“Sorry we’re late.” Cody had a hold of Addison’s hand as they hurried into the room. His other hand was full of flowers.
Paige held her breath.
Cody squatted down by Addison and whispered in her ear as he handed her the bouquet.
Paige’s breath whooshed out. Of course they were for Addison. She was the flower girl, after all.
Addison glanced around the room. When her eyes landed on Paige, they stayed there, and she walked purposefully forward, her dad right behind her. “These are for you.” She handed Paige the bouquet. “Look, I have a matching one.” Addison beamed, holding out a smaller version of Paige’s spray, which had been hidden in the bunch.
“That’s why we’re late. Apparently, Addison spent a lot of time in bridal magazines yesterday and she decided you needed flowers.”
Paige met his apologetic gaze, and once again she held her breath. Clean shaven, hair recently cut, and dressed in a suit that exuded masculinity, Mr. Walker was every bit the man fantasies were made from—not that Paige would fantasize about him. She couldn’t. Not if she was going to stay professional while living in his house. It simply wouldn’t do to drool each time she saw him. If she did, she’d become dehydrated.
A frantic giggle escaped her lips, and her face burned. She was sure it was a darker red than her hair. Focusing on Addison, because it was much safer than focusing on her father, Paige said, “Thank you! I love daisies.”
“They look happy—like you,” replied Addison.
Noah took that moment to stand and square off with her betrothed. If having Mr. Walker stand close enough she could smell his aftershave made her face flush, then Noah’s big brother routine turned her crimson.
“I know this isn’t a traditional marriage.” Noah glanced at Paige. “And my sister can handle herself just fine. I want you to know that if anything happens to her, I’m holding you accountable.”
Paige’s stomach now twisted with discomfort. Would he tell Noah to leave him alone? Would he laugh at Noah and the marriage and make a joke out of their vows? Either one would tell Paige all she needed to know about how Mr. Walker truly felt about this wedding and about her.
Mr. Walker turned toward Paige, and she lifted her eyes to his. There, she found a sense of pride and honor she hadn’t expected. Offering his hand to Noah, he said, “I don’t enter into this lightly, and I take Paige’s well-being and safety very seriously.”
Noah nodded and shook the outstretched hand.
Paige grabbed the back of her chair for support. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but the reverence in his voice had said much more than his words and turned Paige’s normally sturdy knees weak.
“Shall we get started?” asked Pamela.
Chapter 15
Cody glanced in his rearview mirror to see Paige’s truck a half mile behind him. Addison had insisted on riding with Paige, and Cody was happy to let them begin bonding. Without Addison’s chatter, Cody had time to process the morning’s events.
The ceremony took no more than five minutes. They’d had a few pictures taken in front of the receptionist’s desk—most of them of Addison and Paige together—and then they were off. The whole experience was anticlimactic after his stress level had been so high. He couldn’t believe he’d gotten himself so worked up over such a small moment.
Loosening his tie, he admitted that for a small moment it had big consequences—one of which now resided on his left hand. The thin band fit snugly against his ring from his first marriage. Paige hadn’t even lifted an eyebrow at the ring already there when she put her ring on his finger. He looked at the silver band again. Her ring glinted in the sunlight, winking at him as if they shared a secret.
The secret in Cody’s heart was that he enjoyed the idea of belonging to a woman again. It was old-fashioned and syrupy, and he would never confess his thoughts on the matter to Gabe or anyone else who could take away his man card. There was just something about being connected to someone and wearing a symbol of that connection that spoke to him.
When Noah had challenged him before the ceremony, it took less than a breath for Cody to step up and be the type of man who would defend his wife and his family. He’d done everything in his power to not think about him and Paige being married and to focus on Paige for Addison’s sake. But in that moment, a noble fiber that had been woven into his being burned with an intensity unlike anything he’d ever felt before. The strength of it fortified him, and as he slipped a ring on Paige’s finger, she had become his and he had become hers and he couldn’t deny it.
He turned into his drive and opened the garage door. There was plenty of room for both his car and Paige’s truck. However, Paige didn’t pull into the garage; she drove out to the barn. Cody got out of his car and headed over to tell her she was welcome to park in the garage.
While he was still a ways away, Paige and Addison hopped out. Addison was talking away, her hands clutching both bouquets of daisies. Paige put the tailgate of her truck down. She grabbed a pair of boots and slipped off her silver dress shoes. Then, despite her pink dress, she hefted a saddle out of the back of the truck, slung it behind her back so she could carry it with one hand, and headed toward the barn.
Cody’s steps increased right along with his heart rate at seeing the western tack. “You can’t put that in there!” he called just as she opened the barn door.
Paige paused, using her free hand to brush her hair off her face. “Where do you want it, then?”
Cody stared at the saddle. A feeling much like the one he’d had this morning, when looking at the dead rattlesnake, chilled up his spine. “Back where it came from.”
Paige stared at him for a moment. “That’s not possible. Besides, I have more than one.” She glanced toward her truck. Who knew what other gear she’d brought. Halters? Lead ropes? Brushes? Blankets? It was all too much to contemplate.
“Then we’ll get a storage unit for them.”
Paige glanced at Addison, who shrugged her shoulders. All Addison knew was that they had this big building where Christopher and Badger lived. He wondered if she even knew it was a barn. If she did, it wasn’t because he had told her.
Cody tried to reason with Paige. “You won’t need it while you live here. I don’t have horses on the premises.”
A horn honked—well, it was more of an ahooga—and Cody turned to see a pristinely restored ‘57 Chevy coming down his lane with a horse trailer in tow. He turned back to see a wicked grin split Paige’s face. “Don’t worry. I brought some of those, too.”
Panic and rage filled Cody. “No. No. You can’t possibly have horses here.”
Paige pushed the barn door open the rest of the way. She walked a few steps before taking the place in.
Cody, barely a breath behind her, could see it so clearly through her eyes. Fifteen wood and iron stalls lined the walls, one of them a birthing stall at the end, each one with a feeder and automatic watering trough. Hay storage was on the far end, and the tack room door was open, revealing several empty saddle stands. Badger’s house was next to the stairs that went to the second level. The place smelled of dust and earth, but there were no horses to inquisitively poke their heads over the doors and there wasn’t a speck of horse droppings. In Paige’s eyes, it must have been perfect. In Cody’s eyes, it was the way his heart felt after Kylee died: empty and without purpose.
“You can’t store your animals here,” he said again.
Paige lowered the saddle to the ground. She might have been the picture of womanly grace with her pale pink wedding dress, ivory skin, and petite nose, but the fire in her was another thing altogether. Cody got the feeling that he’d wakened a sleeping bear. When she spoke, her calm voice contrasted with the storm in her eyes. “I invested everything I own into these animals, and I am not letting them out of my sight.”
Cody made sure Addison wasn’t within hearing distance. He didn’t see her, so she must have stayed outside to wait for Noah. Stepping closer to Paige, he growled, “I
said no.”
Paige threw her arms out to the side. “You have an amazing facility here. I plan to ride every day—early mornings, if I have to—and the less time it takes for me to travel from the horses to your home, the more time I get to spend with Addison. I’ll save money having them here instead of paying boarding fees. My horses are my future, and if they are close and I can monitor their eating habits, behavior, and overall health, then my mind will be much more at ease. Besides, it will be good for Addison. Horses—”
Cody jerked his palm up. “My daughter is not allowed in this barn.”
Paige blinked once and then put on a brave smile. Her eyes swirled with color and causing Cody’s body to tingle. “Fine,” she said. “But I have to be—and so do my horses.”
Cody wiped his hand over his mouth. “Not another horse-loving wife,” he muttered. He should have paid more attention to Paige’s boots, her truck, her flowing skirts. Okay, so he’d paid plenty of attention to those. Attention he should have put into making sure she wasn’t going to commandeer his barn.
“What have we here?” Christopher tromped down the steps, a huge grin on his face. Badger trotted along right behind him.
Cody put some physical distance between himself and Paige. “Christopher Ramirez, this is Paige Baker.”
Christopher wrapped Paige in a one-armed hug. “I think it’s Paige Walker now, isn’t it?”
Paige tucked her hair behind her ear, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “I guess it is. It’s nice to see you again, Christopher.” Her pretty brow wrinkled. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here,” Christopher replied.
Cody looked back and forth between the two. “You know each other?”
Christopher dropped his arm, tucking his fingers in his pocket. “We met a while ago.”
Badger nosed his way between Christopher and Paige, nudging Paige for attention. Paige scratched behind his ears without looking like she had to think about it. Her mind was somewhere else, as if she was reconciling Christopher’s appearance in Cody’s barn with their last encounter.
Cody waited, but neither of them elaborated on the event of their first meeting. In the silence, his and Paige’s heated words melted away, and Cody was struck with the feeling of domestic bliss in this moment: his right-hand man and trusted friend, his wife, and his dog standing companionably together ... It was as if Paige completed the picture with her presence.
The clip-clop of horse hooves on the barn floor brought everyone’s attention to Noah as he led an athletic-looking horse into the barn. Addison clung to Noah’s free hand, her dress and shoes looking all the more adorable next to Noah’s faded jeans and dusty boots. Her eyes never left the horse, wonder clearly written across her features.
Cody groaned.
Noah let out a low whistle as his head twisted to take in his surroundings. “Where do you want Kitty?” he asked Paige.
“Back in the trailer,” said Cody, his voice unnecessarily loud in the enclosed building.
Paige hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “Put her in the third stall. We’ll put Buttons between the two horses.”
Cody blocked Noah’s path. “They aren’t staying, so you might as well put her back.” Noah’s look to Paige for confirmation irked Cody. “She’s not in charge here.”
“And where exactly am I supposed to take them once I load them up?” spat Noah.
“I don’t care.”
Noah’s eyes hardened. “Only a fool would try to separate Paige and Kitty.”
“Call me a fool, then,” countered Cody.
Noah’s shoulders and chest enlarged right before Cody’s eyes. Cody got the feeling the only reason he hadn’t been punched in the face was because Addison still held Noah’s hand—a fact he was grateful for. He and Noah were a good match physically, but Cody had no desire to go toe-to-toe with his new brother-in-law.
Instead of a punch, Noah threw the lead rope. It hit Cody in the chest, and he automatically held it tight as Kitty skittered.
“Ugh! This is ridiculous.” Paige snatched the rope from his hands and stalked to the third stall on the right. She thrust open the door and walked Kitty in, turning her before removing her bridle. She closed the latch behind her and hung the bridle on the hook just outside the stall. “They’re staying!”
Cody clamped his mouth shut against a torrent of curse words.
“At least for the night.” Paige flipped her hair behind her back as she came to stand so close that Cody could feel the warmth of her body, something he hadn’t felt from a woman in four years. It was like a campfire on a chilly night. Those were four very long and lonely years.
Her eyes changed from steely grey to vulnerable green. “They don’t have anywhere else to go.”
Paige’s silent imploring unwound Cody’s fearful anger. “One night,” he croaked.
Paige nodded, seemingly unable to break the connection.
“I’ll get the others.” Noah disappeared from Cody’s peripheral vision.
“I’ll help.” Christopher passed by.
Still, neither Cody nor Paige moved. “I don’t have hay.” Cody was surprised at the apology in his voice.
“I do.” Paige smiled.
“Somehow, I knew you were going to say that.” Cody chuckled.
“Kind of fitting that she be in the first stall, don’t ya think?” Christopher asked as he brought in another horse.
Cody’s hand flew to his stomach, and he doubled over as if he’d been physically hit.
“Daddy!” Addison was at his side. He’d been so wrapped up in Paige and the horses, he’d forgotten Addison was in the barn. How could he do that? How could he forget his own daughter?
Cody straightened and rounded on Paige. “You bought Annie May!” The words were an accusation.
“Heck yeah, I did.” Paige’s grin faded. Her gaze went from the horse to Christopher to Cody. “You’re Serenity Stables?”
Cody shook his head. “My wife was.”
“Your wife?” Paige asked, her eyes darting to where his left hand rested on his right bicep, both rings on display. A look of confusion and sympathy on her face.
How much did she know? What had happened to Kylee wasn’t a secret. Addison knew the basics of how she’d passed away. There were articles in the local papers …
“Kylee Carter was your wife?” Paige asked. Her gaze turned to Addison, scouring her face for what Cody already knew was there. The high cheekbones, the straight nose, the full lips were exact copies of Kylee’s; only Addison’s coloring had come from him. Paige paled. “I-I didn’t know.”
“And now you know why those horses—especially that horse—can’t stay.” Cody reached for Addison’s hand. “Come on, pumpkin, it’s time for lunch.”
Addison’s feet didn’t move. “Are you leaving?” she asked Paige.
Paige fell to her knees, her beautiful wedding dress grinding into the barn floor. Every bit of Cody softened as Paige crushed Addison to her chest. He’d do almost anything for a woman who put his daughter first. Almost anything. Having horses on the property again was too much to ask. Paige was dragging him through the emotional mire, and they’d been married for less than two hours.
“No, sweetheart, I’m staying.”
Addison threw her arms around Paige and held on tight.
Paige looked up at Cody, pleading with him to say something to reassure Addison. Amazed at his ability to read Paige—after only two hours of marriage—Cody shook his head.
He touched Addison’s shoulder. “We’ll make sandwiches for everyone and then you can help Paige unpack, okay?”
Addison loosened her hold.
Paige brushed a stray hair off Addison’s cheek. “I can’t wait to move into my new room. Will you help me decide where to put stuff?”
“Sure.” Addison took Cody’s hand, but she didn’t brighten.
Cody could have kicked himself for arguing with Paige in front of the little girl. Of course she worried Paige would l
eave. She probably had abandonment issues after the year she’d been through. He needed to get a handle on his emotions. He’d corked them for years, and in one morning with Paige they had exploded.
It felt … good.
Kylee’s death had numbed his heart, much like a dentist numbs the gums before he goes to work. Between the wedding and the horses, Cody’s sensitivities had spiked and plummeted. He’d finally emerged from his anesthetized state, and it felt surprisingly favorable to experience anger, fear, and even—dare he admit it?—attraction. Though he didn’t want to dwell on that one for long.
Chapter 16
Paige watched as the pair slowly made their way to the house. She wrapped her arms around her stomach, feeling the loss of having them near ... hoping she hadn’t driven her husband away for good. Paige ached for the two of them and what they must have been through. She couldn’t imagine what would happen to her family if her mom died. Mom was the heart and soul of their home. She was bossy, intuitive, and didn’t take a lick of backtalk, but she was the anchor.
Noah placed his hands on Paige’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “Don’t even think about walking away from that little girl.”
Shocked, Paige sputtered, “W-what?”
“It would break Addison, and I won’t let you do that to her.”
Paige shook off Noah’s hands. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m not going to leave her.”
“Oh? Well, that’s good.” Noah scuffed his boot. “After the way you were shooting daggers at your husband, I thought you might be thinking about it.”
Paige poked him in the chest. She still had a hefty dose of frustration over the horse situation, and Noah had just thrown himself in front of the bus. “Do you really think I would do that?”
“No!” protested Noah. “But I wanted to make sure.”
Paige huffed. “You’re the one who freaked out about this marriage—not me.”
“The marriage, yes. Addison, no.”
Paige scowled. “I couldn’t get one without the other, now, could I?”
The Country Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book 4 Page 10
