Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum Series belogn to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Challenge: 100_Prompts challenge - table 100B - prompt 037. Lonely Road
Notes/Warning: Babe story
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Feedback: Email TT

Realigning Destiny
By TT

Sometimes chance intervenes in our lives and causes destiny jumps the tracks. When this happens, fate steps in and realigns destiny’s course to bring us to where we need to be. But, as with the course of true love, the road of realignment doesn’t always run smooth.

Part 1. - Lonely Road

"Damn rain," she grumbled, reaching up to move her dripping hair from her face

Hunching further into her coat, she knelt down again to the task at hand.

Four years ago, if somone had told her she would be living in Montana, working as a sherriff's deputy, she would have laughed so hard she would cry.

If they had further told her she would be the mother of an eight-year-old boy and a three-year-old tabby cat, she probably would have called the men in the little white coats with the rubber truck herself.

Yet here she was, on the side of the road in a rainstorm, trying to change a tire and every word was true.

Swearing again as the lug wrench slipped for the forth time, she threw it onto the ground and rose to her feet.

A heavy sigh escaped as she ran both hands through her sopping wet hair.

They really needed to get home. Recently she had purchased an old house that had served as an inn. The people from whom she had purchased the old place had split the house in half vertically, creating two two-story areas. The bottom floor contained an old fashioned parlor and a dining room on opposite sides of the entryway. At the back of the stairs was a heavy door that lead to the back part of the house where she, Charlie and Tigger The Cat lived. The second floor of the house had originally had six bedrooms and one bath that could be rented out. When it had been remodeled, the three back bedrooms had been added as the second floor to the inkeeper's area and the middle bedroom in the front had been split in half to create two en-suite rooms. The original bathroom had been turned into a large linen closet.

So far she had been reluctant to rent out the front rooms, but her neighbor, Bob Richards, had pleaded with her to let an old friend of his rent one of the rooms for a few weeks. Bob had done so much for Stephanie and for Charlie over the past four years, it was impossible for her to say no.

She could still remember the conversation. She and Charlie had been out in the yard tending the garden the eight-year-old insisted they grow.

“Hey, Bob,” she greeted with a smile.

“Steph,” the older man returned, smiling just as broadly. “How are you and the young rascal today?”

“Hey!” Charlie protested, frowning as he stepped up to the adults.

Bob just laughed, reached out and ruffled the dark brown hair. “When I was young my mom used to call me a rascal and my grandmother called me a rapscallion,” he informed.

Stephanie watched as Charlie straightened his shoulders and stood a little taller. He idolized their neighbor and she encouraged it. Bob was a good man and in some ways reminded her of Ranger. It gave her a safe feeling. “Why don’t you two go sit at the table and I’ll get some lemonade and cookies,” she suggested.

“Yeah!” Charlie quickly agreed, excited at the prospect of such a special treat.

Bob laughed out loud as he watched the boy scamper to the table set up on the patio. “He’s quite a handful, isn’t he?”

Unable to stop the huge, pride-filled smile on her face, Stephanie agreed, “That he is.”

“Just like his mother,” Bob added, laughing again at Stephanie’s cry of indignation. “Go get the drinks,” he prompted before she could protest.

Stephanie laughed and headed inside, shaking her head. A few years ago she would have been horrified at the thought of having children, but Charlie and she had clicked in so many ways. It had only taken a few months before the timid five-year-old had come out of his shell and the two of them had bonded as tightly as any natural mother and son. Now, Charlie was truly her son and she was his mother. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Making her way outside with the lemonade and cookies, she settled them on the table and poured out the drinks. “So, what can we help you with?” she asked, taking one of the slice-and-bake cookies she and Charlie had made the night before.

Bob nibbled on his cookie and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I have a friend coming out. He’ll be here for a few weeks and will need someplace to stay.”

“Bob,” Stephanie began to protest, having gone through this before. She wasn’t comfortable with the ideas of strangers staying with her. The fact that Bob was constantly trying to fix her up, believing she needed a man in her life, only added to her reluctance.

Holding a hand up to stop her protest, he interrupted, “Let me finish. He’s coming out to help me. You know I’m still re-doing the guest room in my house and it won’t be ready by the time he gets out here. He’s very quiet, very responsible and won’t cause you any trouble. He can even eat all his meals with me.”

Stephanie was still reluctant. “I don’t know...”

“I promise, he’s not going to cause you any trouble and I’m not trying to fix you up. I just need someplace for him to stay and you’ve got those two spare rooms up front.”

Though she was uncomfortable with the idea of having a strange man in her home, she really couldn’t say no to her friend. Bob really had been a lifesaver not only for her, but for Charlie too. She never would have made it this far without him. Glancing at her son, she saw he was sitting on the edge of his seat looking at her with wide, brown eyes. He had always wanted to have guests at their house, fascinated with the idea of running an old fashioned inn. A sigh escaped her as she asked, “When will he be arriving and what’s his name?”

“Thank you,” Bob said, smiling. “He’ll be here in three weeks. You won’t even hear a peep from him if you don’t want to,” he assured.

Stephanie was aware that he had neglected to share her guest’s name, but let it go. She would have a few things to work out before he arrived.

Now, she might not be there when the visitor arrived. She knew Bob was more than able to show the man to his room and that the doors that connected both parts of the house were bolted closed, but, it was her house and she would feel more comfortable being there to greet her visitor herself.

Checking her watch, she blew out a breath of frustration. Her guest was due to arrive in less than an hour and she couldn't get the lug nuts off in order to change the tire.

A quick glance into the SUV assured her that Charlie was still sleeping. At least something was going her way, but then, Charlie usually was the best thing in her life.

Just as she decided to suck up her pride and radio in for help, she spotted headlights coming her way. That was an unusual enough event on this road to cause unease, but, as she watched the truck approach, her warning senses started going haywire. Worry, caution and fear for her son, curled deep in her belly along with something familiar that she couldn't quite identify.

Seeing that the truck had spotted her and was slowing, she reached to the small of her back and fingered the gun she kept there. It took her only a moment to decide to move the gun to her coat pocket. It would look less suspicious if she were to stick her hand into her pocket rather than reaching to the small of her back. In seconds the move was completed and she waited for the truck to come to a stop.

As it drew closer, her heart rate began to increase. The truck looked just like the one Ranger used to drive. She was startled by the thought. It was true that her life in New Jersey was never far from her mind, but now was not the time to dwell on the past.

Shifting her stance so her feet were firmly planted, she waited as the truck stopped and shifted into park. With the headlights on, she couldn't make out who was in the interior.

A tingle climbed her spine causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise up. There were only two situations that caused that. One was when trouble was coming her way, the other was when Ranger was nearby.

"Oh, God," she whispered as she was finally able to identify the mysterious feeling she'd had earlier. How in the world could she have known he was in the truck especially from so far away. But somehow she did know. Somehow, Ranger had found her.

Onto Part 2. Rain

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