A/N: I am beyond humbled and honoured to have received over five hundred comments and reviews on this story. I never imagined my stories getting any attention. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to comment or leave a review. You are all so appreciated.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Stephanie POV

I got the text from Jeanne Ellen about the house and did a little fist pump in my cubicle. I didn't remember that the entire building, including my cubicle, was covered by cameras. I should have, given that it's a security firm, but. A few minutes after my outward expression of jubilation, followed by a smile I couldn't wipe from my face, Ranger showed up beside my desk.

"Did something good happen, Babe?"

"We got the house, the cottage," I said happily.

"That's great; congratulations," he said, smiling brightly. Wow! If I thought he was handsome before, it was nothing compared to now. His was a panty-dropping, mind-melting smile that wasn't often on display.

We chatted for a few minutes and confirmed our training session for this afternoon. Ranger would be out of the office in meetings all afternoon and was dressed in what I privately thought was his Corporate Ranger persona, in a fantastically expensive suit that fit him perfectly.

I returned to the search requests and plowed through them efficiently, completing ninety percent of them before lunch. I went to the break room, where Elle had some chilli simmering in a crockpot. I grabbed a bowl and served myself, adding some crusty bread, an apple, and water. Lester and Bobby came in for lunch while I ate and sat at my table.

"Hey Steph, how are you today?" Lester asked.

"Pretty good, thanks. How are you guys doing today? Catch any bad guys? Save the world?"

"Not yet, but it's only noon," he joked. "Nah, seriously, today we're doing follow-ups."

"What are those?" I asked.

Bobby replied, "We follow up with customers who have recently signed on for Rangeman services, answer any questions they may have and ensure they're satisfied with our services."

"Ahh. So have you had any angry ones yet?

"Are you kidding? Even someone who thought they may be angry melts when faced with the two most charismatic men they've ever met," Lester boasted.

I laughed, but I thought it might be true. I hadn't often talked with Les and Bobby, but both were charming when they weren't scary and intimidating. Admittedly, I'd only seen that side of their personalities once when they were gearing up for an evening takedown of some nasty rapist.

We chatted for a little longer, and before I knew it, my lunch was gone. Ella is a wizard in the kitchen, and everything she makes is heavenly. I briefly thought about a second bowl of her amazing chilli but decided against it.

I said goodbye to the guys and went back to my desk. Somehow, another six search requests made it to my email inbox, and I was only gone for forty minutes!

While I had the first search running, I started thinking. I'd have to call Mr. Manoso and find out what would happen if The Dick went to jail. He obviously wouldn't be able to pay child support. I sighed. I wish this whole mess was behind me. The search program made a soft dinging sound, indicating a completed search. It pulled my attention back, and I printed the information while plugging in the next name. I read through the pages and highlighted certain sections. This was for a potential client, so their health and safety records were the most pertinent information after their financials.

While the subsequent search was running, I decided to call Mr. Manoso.

After we exchanged hellos, I got down to business. "Mr. Manoso, now that Richard has been arrested, is it possible to use that to expedite the divorce proceedings? I read online about some celebrities declared legally divorced while they continued to hash out custody arrangements and things like that. Is that possible?"

"Well, Stephanie, I'm unfamiliar with the case you're referring to. If they reside in California, the laws there may not coincide with New York laws. But I can certainly check into moving the process along."

"Thank you. Jeanne Ellen and I were also wondering about the proceeds of his websites and whether I am entitled to those funds, either as child support or as a victim of the crimes he committed by uploading them."

"I can look into that for you as well."

"Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Manoso. I appreciate it."

"You're most welcome, Stephanie dear."

We hung up, and I decided to make one more phone call. "Hi, Dad," I said when he answered.

"Hello, Pumpkin. How are you today?"

"Pretty good." The search program ended, and I printed the results before submitting the next search.

"I heard a little of Richard's legal troubles from your mother last night, but I wanted to make sure I got your real story," he said.

"Well, I'm not sure what Mom told you. She has a unique gift for hearing what she wants. But basically, he was arrested for bigamy and the videos. Do you remember how I told you he made videos of us? Well, there are several aspects of that which are illegal. Jeanne Ellen and I drove to New York and filed official complaints with the police, and that's why he got arrested."

"I'm proud of you, Pumpkin. It can't have been easy, but you did what you needed to do."

"Thanks, Dad. It was hard, but Gigi has been my rock through this whole thing."

"Are you still happy with your lawyer?" he asked.

"Yes, Dad. He's great. He's checking whether the divorce can be fast-tracked through the system and whether I'm entitled to the money from Richard's porn sites."

"That would be wonderful if both things happened."

"Tell me about it."

"Dad, I have to go. I'm still at work, and my search program just finished, so I need to get the next one started."

"Alright, Pumpkin. Take care of yourself and give Zoë a big kiss from Grandpa."

"Will do, Dad. Love you."

I finished all the searches by three-thirty and decided to go to the gym early. Ranger and Tank had told me that keeping up with physical fitness was necessary, and if my research work was done, I would be fine to spend time in the gym.

I got changed in Ranger's office bathroom since he was still out of the building, and when I came out, he was setting down some files on his desk. "Oh, you're back. Hi," I said awkwardly.

"Hey, Babe. Are you going down to the gym now?" he asked.

"Yeah. I finished the searches and distributed the results. I thought I'd get in my run before our lesson for a change. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, Babe. It's fine. I'll be down in about fifteen minutes and get in a warm-up first."

"Okay, see you in a bit."

I was warmed up and running on the treadmill when Ranger entered the gym. He stretched on the mats before he settled in front of the rack of free weights. I watched as he pumped iron and noticed his muscles bulging and flexing as his body moved. I bit my lip as I saw a bead of sweat running down his bare chest, mesmerized by that droplet. He always worked out bare-chested, then donned a tee shirt before we started our lessons. What a pity to cover up that delicious skin, though admittedly, it was beyond distracting.

I was staring into space, thinking about sex and Ranger and trying not to drool, when Ranger appeared before me. He looked at me a little strangely. I guess he was trying to get my attention for a few minutes before he stepped into my eyeline. "Steph?" he asked as he waved his hand in front of my face.

"Huh?" I asked stupidly as I focused.

He chuckled. "I see smoke, Babe. What are you thinking about so hard?"

I blushed. "Nothing. Are you ready for our lesson now?"

He nodded. "I've been ready for twenty minutes. You've done five miles, you know?"

I looked down at the treadmill screen. "Wow! That's awesome!" I stopped the treadmill and patted the sweat off my neck, face, and arms with my towel. He was watching me, and I swear his eyes darkened. I wiped down the handrails and said, "okay. Let's go."

He showed me some new holds to get out of if an attacker got me from behind. I was acutely aware of every touch, and the places where his skin met mine left me with little tingles racing up and down my spine. I summoned all my willpower to focus on what he was teaching me, and by the end, I could release myself from his hold at least half the time.

During the last hold of our session, I accidentally got knocked on my ass though, and when he had his arm extended, leaning down to help me up, I swept my leg out and kicked him in the back of his leg, knocking him down to the mat beside me. He landed on his back and lay there stunned for a moment. He turned his head to look at me, and the look on his face saw me laughing hard and gasping for breath.

He reached over and tickled my side, saying, "laugh it up, funny girl. But seriously, that was a good move. Good job."

I stopped laughing and shyly said, "thanks. I learned from the best."

He smiled back, stood up and proffered his hand again. This time I took it, and he yanked firmly until I was standing and pressed firmly against him. I stared into his eyes for a beat and got lost in their chocolate-brown depths. He leaned his head down slowly, giving me a chance to pull away, but he closed the distance and kissed me when I didn't. My senses went into overdrive, feeling his soft lips against mine. When I opened them, his tongue sought mine, and all thought left my mind as our kiss deepened. All I could feel was his body against mine and his tongue dancing with mine. Gradually, my head cleared, and I was able to think. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss and stepped back, breathing heavily.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself," he said apologetically. "I know it's not the right time yet."

I shook my head slowly. "It's okay. It was a kiss. It was pretty good."

He raised an eyebrow. "Pretty good, Babe?"

"Yeah. You're not bad." I could feel the corners of my lips tilting up, but I fought that smile.

He smirked. "Right."

The next couple of days passed in a blur. Zoë and I stuck to our routines, and I didn't see much of Jeanne Ellen except during dinner. She was busy making sure everything was ready for her absence.

She finalized the house sale and arranged for Tank to pick up the keys in two weeks. Once we had the keys, Tank wanted to install the security system and have the house deep-cleaned again before I moved in. I agreed and started fantasizing about going furniture shopping, which I loved.

On Friday after lunch, Jeanne Ellen stopped by Rangeman on her way to the airport. Tank was going to drive her, and she wanted to say goodbye to me before she left.

I hugged her tightly. We were so close when we were kids, and even though we had lost a little bit of that in the past five years, there was nothing I felt I couldn't tell her and no one I loved more than her.

She whispered so no one else could hear her, "I love you, girl. Everything will work out, and I've always got your back, even when I'm not here. Call me and leave a voicemail if you need anything, and I'll call you back as soon as I can."

"I love you too, Gigi. Be safe." I kissed her cheek, squeezed her one last time, then released her. She waved to the others, and then she and Tank walked down the stairs to the garage. What was I going to do for the next while without her?