." Vince suggested. "Besides, I liked snuggling with you last night. It's been a while since we've seen you." A slow smile spread across his face. "I miss hanging out with you, Mama."

"Me, too. I gotta get my Angel snuggles in. We kinda missed out on spending time with you when we were in the wind the past few months."

"I missed you guys, too. Needless to say, I missed almost everyone. Almost." I frowned, not happy with thoughts about Ranger.

"So..." Vince grabbed my hand pulling me up and toward the king bed in the bedroom. "Not to kill the vibe we got going on around here, but can I ask what happened between you and the Bossman?"

"Yeah. I mean we know you called it quits with the cop, but what about Ranger?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest, he can go fuck himself sideways with a rusty drum of who gives a fuck."

"Wow." Ram reared back and looked deeply into my eyes. "That was harsh."

"You have no idea." Unable to stop myself from laying it all out, I started from the beginning. "Do you all know how I met Ranger?" Both shook their heads and their eyebrows drew down into scowls as I explained about Connie setting us up for a mentor-mentee relationship. I just continued from there, I told them about how I got Ranger shot in the leg, about how I got handcuffed to my shower rod, about 'The Deal' if he helped me get Decooch, etc. I told them everything. How after we slept together, he sent me back to Morelli. What he said. How he treated me.

I also told them about what he said, 'my life doesn't lend itself to relationships' and 'his kind of love comes with a condom, not a ring'. The guys were growling and gnashing their teeth by this point. Ram even began to pace as I continued to speak. I told them about what happened in Hawaii and the aftermath of that. I also told them about my run-ins with Scrogg and the Game Master. I also told them about the latest stalker and that entire fiasco. From start to finish, I even mentioned my sudden revelation about likening myself to property and feeling like a whore. At the end, I added about how I felt no better than Ranger because I had allowed him to act that way and had done nothing to stop him.

Ram grabbed me up into his arms, slammed his lips against mine in a brutal, emotionally charged kiss, before he unceremoniously dropped me into Vince's lap and ran out the door in a rage. Tears filled my eyes as I looked to Vince for clarification of what had just occurred.

"It's okay Mama. He's just upset and mad at Ranger. He's NOT mad at you in any way shape or form." I settled against his chest, allowing his arms to hold me tight.

"I had no fucking idea that's what happened between the two of you." He brushed his hands over my hair and back, trying to calm me as sobs wracked my body. "I had no fucking clue. I'm so sorry, Mama. I'm so sorry. I would have stopped him if I had known."

We held each other for what seemed like hours before we heard Ram digging around in Bertie's belly minutes after he left. A few moments later he could be heard talking on the phone with someone. I had my suspicions it was with either Tank or Lester. Even though Ram wasn't very loud, I could still make out the words, 'he's a dead mother fucker', and 'no one hurts my Angel'.

He slowly made his way back into Bertie to kneel at my feet, his head bowed, eyes despondent and hands wrapped around a cracked phone. I had never heard Ram's voice sound so full of emotional turmoil and anger, "Angel. I swear. He will pay for the bullshit he put you through. He won't get away with hurting you. Rule number one at Rangeman always has been and always will be: Never hurt Stephanie. There was always an understanding that anyone who allowed you to get hurt or who hurt you, even unintentionally, would get his ass handed to him on the mats by anyone and everyone who felt the need to reinforce that rule."

"I... uh, I didn't know." I whispered, stunned that the guys cared about me that much.

"Baby. We more than care about you. We love you." Ram explained simply. "I love you so damn much, that any man that hurts you is a dead man in my eyes." My eyes began to water all over again, but likely not for the reasons they had thought.

"You guys love me? I mean, really? But I'm that bratty little sister that constantly gets into trouble and need rescuing all the time. Knowing you guys love me, makes me feel so special. It's such a wonderful thing. I have 300 brothers who are willing to fight in my honor," I wiped a tear from my cheek, "it makes me feel loved and cherished."

"No Mama." Vince turned my face to his, "You misunderstood him. Me. Us. All of us." He sighed as his thumb began to gently caress my cheek where his hand cupped my face. "We don't just love you like a sister, Honey. We. Love. You. Like how a man loves a woman. I would give anything to be the man to show you how much I love you, for the rest of my life. Ram would give anything to be that man. Almost every man at Rangeman wants to be that man, Honey. We all fell in love with you the moment we met you."

"Oh..." I had no idea what to say. I mean... all of them? Well almost all of them. "You, too?" I tilted my face to find Ram's green eyes with my blue ones.

"Angel. I'd sell my soul to the devil at a chance of a life full of love with you. I love you." He brushed his fingers through my hair, gripping it lightly before he dropped the lightest of kisses on the tip of my nose. His lips brushed against the skin, forcing goosepimples to form on my skin all over my body. The radiant feeling of warmth and love poured through our connections, giving flight to butterflies in my stomach.

"I, uh... I love you guys too. I mean how could I not?" My heart nearly burst knowing that they loved me. I was blown away that they could possibly even love me like they said they do.

It seemed impossible. Improbable. Unlikely. Why would they want me?

Self-doubt rushed right into my thoughts taking over and wreaking havoc. I was just some nobody half-assed BEA who can't even find her way out of a wet paper bag, let alone function in normal society. I was a disgrace and the black sheep of my family, even my mother says so. My thoughts just spiraled downward from there and I guess by the expressions on my face, they could read where they were going and headed them off.

"Angel. I love you. No qualifiers. Nothing needed in return. I love you, for you. Not what you do. Not for what you can do for me. I love you, for you. End of story."

"Mama," Vince turned me in his lap so I was straddling him, knees on either side of him on the couch, "I want you to know I would do anything, go anywhere, be anything you needed me be, to in order to be loved by you. I love you so completely and totally, it scares me. For lack of better words, and to quote Ram, I love you, for you."

What was I supposed to say to that? Both men had professed their love for me, and I didn't know what to say. Opening and closing my mouth much like a fish out of water, I sat frozen in place, mind blown. Vince gently picked me up off of his lap and sat me on the couch by myself. He kneeled down in front of me, next to Ram.

"Mama. we're not going to pressure you into anything you don't want. We understand and will accept any decision you make. We love you, but that doesn't mean you have to love us back like that. We want you to be sure that any decision you make is the right one for you. We just wanted you to relax and get away from things while on this trip, not force new ones on you."

"Angel, let's do this... let's just enjoy ourselves on this trip. No expectations. No pressure. You hold all the cards, Baby. You don't have to make any decisions right now. Just be yourself and let life happen. If you decide to make any life altering decisions when we get back to Rangeman, then we'll back you 100% and you can count on that." They each dropped a kiss to my temples before they stood up and headed out of Bertie to give me time to think.

A few minutes after they left, I realized I couldn't flop into my thinking position and so, moved to the bed. Laying face up, spread eagle on the bed, my mind went over everything the guys had just told me.

They all loved me. They loved me. ME! I still wasn't sure what I had done in a previous life to deserve their love and devotion, but I'll be damned if I'm going to squander it.

As for making decisions about my life, I knew I needed down time to not worry about relationships and whatnot. Could I enjoy myself without worry? I didn't have to worry about Burg gossip, because I wasn't anywhere near the Burg. The guys wouldn't talk about anything we said between the three of us, save for the meeting the guys would be having with Ranger and the Core Team on the mats when we got back.

It would be freeing to not contemplate the motives behind someone's behavior like I had with Ranger. The guys had both been upfront and truthful with me so far in everything I have asked and wanted to know. Of course, I knew better than to ask about classified information from their missions, but everything else had been no problem.

Did I still hurt from Ranger's betrayal? Sure. Did I expect it in some way? Maybe. Maybe not. Could I live my life knowing that he would never be in a relationship with me how I had wanted? I thought a moment and waited for the pain to pierce my heart after that, but nothing happened besides a little twinge. I knew then I would be okay. It might take me a while, but I was sure I would be okay eventually. Was I willing to open my heart right now? Probably not. It wasn't a complete no, but more like it was a no... for now.

At peace with the decisions, I had made so far, I breathed out a long sigh and headed out of Bertie to find the guys.