It took Ranger longer than he'd want to admit to get his libido under control and his head back into business mode, but he'd managed both by the time he returned to his newest office. The rest of his day was filled with outreach appointments with Hawk driving. They met each client at their respective facilities, so that Ranger could review the systems and coverage in place at the same time he met the customer.

The appointments also served as a chance to watch Hawk interact with the clients, just as Ranger had been watching him interact with his employees. Although he had already read each file, Ranger took the time alone in the SUV with Hawk to learn what hadn't been written down. Again, Ranger found himself pleased with Hawk's thoroughness and management style.

What little time he had for personal thought was no more than a minute here and there, but he tried to use those minutes wisely.

This morning, Stephanie had mentioned using electronic means of communication not once but twice and she'd listed several. When she'd surprised him at the office, she'd made a remark about "someone else" she knew who would clam up or go silent. He had no doubt at all that it had been aimed at him, since she'd made similar comments while they were together.

Rachel had also made such comments, during and after their marriage, which he'd shrugged off. Two people, years apart saying the same thing? That was a coincidence. But the two women he'd dated after Stephanie? When four women have said the same thing, maybe they had a point. He hadn't learned that lesson until it was too late, but at least Rosario had stayed friends with him.

The problem was that while he'd finally learned his lesson, he hadn't been able to practice it. Rosario had already bowed out, and there wasn't anyone serious after her. Dammit, he'd never been talkative to begin with, and then he'd spent his entire adult life dependent on secrecy for safety. It felt weird to reach out just to say hi and not to pass along valuable information as succinctly as possible. He'd have to give it a shot, though, if he wanted this to work out. Stephanie had been clear back then, and she was clear now.

In his head he composed, deleted, and rewrote a message several times as Hawk drove him from place to place. Finally, as they found a parking space for the last appointment, Ranger pulled out his phone and brought up the texting app.

Before he could overthink it, he typed in "Sorry I had to leave. There are times when other things have precedence but never doubt that you are always most important." He anticipated a quick response but it was still on delivered when they exited the SUV.

Half an hour later, he felt the buzz of a notification on his phone and hoped it was her reply. Not wanting the client to feel less important than the phone, Ranger waited another thirty minutes until they said their goodbyes before hauling his phone out as they returned to the vehicle.

It had been a reply from Stephanie. She'd sent a heart emoji that turned into a flurry of hearts that bubbled up out of the reply. That seemed like a positive response but he wasn't certain. He didn't run into a lot of emojis in special operations. It didn't give him anything to respond to, either. Nothing to springboard off, which was a relief since it implied no further action was needed on his part.

The interaction made him feel good in a mission accomplished kind of way, until he realized that he'd have to do it again. And again. And again – until it was a regular occurrence from now until the end of time. He set aside that daunting thought and concentrated on the clients scheduled through the end of the evening.

Ranger woke abruptly, panting and covered in sweat, his chest heaving. This wasn't his apartment on the seventh floor of the Rangeman building in Trenton. Disoriented, he automatically began cataloguing his surroundings as part of a sit-rep before memory kicked in.

The dream had felt so real, even though it was set in Trenton, when he hadn't lived there in over a decade. Stephanie had felt so real as she moved over him, undulating her hips in that smooth sultry rhythm he remembered so well, taking him to the hilt with every rolling beat.

Awake though he was, Ranger could feel her, lingering from the dream and imprinted on his body. He reached a hand down, pressing the heel of his palm along his hard length and shuddered at the echo of pleasure cascading throughout his groin.

Two things came to his attention simultaneously. One, that his alarm was going off and two, that he'd need to throw these sweatpants in the washer. He was grateful that Hawk had had the foresight to install a laundry center in the residential section. It had been years since he'd had a wet dream. It brought him back to his days as a horny rebellious teen in his Abuela Rosa's house, desperate for relief and going through socks as if he had three times as many feet.

As self-centered as most high school kids, it had never dawned on Ranger that Abuela, bless her, had known what was going on. She'd never said a word until one week when he took a hand towel from the bathroom. She'd replaced it the next day, and he took that one too. By the end of the week, he had a little pile of hand towels in his hamper.

Abuela had come into his room before he left for school. After a pointed look at the laundry in and around his hamper, she handed him some money and told him to buy more socks on the way home. He'd been so embarrassed that he'd never told anyone that story, not even Lester.

Ranger spent most of his morning conducting staff interviews. Naturally, personnel files and background checks had been part of the due diligence leading up to the purchase. As with the client meetings, these face to face interviews were his chance to get a reading on each person that now worked for him. It also served as an opportunity to get feedback and ideas on how Hawkins Protective had operated, and whether the employee was satisfied with the position they held. He wasn't adverse to swapping people around if it was called for.

Ranger's multi-tasking skills had been honed over the years, so while he talked with the personnel, he continued mulling over his next meeting with Stephanie. That meeting depended partly on how much time he could carve out, and when.

How much time was enough? Say, an hour, or better yet two, for a good talk and a visit to whatever place he could come up with, plus at least half an hour on either side of it for travel. So, he'd need to push his schedule around enough to find four hours.

But where in the day should that four hours be? Too early in the morning and they might be distracted by thinking ahead to the next item on their calendars. Too late in the afternoon and they'd be tired and possibly on edge from their day. The evening was a no-go for those reasons, plus being too close to thoughts of beds and stripping out of their clothes. Dios knew that even when they were at odds with each other, the sex had always been spectacular.

And where would they meet? Ranger liked her idea of using their talks as a way to revitalize their friendship through shared activities. The Zoo might be too cold to visit despite many of the habitats being inside buildings. Garfield and Lincoln conservatories looked nice and should be warmer than the outdoors, but he wasn't sure what she'd think of spending an hour or two staring at plants. The Aquarium was indoors and had a wide variety of animals that could be fun to watch, like the otters.

But those were all the common places tourists went. Since she lived here, though he didn't know for how long, she'd probably seen them, and if she hadn't it was probably because she wasn't interested enough. Ranger had never been to Chicago and didn't have any special little-known places he could take her. To mitigate that lack of knowledge, he had been covertly grilling the employees for ideas as part of the "getting to know the person" section of their interview.

Each one of them got some version of the same question. "Every travel blog and website always lists the same top ten tourist attractions for Chicago. What would you recommend someone see or do instead,to get to know the real Chicago?"

Several people suggested lunch or dinner cruises, though each recommended a different one. Apparently Chicago had a variety of cruise companies. A cruise met the qualifications for a pleasant activity and the ability to talk, but there'd be no leaving once the cruise started. Steph might feel trapped, and a trapped Stephanie was a panicked and recklessly impulsive Stephanie. They'd have to pass on cruises for now.

A couple of people suggested bowling, which he briefly considered. Ranger had spent a lot of time on the lanes when he was younger and newly enlisted in the army, but it would be far too noisy for any decent conversation. Widget had suggested a three and a half hour pizza tour that might be great later but for now, it offered no privacy and, like a dinner cruise, there'd be no leaving in the middle of it. Same with Guthrie's suggestion of the walking tour of underground Chicago. Carillo's suggestion of the brewery tour was an instant no. It seemed imprudent to add an alcohol-centric activity to the mix just yet.

In the end, Ranger chose the Aquarium and cleared four hours in the middle of the day on the 30th. That would give Stephanie two days notice to arrange her own calendar. Now to pass that along. With fifteen minutes to himself before the next employee interview, he sat at Nate's desk, phone in hand, staring at the blank screen. Three times, he'd entered his passcode and brought up the texting app, and three times he'd sat there, dithering over what to say and how to say it, until the screen saver had kicked in.

He couldn't just send her the date, time, and location – he knew that much. He needed to pad it out a bit. Make small talk. Maybe let her know what he'd been up to since the museum. Entering the passcode again, he typed "Have completed 42% of the employee interviews. Meet 12/30 1045 Shedd Aquarium." His thumb hovered over the send button.

Shit. He sighed. That was a status report and a command. He tried to imagine what Rachel or Linda or Rosario would have said about that, then grimaced and deleted it. He needed to say something personal. He could tell her about the dream, but didn't want to come across as too intense, or as if all he wanted was a booty call. And he couldn't just give the time and place to meet, like he would if she was an employee or subordinate. Besides, this was supposed to be a mutual event. She needed to have a say in this.

This time he typed "I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Will 12/30 at 10:45 a.m. at the Shedd Aquarium work for you? I'm sorry I can't make it sooner. If you'd rather meet somewhere else, please let me know." He checked for typos and auto-corrected mangling then hit send. The text status went from delivered to read almost immediately and the little bubbles popped up that meant she was typing.

Stephanie replied, "Oh wow! I've been meaning to go there – can't wait to see the otters! Meet you then. Take care."

Hm. Maybe he was getting the hang of this chatting thing after all.

As with their prior rendezvous, Ranger arrived early and purchased tickets for a general admission. He took a position nearest the most likely route that she would take up to the entrance that would also allow him to monitor alternate approaches.

It hadn't been until after Stephanie had accepted the invitation that he'd checked out the Aquarium's website and discovered it was far grander than he'd expected. In addition to the regular exhibits in the original building, the Shedd was also home to the Abbott Oceanarium, the world's largest indoor marine mammal facility. There, visitors could see Beluga whales and dolphins both underwater in their normal habitat and during shows at a 1,000 seat auditorium. A couple of hours wandering with the Aquarium as a mere backdrop to their true purpose wouldn't do it justice at all. Some day he'd love to return for a real visit, preferably in the spring when the grounds around it would show at their best.

Ranger spotted Stephanie in the flow of incoming visitors long before she saw him, thanks in part to her giant red purse. She was in dark brown slacks and boots, with the same black peacoat and knit cap and a camel-colored scarf. He let his gaze linger, noting how she dressed and how she carried herself.

The differences between this Stephanie and the Trenton Jersey Girl were subtle yet significant. Her clothes had an elegant simplicity and she moved with confidence. She was still brave and impulsive. She'd proven that when she showed up with a pan full of cinnamon rolls. But she'd also been able to have a difficult discussion without deflecting, denying, or fleeing. He liked this version of Stephanie, and wanted very much for her to like the current version of Carlos.

He knew the moment she'd spotted him because she broke out in a wide smile, her cheeks turned pink and she looked down for a minute before looking back at him again. It was the kind of awkward, shy, yet excited and hopeful look that made his heart beat faster and yearn for more. For now, he settled for ushering her inside.

As they stepped into the warmth of the lobby, Ranger peeled out of his overcoat, draping it over his arm. Stephanie stuffed her hat into her purse and took off her peacoat. She slung the purse over her head bandolier-style, then put her coat over the bag. She'd have both hands free, and all of her belongings in front of her, where she could keep an eye on them.

"I thought we should save the sea otters for last, as our palate cleanser," Ranger suggested.

Stephanie grinned. "Maybe when we're talking about animals we should skip the food-related idioms."

"Good point," he chuckled. "Then let's say, they'd be perfect for ending our visit on a light note."

Since the sea otters were over in the Oceanarium, Ranger had planned a basic route that ended at the food court next to the sea otter habitat.

As they headed inward, Ranger steered them toward the Rivers exhibit and asked something that he'd been wondering for years, trying to word it so it didn't come out as an interrogation.

"There are some things I need to say to you, but first there's something I'd like to know. Based on our previous conversations, I'm guessing that you're no longer in the bounty hunting business." He paused as she nodded her confirmation. "Will you tell me what you do for a living?"

Stephanie looked surprised. "You didn't check?"

"You told me not to when you left," he reminded her. "I gave you my word."

"But, not even now when you know where I am?" She sounded almost bewildered, as if he wasn't making any sense.

He shook his head. "I gave my word and I kept it. I don't know where you live beyond probably Chicago, I don't know who you work for, or what you do, or anything else. And I won't know unless you either tell me or give me permission to pull a background check."

She stared at him for a long moment as if she didn't quite believe him. Then one side of her mouth crooked up in a rueful smile. "Well, if you'd like a background check done, just let me know."

He raised an enquiring eyebrow at her and she laughed.

"I'm a researcher for Gilroy, Nance, and Roth. After bounty hunting went sideways, I tried my hand as an investigator for workers comp claims. That went fairly well, actually, and then I got the chance to work general research for a local attorney's office, which in turn led to this position at one of the largest law firms in the US. I haven't always been based out of Chicago, though. I've been here for less than three years."

"Are you happy doing that?"

Her face brightened. "Yeah, I am, actually. I investigate all kinds of people and entities, clients, witnesses. I get to dig into backgrounds and put things together, like solving a puzzle, which is satisfying. And sometimes I have to go interview people, or look at original records which can't be found online, so I'm not stuck in the office all day. It's like the perfect blend of action and intrigue with really low risk."

Ranger nodded. He'd thought that type of work would be perfect for her, which is why he'd kept offering it. The position would have been of benefit to Rangeman and was, in fact, one that the other offices had. He'd been holding the spot in Trenton open for her.

Unfortunately, no matter how much he'd assured her, she persisted in thinking it was a pity job, some kind of bullshit position designed to lure her away from running down skips by tossing her money for pretend busywork. Her refusals had been both vehement and unflattering to him, thanks to her misguided conceptions regarding his motives.

That she'd ended up in that career both made him happy for the life she'd been living without him, and was aggravating since she'd thought so poorly of him every time he'd suggested it. He'd have to put that negativity aside for now and suppress the urge to say something along the lines of "I told you so", since that would neither change the past nor benefit the present. Later he'd meditate, work through it until it was gone. Might take a couple of sessions, though.

"I'm glad you're happy with it," he said in all sincerity.

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she said. "Yeah, I really am. I've been there over ten years so when I see the GNR logo, I've finally stopped thinking of Guns and Roses first."

They shared a smile at that before Ranger asked a follow up question, again trying to keep the tone down to casual inquiry.

"You must like it if you've stayed that long. But didn't you say that you've been in Chicago less than three years?"

"That's right. GNR has over 100 offices throughout the US. I've transferred branches a couple of times. I'm lucky that I have a hybrid position. I can work from home up to three days a week if I want, or I can do all five days at the office. Gives me a certain freedom." She gave him a sharp look. "Now, enough about me. I believe you had some things you wanted to say? Your turn for sharing, Batman."

A spark of emotion rippled through Ranger at the old nickname. Apparently, he'd missed it. Missed the name and the way she said it, with that wicked blend of teasing and admiration. He doubled down on his determination to make this second chance work, since he'd very much like to hear it again. That meant clearing the air, straight talk, and no judgement or assigning blame. He could do it. Could she? They'd find out in a minute, when he started his apologies.

Choosing his words carefully, he said, "I truly didn't realize it at the time, but I went overboard with trackers and surveillance. Partly it was out of frustration when there was a clear threat and you refused to make any adjustments at all in response. I was," he paused, finding this hard to say aloud, "well, afraid.

"I'm one of the best in the security business and the thought of failing to protect you, of losing you to violence, made me feel helpless, so I doubled or tripled down on trackers and teams. What I should have done was sit down with you, detail the threat right down to specifics, and work with you to create a viable plan that we could both agree on."

Stephanie put her hand on his arm. "Thank you for admitting that. I knew even then that my response, or lack of it,to any threat was part of what made you more intense. But being told about the plan – or, worse, accidentally finding out about it – instead of being asked or included in the decision making pissed me off so much that I dug in my heels. Being talked and planned around made me feel like a thing, and not a person." She shrugged. "Then again, back then I was so deep in denial about how much danger was around me, and what my true skill level was, that I'm not sure I'd have listened."

"Still, I should have tried. And it's possible that, at the time, I may have overestimated some of the threat levels and created responses far stronger than the threat actually called for. A woman I'd been seeing got that through to me when she had a stalker and I went right to DEFCON 1."

Ranger had been going out with Linda for seven months at the time. It was nothing serious beyond the fact that she was the first woman that he'd gone on more than two dates with after Stephanie had left. Linda was the office manager for a golf course out in Princeton Junction, and had mentioned to him that one of the members had asked her out. When she had turned him down, he seemed to think that "no" had meant "try harder". He'd popped into her office several times unannounced, much less invited, then started ambushing her at her vehicle in the parking lot. By the time she'd told Ranger, she'd seen the man's car drive past her house more than once.

Naturally, Ranger had started a file, pulled a background check on the man, and had a tracker placed on his car. He'd gathered a variety of additional trackers, security cameras, and other equipment, then headed to Linda's place with Lester Santos by his side. Lester did not seem enthused with this plan of action, so when they'd arrived at Linda's house Ranger had already been annoyed.

Then Lester refused to bring all the equipment up to the house with them. "Talk to her first, man, that's all I'm saying," Lester had declared as he walked up the sidewalk to her door.

Linda's surprised smile at seeing Ranger when she opened her door had morphed into puzzlement as she looked at Lester standing behind him. After inviting them in, Ranger remained standing, with Lester lurking in the background trying to be invisible, while Ranger outlined the plan. When Linda had balked, saying she didn't think any of it was necessary, he pressed harder.

When Ranger explained that her security mattered more than her opinion, he heard Lester murmur "You sure you want to walk this path again, primo?"

Ranger had glared at Lester who threw his hands up in an "I'm out" gesture and stepped back.

Trying to quell his impatience, Ranger went through the proposal twice more. When Linda flat out refused, Ranger snapped at her. "Dammit, Stephanie. For once, would you just cooperate?!"

Linda had gasped, shock showing on her face, as she put one hand to her chest. Then her eyes narrowed and her head lowered. The hand on her chest moved out, the forefinger raised. The other hand balled into a fist that dug into her hip. "Excuse me?!" She'd shifted her weight so it fell mostly on one leg, as if getting ready to run. Or maybe kick.

Right about then, Ranger realized what he'd said. Whose name he'd used. Shit. Behind him he heard Lester inhale deeply and there was a whisper of fabric on fabric as he changed position. Getting ready in case Linda started throwing hands? But would Lester stop her or help her? Dios knew he'd had plenty to say about Ranger's role in Stephanie's departure.

In the end, Linda had some choice words for Ranger that boiled down to proportional reaction and personal choice. Then she told Ranger to lose her number and had thrown them out. It had been a very quiet ride back to Haywood as Ranger stewed and Lester tried not to draw attention to himself. When he'd parked in the garage, he ordered Lester to remove the tracker on the subject's vehicle and restock the equipment they'd pulled for the job. Then Ranger had gone up to his office on the fifth floor to shred the file and do some deep thinking.

Ranger came out of the memory to see Stephanie staring at him with a funny look on her face. "What?"

"You had a girlfriend?" She sounded upset but that couldn't be right.

"This one was long after you'd left." Maybe she thought that this woman friend had come before he'd met Stephanie, which would mean he'd known he was overreacting with her but he was doing it anyway? That didn't sound right. Didn't even make sense.

"This one?" Stephanie's tone sharpened. "Were there other women before I left?"

"Not once you officially declared that we were together," Ranger assured her.

"But before that, there were?" Stephanie was building up a head of steam. How could he have forgotten Rhino Mode?

"While you were going back and forth with Morelli? Yes, I went out occasionally." Ranger made an effort to keep his tone neutral.

Yes, he'd gone out, albeit not very often. He'd been a fit man in his prime with normal needs for socializing and sex, not some puritanical ascetic. And until Stephanie had finally made up her mind and chosen him, he'd been under no obligation to deny himself. He'd made a point of staying out of town for that, though. Plus, his mother and sisters had set him up a few times with women they knew in Newark, New Brunswick, and Elizabeth.

"So you were going out with other women at the same time that you were kissing me in the alley?"

Oh yeah. She sounded pissed. Ranger shook his head in disbelief. It was his turn for a sharp tone.

"How many times did you go from my arms to Morelli's bed?"

He could tell by her expression that she didn't like the question, but that was too bad. This was one of the things that he'd ignored in the past that had to be addressed. She'd always held this double standard, floating between them like driftwood caught in the ebb and flow of the tide, yet expecting him and Joe to remain untouched by any but her.

"And after you walked away, how long did you wait before you got involved with another man?" Ranger asked. "And you weren't just involved, not just dating, but engaged to another man? Was it weeks? Months? Because I waited four years in Trenton. Four years of sitting alone waiting for the sound of your feet on the stairs, waiting for the smell of your perfume wafting through the air, waiting for a tantalizing glimpse of the woman I loved returning to me. Waiting. For someone that never came."

Stephanie didn't answer and he could tell she wasn't going to. The guilty look on her face told him that however long she'd waited, it had been less than four years.

They were going to need a lot of otters after this.

They walked in silence past various tanks representing ecosystems found in rivers, lakes, and islands. Neither looked at the other, each lost in their own thoughts or, in Ranger's case, trying to compose himself. They were standing in front of the Oceans exhibit when Stephanie took in a deep breath through her nose, then released it through her mouth.

"You're right." Stephanie's voice was barely above a whisper. "I did that. I just … didn't realize that I did. I guess I had even less self-awareness than I knew."

"The thing to remember is that we both did the best we could at the time. Dios knows we weren't perfect, still aren't, but we are learning, and growing and that's what matters most." That was one of the things that had stuck with him from a post-mission therapy session back in his early twenties. He had always found it a valuable reminder.

"Not perfect, but perfecting," she replied. "I went to counseling for a while a long time ago. There was a framed cross-stitched piece with that phrase on the wall in the waiting room"

"It's a good motto," Ranger said, as he gestured toward a set of stairs. "Speaking of perfecting, the other thing I need to apologize for is communication. I've never been talkative. Then I went into a career where silence meant safety."

He hesitated before admitting, "I have literally been tortured on more than one mission in an effort to elicit information that would get myself and my teammates killed. When you've survived a situation like that, it's difficult to talk, even in a safe environment, without an irrational fear of consequences. But, similar to my threat-response, I took it to extremes. Like you said the other day, I clammed up. I didn't give you the basic communication that any couple needs. I'm sorry."

Stephanie touched his shoulder and looked at him with sympathy when he mentioned what he'd suffered. It was something he hadn't been able to say out loud for a very long time. Even now it was difficult enough to say that it had happened. He still couldn't talk about it in any detail. Might never be able to, but that was okay.

At the bottom of the staircase, he pointed to the right. "The sea otters are there." Then he pointed to the left. "But the food court is there. How about we have a bite to eat then go watch the otters?"

Stephanie agreed and they split up. She stood in line for pizza while he went for a rice bowl. Ranger had his food and drink first and went scouting for a seat. The food court was busy, but he managed to snag a table as an older couple was leaving. He saw Stephanie pick up her order and waved her over. They spent a few minutes getting themselves settled, sampling their food, and sipping their drinks.

Stephanie wiped her hands on the first of a short stack of completely inadequate napkins, then leaned back in her seat. "I've noticed you making an effort with texting and I appreciate it. Not just that you're actually doing it, but that it's not all business. You're speaking to me like a friend, not a subordinate on an away team." Leaning forward, she put her elbows on the table. With a gleam in her eye and a knowing smile, she said, "It was really hard for you wasn't it? How many drafts did you do before you hit send."

Ranger barked out a laugh. "That first one? About eight. Each one gets easier. The text for this meeting was the second version."

Reaching across the tiny table, she put her right hand in his free left hand. "Thank you. The fact that you've listened to me and you're willing to try makes me believe we can get all the way back to what we had, only better."

In reply he squeezed her hand, gazing into her eyes. "I'd like that very much."

He could feel his heart beating harder at the thought of it. They still had a long way to go with reconciling in general. After that there would be other issues, like letting their friends and family know. Right now, he was still acting under her request for privacy, but if they really wanted to recapture this second chance, eventually they had to make it public. And where would they live? And that was assuming she wanted to live with him. Maybe she'd prefer to keep separate houses. Dammit. He was going off into detailed mission and contingency planning, when they needed to take it one step at a time.

Pulling her hand back and picking up her slice of pizza, she went on. "That said, please note that "Babe", while endearing, is, for the most part, not an adequate reply in and of itself. It is not a sentence, much less a paragraph."

She ate another bite of pizza and continued. "It's unfair to make me constantly guess how to interpret your silences. After I left and things went, um, not as well as I'd hoped, I spent a long time brooding over all of the interpretations I'd done of that one word, and wondering how much I'd gotten wrong. Looking back, I think I ended up projecting what I wanted to hear, or maybe what I was afraid of hearing. I can't help but wonder how differently things would have gone if we had opened our mouths and spoken to each other."

That was an excellent point, and one he couldn't refute. Back then, part of his silence was due to the feeling that she meant more to him than he did to her. Sometimes, it was the fear of embarrassment or heartbreak that had led him to hold his tongue. Not this time.

"Noted," said Ranger. "We'll talk things out this time. If it seems too difficult to say face to face, we can put it in a text or an email. The important thing is to keep information flowing. Agreed?"

"Agreed," said Stephanie.

Ranger took another bite of his lunch. "Okay. I feel like that's all the heavy stuff I can handle for the day. How about you?"

"Yep." Stephanie took a loud sip of her drink then held the cup out over the table. "I hereby declare that from here on out, it's otters all the way!"

Grinning, Ranger picked up his drink and tapped it to hers then repeated, "Otters all the way."