Fiona was sitting on the veranda that overlooked the back of the house talking on the phone when she was joined by Henry. She had showered and change into a pretty, yellow sundress in honor of her cousin's visit, and she had to admit that it was nice to wear something feminine for a change.

She noticed that Henry had showered and changed as well. He was wearing a button-down dress shirt and a pair of clean blue jeans. Fiona ignored the little dip in her stomach at the sight of him and forced herself to look away as he drew near.

Her friend Becky was talking a mile a minute in her ear, and she was doing her best to keep up with what she was saying. Becky and her other two college roommates, Valerie and Stephanie, were reuniting in Austin that weekend. Becky had been attempting for the last twenty minutes to get Fiona to join them.

"I insist you come this weekend, Fiona! We haven't seen you in years, and it would be so nice to be together again!" Becky had always been a loud talker, and Fiona was sure that Henry could hear every word.

"I can't get away right now. The ranch is busy," Fiona told her once more.

"What's two days? You're only an hour away. You can drive up on Friday night, spend Saturday, and drive home again on Sunday." Becky planned.

"I -"

"Look, don't say no. Think about it and let me know on Friday, all right?" Becky begged.

"Fine, I'll tell you no on Friday if you like." Fiona smiled.

Becky huffed into the phone then they said their goodbyes.

She really did miss her old roommates and the fun they had had in college. It had been nice to have friends who didn't know her famous family. She had been boring Fiona Stevens, daughter of Dana and Quinn Stevens, ranchers from the Texas Hill country. However, something told her that if they met up again, it wouldn't be the same. All three women were married or engaged, and as the only solo person, Fiona would be the odd woman out.

Not to mention, last time they had gotten together, they had spent the entire trip drinking and trying to find her a man, which had been a painfully embarrassing ordeal.

"Did you get something to drink?" Fiona asked as she turned her attention to Henry, who sat down in the chair next to her.

"I'm fine for now," he assured her as he looked out over the hills. "Why don't you go? It might be good for you to getaway. It would give Roger a chance to run things on his own and feel less micromanaged."

"I do not micromanage!" Fiona insisted. "And you're not going to do the polite thing and pretend you didn't hear that conversation, are you?"

"Nope," Henry shook his head, "I heard every word clear as a bell. A very loud bell." Henry grinned.

Fiona sighed and shook her head in mock sternness.

"Seriously, why don't you go?" he asked again.

"I told you there is too much-"

"No, there's not. Branding is over tomorrow, and everything here is under control. What's the real reason you don't want to go?" he asked, turning all of his attention on her.

The way he looked at her made her feel as if she mattered.

"The truth?" Fiona softly asked, weakened by Henry's concerned look. She was tired of holding things in all the time. It might be nice to share.

"Yes, please." Henry nodded, watching her gather her thoughts.

"I'm the only single one in the bunch, and I always feel like the odd man out." She shrugged. "The last time we got together was two years ago before I took over the ranch. They spent the entire weekend drinking and trying to find me 'a man' as they put it. I'm a long way away from my college days, and I don't want to go back. They do."

Henry silently considered what she said. "I still think you should go, even if you just have dinner with them on Friday and then spend Saturday in the spa."

Fiona smiled at his words but didn't comment. It wouldn't work, and she knew it. They would either keep texting her until she joined them, or they would join her in the spa.

"You could catch a ride with me to Austin. I have a few friends in town, and I promised to go see them," Henry offered.

Fiona looked at him in disbelief. It sounded too much of a coincidence to be true.

"Ask Roger, I already asked him for the time off," Henry insisted, reading her thoughts of disbelief accurately.

Fiona missed his crossed fingers that hung down by his side.

After a moment of consideration, Fiona leaned back in her seat. "I'll think about it."

"And tell me no on Friday?" he asked.

Fiona smiled an honest to goodness smile at his words, and it felt good.

"Did you notice the rings on Beth's finger?" Fiona asked, changing the subject.

"I did. She said that she and Wyatt got married on the spur of the moment and haven't told the family yet." Henry filled in some of the blanks for her.

"And the family haven't noticed the rings yet." Fiona's smile faded as she sadly shook her head.

"That's what she said." Henry nodded.

"When Grandma died, we lost our rudder. There's no one to pull us together and help us connect. Our families are starting to go their separate ways." It made Fiona sad as she remembered all of the good times they had as a family.

"It's a natural progression. Each daughter becomes the matriarch of her own family." Henry attempted to console her.

"No, it's more than that." Fiona frowned. "We've lost our way. No one came home for Grandma and Grandpa's anniversary. Nothing has ever stopped that before, and it's branding season, so this house should be overflowing with people."

"Even though they're not here and you don't see them as often, you still have your family. I have always been envious of the Stevens. You all are so close, even when you're all so far away from each other. I've never really had that." Henry looked back out over the hills as he spoke.

"You have Lee, Lily, and Kate," Fiona reminded him.

"Sure," he agreed. Fiona had the impression there was more to the story, but before she could ask, Beth stuck her head around the door and told them that dinner was ready.

It was another lost chance to find out a little bit more about Henry Mercer and what made him tick.

*******

Henry watched Fiona stand and smile at her cousin. Her beautiful blond hair fell in a loose tangle down her back, and her pretty yellow dress highlighted her tanned skin. She was lovely. Henry stood and followed a little too closely as she walked into the house.

He could smell the flowery essence of her shampoo.

Fiona was nothing like who he had thought she was all these years, and it only made him want to learn more about her.

He had told a little fib when he had said he had already asked for the time off, but he hadn't been lying when he had told her that he had a few friends in town. Two of his fellow SEAL team members were rolling through Austin and had wanted to know if he wanted to meet up with them. His first reaction had been no, but something had kept him from responding right away. It had been almost a month since he had seen any of his teammates, and that world was getting further and further away. Part Henry felt he should visit and reconnect with them.

It was almost time re-up, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay in the Navy or not. It wasn't like he had any other plans in life, but he was starting to feel every one of his thirty-five years, and it was harder and harder to keep up with the young recruits.

It also wasn't a hardship to spend a little extra time with Fiona and maybe get a few of the questions he had answered.

Dinner was fun. Fiona hadn't been so amused in a long time. Henry and Beth played well off each other, and the story about Henry getting Beth drunk had tickled her. Fiona had never seen Beth drink before.

Although Fiona had participated in the meal and conversation, her mind had been elsewhere. A crazy thought had come to her as she watched Henry tease Beth. Beth had mentioned how she had felt like the most noticed girl at the party when Henry had been on her arm and that it was fun to catch other women checking out her date for the evening.

Beth had hastened to reassure Wyatt that it was the same with him now, but that Henry had been her first time to experience having such a handsome man on her arm, which had led to more teasing from both men for her careless words, and Wyatt pulling her empty wine glass away from her before she got into any more trouble.

What if Fiona had Henry on her arm? What if she asked him to be her date for the weekend? He was going to Austin already, and she could pay for his room if that made it easier or if she was putting him out in any way.

The thought took hold, and she couldn't shake it. Fiona silently agreed with Beth that it would be nice to have a handsome and strong man on her arm for a change.

True to his word, when the meal ended, Wyatt did the dishes with Beth's help.

*******

With her mad plan buzzing around in her head, Fiona asked Henry if he had a minute, then led the way to her Father's office, shutting the door behind them.

"Did I say something wrong? Am I being pulled into the principal's office?" Henry joked as he fell into a chair, totally relaxed.

Fiona took a deep breath and perched on the edge of her father's desk as she tried to get up the nerve to ask him to be her date.

"What is it, Fiona?" Henry asked in his gentle voice as he leaned forward.

Fiona fiddled with a letter opener on her desk, unable to look at him.

"I wanted to ask you something." They were the only words she could get out.

"What did you want to ask me, Fiona? We're friends, remember. Friends can talk to each other about all sorts of things," he reassured her.

"This might overstep the boundaries of friendship," Fiona stood and crossed her arms, forcing herself to meet his eyes.

"Go ahead anyway," Henry urged. Could he tell this was really hard for her? She wasn't used to asking for anything.

"If I were to go to Austin this weekend to visit with my friends, would you come with me, as my date?" It all came out in a rush.

"Yes," Henry simply said.

Fiona didn't hear him as she continued. "I would pay for your room at the hotel, and you would be free to meet up with your friends. I would only need you to join me for a meal or two and maybe an afternoon by the pool or something like that."

"Yes, Fiona. I will be your date, and I will pay for my own room." Henry's voice was calm without a note of censure or amusement.

Fiona let out the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and smiled.

"There's only one problem." Henry frowned.

"What?" Fiona stiffened.

"Umm...I might need your help with Roger if he won't give me the weekend off." Henry did his best to look embarrassed at being caught in a lie, but Fiona didn't buy it.

"You lied?" she asked incredulously.

"Only in part. My friends really are in town, but I hadn't decided if I wanted to see them or not. I wanted to stay here if you needed me, but when I heard you might be taking off, and I could be able to give you a ride, I thought I might go. I only made up the part about already having time off to try to convince you to go. I really do think it would be good for you." This time it was Henry speaking in a rush.

Fiona eyed him, trying to decide if it was worth being mad at him about. When he made it sound like it was all for her, how could she be mad?

"What were you going to do if Roger said no and refused to give you the time off?" Fiona asked.

"Leave anyway. I'm here voluntarily." Henry shrugged with a grin.

"I never thought...you've been working so hard, and you're not even getting paid!" Fiona wanted to kick herself.

"It's a family thing, Fiona. I am happy to help your family, especially since they have always treated me like one of their own. I can't tell you how much that has meant to me over the years." Henry's voice was so solemn that it made Fiona want to cry, but she forced a smile.

"So, a date!" Henry said, standing up and breaking the mood. "Sounds like fun. I'll pick you up at six o'clock sharp the day after tomorrow."

Fiona nodded. "All right," she agreed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Henry said with a tilt of his head before he left her.

Fiona felt wiped out. How could one person make her nervous, amused, angry, and then sentimental all in the space of ten minutes?

What kind of evil power did the man wield over her, and would she survive it?