Page 2 of The Backup Bride Proposal

Erin wrinkled her nose. “I’ll be glad when this one’s over.”

“You and me both.”

They parted and Mae continued her sentry duties. She’d noticed a guy walking around. How could she not notice him? Extremely tall, well built, wearing a cowboy hat worn low on his face. As she wandered, she kept her eye on him, noting that he didn’t interact with anyone, instead just wandered alone, a beer in his hand.

They’d had wedding party crashers before, people thinking they could slide in unnoticed, grab some free food and drink and slide on out. Big events like this one were popular with the interlopers, but they’d all learned to recognize the ones who didn’t belong, because at weddings, you interacted with your friends and family members.

This guy? Mae would bet he didn’t know a single person here. She intended to find out about him right now.

••••••

If there wasone thing Kane August had learned to do from an early age, it was to blend in without being noticed. And being an actor, and a fairly recognizable one? That not-being-noticed thing sure came in handy.

He’d gotten here to Red Moss Vineyards early, wanting to get a feel for the layout without people fawning all over him. Since he’d be filming here for a couple of months, he wanted to see how the staff operated, how they interacted with regular people. And, fortunately, this being Oklahoma and all, him sliding in wearing a cowboy hat that shielded his face came in handy. He’d shown up late to the reception and been able to blend right in without anyone recognizing him.

His agent had already given him the lay of the land as far as who was who. Brenna and her father, Johnny, ran Red Moss Vineyards; Erin was all about the business end; and Honor Bellini was the main wedding coordinator, assisted by Mae Wallace, who wasn’t a member of the family. He’d asked around while grabbing a beer and both Erin and Mae had been pointed out to him, so he knew who to avoid and who to keep an eye on. So far, so good.

“Has anyone ever told you that you look an awful lot like Kane August?”

He cringed and turned around to see one of the bridesmaids, a pretty blonde who appeared to be extremely drunk.

He smiled and pulled out the Texas drawl he’d worked hard to lose when he’d started acting. “I get that a lot. I wish I was him. Then I’d have all his money.”

She snorted, weaving unsteadily on her heels. “Yeah, I wish you were him, too, honey. But you’re still hot as hell. Wanna dance?”

“Oh, thanks, but I’m here with my…wife.”

“Too bad.” She wandered off unsteadily and Kane relaxed.

“Are you friends with the bride or the groom?”

Damn. He’d gone this far without having to talk to anyone. He turned around and…

Crap. Mae Wallace. He offered up his most charming smile, hoping to keep his face partially hidden. “Groom. Steve and I went to college together.” At least he’d remembered to read the names of the bride and groom on his way inside.

She eyed him suspiciously. “Really. And what college is that, exactly?”

“Uh, University of Oklahoma.”

“Wrong. Steve and Evie met at Oklahoma State University.” She reached up to tip his hat back and that was when heknew she’d recognize him. She blinked, but then shook her head. “Nice try, but you’re done here, bud. You’ll have to crash a different wedding.”

“I was not—”

She gave him a critical gaze, and he had to admit that even frowning and irritated, she was beautiful, with brown curly hair, chocolate-brown eyes and the kind of curves that always set his pulse racing. And instead of squealing in excitement about who he was, she motioned for two burly-looking guys standing at the entrance to the barn.

Kane didn’t know whether to be pleased or pissed. But rather than worrying about his bruised ego, he was focused on being thrashed by the two bodybuilders headed his way. He raised his hands. “Tossing me isn’t necessary. I’m on my way out.”

“Oh, we’ll make sure you make it all the way out, won’t we, guys?”

“You bet we will,” one of the well-muscled guys said.

He turned and made a fast exit, getting into his rental at the far corner of the parking area and driving off.

So Mae had no idea who he was. That kind of thing rarely happened to him these days. Kind of refreshing, actually.

This shoot should be a lot of fun.

Chapter

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