On Friday, Ranger ended up glued to his phone, constantly checking the status of Stephanie's flight. Icy weather in Chicago caused the departure to be reset several times until finally, after a six hour delay, the plane lifted off. It was late evening by the time he saw Stephanie walk out of the secure area of Miami International Airport. The droop of her shoulders, the discoloration around her eyes combined with the loose-limbed way she pulled the suitcase all showed how tiring her day had been.

Stephanie's eyebrows raised in surprise when she saw him. "Hey, Batman. I thought you'd be waiting outside."

Letting go of her suitcase, she gave him a hug. It felt so good to have her in his arms, but Ranger could swear she was leaning on him with fatigue. They stayed together for several heartbeats then, reluctantly, he pulled away, dropping a kiss onto her lips as he did. He took the handle of her suitcase in one hand, and her hand in the other.

As they walked to the exit, he explained, "I thought it would be easier to meet you inside than to have you try to find me outside at night in an airport you're not familiar with."

"That was really sweet of you." She looked a little dismayed when she asked, "How far is it to the parking lot with your car?"

He raised the hand he was holding and kissed the back of it. "Don't worry, querida, I used the valet so it's no farther than if I'd been at the pickup spot."

She sighed in relief. "Oh thank heavens. They changed the gate four times and the concourse twice. I swear I feel like I walked to Miami."

As he'd promised, it didn't take long to reach the valet stand. His vehicle was right in front of it as he'd asked. He had a feeling that it wasn't his polite request that had swayed them, but the fifty dollar bill he'd given them up front with a promise of double that amount on the way out. The man he'd talked to came jogging over. It was a matter of moments to load up Stephanie and her luggage, then keys and money changed hands. Ranger got in and drove off.

Stephanie had her head back and eyes closed as she said, "Well, it's black, but I kept picturing you in a Porsche."

"It is," Ranger replied. "It's the Panamera Sport Turismo. Besides, it's not like Porsche is the only brand you've seen me drive. When we first met I had the Mercedes and the Ford F-150, plus the various makes and models of SUVs throughout the company."

She made a noise that he took as acknowledgement of his statement. When he asked if she wanted to stop for food she made a 'no thanks' noise. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

Once at the beach house, he gave her a tour which only took a minute. She chose the guest room closest to the master bedroom where he would be. Her eyelids were sagging and it looked as if she was barely awake. They shared another lingering hug then she went into her room and closed the door.

Ranger followed her example. Closing the door to his bedroom, he thought ahead to the day when it might be both of them in this room, getting ready to turn in for the night. He let the scenario play in his head while he undressed and got into bed.

It sounded too silly, too sentimental to say out loud, but her presence already made the house feel different. Made him feel different. A warm sensation wrapped around his heart as he imagined the two of them going about their lives together, in this house that had become a refuge for him as a young man. He smiled gently at the image in his mind.

Wait. She didn't have the emotional attachment to this place that he did. What if she didn't want to live here? The house was small, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms packed into 1,700 square feet. The garage was separate and only large enough for one car with room left over for a bit of storage. If she didn't like it, they could always buy a different house. But what if she wanted to stay in Chicago? What then?

"No tomes prestado problemas."

Maybe it was because he was in her house, but Ranger could swear he heard Abuela Rosa telling him not to borrow trouble. She was gone, but she was right. Okay. Stop thinking about how they'd have to juggle jobs, friends, and lives in two different cities in two different states to make this work. They weren't anywhere close to that point yet.

Besides, once she got an eyeful of the older version of her beloved Ranger, she might not stick around. Sure, he was nowhere near Dad Bod levels of soft, but he wasn't top notch anymore and she didn't stay even when he was in his prime so why should she –

With effort, Ranger stomped on that train of thought, too. What the hell was wrong with him? He never used to be so negative. Must be another delightful facet of growing old. He remembered his parents talking about getting older, saying that you didn't get over an ailment but collected them instead. What other deficiencies would arise?

With a huff, he derailed that train as well. Turning off the lights, he pulled up the covers and willed himself to sleep.

The next morning Ranger woke at 0500. He had at least two hours until she woke up. No, make that three since the 0700 she was used to waking up was 0800 his time. Until his knee was repaired there'd be no going for a morning run, but he could take a short walk around the block. Nothing strenuous. Long enough to stretch the muscles, but not long enough to stress the joint. On his return to the house he showered and dressed, then pulled out his laptop and worked on reports until he heard her stirring. When he heard the shower shut off, he saved his work and powered down the laptop.

When Stephanie came out of her room, dressed in jeans, a short sleeved shirt, and sneakers, Ranger was in the kitchen. The coffee maker was almost done. He had two mugs on the counter. The sugar container and carton of milk next to them were for her. Mindful of their resolve to keep their interactions chaste, he greeted her with a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I thought we'd start our day with eggs and toast," Ranger said as she customized her coffee. "Is that okay?"

"Sounds great." She took a sip and a blissful expression washed over her face. "Oh, that hits the spot. What can I do to help?"

Ranger cooked the eggs while she manned the toaster. The atmosphere between them was comfortable. As they worked, Stephanie told him all of the annoyances that she'd gone through the day before just to get here. Ranger commiserated and shared some of his civilian travel stories.

Ranger had three eggs and one piece of toast with twice the amount of butter he normally had, which was Stephanie's interpretation of "as little butter as possible". Stephanie had two eggs and two pieces of toast. She used so much butter on her toast that he was amazed the bread didn't slide out of her hand. Remembering that she preferred to have jelly as well, he offered her a choice of mango jam, guava jelly, or honey. She ended up with a thick layer of mango on one piece of toast and guava on the other. They ate in silence, savoring the food and the company.

That same air of companionship carried over as they worked together to clean up. This time the talk centered around the day's activities. He would have loved to teach her how to wind surf, but thanks to his knee that was a no-go for him.

"The ocean is four blocks that way," Ranger, both hands busy scrubbing the frying pan, pointed with an elbow, "if you'd like to go to the beach."

Stephanie shook her head. "Believe it or not, I don't have a bathing suit. Haven't needed one in years." Something occurred to her "Hey! Where's Mr. Pants? I want to meet him."

He rinsed the pan and put it in the drainer. "I left him at the apartment this time. Tank and Lupe look after him as needed. Sometimes Cal, too."

She picked up the towel and began drying the pan. "Cal is at Rangeman Miami?"

There was something in her tone that told him there was an issue. He thought back to what she'd said about who had contacted her. She hadn't mentioned Cal.

"He looked pleased when he heard I'd run into you and wanted your contact information," Ranger assured her. "He probably just isn't sure what to say. You know Cal. Never much of a talker. Maybe you can add him to the visits you'd like to make here?"

"I suppose that's it," she sighed. "I certainly don't know what to say, so it stands to reason that others would be in the same boat."

His hands were wet so he didn't want to touch her. Instead he leaned into her and pressed his cheek against hers, hoping to give her comfort. She pressed back and sighed, but it sounded to him like a happy sigh.

Stephanie opened the cabinet that he'd gotten the jams from. The guava and the honey had been returned to their usual spots and the mango was in her hand when she stopped and stared at it, eyebrows drawn together, "So … why do you have jelly? And honey? And sugar? Those aren't things you used to eat."

"Lester and his family frequently come over when they want to go to the beach. Sometimes they'll stay over for the night or a weekend."

At the mention of Lester, her face closed off. Her lips pinched together and she looked sad, or worried. Perhaps both. Ranger remembered how she could get herself worked up worrying over something until, in her mind, it was far worse than it actually was. Based on her talk of chickening out, he figured that was what was going on here.

Hoping to distract her, he continued outlining his plan for the day. "If we're not going to the beach, perhaps we could go for a bike ride today. From here we can ride all the way down to South Point on the bike and walking paths. The only time we'd be on a road with traffic is here in the neighborhood, and that's only four blocks. South Point is just under ten miles each way, about a 2 hour round trip."

Ranger watched her closely to see how she was responding to the first suggestion. Open, but not enthusiastic. He laid out the second option. "Or we could head that way, not have a destination, and ride slowly. We'd take our time, and stop along the way if there was something you wanted to see. We pass through North Beach Park which is nice, and there are other parks too. Before heading back, we'll stop for lunch in whatever town we make it to. Maybe check out the shops."

There was the smile he'd been hoping to see. That warm feeling around his heart expanded, filling his chest and soothing his soul. He'd do everything in his power to keep it there.

"Will I need a jacket or a sweater?" Stephanie dried and put away their plates as she talked. "I did check the weather forecast but it said the high would be between seventy and seventy-four degrees while I'm here, and the low never got below sixty-six, but that didn't sound right. It's January, for cripes sake. It's winter!"

Ranger smiled at her incredulous tone. "It can get cold here but that's about average for mid-January."

He ran the sponge over the stove and counter tops. Stephanie came in behind him with the towel to dry off the surfaces.

"Well, it's a frickin' heat wave compared to the icy depths of Chicago. I was pretty sure that I wouldn't need my coat after I left O'Hare, so I packed a whole bunch of light things I can layer on. I can go up to ten deep if I have to."

"Pretty sure that won't be necessary," he said, then dropped his voice half an octave before he continued, "but it could be fun peeling back the layers later."

Ranger gave her his best smoldering look. Yes, they wanted to keep it clean this time, but it couldn't hurt to let her know he was amenable. Blushing, Stephanie looked up at him through her lashes and gave him a heated look of her own. Her chest rose as if she was breathing more heavily and their eyes locked. Forget the weather outside, the temperature in the kitchen was climbing swiftly. Her full lips were so close, he only had to lean in and dip his head down and he could capture them with his own. His breath caught in his throat at the thought of it, and the fire in his blood rushed through his groin. It took a tremendous effort of will to pull away instead. The tension between them snapped like an elastic band that had been stretched past its limits

Stephanie took a step back to lean against the counter. Ranger also stepped back, and put his hand on the back of a chair. It took a moment to remember what they'd been discussing. Weather. Right.

"You should be good with what you're wearing now," he said. "Between the temperature and the activity, you shouldn't need a sweater."

Nodding, Stephanie sounded a little breathless, "Okay. Got it. Good to know." She reached for the cutlery he'd just rinsed and put into the dish drainer. "So, where do these go, again?"

Once the kitchen was clean, they put the plan into action. Among other things, the shed in the backyard held a variety of bicycles, including two of Ranger's, enough for Lester and his family, and a couple of extras.

"Wow." Wide-eyed, Stephanie peered around the interior. "No wonder the shed has the same beefed up security as the house."

"So does the garage, though you probably missed that when we got here. I think you sleep-walked your way into the house last night. " Ranger replied with a smile. "Now, let's get you outfitted."

Soon they were on their way. His house was close to the end of the block where they turned, heading directly east. From there it was four blocks straight to the ocean, not that it could be seen from that distance.

As they passed through the shopping area lining the main street that ran north to south, Stephanie commented excitedly over the variety of stores and restaurants. Ranger had been considering stopping for lunch somewhere in the south end of Miami Beach. Hearing her, he mentally altered the itinerary to lunch and shopping here in Surfside.

The last few hundred feet of the road was a narrow strip between two large condominium buildings. The pavement dead-ended where they'd join the bike path. Landscaping there turned the end of the street into a tiny yet beautiful park that served as a transition. Go right or left and you'd join the bike path. Head straight east and you'd be on the wide, white sand beach.

"The view was better before these high rises took up all the beachfront," Ranger commented. "You should have seen it when I was a kid. Nothing but little houses and citrus trees everywhere. At least the bike path is between the buildings and the beach so we'll have a perfect view of the ocean as we ride."

And perfect was the word for the day. The weather was sunny but with low humidity. Combined with the temperature in the low seventies, they could take a leisurely ride without overheating. There were other bicyclists and pedestrians on the path, but not enough to crowd them. There were beach-goers in the distance, mostly sunning on the sand, but a few were in the water. There were even a couple of surfers and one kite-boarder that they stopped to watch.

It was a short ride to the first park and Ranger turned into it. The path wound around large shade trees making it fun to cycle along. They passed benches and some playground equipment. There were a variety of lizards here, many soaking up the warmth of the pavement, scattering as Ranger and Stephanie approached.

All that movement so close to her tires made Stephanie jumpy, so Ranger had them dismount and walk their bikes over to a bench under a spreading live oak tree. They relaxed for a while, watching the lizards while Ranger talked about native versus invasive and some of the major species in the area. They saw plenty of the anole and curly tailed lizards and even, from a distance, a rock agama. When he told her about the iguanas, she didn't believe him at first.

"Get out of here," Stephanie narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "The weather forecast does NOT give falling iguana warnings."

Ranger put his hand on his heart. "I give you my word, they do. When the temperature gets to forty degrees Fahrenheit or lower, iguanas get cold stunned and fall out of the trees. Fully grown iguanas are between four and six feet long. If one of those falls on you it's going to hurt. If it hits your car, it'll leave a dent. Once the weather warms back up, they come out of it."

Stephanie cast nervous glances into the branches overhead so he redirected her attention.

"Don't worry," he assured her, "it's far too warm right now. Look at those little anoles. Up north, you'll find them in pet stores."

Between their slow pace, frequent stops, and meandering route, they didn't get very far before they turned back, but Ranger could tell Stephanie was having a good time. He liked watching her and seeing this place through her fresh eyes.

Once back in Surfside, they locked the bikes at a public rack and he took her to Cliff's Oceanside Diner. It was a small, locally owned restaurant that only served breakfast and lunch. Ranger had been going there for decades and knew the owner well. He and Cliff exchanged greetings and Ranger introduced Stephanie, though only by name. He didn't want to presume and officially call her his girlfriend yet.

Stephanie had a big beefy hamburger with fries. Ranger had the grilled chicken and vegetables with housemade Thai Sweet Chili sauce. It was a low sugar, low fat, and low carb version that Cliff had originally made up for Ranger. Sometimes Ranger would buy a container of it to use at home.

After lunch, they wandered up one side of the street then came back down the other. Stephanie headed into some of the stores but not others. Stores with clothing or a variety of gift-type items were more likely to draw her in. Ranger was relieved they didn't spend much time in any of them, but kept that to himself. This part of the visit was for her, and Ranger wasn't going to ruin her fun by complaining or trying to hurry her along. What was it that Mateo, Lester's oldest boy, had said to a friend he had over? Oh yes. "Don't yuck my yum." That sounded like good advice, regardless of the source.

They were nearly back to the bike rack when Stephanie perked up and gestured dramatically. "Oh, we have to go there!"

Ranger looked in the direction of her pointing finger. "We just ate lunch. We don't need a donut and bakery shop."

"Ah, but we've been biking," she countered. "Obviously we need donuts."

Ranger followed as she went inside. As the door closed behind them, Stephanie stood to one side, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She exhaled with a sound of satisfaction, then marched up to the woman at the counter.

She started to place her order but stopped mid-sentence. Turning to him, she asked,"Are we eating them here or taking them to go? I need to know for the Donut Math."

Usually he could follow her convoluted thinking, but this time Ranger drew a blank. "For the what?"

"Donut. Math," Stephanie repeated. "If you buy two, eat one right away, but save one for later, that's two donuts. BUT if you eat them both one right after the other in one sitting, that only counts as one donut.

Amused, he started to reply. "That's not how–"

"OH! Biking! We've pre-burned the calories! Technically, if we ate them now, I could have three, but I'll be good and just get two."

"Such restraint," he said dryly.

"Of course," Stephanie gave him an arch look and teased, "that is what I'm known for." Turning to the smiling cashier, she ordered one glazed donut and one French cruller.

Now it was his turn to tease. "No Boston Cream? Isn't that a sign of the apocalypse?"

Shrugging, she spread her hands out to the sides in a kind of 'what can you do?' gesture and said simply, "Restraint."

Ranger declined her offer to buy him a donut but did allow her to purchase him a bottle of unsweetened tea. They sat at a table near the window where she appreciated her donuts very much, by the sound of it.

As Stephanie ate, Ranger sipped his tea and thought about the day they'd just had, and wondered why they'd never done anything quite like it before. They'd never really spent any downtime together. They certainly hadn't just hung out and basically wasted most of a day like they had today. Which, by the way, he'd enjoyed at least as much as Stephanie was enjoying those donuts.

Granted, he'd been genuinely busy building his business in a high-stress profession and was on-call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But he could have asked Tank or Lester or someone to take over while he spent a few hours here and there with Stephanie. The guys could do it for weeks or months at a time when Ranger was in the wind, so it wasn't like he couldn't rely on them to handle things if he went offline for a few hours.

When he had taken Stephanie to lunch or dinner, he'd chosen a local restaurant, minutes from the office, so he'd be available immediately if anything came up. They'd never gone to the movies, or to the beach. Yes, the one time she'd asked him to take her to the beach they were in the middle of a case and Hal had just vanished. It was very much not the right time, so he said no. But afterward? He could have found time. He just hadn't bothered. Hadn't even thought of it.

Back then, Ranger could have, should have, made more of an effort. He was damn well making an effort this time around.

Once Stephanie had finished her treat, they rode back to his place. The bikes were returned to the shed in short order then Ranger unlocked the house and they went in. It was still light outside, but the living room didn't get any afternoon sun so he flicked on a lamp. Without a word, he and Stephanie sat on the couch. He put his feet up on the storage ottoman that doubled as a coffee table and she followed suit. They hadn't done anything demanding, but it had been a long day. Thankfully, his knee only ached a little. Bicycling was one of the doctor-approved activities, and they'd done a very low stress ride.

Through the window, Ranger watched as a vehicle pulled into the driveway that ran up the side of the house. Shit. That was Lester and it looked like he had the family with him.

Jumping up from the couch, he told Stephanie, "Stay here. I'll be right back." Then he hurried out the front door.

While Ranger was going out the door, Lester had been coming down the driveway, past the side of the house. As Ranger came out and faced the driveway, Lester made the turn from the side yard into the front and was walking toward Ranger, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Hey, cuz," said Lester. "We just stopped by to get –"

Behind him, Ranger heard the screen door open and footsteps on the concrete stoop. Stephanie's voice overlapped his cousin's.

"Ranger? What is –"

There was a millisecond of silence as Stephanie and Lester caught sight of each other. Lester halted, and Ranger didn't hear any movement behind him. The welcoming smile was wiped off Lester's face, instantly replaced by a blank expression. Anyone who didn't know him would think that Lester had gone into professional mode, ready for action. Ranger knew better. This expression was defensive, part of Lester pulling into himself. It always made Ranger picture Lester as king of some castle, pulling up the drawbridge, putting up his barricades, and hanging a "Go Away" sign from the tallest tower.

Quietly, in a hard voice, Lester asked, "When were you going to tell me that she was here, primo?".