**Harry’s POV**

“Ya’ll didn’t have to come with me for this,” Nicky said as she pulled her car up in front of the house she grew up in.Her voice was mesmerizing. I loved that accent…the ya’lls and the darlins were like honey. I could listen to her talk all day. I reached over and touched her hand, trying to reassure her.
“We decided if you had to explain to your parents and brother we were the reason you were leaving the country, we should at least be here to answer questions,” I said, smiling at her as we got out of the car. I looked at the old house and around at the landscape. No one around for miles. I could hear the sounds of the ranch around me and I immediately could sense why this move was a difficult one for her to make. If I had grown up like this, I don’t know that I would be ready to leave it so easily. And I understood when Gemma told me if she was away to long she got sad and had to make the six hour drive home every few weeks to recharge. We’d been there for five minutes and I could sense the calmness coming from her already.She was a stunning woman. Gemma had said she was pretty, but I wasn’t ready for how pretty she was. She was just in jeans and a t shirt but far more gorgeous dressed simply than any woman I’d seen dressed for the red carpet. Before my thoughts could get too carried away I was broken out of them by the front door opening and a woman who was the exact image of Nicky coming out to greet us.
“Nichole Marie! Gemma! Oh girls I am so happy to see you both.” And she wrapped Nicky and my sister in a hug.
“Hi Momma,” Nicky replied hugging her mother back.
“Hello Carolyn,” my sister smiled back. “It’s been too long.”
“Yes, it has. You promised to come visit a lot sooner, Miss Styles,” she scolded. Then her eyes turned to me, “oh, and you must be….”
“Harry,” I said extending my hand to her. “Nice to meet you Mrs. Davies”
“Oh, aren’t you the gentleman? Just call me Carolyn, darlin’. Nice to have you here.” Then she turned to the girls and said, “Come on then…everyone inside. I have some food ready for you and the men will be in soon. Your daddy and Dylan are so curious about your news, Nichole.”

**Gemma’s POV**

We sat on the back porch taking in the view of the ranch. The Bluebonnets were in bloom and covered the fields behind the house. So different from home. Carolyn and Nicky had gone inside to get drinks and left us alone for a few minutes. I reached over and touched Harry’s shoulder taking his attention away from watching the horses in the corral. He turned and smiled at me.
“This place is amazing.”
“It is. I love coming here. I see why Nicky finds such peace here.” I turned to look over the fields of wildflowers. “What do you think of Nicky? Aside from the work she does.” His face broke into a wide grin.
“She’s stunning. That’s what I think. Sis, are you playing matchmaker?”
“I would never…”
“You have and you would, Gemma Styles.” He laughed, “Don’t you even try to deny it.”
“You could do worse, brother mine.You HAVE done….” I teased.
“Gem, my interest in Nicky is purely professional. She is an accomplished fund raiser and I need her experience. Though, if she is your friend, she should be mine as well, right?”
“You couldn’t ask for anyone more loyal or dedicated, Harry. She believes in what she does has such passion for it.” Harry wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him back as he spoke softly,
“Sis, you can stop selling her to me, I gave her the job already.”

**Nicky’s POV**

We sat on the back porch chatting and waiting for Daddy and Dylan to come in. I loved being home, even if it was only for a couple of days. Gemma was going to head back to London when we made it back to San Antonio and Harry had business in LA before he headed home. And of course I had to get back to work, so just a couple of days home. But I was going to enjoy it.
I looked over at Harry. He was engaged in a conversation with my mother about the horses. He seemed quite fascinated with the ranch. I’d noticed when someone spoke to him, he gave his full attention to them. Those green eyes never looked away. Could be quite distracting, to be honest. At least it was to me.
“Maybe Nichole could take you for a ride tomorrow.” Momma said, “She loves riding and she’s damn good at it, too.”
“I’d like that.” Harry grinned at me.
“Easy there, Haz” Gemma teased, “She took me out for a ride the first time I was here, and left me in her dust.” I giggled, remembering how Buster needed to run and I had forgotten for a moment that Gemma was with me when we got to open pasture I just took off, letting him go full tilt.
“I said I was sorry!” I said and threw a pillow at her. “And I bought your drinks when we went to town that night to make up for it.”
“Yes, you did…I forgot. You are forgiven.”

About then, I heard the truck pull up and a few minutes later I heard front door open.
“Where’s my girl?” Daddy shouted.
“We’re out back, Jimmy!” Momma shouted, “and stop yelling like a redneck, we’ve got company!”
Dylan stuck his head through the door and said, “Gemma is not company anymore. I’ll shout if I want to.” Then he grinned at me, “Hey sis.”
“Hey Dipstick.” I stood up to hug him and Daddy, “missed ya’ll.”
“Missed you too, Princess.” Daddy kissed my cheek and then he noticed Harry sitting quietly next to his sister. Harry stood up and extended his hand to my father. “Hello, I’m Harry.”
“Nice to meet ya, Harry.Gemma’s…?” Daddy asked, not knowing a thing about One Direction. All he knew was that Gemma’s brother was in a band. But since he only listened to country music, he didn’t have had a clue who Harry was.
“Brother.”
“Oh well then, Nice to have you here. We love Gemma. Best thing to happen to my little girl meeting her.”
“Daddy…”, I moaned at him.
“She is quite special. But I think Gemma was the lucky one, meeting Nichole.”
Daddy laughed and said, “My girl does have a bit of a temper.” I looked over at Dylan and he was just looking at Harry like he had a horn growing out of his head. Gemma snorted and said,
“Dylan, since your sister is so rude. This is my brother, Harry.”
“Nice to meet you, Dylan. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Funny, I’ve never heard anything about you, Harry.” Dylan said, still eyeing Harry.
“Oh for crying out loud, Dylan. I only met him yesterday, goodness sakes.”
“Dylan Michael! I raised you better than that, young man. Where are your manners?” Momma scolded him. She was embarrassed that her son was so rude to a guest in her home and he knew it. He was going to be paying for that for a while.
Momma shooed them upstairs to shower and clean up for dinner and went to the kitchen to get things ready. I stood there looking at Harry with my hands in my back pockets. Gemma finally said,
“I’m going to go help Carolyn,” and went inside. I let out a laugh and Harry exhaled sharply and grinned.
“So sorry about my brother. He’s really a good guy. I swear.”
“It’s okay. I’ll let Gemma tell you about the time I told an entire arena that she was there on a date and that I was watching them.”
“Oh my god,” I laughed, “and she didn’t kill you?”
“She tried.”

Notes