Happy New Year! I hope this year brings everything. thank you for all your reviews over the last few days. I've been on vacation for a new days and my writing juices have been flowing. Thanks again, Lee Anne

Shades of Gray

Chapter 70

Large raindrops were soon splattering against the windows as Paulo and Tiana knelt on the bench hugging their white dogs. Sam's paws were against the glass watching, too. Lightening flashed over the churning ocean.

"Mommy!"

Her two children jumped down finding Stephanie sitting on the carpet with her arms waiting for them.

"I'm here," she whispered kissing each one.

"Is it going to get us?" Paulo questioned mirroring the fear of his sister beside him.

"This house has been here since Granny M was younger. I can't make the storms go away, but I'll be here so you aren't so scared."

They huddled closer to Stephanie when the lights flickered and the TV broke up.

Ranger got up from his chair concerned by the children's distress turning a battery operated lamp on and one on the dining table.

"Carlos," Ana Manoso followed him pulling him into the bathroom. "Why are Stephanie's children so afraid of storms?"

"A hurricane destroyed the village where they lived in Honduras. Paulo and Tiana were ones of the few survivors. Rescuers found them in a collapsed building Stephanie told me. Their parents were killed."

"Oh, those poor little things. It must break her heart they get so scared. She is a wonderful mother, Carlos."

"I know, Momma."

His mother went the opposite direction as Ranger went to watch over Stephanie and her children. The thunder was louder and the flashes outside were brighter he saw out the window before he lowered the blind. With a quick bolt of lightening, the television and lights went out.

"Mommy! Mommy!"

They were hiding their eyes behind their small hands as their mother was rocking them tightly in her arms.

"The lights will come back on after the storm is over. The electrical company may have a power line down," Stephanie reassured her children. "Cuban Man," she called. A finger pointed to a radio. 'Music," she mouthed.

It took a little trying of turning the knob on an old battery radio for Ranger to find music. It was soft rock with some static. The puppy ran over, looked up at the security expert, twitched his ears, and ran back to his two-legged companions. The station came in stronger.

"Babe."

"It's the ears," she laughed.

Ana came from around the middle support shaking something in her hands. Ranger's father chuckled at his wife looking up from the Sudoku book. "When my little boy, his brother, and sisters were afraid when be had a bad storm, we did something fun."

He clenched his fist hitting his thigh as his face showed nothing. This is why she needed to visit his siblings more and feel their love. Another story was coming.

Ana sat down on the carpet dumping out a bunch of plastic monkeys. "We would play 'Barrel of Monkeys'," she told them in her bubbly way. "Cubans love these. We played games all the time. We gave the Monopoly guy the thimble because he needed something special for his game," she explained in her own way. "My little Carlos was always the battleship. He grew up to be big and strong like it."

Ranger gave father an eyebrow and he nodded at his wife.

Benjy came over joining in from beside his mother. The attention was off the blowing rain and noise outside as the children were looking at the colorful monkeys. Ranger lit an oil lamp and a few candles before he sat down in the chair again. The living area was lit with the soft lights in the early evening that was darker due to storm clouds.

Laughter took the place of the fear. Monkey chains grew and fell apart. The storm was lessening somewhat as the thunder wasn't as loud and the rain wasn't pinging the windows as hard.

Tiana with her big eyes under her bangs looked up at Ranger. "Did you play this?"

He was sunk. If he said 'No' it would be one of his mother's rants telling more about his 'forgotten' childhood. If he said 'Yes' that could lead to another speech. If it wasn't for Stephanie, Ranger would wish for a government helicopter to swoop in at any second to drop him into a trouble spot far away. His options were going through his head. Sliding out of the chair, Ranger took the spot next to Stephanie on the floor.

"Oh, Carlos, this is just like when you were a little boy," his mother began.

Shelly was rubbing Tank's shoulders. He was laughing at his friend.

"One word," Ranger warned him.

Ana shook a finger at her son. "Don't you be a bully. Play nice," she said in her motherly tone.

In a quick shift off Stephanie, Tiana got comfortable on Ranger's legs. Smiling, she giggled handing Ranger a blue monkey, "He is nice."

A finger attached to the beautiful writer tipped Ranger's face in her direction so she could kiss his lips. "He is."

"Babe."

They sat on the floor making money chains and Tank couldn't resist a game of 'Go Fish'. Stephanie's adopted children would glance at the window hearing the rain and focus back on the activity on the floor. If Tiana jumped at the sound of thunder, Ranger's thumb tickled the fright away. That simple motion caused Stephanie's love to grow for the man beside her. He knew their fear concerned her and hoped as Paulo and Tiana grew the terrible memories causing that fear faded.

Shortly after 9 O'clock the electricity was back on. It was continuing to rain, but the scary thunder and lightening had moved on to somewhere else.

While Stephanie was running bath water, Ranger let Sam and Reggie out for a pee call. Sam ran inside heading to the bathroom. His mother's dog just had to shake himself off on Ranger's legs and curled back up next to his father like he never moved.

The master bedroom was assigned to Ana and Juan. Ranger had to hold his laugh when his mother came walking out of the bedroom wearing an oversized T-shirt from Stephanie. It was below her knees. His father found a pair of pajama bottoms that must belong to Frank Plum. They were a little baggy.

"Stephanie, Juan and I can sleep in the children's room so you can have your bedroom."

The children's writer had moved things into the bunk room aloowing Carlos' mother and father privacy in the bedroom. Shelly, Tank, and Benjy will be out on the pull-out sofa.

"I'm so happy Carlos wanted us to stay. I love spending time with my, Little Boy." She caught Ranger in a big mother bear hug. "He made me a table."

"Momma, you have five other children."

"I know that. I was pregnant with all of you. You're special because you're my baby."

Ranger hissed slightly if that was possible, "I'm thirty."

"You are my last born and technically Reggie is adopted."

He was thinking how lucky for the dog. He couldn't do anything else so he kissed his mother's cheek. "I love you, Momma." She was his crazy mother.

"I'm so lucky," she blubbered wiping her eyes. "Juan, he loves me!"

Mr. Manoso couldn't keep a straight face at the vexed expression on their son's. "Yes, Dear."

Reading her first 'Sam the Patchwork Puppy' story, the three children listened intently before bed.

"I'll be right there if you wake up frightened," Stephanie indicated to the other lower double bunk bed tucking the light blanket around her children. She sat there brushing their dark hair until both fell asleep. Sam was curled at the bottom of the bed to guard him as the puppy always did at home.

"Babe, I'll stay with them," Ranger whispered. "Go get your shower while the bathroom is free."

Glancing at her sleeping children with innocent smiles and peaceful expressions holding their own Sam's she nodded. "Thank you for caring, Cuban Man." Her breath tickled his ear and her lips were feather light on his.

"Ana, do you have everything? There are extra toothbrushes, lotions, and stuff in the bathroom closet. Extra towels are stacked above the washer if we run low," Stephanie informed Ranger's mother." She was in the kitchen having a glass of orange juice. "Thank you for helping to calm Paulo and Tiana," she added with a hug

"You give them love, Stephanie, and with that your children will lose their fears. And we're fine. Don't worry about us, Dear. Juan is contented doing those puzzles. Your beach house is cozy and you welcomed us to it. Go enjoy your shower."

Peeking into the spare bedroom, Ranger was laying on the bed in his silk boxers turning the pages of a book of sailboats to pass the time while his woman was showering.

"Carlos," his mother whispered, "there are sleeping children in here. No naked surprises."

"Momma!" he hissed through his teeth.

"Good night, My Little Boy," she called going down the hallway.

Stephanie walked into the bedroom hearing muttering. Her children weren't stirring, the sounds were coming from a Cuban Man.

He held up the sheet for her and tapped the spot next to him.

She giggled at his twisted lips and raised eyebrow. "What's wrong, Cuban Man?"

"My Momma," he whispered. "Her color is 'Absurd Apricot Ana." The words were said serious and without a blink of an eye.

"What?" She leaned up on her elbow checking out the perplexed man.

"My world isn't black and white anymore. It became gray after I met you and out of that I've found the colors of life. I'm stuck with my Momma and she's 'Absurd Apricot'," he spoke knowing how silly all that sounded.

"What's my color?"

Those dark eyes softened meeting the brilliant blue eyes that showed him what he was missing. "Heart's Glow."