Matt clasped her hand in his as they walked, and she felt a flush of warmth that had nothing to do with the eighty-degree day. “I’m guessing you’ve been here before?” she asked.

“For sure, heaps. Their pinot’s nearly as good as mine.” When she looked at him, he was grinning, those sexy dimples on show. She smiled back and he dipped his head to capture her mouth with a quick kiss. “Don’t tell them I said that, though.”

She haphazardly trailed her fingertips over her chest in opposite directions. “Cross my heart.”

The tasting room was rustic yet beautiful, with a high timber ceiling that met in an apex about thirty feet above them. The polished wooden floorboards were made from some sort of redwood, and three heavy beams crossed the breadth of the room where the ceiling met the brick walls. The bar, also made of redwood, held up a single piece of timber, a slice from what was obviously a large tree, with natural edges and a gleaming finish.

Behind it stood a smiling woman of indeterminate age. “Welcome to Red Ridge,” she said as the group approached the bar. “This is our tasting menu, here.” While Jase and Andie hung back, the rest of them stepped forward and started perusing the wine menu. “We’ve got seven wines on tasting today, and you’re welcome to try them all, or you can skip to your favourites.”

Jules was hardly a wine connoisseur, although she did enjoy a California pinot on occasion, and she was keen to increase her wine knowledge, especially with Matt now in the picture—whatever that would come to mean in the few days she had left in Australia. “What do you recommend, besides the pinot?” she asked Matt quietly.

“You should try all seven,” he replied. She thought of Gingernut and even though it was an organised tour, and Jase and Andie seemed responsible, she wasn’t keen on getting tipsy before getting back on her horse. Matt must have seen her consternation. “You can always taste and spit.” He indicated a free-standing barrel next to the bar with a silver funnel in the centre.

She was dubious about spitting out wine in front of Matt. She knew it was perfectly acceptable, that serious wine tasters did it without a second thought, but she also thought it was gross.

“Um, I’ll just taste two or three, on your recommendation.”

He seemed to understand. “All right, then.” He read through the tasting menu, then went back and pointed to an unoaked chardonnay and two pinots from different vintages. “Those should give you a good indication of what the region is known for.”

“Thanks.” He was watching her intently and Jules bit her lip. Oh yes, she was definitely going to seduce the hot Aussie winemaker when they got back to his place.

“Ahem,” she heard from the other side of the bar. “Which one did you want to start with, love?” asked the woman.

“Oh, uh, the chardonnay, please,” she replied, a little embarrassed that she’d been caught out crushing on Matt.