Page 6 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Ms. Black,” Mae said.

“Same. And call me Alexis.”

“Only if you call me Mae.”

“Consider it done, Mae. Text or email if you have questions. And you’re welcome to sit in on meetings or any of the shoots.”

“I appreciate that.” She turned to Kane. “Are you ready for the tour?”

“Ready when you are.”

“Now works for me.” He motioned toward the door, so Mae turned.

“Behave yourself,” Alexis said, giving him a knowing grin.

“You know I will.” He gave her a wink.

Behave himself? Not likely.

Chapter

three

“We have severalacres of vineyards,” Mae said, grateful for the overcast skies today as they walked among the grapes. “We just completed harvest so the vines are dormant at the moment.”

She walked side by side with Kane, trying not to notice how tall he was, or how his dark hair rustled in the breeze. He’d casually tossed on a cowboy hat as if it were the most natural thing for him to do. He walked with that predatory manliness that made her insides quiver with sexual awareness. His dark sunglasses gave her no sign of his expression, and she was glad she’d tossed on her shades despite the overcast skies, because she was definitely feeling things she would not like showcased on her face.

“The vineyard is still beautiful, though,” he said. “They need their rest. The vines work hard during the growing season.”

She titled her head to the side, openly ogling him now. “Well, wow. That was deep. And pretty knowledgeable.”

He laughed. “My grandpa has a small vineyard on the ranch. I spent my summers there.”

“The ranch. You grew up on a ranch?”

“No. I grew up in the city. My grandparents have a ranch.”

“Where?”

“Texas. North of Dallas.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“Does your grandpa still have said vineyard?”

“He does. I figured if I get a break while I’m here, I’ll drive down and visit him. I’ve done back-to-back movies so it’s been about a year since I’ve been to the ranch. My gran died a couple of years ago and I’d love to see him.”

“I’m sorry about your grandma.”

“Thanks. She was pretty awesome. Made amazing pie. I miss her.”

He sounded so sincere. She would not think about him having a family. Or grandparents that he might actually care about. She preferred to dislike him on the spot like she had the night he’d crashed the wedding.

“Anyway, Johnny and Brenna are now in the process of preparing the grapes for crushing and fermentation, while also processing other vintages for production.”

“Sounds fun. I know the character I play is the best man in a wedding, and I know we got approval to do a chase through the wine cellar, along with my big fight with the groom.”

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