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.
“You two have fun with that,” Mia said, sliding onto a barstool at the island next to Harmony.
After they left, Mia turned to her. “Mom has a thing about her garden, and is willing to show it off to anyone remotely interested in vegetables.”
Harmony laughed. “My mother loves her garden as well, though she doesn’t exactly have a ranch-sized one.”
“Those two will likely spend an hour in that hot sun, waxing poetic about various tomato varieties. Me, I don’t get the appeal.”
“Neither do I. So tell me about school. What will you do with your MBA?”
“I’d like to eventually get my PhD. With a concentration in managing the sports business arena.”
Harmony’s eyes widened. “Wow. That’s ambitious. Planning to start your own dynasty someday, or possibly buy a team of your own?”
Mia laughed. “Not sure about that, but the whole sports thing has been ingrained in me for so long I think it’s rubbed off. And I love management. I’m not sure where I’m headed with it, but it fascinates me. I may end up studying the dynamics and psychology of sports at some point.”
Uh, wow. Talk about ambition. “I’m absolutely fascinated by your career trajectory.”
“Thank you. Me, too. What do you do, Harmony?”
“I’m an interior designer.”
Now Mia’s eyes widened. “Get out of town. Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“You must love that.”
“I do.”
“Would you mind awfully if I picked your brain? I moved into an apartment in Austin last semester, and it’s bare bones. I have some ideas, but I could use some advice.”
“Of course. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
“Great. I have some pics of the place on my laptop. Hang on.”
Harmony grinned as Mia dashed out of the room. She returned a few minutes later with her laptop, then scooted her barstool closer.
“You sure this isn’t an imposition?”
“Of course not. I love design.”
“Awesome. Anyway it’s a one bedroom, very open and industrial.”
She brought up the photos and handed them off to Harmony, who perused them, her mind sparking ideas right away.
“The space is so light and spacious. And you’re right about the industrial feel. But the windows—you must love all those windows.”
“I do. It was the biggest selling point for me on the place. A lot of my college years were spent in tight, dark spaces. This open, airy feel is so freeing. Plus, the balcony space.”