The backup bride proposa.., p.1
The Backup Bride Proposal, page 1
Praise for Jaci Burton and her novels
“Jaci Burton’s stories are full of heat and heart.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks
“A wild ride.”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh
“Jaci Burton delivers.”
—New York Times bestselling author Cherry Adair
“One to pick up and savor.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Jaci Burton’s books are always sexy, romantic, and charming! A hot hero, a lovable heroine, and an adorable dog—prepare to fall in love with Jaci Burton’s amazing new small-town romance series.”
—New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis
“A heartwarming second-chance-at-love contemporary romance enhanced by engaging characters and Jaci Burton’s signature dry wit.”
—USA Today
“Captures everything I love about a small-town romance.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Delivered on everything I was hoping for and more.”
—Under the Covers Book Blog
“A sweet, hot, small-town romance.”
—Dear Author
“Fun and sexy.”
—Fiction Vixen
“The perfect combination of heat and romance.”
—Heroes and Heartbreakers
“Plenty of romance; sexy men; hot, steamy loving; and humor.”
—Smexy Books
“An extraordinary novel—a definite home run!”
—Joyfully Reviewed
“Lively and funny…intense and loving.”
—The Road to Romance
“An invitation to every woman’s wildest fantasies.”
—Romance Junkies
“Burton is a master at sexual tension!”
—RT Book Reviews
Titles by Jaci Burton
••••••
Boots and Bouquets Series
The Matchmaker’s Mistletoe Mission
(an eNovella)
The Best Man Plan
The Engagement Arrangement
The Accidental Newlywed Game
The Backup Bride Proposal
Brotherhood by Fire Series
Hot to the Touch
Ignite on Contact
All Consuming
Hope Series
Hope Smolders
(an eNovella)
Hope Flames
Hope Ignites
Hope Burns
Love After All
Make Me Stay
Don’t Let Go
Love Me Again
One Perfect Kiss
Play-by-Play Series
The Perfect Play
Changing the Game
Taking a Shot
Playing to Win
Thrown by a Curve
One Sweet Ride
Holiday Games
(an eNovella)
Melting the Ice
Straddling the Line
Holiday on Ice
(an eNovella)
Quarterback Draw
All Wound Up
Hot Holiday Nights
(an eNovella)
Unexpected Rush
Rules of Contact
The Final Score
Shot on Gold
Wild Riders Series
Riding Wild
Riding Temptation
Riding on Instinct
Riding the Night
Riding to Sunset
(an eNovella)
Riding the Edge
(an eNovella)
Stand-Alone Novels
Wild, Wicked, & Wanton
Bound, Branded, & Brazen
Housebroke
Anthologies
Unlaced
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
Exclusive
(with Eden Bradley and Lisa Renee Jones)
Laced with Desire
(with Jasmine Haynes, Joey W. Hill, and Denise Rossetti)
Nauti and Wild
(with Lora Leigh)
Nautier and Wilder
(with Lora Leigh)
Hot Summer Nights
(with Carly Phillips, Erin McCarthy, and Jessica Clare)
Mistletoe Games
(Holiday Games, Holiday on Ice, and Hot Holiday Nights in one volume)
eNovellas
The Ties That Bind
No Strings Attached
Wild Nights
Berkley Romance
Published by Berkley
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
penguinrandomhouse.com
Copyright © 2024 by Jaci Burton, Inc.
Excerpt from Housebroke copyright © 2023 by Jaci Burton, Inc.
Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
Ebook ISBN 9780593439661
Cover design by Rita Frangie Batour
Cover photo by Claudio Marinesco
Book design by Alison Cnockaert, adapted for ebook by Maggie Hunt
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
ep_prh_6.3_146746584_c0_r0
Contents
Cover
Praise for Jaci Burton and Her Novels
Titles by Jaci Burton
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Excerpt from Housebroke
About the Author
_146746584_
Thank you to my readers for falling in love with the Bellinis. I hope you have embraced them like family and return to them often.
Chapter
one
Mae Wallace loved weddings, which was fortunate, since she was in the wedding business. She loved the flowers and the twinkling lights and the smiling faces of the wedding party, the way the groom teared up when the bride walked down the aisle, the way they clasped hands so tightly she just knew they were clutching each other at the altar out of sheer nervousness. It was adorable.
And receptions were the best. The food, the cake, the music and the dancing. And, oh, the men. This wedding in particular was blessed with a plethora of fine-looking men. Mae loved men. All men. All shapes and sizes and colors and all their vivid personalities. And by loved, she meant enjoyed, not love in the heart kind of way.
Because while men were fun and all, she didn’t want to keep any of them. She was more of the catch-and-release type of woman. Date them once, have sex with one every now and then when the urge struck, then let them go. Because she’d caught one once, had almost married him, in fact. Until she discovered he was a serial cheater. Heart broken, end of love story. At least she’d found out before the wedding.
She was grateful, really, because it had taught her a valuable lesson.
Men couldn’t be trusted. Sure, they were hot and great in the sack and fun to talk to and go out with. They were good for entertainment purposes. But marry them? Not on her life. After that colossal mistake she’d almost made with Isaac, she vowed to never fall in love again.
“Isn’t this one of our wildest weddings ever?”
Mae looked over at Honor Bellini Stone, her friend and coworker, and smiled. “Everyone seems to be having a very good time.”
Honor was the youngest of the three Bellini sisters. The sisters and their parents owned and operated both Red Moss Vineyards, where the weddings were conducted, and Bellini Weddings, which Mae was lucky to be part of.
Honor slipped her hand through Mae’s arm. “And to think, after this wedding, the film crew arrives.”
Mae wrinkled her nose. “Right. I hope they don’t trample over everything that’s beautiful about this place.”
“I think we’ve made it very clear that they need to step cautiously around the vineyards and our wedding business.”
“Let’s hope so.”
They walked outside the barn, where the reception was still going strong despite the late hour. Honor led Mae to the main house, where Honor’s parents lived.
“Are you sure we should disappear like this?” Mae asked.
Honor shrugged. “Erin and Brenna have got it. And my feet hurt. I need five minutes with my shoes off.”
Mae laughed and followed along. They stepped through the back door and Honor pulled out a pitcher of lemonade, pouring two glasses for them. They took seats on the back porch and Honor slipped her heels off, groaning at the same time.
Mae sipped the lemonade, enjoying its tart sweetness. “You know, you could wear flats.”
“I could, couldn’t I? Normally my feet are fine, but this wedding has had me running.”
“It’s a wild one, for sure. I’m pretty sure all the groomsmen are drunk.”
Honor smirked. “They were drunk before the ceremony. I’m surprised the bride hasn’t kicked the groom’s ass from here to Texas by now.”
“She’s saving face. I don’t envy that guy once the bride gets him alone later.”
“Same.” Honor wiggled her toes. “I guess it’s time to get back there.”
“Yes, before your sisters kick both our asses from here to Texas.”
Honor laughed. “You’re right about that.”
They went back to the wedding party, which was in no way winding down. At least they were getting their money’s worth, which Mae couldn’t blame them for. Erin had charged the couple a premium for extra guests and longer reception time and they hadn’t even balked. Mae was glad that they’d hired more than the usual amount of help, not only for wrangling the guests and serving but also for cleanup, because right now the barn looked more like the aftereffects of a major frat party than a wedding reception.
She wandered around, checking on the staff to be sure they didn’t need any assistance. She also kept her eye on the guests because a free-for-all with a lot of inebriated people could get out of hand in a hurry.
“Anything going on?” Erin asked as they ran into each other.
“Nothing but a lot of heavy drinkers. Everyone’s partying hard, but so far it’s under control.”
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 was one 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 he knew 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
two
They’d barely recovered from the circus that was the giant drunken wedding over the weekend, and now the big circus had come to town.
A movie production, of all things. Trucks had begun to arrive early Monday morning. Johnny Bellini, along with several of the vineyard crew, had made sure they parked all their trailers—and oh, dear God, there had been so many—in the designated areas they’d carved out for them.
