A Find/Replace operation can't do that on its own.

An alternative would be to replace all the 'Variable #' strings with a combination of 'Variable #' and a SEQ field, so that Word can handle the numbering automatically. To do this:
1. Select the first number, delete it, press Ctrl-F9 and type 'SEQ Nr' between the field braces, thus {SEQ Nr}.
2. Copy the entire 'Variable #{SEQ Nr}' range.
3. Do a wildcard Find/Replace, where:
Find = Variable #[0-9]{1,3}
Replace = ^c
4. Press Ctrl-A, then F9 to update.
You should now have a complete set of consecutive numbers.

__________________
Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]