Page 81 of The Backup Bride Proposal

“Thanks. Sometimes I think I get ahead of myself.”

“Sounds to me like you have a solid plan. I don’t know if you’ve written it down somewhere in some official long-term business plan yet, but even if it’s only in your head right now, you know where you’re going. That’s huge.”

He slung his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the house, then stopped before they walked up the back steps. He pulled her close and kissed her, long and slow. “Thanks.”

“I’m always here for you.” She laid her palm on his chest and he felt that warmth all the way to his heart.

••••••

Mae watched Kaneas they sat at the table and ate one hell of a hearty breakfast with his grandpa, Tess and Donna.

He’d poured his heart out to her at the rock this morning, telling her his plans for the future.

He had mentioned wanting a family, a home, a new career. He just hadn’t asked her to be part of all of it.

Aren’t you jumping the gun just a little, Mae? Have you asked him to be part ofyourfuture?

Okay, fine. Point taken. Maybe she’d gotten excited listening to his ideas, and she had pictured herself in that scenario with him. The ranch, the land, the horses and dogs and future sunrises. And marriage and kids.

Silly idea, really. She liked where she was right now and had no plans to upend her life for anyone ever again. And marriage? Really? When had that gotten back on the table for her?

“Are you going to stare at those biscuits all day, honey, or are you going to eat them?”

She looked up to see Tess smiling at her from across the table.

“Oh. Sorry. Lost in thought. Did you want me to pass the plate?”

“I wouldn’t say no to another biscuit.”

Mae held up the plate and it got passed around. She listened to everyone talk about their plans for the day, though they weren’t as animated at the breakfast table as they were over dinner last night. Mostly because everyone was busy drinking coffee and filling their stomachs with biscuits, gravy, eggs and bacon and sliced cantaloupe. She normally ate a small bowl of oatmeal or the occasional granola and yogurt in the morning, so she considered this a feast. She also knew they worked every calorie off during the course of a day on the ranch. Whether she would was another matter, but it didn’t stop her from filling her plate.

After breakfast, everyone hustled out the door. Mae started cleaning the table.

“Uh-uh,” Donna said. “That’s my job. You go have some fun with Kane.”

“Are you sure? I hate to leave you with this mess.”

“This mess is what I love, so go on, get out.”

“Okay.”

She put on her hat and headed outside. Kane was waiting for her. They walked down the steps and toward the barns.

“What’s on tap for today?” she asked, trying her best to keep up with his long strides.

“I thought we might start with some stall cleaning.”

“Sounds good.”

He laughed. “You wouldn’t mind cleaning stalls?”

“Why would I? They need to be done, don’t they?”

“Yeah, but it’s a shit job. Literally.”

“That’s okay. It’ll be fun if we do it together.”

“I was kidding about the stall cleaning. How would you feel about giving some of the horses a bath and a good grooming?”

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