A little sign at the foot of Thatcher's property welcomed visitors to<i>Down Yonder Ranch</i>. But outside of the various contractors and day laborers who he hired to help him fix up the place,  he'd had remarkably few visitors. Thatcher bought the house sight unseen, one of several facts that made Pete (and everyone else at Goldman Sachs) wonder if he'd gone "crazy."  But Thatcher only ever questioned his sanity once – on the day he arrived. The house was huge but dilapidated. Walls were crumbling, floorboards were rotting, and there were more than a few holes in the roof to let the rain in. He'd spent the last year chopping wood, and hauling drywall, and laying tile. And it showed. He'd always been lean and fit, but he was distinctly more muscled than the last time Tanya laid eyes on him.<br/><br/>Like most men, Thatcher had an appreciation for formal wear; tight cocktail dresses, form fitting gowns, lace... but he was firmly of the opinion that most women looked best in jeans and a t-shirt. As he helped Tanya out of the car and got a look at her attire, he couldn't stop himself from biting his bottom lip. The last time he'd seen her she was wearing a white dress that cost thousands — maybe even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But he much preferred her like<i>this</i>. Her jeans, her sweater... all of it hinted at a body that he suspected would fit perfectly against his... like a lost puzzle piece. His memory of her was so dominated by the chemistry they shared, he'd nearly forgotten how physically enticing she was as well.<br/><br/>Her casual kiss on his cheek sent a little chill down his spine, triggering a confident smirk on his lips. "I hoped you packed more than just heels," he said, casting his blue eyes down to her choice of footwear. He punctuated this remark by hooking a finger into one of her belt loops and giving it a fleeting little tug; an simultaneously teasing but intimate gesture.<br/><br/>Snowflakes were starting to swirl down from the grey sky above. He pulled your luggage from the trunk of the car and handed the driver a $100 bill, advising him to be careful on the ride back to the airport. He accepted this advice with a terse nod and drove, leaving Tanya and Thatcher alone together for the very first time.<br/><br/>"I'm eager to show you the house," he said, leading up the steps of the low flung porch and through the double doors. As he slung his hat on the coatrack, she laid her eyes on the sprawling living room. It had a modern-lodge vibe; built in bookcases stacked with books, a stone fireplace where orange flames were burning, modern but cozy furniture, much of which he built by hand in the nearby barn.