Eyes to Remember

Chapter 83

Ranger had finished filling the trough with fresh, cool water for the horses inside the fence, "Anything else we need to do, Tom?"

"No," the farm manager told his boss. "I'm going to cut the back field later after the sun goes down some."

Stephanie and the girls went shopping for school clothes at the near-by outlet mall leaving him after breakfast. So, Ranger puttered around the farm since it was a girls' outing. He took each antique car out for a short drive to charge the batteries and wiped off the white roadster, then helped Tom lead each horse into an open stall near the riding circle so the country vet could examine each and added new shoes to Ghost and Thunder. And he had some news to tell his woman.

He walked through the quiet farmhouse with his bottle of cold water. Chuckling when he peeked at the electric bowling game that was delivered while they were in New York from Gracie's. Stephanie purchased an old vintage arcade game there and all five of them spent the night before bowling, sipping root beer floats, and eating popcorn while it was raining outside. The radio was tuned into an oldies station and they were dancing the 'Twist'. His girls were also doing 'The Locomotion' around the living room as he watched. Their summer vacation was almost over and he was going to miss the farm, daily horseback riding, and just relaxing with his family. Ranger laughed everyday. The closest thing to his usual black attire was the Armani suit he wore in New York. Going into town, people knew him and called him by 'Carlos' or 'Stephanie's Guy'. Ranger was unknown in the quiet; town of Murdock that time hadn't caught up to yet.

He sat down in the rocking chair on the front porch taking a bite out of an apple, the sun was hot for the August afternoon, but a breeze was blowing. Hobo jumped up on the on top of the banister and stretched out flicking his tail at him. Sparky had followed the cat up the steps and lapped at the bowl of water Stephanie kept on the front porch. One was also on the back one, too. He sat down looking down towards the barn and watching the trees where the horses were standing in the cooler shade.

A car must be coming that he couldn't hear, the dog's ears went up, the cat picked his head up, and the grey horse turned his head in the direction of the road below. Next thing, the black Cayenne was passing the carriage house and Sparky was wagging his tail as it got closer. Hobo crunched up his body before he jumped down from his spot to wait for his owner. And Ranger flew down the steps to greet them, he enjoyed his morning leisurely working around the farm, but he missed his girls.

Julie was in the passenger seat; Katie was in it when they left. He opened the backdoor and a little curly haired little girl popped out. Her dimples were showing and she had an impish smile on her face, "Dave. Dave Plum, how are you?"

He tried to give that 'shaking in your shoes' stare, but it wasn't quite working.

He couldn't help the chuckle when he picked her up and held her above his head, "You like to torment me."

"Dave, you're so funny."

"Dad," Julie said unbuckling and standing next to them, "Stephanie made some progress on your name."

His eyebrow was arched knowing this wasn't good and looked up at the giggling little girl.

"Well, Carlos," Stephanie began, "we made a compromise on your name. Allie understands a little better what happens when two people get married and I take your name. You only have to be Dave Plum on the weekends."

"Ain't that great, Dave!" Allie sweetly and with the most innocent expression told him.

"It's what I live for."

“And,” she continued, “all the other times, Dave, you can be Batman cause you got a cape, remember. That’s even greater!” Allie was waving her arms in excitement above him.

Ranger wasn’t feeling it, “I can’t win with you.”

Her dimples were showing big, “No, Dave. You can’t win them all, but you can try and have some lunch, you’ll feel better.”

Stephanie was holding up a bag, “Lunch, Caveman.”

“That sounds good,” swinging Allie down and grabbing two handfuls of bags from the cargo area of the Cayenne. “Did you leave anything?”

“We need school clothes,” Katie had a couple from the back seat.

“Yeah, Dad,” Julie had a more from the front, “we can’t go to school naked.”

He was holding the farmhouse door open and leaned into his fiancée, “Missed you, Babe,” as Stephanie was going in the door.

She gave him a wink, and then returned his kiss, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

He growled low, “That’s not all.”

After lunch the girls showed Ranger the outfits they got at the outlet stores. Stephanie was glancing around for a missing Allie and was just about to call her when she was standing on the steps coming down from the kitchen.

“Dave, you like it?” She was twirling around, “Mommy bought something pretty.”

She had on over her shorts and tank top a very lacey baby doll nightie that tied in the front and matching blue panty that she was trying to hold up so it didn’t slip down over her little girl hips.

Ranger looked over at his woman then at the smiling little girl modeling the very sexy baby doll that was almost at her ankles, “Yes,” he couldn’t hold back the chuckle, “I do.” Seeing the sexy lingerie reminded him he forgot to tell Stephanie some news.

As if on the same wave length, “Carlos, was everything all right with the horses?”

“Oh yeah, Babe.” He had to choose his words carefully. “It seems Midnight and Ghost has been horsing around. We’re going to be the proud parents of a baby horse in a few months.”

“Midnight is pregnant?”

Ranger was smiling, “Very.”

“Dave,” Allie told him from the steps, “he’s a boy horse and Midnight is a girl horse. He got a penis and they made a baby horse.”

“Babe!”

Stephanie was lifting the baby doll nightie off her daughter, “Princess, that is right, but how about not saying penis so loud. Some people are uncomfortable saying that word.”

“OK, Mommy,” handing her the panties she couldn’t keep up, "Like Dave."

Ranger was staring, "I can say 'P'." Shaking his head, "No, I can't in front of a little girl."

"It's easy, Dave. 'pee nice'. I have to tell Gampy!” Allie went running for Stephanie’s cell phone in the kitchen and they could hear her on-side conversation.

“Gampy, we was shopping. Uh huh,” nodding her head. “Guess what, Gampy? We’re having a baby horsey. Yeah, Ghost got a penis but I can’t tell you that. Here, Mommy.”

She took her cell phone from her daughter, “Stephanie, has she been hanging out too much with your Grandma?”

“No, Daddy! She’s just too smart for four.”

“Bye, Pumpkin,” Frank ended the call laughing at his precious little granddaughter.

Julie, Katie, and Allie were going to check on the black Arabian horse who would be adding to their horses.

“Babe, she’s something else,” Ranger was pulling Stephanie into his arms still shaking is head, “but, seeing that sexy little nightgown and talking about.”

“Penises,” she finished for him.

“Has me thinking.”

“Only thinking, Carlos?” Stephanie purred in his ear. She was feeling a very hard body next to hers touching her lips to his.

“Babe, I’ll show you later. Guaranteed.”

“Good to know, Carlos.”