“Absolutely. Amanda McQueen?” Of course Delfi had the whole guest list memorized; most of the staff would. It was just how they did things at Big Rock Ranch.
“That’s me.”
“Wonderful. You’ll be staying right here in the lodge. Come with me. We’ll have Laura here get you your key.” Delfi gently touched Amanda’s shoulder and guided her back to the desk where one of the newer guest clerks Sam didn’t know very well was waiting.
“Your friends are rolling in so I’m heading back to work, but it was great to meet you,” Jesse said to Helene.
“It was lovely to meet you finally.” He gave her his signature stoic nod before he peeled away and headed back to his office.
“I’m going to do the same. We’ll see you ladies in a little bit.” Zach said his goodbyes and then followed after their older brother. There was no reason for Sam to hang around, but he couldn’t get the message that it was time to go down to his feet. He watched Amanda as she smiled at Delfi and Laura behind the desk. He had to get her alone so they could talk.
“Everything okay?” Robyn asked. Sam snapped out of his trance. He’d definitely been staring.
“Um, yeah, all good. Helene, I’m gonna head back to the house, let you ladies do your girly things,” he teased. “But I’ll be there for the rehearsal.”
“Great. Thank you again. Your whole family—just, thank you.”
“Of course.” He shot her a wink and headed for the door. He couldn’t stop himself from tapping Amanda’s shoulder. She looked back at him, her throat working as she swallowed. “It was nice to meet you,” Sam said.
“Likewise,” she replied before she took the keycard Laura handed her. Sam could see the pleading in her eyes. She was just as surprised as he was and what’s more, Sam was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one who’d kept pretty quiet about their rendezvous. So Helene didn’t know. Maybe Amanda didn’t want her to know. It was silly for Sam to speculate. Later, when things quieted down or ramped up and there was so much going on no one would notice if he and one of the wedding guests slipped away, he’d pull Amanda aside and see where her head was at. And if she wasn’t interested in getting to know him any further he could at least give her a hard time for stealing his Oscar.
Chapter 5
Amanda was proud she’d managed to wait until she’d gotten to her room to have a mini freak-out. The chances of running into Sam on the Pleasant family ranch were pretty high. She’d known she’d be risking another encounter by showing up on his turf. And she’d prepared for that, spent half of the two-hour drive rehearsing exactly what she would say, what excuses she would use to avoid him if he wanted to revisit what had happened between them that Sunday night.
She just hadn’t thought he’d be standing in the lobby right when she walked through the doors. And she definitely hadn’t expected him to have gone full cowboy boy with his thigh-hugging jeans and cowboy boots. His white cowboy hat had been in his hand, because of course he’d be raised not to wear it indoors. She’d ignored the way the orange-and-green-plaid shirt he had on did nothing to hide his cut biceps or his sculpted chest.
All of that had been too much to take in. The fact that he’d been with Helene and her whole behind-the-scenes wedding-day crew that included his ridiculously handsome brothers really tested the limits of her reflexes. She’d had to stop herself from gasping and running back toward the exit. Or drooling. Seriously, a family should be limited to one smoking-hot son. Three is just unfair.
She’d found the rest of her brain cells when Sam had left the lobby after lightly touching her arm. Still the panic had already set in and now she worried it wouldn’t dissipate until she was safely back in LA.
Amanda let out a deep breath and sank down on the love seat in her adorably faux-rustic suite. She’d only seen a fraction of the property, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Big Rock Ranch was a beautiful ranch. Just pulling up to the main lodge with the picturesque mountains rising high in the distance made Amanda feel so grateful for the invitation. And the time off. Dru had texted five times on the drive over. Nothing important, just backhanded and covert requests for reassurance before she went into her audition. She clearly wanted the part even if she’d pooh-poohed it the day before.
An odd tightness flared in Amanda’s chest just thinking about returning to work on Monday. She didn’t belong at this wedding. The only reason she wasn’t booking it back to the freeway was her love for Helene. She couldn’t bail on a friend, not on her wedding day.
That didn’t stop the feeling of dread that was looming over her. She allowed herself one night here and there to step outside of Dru’s cycle of misery, but a long weekend in this magical place with its five-star accommodations would be just enough to recharge her for another few months. She had to be careful though that she didn’t relax too much and be forced to beg for work at the ranch. That just wouldn’t do.
Amanda sighed and shook her head, smiling to herself a bit, then went to grab her dress for the rehearsal dinner. While she wasn’t in the wedding party, Helene had still invited her to come and hang out. Hopefully, Sam had just popped by the front desk to say hello and she wouldn’t see him again for the rest of the weekend. Amanda knew it was a long shot, but if anything she was optimistic. She laid out her dress, and just as she was considering the travel steamer her phone chimed with a text. For once, it wasn’t Dru. Amanda’s mood immediately shifted as she read Helene’s text.
Come get ready with me in our cabin!
We’re over in Bluebird.
Okay! I’m on my way.
I want to discuss how hot the
Pleasant brothers are before
I become a married woman.
Definitely on my way. LOL
Amanda responded, even though she was far from LOLing.
She gathered her things and headed to the lobby. Back at the front desk, Laura handed Amanda a beautifully illustrated map of the property, then offered to have a nice young man named Will give her a lift over to the cabin where Helene was staying. Amanda almost turned the offer for a ride down. She could take a nice long walk around the property and scope things out for her herself, but when she took a closer look at the map she didn’t think lugging her things what appeared to be a smooth half mile to the private cabins was the best idea. She happily hopped into one of the ranch golf carts and let Will zip her across the property. She tipped him with the cash brought expressly for that purpose, then hurried up the three short steps of Bluebird cabin. Helene opened the door before Amanda could knock.
“Hey! Come in.”