Page 7 of The Bear's Mail Order Mate

“This is beautiful,” she said, turning in a slow circle to take it all in.

“Thank you.” Pride warmed his voice. “The vineyard has been in my family for generations.”

Cassia nodded, noticing the framed photographs on one wall—black-and-white images of men who shared Kris’s strong jawline and broad shoulders, standing among rows of young vines. “Your grandfather started it?”

“Great-great-grandfather, actually.” Kris moved to stand beside her, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. “But my family settled here when the town was first founded.”

Their eyes met, and for a moment, Cassia felt as if she were falling into those warm brown depths. She quickly looked away, reminding herself why she was there. This wasn’t a date, it was a job interview. For a job that might not even exist.

“So,” she said, clearing her throat. “About the sommelier position...”

Kris winced slightly, his broad shoulders tensing. “Right. About that.” He gestured toward a small table in the corner of the tasting room. “Why don’t we sit?”

Cassia followed him, her heart sinking with each step. This wasn’t going well at all. The job she’d pinned her hopes on—her escape from heartbreak and humiliation—seemed to be evaporating before her eyes.

“So,” Kris began as they settled into their seats, “we’re still very much in the planning stages of the restaurant. I guess the idea is to showcase our wines with proper food pairings.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Cassia offered, trying to keep her voice steady.

“It is. It does. In theory.” Kris’s voice trailed off.

“Oh.” Cassia’s hopes dimmed further. “So you don’t need me.”

“Oh, I do.Wedo!” Kris replied quickly. “We definitely need someone with your…expertise. The timing’s just a bit...premature.”

She studied his face, searching for any hint of deception, but found only genuine embarrassment. “When were you planning to open?”

“Oh.” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “No fixed date. Not as yet.”

“You really didn’t know your brother posted that ad, did you?” she asked, hitching her purse on her shoulder as she eyed the door. Maybe she should make a dignified exit for both their sakes.

A rueful smile crossed Kris’s face. “No, Cassia. I did not.”

“Then I should go. I’m sure we both have better things to do.” Although that was a lie. She had nothing else to do. She hadn’t realized until this moment just how much she had pinned her hopes on this job.

“No, Cassia. I don’t,” Kris said, as if he mirrored her thoughts. Then he leaned forward, his voice low. “Do you believe in fate?”

“Fate?” she asked, looking into his dark brown eyes.

“Yes.” He nodded.

Was he saying what she thought he was saying? That it wasn’t an accident she’d seen the ad? That they were meant to meet?

“I...” Cassia hesitated, uncertain how to respond. After Dante’s betrayal, she’d sworn off romantic notions like fate and destiny. And yet, sitting across from this man in this beautiful vineyard, she couldn’t deny the strange pull she felt. “I’m not sure what I believe anymore.”

Kris nodded, his gaze never leaving hers. “Fair enough.” He leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Look, I won’t pretend this isn’t awkward. But since you’ve come all this way, why don’t I show you around? Give you a proper tour of the vineyard. Explain what we’re trying to build here.”

Hope flickered within her. “So, there might still be a position?”

“Yes,” he said with quiet certainty.

“Then I might just become a believer,” she replied with a smile.

“When I have shown you everything,” he began, “Iknowyou will.”

Chapter Three – Kris

Kris’s heart stuttered in his chest as he watched Cassia’s eyes flicker with that hesitant spark of hope. Of all the scenarios he could have imagined when Finn “pretended” to post that ad, this—meeting his mate—had never once crossed his mind. That fate would somehow draw her here to the vineyard, and into his life at last, was almost impossible to believe.

---