Lizzy put on her sunglasses as she and Janie exited the airport.  She quickly scanned the lane of parked cars for the familiar sight of her brother and was able to spot him quickly. It was hard to miss the brilliance of his honey blond hair that was head and shoulders above everyone else as he leaned against his huge black pick-up truck looking at his phone.

"Quinn!" she called out his name over the traffic and slamming car doors.

He looked up scanning the crowd, and his face broke out into a grin as soon as he saw her. She quickly ran towards him, and he picked her up in a tight hug.

She and Quinn had the same coloring and looked the most like brother and sister out of the whole Stevens clan. They had often joked that their mother had so many children so quickly that she had confused them all, and she and Quinn were the twins not her and Mason.

Janie had caught up to Lizzy by the time Quinn had released her. "Quinn this is my assistant Janie.  Janie this is my big brother Quinn."

Janie smiled as she shook Quinn's hand.

"You two jump in the truck. I'll throw your luggage in the back."

"Really Lizzy, I don't think I can handle any more of your dazzling family. Each one of your brothers is better looking than the last."

Lizzy just gave a contented laugh in response.

"What's so funny?" Quinn asked, climbing into the truck.

"Oh nothing, I am just glad to be home," Lizzy said before cranking up the air conditioning. Austin was already hot and it was only April.  It was going to be a scorching summer.

"Is there plenty of blue to see?" she asked, watching Quinn navigate the airport traffic.

"Wait and see, I don't think you'll be disappointed."

She wasn't. The ride down U.S. 281 was beautiful. The Texas Hill Country was beautiful any time of year, but when the Bluebonnets were blooming it was jaw dropping.

"It's like someone laid a blue blanket over the whole countryside," Janie said, her nose plastered to the window. "Why on earth would you leave this for New York?"

"I have asked her that very same question many times myself." Quinn smiled at Janie in the rearview mirror.

"Try living here in August when it is 105 degrees, and then tell me it is better than New York." Lizzy shifted in her seat to get a better look out the window as the hills rose and fell.  They had actually designed some of the roads to go up and down the hills instead of thru them so at times it could be a little like a roller coaster ride.

It was about an hour drive to their family ranch, and it went much too quickly. As they pulled off of the main highway and onto the road that led into their property, she felt a sense of comfort that she had not felt it in a long while. "It's been too long since I was last here," she said softly as she looked over the fields of grazing cattle and horses. "Quinn is that Buck?" Lizzy reached out and put her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Please stop."

As Quinn slowed down she was already unbuckling her seat belt. He had only just stopped the truck when she opened the door and jumped down from the cab.

Buck was a big beautiful quarter horse that had been given to Lizzy for her twelfth birthday. She had hated to leave him when she went to college, and every time she came home she spent as much time with him as she could.

She walked over to the wooden fence propping her foot on the rail to jump it then looked back over her shoulder and gave Quinn a huge grin.  "Give me a leg up?"

Quinn looked at her through his open window rolling his eyes.  Lizzy had always been a little horse crazy.

"What does she mean, give her a leg up? She's not going to jump the fence is she?" Janie asked from the back seat as she rolled down her window, but Quinn had already put the truck in park and was getting out. He could never say no to his kid sister. "You know we have Brian, his mother, and Heather waiting at the house, and Dana probably has lunch on the table?" He eyed his sister from behind.

"No, I didn't know that," Lizzy said, looking at Buck grazing in the field longingly. Why were they all here already? She had thought that she would have at least a few days to spend on the ranch before she would have to get to work.  In fact, she hadn't even planned to do a site visit until the day after tomorrow.

Buck raised his head and looked at her and Quinn.  She watched as his nostrils flared trying to catch their sent.

"He's beautiful isn't he?" She turned to look at Quinn. "I'll just ride him to the house. I'll only be a few minutes behind you." She begged with her eyes.

"Lizzy, he doesn't have a saddle." Quinn hesitated.

Lizzy looked down at her old beat up boots willing Quinn to help her.  She couldn't mount Buck without his help.

When she heard him give a loud sigh she knew she had won. She looked at him, her grin about to split her face. "Janie, Quinn will take you to the house. I'll be right behind you," Lizzy said as she vaulted over the fence just like she had done when she was growing-up.

"Lizzy..." Janie called, but she didn't hear her because she had put her fingers in her mouth and let loose with a piercing whistle.

Quinn turned to Janie and grinned. Lizzy's joy was infectious.

"I always wished I could do that," he said.

Before Janie knew what had happened he was over the fence and standing next to Lizzy.

Lizzy whistled again and Buck went completely still.  Lizzy walked forward a few paces then stopped. Janie watched in shocked horror, truly afraid for her friend, as the huge horse ran towards her.

"He remembers you Lizzy," Quinn said.

Lizzy gave a carefree laugh as she watched the horse race towards her. Buck stopped as if on a dime when he got to her and lowered his head. Lizzy put her hands to his face and rested her head on his. "Buck, I have missed you." Buck gave a whinny and jerked his head away saying that he was ready to go.

"Well, I think Buck has made the choice for us.  I don't have the heart to tell him no.  I haven't seen him this excited since the last time you were here."

Lizzy moved to the horse's side and dug her hands into his mane. "Give me a leg up, Quinn."

Quinn stood behind Lizzy and made a cradle with his hands. Janie watched as Lizzy placed her foot in his hands
and gracefully pulled herself onto the horse's back. When she was settled the horse pawed at the ground in its eagerness, and Lizzy leaned forward and whispered something into the horse's ear that Janie could not hear.

Quinn turned back towards the truck jumping the fence just as easily as he had done the first time.

"Why don't you climb up front?" he said to Janie.

Janie got out of the truck and moved to the front seat without taking her eyes off of Lizzy. "Is she safe? Shouldn't she have a saddle or something?"

Quinn laughed. "Lizzy was born to ride horses. She's the best horsewoman I have ever met.  It's in her blood."

Janie craned her neck to watch Lizzy lean into the horse and kick its side, but she soon lost sight of her as she went in the opposite direction of the truck. Janie turned back in her seat overwhelmed by what she had just seen.

"She was a Texas girl before she was a New Yorker," Quinn said, reading Janie's shock.

They were quiet as they rode towards the house. The hills of Bluebonnets stretched as far as the eye could see and were only broken by the occasional Oak tree or steer. The house, when it finally came into view, was beautiful.  It was made of white stone, had a wraparound front porch with a swing and rocking chairs, and was capped with a tin roof.

"Welcome to our home," Quinn said as he stopped the truck in the drive.

There was group of people sitting on the porch, but she only recognized Heather and Brian. Brian stood up and moved towards the back of the truck to help with the luggage.

All Janie could do was stare at him. He was wearing a pair of old beat up cowboy boots, well-worn blue jeans that molded themselves to his strong legs, and a tight navy button down shirt that made his eyes look midnight blue. His strong forearms flexed as he lowered the tail gate of the truck. Janie swallowed hard. He had to be the sexiest man she had ever seen. He exuded unleashed power and strength.

"Where is Lizzy?" a tall willowy blond asked from the front porch.

Janie was unaware of Brian's concerned look at Dana's statement.

"She found Buck." Quinn smiled as she gave a quick kiss to the blond.

"Janie, this is my beautiful wife Dana.  I believe you know Brian and Heather."

"And I'm Helen Alexander," the older woman who had been sitting on the porch said as she rose and held out her hand to Janie.

Janie took it and smiled as best she could.

Just then the screen door of the house creaked open and a very tall and broad man came out onto the porch with a sandwich in his hand.

"This is my brother Caleb," Quinn introduced giving him a scowl.

"Hey, I am starving I couldn't wait any longer," the dark headed young man said before taking a bite of his sandwich while he took in the situation. He looked just as strong and handsome as the other two.

"Where's Lizzy? he asked around a mouth full of food.

"She saw Buck," Quinn repeated his earlier comment while helping Brian with the few bags they had brought.

"Figures," Caleb said around another bite of food.

"You should have seen her, I was so scared. She whistled and the horse charged her, and then she jumped on his back and rode off as if it was the most natural thing and everybody did it.  She didn't have a saddle or anything," Janie said in a rush, her eyes wide at the memory.

Caleb grinned at Janie's tirade. "This is your first time to Texas?"

"Yes," Janie said, not understanding the question, and a bit breathless by the charm of his smile.

"I'll have to show you all of the sites then?" Caleb said, his eyes studying Janie.

"Caleb, why don't you drive the truck around to the garage?" Quinn suggested before the conversation got out of hand.

Caleb looked at Quinn as he popped the last bite of food into his mouth raising an eyebrow in question. Quinn just shook his head, knowing that his brother was impossible whenever a pretty girl was near.  Caleb grinned before jumping into the truck driving it further up the drive and around the corner.

Just then Janie heard a pounding and turned around to see Lizzy hurtling towards them on the back of the giant horse. Her hair was flying behind her as was the horse's mane and tail.

"Well she certainly knows how to make an entrance, I'll give her that." Heather muttered.

Dana gave a polite laugh.  She is just being Lizzy. She has always been a bit of a free spirit.  I think a lot of that is stifled in New York."

She slowed the horse down to a trot as she saw the group watching her approach with interest. "Buck if you were ever going to run out of control with me on your back now is the time to do it," she whispered into his ear. He gave a whinny and nodded his head as if he understood her hesitancy. Lizzy stopped Buck at the fence at the edge the field in which she had been riding him.

Giving him one last pat, she gracefully dismounted. Still not ready to face the group she walked around to Buck and rested her head against his. "Sweet boy."

He blew out through his nose and sniffed her pockets. "I'll come back later with treats, I promise." Taking a deep breath she turned and walked towards the waiting group, easily jumping the fence as Caleb rejoined everyone.

"Lizzy," he said walking over to her and giving her a bear hug. "Buck looks rather pleased with himself."

"Yes." She wrapped her arm around Caleb's waist.  "Did you meet Janie?"

Caleb grinned. "Yes, I did. I was just offering to show her the sites when Quinn interrupted me."

"You behave.  Janie does not need you 'showing' her the sites," Lizzy said as Dana moved in for a hug. "Last time you 'showed' one of my girlfriends the sites she never spoke to me again, swearing that you broke her heart and claiming that I reminded her too much of you."

"Brian, Heather," she said as she turned to Helen. "It's good to see you Mrs. Alexander."

"You too my dear," she said as she enveloped her in a hug. "You do ride well."

"It's easy to do when it's something that you enjoy doing."

Lizzy turned back to Dana. "What's for lunch? I'm starved."

Dana started walking towards the house while telling Lizzy how glad she was that she was home.