The Cowboy's Summer Love (46 page)

Giving a word of thanks to the clerk, he got back on the road and drove a few miles further east on the highway before taking a right. According to the directions he was supposed to drive three miles then take a left. Two more miles, he would take a right and another mile should bring him to the ranch house.

Lex indicated he might not be home today and gave direction if no one answered at the house, to call Swede on his cell phone.

Ty noticed after he turned off the highway that the road, though paved, had not seen any maintenance for quite some time. Following the turns, he soon found himself bouncing down a gravel road, surround by snow-covered fields and pastures filled with red and white cattle.

 Ty smiled, wondering if these were the animals he was not supposed to be afraid of. They looked pretty harmless to him.

As he pulled into the ranch yard, it was hard not to be impressed. A huge Victorian house painted a shade of pale yellow with white and dark green accents was the focal point, complete with wrap-around porch, gingerbread trim and a yard enclosed by a white-picket. What appeared to be a garage, in the same shade of yellow, sat off to the side of the house toward the back.

A small but tidy looking cottage-style house and a large ranch home were off to the left of the main house with a hulking red barn, machine shed, large shop and various outbuildings sitting to the right.

Parking his truck, Ty got out and smoothed down his jeans before straightening his sweatshirt and jacket. Running a hand through his wavy brown hair, he realized he probably should have gotten a haircut before he left Portland.

Walking through the gate in the fence, he strode purposefully down the sidewalk, up the porch steps and to the front door of the house. Ringing the bell, he waited, listening, but didn’t hear any movement inside. Opening the screen door, he knocked on the wooden door and still heard nothing.

Deciding Mr. Ryan wasn’t home, he pulled out his cell phone and turned only to find a huge, furry animal staring at him from just a few feet away with a bunch of sharp looking teeth bared his direction.

The crazy questions about liking animals were starting to make a lot more sense to Ty as he carefully backed up against the front door…

SHANNA HATFIELD spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist before moving into the field of marketing and public relations.  She has a lifelong love of writing, reading and creativity. She and her husband, lovingly referred to as Captain Cavedweller, reside in the Pacific Northwest with their neurotic cat along with a menagerie of wandering wildlife and neighborhood pets.

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