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upstairs.
    Rapidly settling on her menu as she ran back to the house from the barn, Lexi was glad she’d picked up the house the previous evening. While meat thawed in the microwave, she took the fastest shower of her life, washed her hair and left it wet while she ran back downstairs in her bathrobe and started assembling the meal. As the meat and sauce simmered, she ran back upstairs, dressing in jeans and a soft sweater, and then blow-dried her hair. She applied a little mascara and a spritz of perfume, concluding she didn’t look too bad for a harried rancher.
    Back downstairs, she finished the meal preparations. Concerned Ty might think she was trying too hard to impress him, she ran back to her bathroom and pulled her hair into a ponytail, and changed into a faded sweatshirt.
    Despite her good intentions, she couldn’t stop from pinching her cheeks when she heard Ty downstairs.
    Lightly treading down the stairs, she breezed into the kitchen. Only by sheer force of will did she keep from staring open-mouthed at her mechanic. He looked far better than any man had a right to, especially with a scruffy growth of stubble on his face and hair that needed a good trim. Never mind the way his shirt clung to his arm and chest muscles, or his jeans outlined his long legs, or his blue eyes glowed with warmth. Lexi might be able to ignore all that.
    What she couldn’t ignore was the mega-watt smile he sent her direction when she stepped into the room. For a moment, his smile left her unable to form a cohesive thought.
    “Sure smells good in here,” Ty finally said, breaking the awkward silence as he leaned against the counter with his hands in his jeans pockets. “Anything I can do to help?”
    “I’ve got everything ready.” Lexi scooped the contents of a saucepan into a serving bowl and fished slices of warm, buttered bread from the oven. “I’ll dish up the food if you don’t mind filling the water glasses.”
    Ty filled the glasses from the dispenser in the refrigerator door and returned to the counter. Lexi motioned him to a barstool and he waited for her to sit down before taking his seat. His mother managed to instill in him a few good manners.
    Surprised when Lexi took his hand in hers, she asked a blessing on the meal then gave him a friendly smile as she passed him a steaming bowl of something that looked like cornmeal.
    “Its polenta,” she said, waiting for him to take a serving. “You put the sauce over the top. I promise it won’t kill you or give you food poisoning.”
    Ty grinned and took the bowl, giving himself a healthy portion. Even if he hated it, he would eat every bite if it meant she might smile at him again.
    She spooned sauce over her polenta. He followed her lead when she sprinkled freshly grated parmesan on top. A crisp green salad and the warm bread were the perfect complements to the delicious meal.
    Unable to stop a moan of appreciation as the flavors exploded on his tongue, Ty tried to keep from eating like a ravenous wolf.
     Lexi grinned. “I take it you like it?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, obviously pleased by his response.
    “What is it?” Ty took a bite of the bread before returning his attention to the entrée.
    “Polenta Alla Romana. The sauce is made from chicken and sausage, chicken broth, herbs, and pasta sauce. Have you had polenta before?”
    “Not that I remember.” Ty took another bite, savoring the taste. “But the texture reminds me of grits.”
    “Similar,” Lexi said. She liked to cook when she had time and missed some of the gourmet foods she used to enjoy in Portland. Rarely taking time to cook for herself at the ranch, she relied mostly on salads, sandwiches, and bowls of cold cereal to stave off her hunger. Occasionally, she ate with the hands. She tried not to do that often since they felt compelled to be on their best behavior and not relax when she ate with them.
    “So it’s Italian?” Ty asked, finishing his salad.
    “Yes, it is.”
    “Do