Unexpected Rush (Play-By-Play #11)(63)

If so, she was in deep, and it was starting to worry her.





Twenty-Seven





Harmony had never been to the Double C ranch, but had heard stories about it from her mother and from Drake. She’d heard it was sizable, that Barrett’s parents owned it. Barrett’s father, Easton Cassidy, was a football legend, a retired quarterback who’d forged a dynasty of amazing sports stars.

Barrett, Flynn and their brother Grant played football. Tucker, Barrett’s twin brother, was a pitcher and the only member of the family to play baseball.

Of course there was also Mia, the youngest Cassidy sibling and the only daughter. She was in postgraduate school and not the least bit interested in sports.

Barrett’s mother, Lydia, was a former attorney who now helped Easton run the ranch as well as various family foundations. According to Harmony’s mother, the woman was formidable but also one of the nicest people her mother had ever met. She was one of the reasons Harmony’s mom had decided to go back to school, get her degree and was now a financial analyst.

Harmony had a lot to thank Lydia Cassidy for.

Drake and Barrett had flown in earlier in the day, but since both she and her mother had to work on Friday, they hadn’t been able to fly out until later in the day. Barrett had told her he’d have a car waiting for them at the airport in Austin, and true to his word, as soon as they arrived there was a sign with her name on it and someone had helped them with their luggage and directed them to a nicely air-conditioned SUV.

It turned out the guy wasn’t with a car service but was one of the ranch hands who’d been sent to pick them up.

It was about a fifty-mile drive from Austin to the Double C ranch. They went from city to country and when they hit the gates of the ranch, Harmony was in awe at the sheer amount of land they passed through.

The main house was massive, surrounded by tall trees and barking dogs and a lot of cars.

“Is there a party tonight?” Harmony asked.

“I don’t know, honey. Knowing the Cassidys, probably. They do like to entertain. But they also have a big family.”

Her mother climbed out of the car, greeted all the barking dogs, and left her to climb up the stairs and hug a petite, slender, gorgeous woman with light brown hair. She wore a maxi skirt and a tank top and sandals and looked like a mature fashion model.

Harmony made her way to the porch—after greeting all the dogs, of course.

“Go. Shoo,” the woman said to the dogs, who scattered on command. “Sorry. They’re all super friendly. Hello, Harmony, and welcome to the ranch. I’m Lydia Cassidy.”

It was hard to believe this beautiful woman was the mother of five children. Harmony held out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Cassidy.”

Lydia smiled. “Call me Lydia. We’re very informal here. And it’s hot outside. Let’s go in where it’s cooler.”

They walked inside and, as a designer, Harmony took in everything, from the gorgeous wood floors to the incredible, state-of-the-art kitchen. She’d already had a glimpse of the amazing, obviously handmade dining room table they’d passed by on the way. It was all done in a very homey, country way that also felt modern and was incredibly beautiful. The décor was amazing and spot on.

“Your home is lovely,” Harmony said.

“Thank you. I made some lemonade. Would you like some?”

“I’d love some,” Harmony’s mother said.

“I would, too, thank you.”

“Me, too, Mom.”

Harmony turned to see a beautiful, dark-haired young woman walk in, wearing shorts and a sleeveless cotton shirt. She looked to be in her early twenties, but Harmony instantly caught the resemblance between her and Barrett.

She held out her hand. “I’m Mia.”

“Harmony Evans. Nice to meet you, Mia.”

“Hello again, Mia,” Harmony’s mother said.

“It’s nice to see you again, Diane. I hope the flight wasn’t awful for you two. Personally, I hate flying, but sometimes it’s an evil necessity.”

Harmony laughed. “That’s true. Barrett told me you’re in college?”

“Yes. I’m doing postgraduate work at the University of Texas. I’m working on my MBA.”

“Good for you.”

“Thank you. Right now I’m enjoying the summer off before classes start up again.”

“Oh, Drake and Barrett detoured to the university with Easton,” Lydia said. “He wanted to show them off to his alma mater. They’ll be here later.”

“Okay,” her mother said.

“Tucker—that’s Barrett’s twin—should be arriving soon. Flynn is already here. He’s out in the barn.”

She wanted to mention she had already seen Flynn last week, but of course she couldn’t say that without revealing she’d gone to San Francisco with Barrett.

“I heard you’ve been harvesting the corn crop,” her mother said to Lydia.

Lydia grinned. “Yes. Oh, and you should see the tomatoes this year, Diane. It’s been hot, but we’ve been lucky with the rain. The garden is thriving. Would you like to see it?”

“You know I would.”

“We’ll be right back,” Lydia said.