"Jack! Come on, don't be shy." Chrystal coaxed her friend out of his car. Shyly he got out and took her hand as she led him towards her family. In front of her, Steve tried not to laugh as he saw the nervous smile of his daughter as she brought the young man forward.

"Mom, Dad, this is Jack Calla. Jack, this is my mother and father, and you've met my Aunt Laurie. This is my Uncle, Rick Simon. And my Uncle Oscar and Uncle Rudy…they're also my godfathers." She explained, blushing as Oscar winked at her as he shook hands with Jack.

"It's so nice to meet you, Jack…Chrissy's told us so much about you." Jaime said brightly, not seeing a shadow cross Oscar's face as he got a better look at Jack.

"I've wanted to meet you and Mr. Austin for ages, ma'am…my mother was a big fan of your tennis game." He said politely, and Chrystal beamed.

"Well, come in, Jack, lunch is ready." Steve invited, then noticed the serious expression of the older man.

Letting Jaime take the lead as everyone else moved inside the house, he caught Oscar's eye.

"What is it, Pal?"

"I don't know, Steve. Something about this guy…very familiar. I wish I could place him." Oscar looked uneasy as Steve put a hand on his shoulder.

"I know it's hard to get used to the idea of Chrissy getting serious about someone. But she's grown up now."

"You don't have to tell me, Steve. Maybe my instincts are getting old." He sighed, then Jaime came out of the house and beckoned them in. "Come on, guys. Chrissy'll think you don't like him."

Despite everyone's outward friendliness, Chrystal noticed a funny look from Jack every time her mother spoke, and at first she put it down to admiration. He seemed to hang on her father's every word, though.

"Yes, it is a lot of responsibility with all the horses and tack to keep track of, not to mention the riders." He was saying, as she helped serve dessert. Laurie smiled at her, then asked, "Jack, how often do you get to ride yourself?"

"Oh, only once in a while. I really enjoy it when I can get the time off of work. I was hoping that Chrystal could ride with me tomorrow, since she's on vacation."

He answered. Steve saw the way his daughter brightened, and decided to pave the way for them.

"Well, Laurie and Rick have a couple of horses, why don't you two ride the trail behind the ranch?" he suggested, and Rick added, "And you can have lunch with us when you come back."

"Oh, that would be fun…it's so pretty along the creek right now." Chrystal chimed in.

"Well, that settles it, if it's not too much trouble, Mr. Simon, Mrs. Simon." Jack replied enthusiastically.

"It's not, Jack. We'll find you a good horse and Chrissy has Val already in the barn, so we'll see you around 9." Laurie told them. At once Jack glanced at his watch, then stood up.

"I hate to eat and run, but I'm helping with the show jumping exhibition tonight. It was nice to meet you all." He said, shaking hands all around.

As Chrystal went to get his coat, Steve came up to Jack.

"I'm glad we finally got to put a face with the name, I hope we'll see you again."

"I'd like that, Colonel. Thank you." He replied enthusiastically, then took his jacket from Chrystal. "Come on, Jack, I'll walk you out." She offered, then blushed as he offered his arm to her.

As they watched the two go down the driveway, Steve felt the same uneasiness Oscar had mentioned.

"Steve…something's not right, is it?"

Jaime came up from behind him, and put her arms around him. His heart melted as brought her hand to his lips. "What would I do without you, Jaime…"

"I never want to know, Steve." She sighed, as he turned in her embrace. He met her gaze.

"It's not just me..Jack…he seems all right, but he kept looking at you with this…stare. At first I thought because Oscar said he seemed familiar, that maybe he met you before."

Jaime shook her head. "I'd have remembered him…but he does remind me of someone…. Oh, Steve, she really likes him…I hope you're wrong."

"I hope so too, honey…here comes Chrissy." Steve saw their daughter coming back to the house.

"Well, what did you and Mom think of him?" Chrystal asked, her eyes searching their faces.

"I thought he was very polite and enjoys his job, I can see why you two hit it off." Jaime said carefully. Steve sensed he had to say something too.

"I liked that, uh, he wasn't scared off by us….it can be kind of intimidating to have so many new faces at once."

"Well, he really liked you, Dad. I was wondering though, Mom, had you ever met Jack before?" Chrystal asked, a troubled look in her eyes.

"No, honey….he is a bit familiar, but I just can't place it." Jaime replied honestly. "It'll come to me. He does know where your Aunt and Uncle's ranch is, doesn't he?"

"Yes he does, I gave him directions. It's such a straight shot…..I don't think he'll miss it." She giggled as Steve put an arm around her. "This way he gets to meet the rest of the family, I hope the kids don't send him running!"

"Well, if Uncle Oscar didn't drive him away!" Chrystal laughed. "Speaking of which, I want to see what he thought of Jack!"

As the three Austins went into the house, the object of their conversation was watching them from a safe distance away. As he lowered his field glasses, Jack Calla smiled then put his lips to a walkie talkie.

"Everything went like you said it would. Tomorrow I'll do as I promised you, Mom. No one hurts you and walks away."