Disclaimers/Warnings/Rating: See Part 1

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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 3 – Groceries

Stephanie closed the driver’s door, took a deep breath and slowly released it.

The rush of emotion that had flooded her when she saw Ranger again was now beginning to wear off as the reasons why she left Trenton in the first place began to reassert themselves into her conscious mind.

Clicking her seatbelt into place, she reached for the steering wheel and noticed her hands were shaking. A few deep breaths steadied her enough that she was able to turn on the car and begin the drive to her home.

As she drove, she tried to reconcile her conflicting thoughts and emotions while developing a plan of action. One thing being a mother had taught her was that she needed to have at least the outline of a plan in mind before heading into a situation, even if it didn’t actually survive long.

“Think, Steph,” she commanded herself. “What do you need to accomplish?”

It took a minute to settle her thoughts into working order. Once she had accomplished that, though, she wasn’t sure she liked the answer she found. She needed to make sure Ranger went back to Trenton and didn’t share with anyone that he had seen her. It was too dangerous for everyone to admit to seeing her. If someone else found out…

A shiver raced down her spine that had nothing to do with the rain’s chill.

Determination rose within her. She would convince Ranger to go back to Trenton and forget her. If he refused, she and Charlie would just have to disappear. She’d done it once; she could do it again.

A quick glance in the rear view mirror confirmed to her that Ranger was still following her. How was she going to keep the truth from him?

Tonight shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Bob would be at the house when they arrived to speak to Ranger. She had Charlie to get into the house as well as the groceries they had bought. The fact she was pulling a long shift tomorrow would keep her occupied for most of the day. She'd have to let Bob know to feed Ranger dinner. By the time she got home after her shift and fed Charlie and herself, she would be too tired to talk.

Hopefully, with any luck, whatever Bob needed help with would keep Ranger tied up so they wouldn't be seeing much of each other.

Of course, she would have to tell him something. There was no way he would keep quiet about her presence if she didn't give him some reasonable explanation. The truth...

Her throat worked convulsively as she remembered the pictures they had showed her, the words they had spoken.

"We're business men, Ms. Plum. We plan on buying your silence with one of their lives," the harsh, hate-filled voice explained.

At first she'd thought it was an idle threat, but the pictures...

A flash of a white tail at the side of the road caught her attention and drew her back to the present. The last thing she needed tonight was to hit a deer.

Refocusing her attention, she pulled into the h-shaped driveway of her house a few minutes later. A smile slipped onto her face as she saw the downstairs lights on and Bob standing on the top step of the front porch, umbrella in hand.

She pulled just past the front door and slipped her car into park, leaving it running. After passing Ranger off to Bob, she would pull around the side of the house to the door that led into the mudroom and then the kitchen. It was where she always off-loaded groceries and anything else she was delivering to the house - like her sleeping son.

Shifting the car into park and putting on the emergency brake, she glanced into the back seat and smiled at the fact Charlie was still sleeping.

Quietly, she undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the vehicle. She wasn't surprised that Bob was standing right next to the door, umbrella open and ready. "Hey," she greeted quietly. "Charlie's sleeping."

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse," Bob assured as he peeked into the back seat. A soft smile appeared on his face at the sight. "I swear the boy only has two speeds."

"Stop and go," Stephanie agreed with a soft laugh.

Closing the driver's door as quietly as she could, she walked with Bob to the other SUV.

She waited as Ranger rolled down his window. Her breath caught as she saw the swirling emotions in his eyes. "You can park here," she advised. "Basically the entire front of the house is yours. Bob can show you in while I park around the side."

The only response she received was a nod.

"I'll give the keys to Bob and he can show you around and get you settled in tonight," she continued, fixing her gaze on his eyebrows rather than his eyes. She knew if she looked into those brown pools too long she would forget herself and tell him everything. As she turned to walk back to her car, she stopped in her tracks when Ranger reached out and rested a hand on her arm.

"Babe," he whispered, his voice filled with confusion, pain and longing.

Stephanie caught sight of Bob's face and cursed, somehow knowing that no matter what happened, the whole truth would be coming out tonight. She'd put Bob off for four years. She owed him so much and knew she wouldn't be able to resist both of them.

Fighting down the panic and fear that began brewing at the base of her heart, she swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

"When I'm done putting away the groceries, I'll meet you in the parlor," she said before stepping away from Ranger's hand and walking back to he SUV.

Slipping into the driver's seat, she didn't look back as she put it into drive and pulled around the house.

How could things go so wrong so quickly? How was she going to keep Charlie and herself safe if the others knew?

Parking the car and turning off the engine, she allowed her head to rest against the steering wheel for a moment.

How had her life gotten so out of control so quickly? And all of this was happening because of a favor to a friend and a flat tire.

To be continued in Part 4 - 022. Wine

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