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.