Free Learnin' The Ropes by Shanna Hatfield

out here and get up early to make sure you guys are fed at the crack of dawn.”
    “That could be a problem.” Drying the last dish, Ty handed it to Lexi to put away.
    She tossed a thoughtful look his way. “Are you adjusting okay? Do the wide-open spaces bother you much? Or the lack of civilization?”
    “Honestly, I like the quiet peacefulness of being here. As far as civilization, I think the cattle and Baby are better behaved than many supposedly civilized people I know. I can’t say that I miss the noise and traffic, although I’m still getting used to the smells.”
    Lexi laughed. “It does take some getting used to. I’ll grant you that.”
    Hanging the dishtowel up to dry, she swept her hand toward the hall. “Want to see the rest of the house?”
     “Sure.” Ty followed her down a hall past what she called the sitting room and the music room to a formal living room filled with antique furniture.
    “No one ever uses this room. Although it’s nice to look at, the furniture was made for much smaller bodies that weren’t accustomed to oversized, overstuffed chairs.” Lexi directed him to follow her up an impressive mahogany staircase in the front foyer to the second floor. He lingered back just far enough to get an appreciative eyeful of her jean-clad posterior as it went up the stairs.
    Intently focused on the vision before him, he almost missed the last step and grasped the banister to keep from falling. She turned and grinned at him, further discombobulating his senses.
    “There used to be six bedrooms up here and another sitting area. Can you imagine?” She swept a hand down the hall. “Anyway, Mom and Dad converted all that into four bedrooms, each with a private bath.”
    “Very nice.” Ty admired the large master suite with its balcony, high ceilings, and beautifully carved four-poster king-sized bed. A vision of Lexi in that bed with her silky raven hair fanning across the pillow forced him to step out of the room and wander down the hall. He tried to focus on the architecture of the house and not his tour guide.
    She took him down a narrow set of stairs at the back of the hallway. When they reached the bottom, she turned down a short hall into the room she referred to as the office. A bookcase filled with books, memorabilia and family photos covered one wall. A big rock fireplace, when lit, would no doubt fill the room with warmth. A massive desk with two chairs in front of it took up space across from the fireplace while wooden filing cabinets sat against the wall behind the desk.
    Ty stepped into the room and admired the woodwork. He noticed the outside entrance to the room. That was handy for ranching purposes. Two big windows allowed Lexi to see across the ranch yard toward the barn and keep an eye on things while she worked at the desk.
    They retraced their steps down the hallway, past the back stairs, and entered a fully modernized room with a big screen television, leather couches, and comfortable chairs. A fire crackled merrily in the gas fireplace and Ty moved in front of it, warming his hands. A painting hanging above the mantel caught his eye. The woman in it looked exactly like Lexi. Instead of green eyes, the woman had big brown eyes.
     “This must be your grandmother,” he said, turning to smile at Lexi. She stepped beside him and grinned.
    “How did you guess?”
    “There’s just the slightest family resemblance,” he teased, amazed at how much Lexi looked like the woman in the painting. “What’s her name?”
    “Sunny.” Lexi always thought the name suited her grandmother so well. She was a bubbly, happy person who never let anything get her down for long.
    “I can see in her eyes and smile that the name suits her,” Ty observed, surprised to hear himself voice his thoughts. He generally didn’t share what he was thinking, but Lexi seemed to have that effect on him.
    Thrilled by Ty’s reaction to her grandmother, Lexi couldn’t stop smiling at him. “It does