The Country Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book 4

by Lucy McConnell

  “Where’s Addison?” Paige whispered.

  Addison? Something happened with Addison … Cody moved his hands to Paige’s hips and pushed her back in order to have room to think. The added space didn’t do a lot to clear his mind, but it did do just enough. “In the barn. Something happened and she won’t tell me what. She’s really upset.”

  Paige put more distance between them. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she said, “I’ll go check on her.”

  Cody gave himself a firm mental shake to clear his head. “I’ll come.”

  “’Kay.”

  The walk to the door was a bit awkward, with Cody trying to keep enough space between them that they didn’t touch but wanting to reach out and hold her hand.

  They were met by Christopher, leaning against Kitty’s stall, and quiet sniffles coming from Buttons’ pen. Cody’s steps increased in speed. He reached for the latch, but Christopher held up his hand to stop him from going in. Pressing one finger over his lips, he motioned for Cody and Paige to listen without interrupting Addison.

  Addison’s voice was barely audible as she poured her heart out to Buttons. “… and then she said that her mom thought my dad was stupid and there was no way she’d ever come over to my house.”

  Paige pressed her palm over her stomach, her bottom lip protruding. Cody balled his hands into fists.

  Addison continued, “I don’t care if she ever comes over as long as I have you. You’ll always be my friend.”

  Cody took a chance and peeked over the stall door. Addison had her face buried in Buttons’ mane. For his part, Buttons seemed to take her tears well. He twisted until he could nudge her side, which brought a smile to Addison’s face.

  “I love you, Buttons,” she said.

  Cody motioned for Paige and Christopher to follow him outside. Once they were twenty paces from the barn, he stopped. “Did you call the boarding facility to reserve a place?” Cody asked Christopher.

  “Cody ...” Paige’s voice held a note of warning.

  Cody touched her shoulder to hold her off; the contact calmed him.

  “I did.” Christopher scowled.

  “Call them back. Tell them we don’t need the stalls after all. Offer to pay for a month to keep us in their good graces. As long as Addison wants them here, those horses stay right where they are.” Cody lifted his chest. He suddenly realized where Paige got the Neanderthal reference from. He felt like pounding his fists and shouting, Me Cody—me want horses.

  Paige exchanged a surprised look with Christopher. “You’re the boss,” he said.

  Cody nodded once. “Good. Addison is never going back to dance.”

  “I’m not sure—” Paige began.

  “Never.” Cody set his jaw.

  Paige put her hands on her hips and scrutinized him. Finally, she blew out a breath and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”

  “Now that that’s taken care of, I had better get to work.” He kept his steps even despite his desire to slink away. He’d overreacted once again—jumped in when he probably should have tiptoed.

  “What are you doing today?” Paige called after him, her tone full of tease. “Hunting or gathering?”

  Cody spun so he was walking backwards. “Me hunt,” he grunted, then sent her a wink.

  Though he got what he wanted out of Paige—a giggle and a flash of green in her eyes—Christopher’s jaw hit the dirt. Heat filled Cody’s face, and he turned so he faced the house.

  Once he settled into the commute, Cody’s face cooled. His thoughts, on the other hand, heated up. Christopher would get over his shock. It was thoughts of Paige that kept Cody warm.

  Somehow, he could still feel her in his arms, as if her shape had been branded into his skin and muscle. If her touch could accomplish that, what would her kiss do? Cody wondered if he’d ever find out. Was it possible for him to court his wife? He figured he could probably figure out a few ways to woo her, but then wondered if it was such a good idea, since she was leaving in a year. Maybe she didn’t have to go. If he could convince her to stay on …

  Stay on as what? Addison’s mother? It probably wouldn’t be too hard to show her how much Addison needed her to stay. What about staying as his wife? Would Paige be willing to become his wife in more than just name?

  Cody glanced down at his left hand. Could he ask her to be his wife? No matter how he rolled the idea over in his mind, Cody couldn’t get it to iron out. Paige was there for now, and he needed to be content with that. But he wasn’t. Frustrated, Cody parked his car and decided focusing on work would be his saving grace.

  Chapter 26

  The weekend passed quickly. Paige took advantage of her free morning Friday to reassemble her room. Addison wasn’t at all ruffled about skipping dance class. In fact, she looked relieved when Paige told her they were done.

  Paige wondered if she should ask about what happened, but figured there were some things that were better left between a girl and her horse. Kitty certainly knew more about Paige than most of her family ... except Noah; he had always been a good confidant. Well, most of the time. Paige smiled.

  Saturday, Cody had to work. Paige assumed that happened often in the car business. She and Addison did the food shopping, reorganized the pantry, and rode in the arena while Christopher worked with Annie May.

  Sunday, they once again attended church as a family. “Are you still planning on tomorrow?” asked Vicky.

  Paige nodded enthusiastically. Now that Addison wasn’t in dance, helping the Ladies’ Auxiliary with their blanket drive was top on Paige’s list of ways to help Addison make friends. Vicky said children were welcome, and Paige had seen several about Addison’s age in the congregation. “We wouldn’t miss it.”

  Cody put his hand on the small of her back, and Paige leaned into him without thinking. By the time she was aware of what she’d done, there was no way to create distance without making it obvious, so she stayed … and enjoyed every second.

  “Is there anything I can do to help the cause, Mrs. Herrera?” asked Cody.

  She peered over her half-moon glasses at him. “Not unless you know how to sew.”

  “I’m a bit rusty.” Cody threw Vicky a wink. “But if you were there to give me a refresher course, I’m sure I’d be back up to snuff.”

  Vicky twittered. “Oh, get on with you!” She lightly slapped his arm.

  Paige smiled to herself. For whatever reason, church brought out Cody’s rascally side, and it was adorable.

  “What if I donated material for quilts?” he asked.

  Vicky smiled fondly—Cody had effectively won her over. “That would be wonderful.”

  He leaned closer to Paige, his body brushing hers and sending her heart into a tailspin. “Addison and I are going to talk to Pastor Levi. Take your time.”

  “Hmmmm,” was her only intelligible response, and even that was iffy.

  Vicky sighed as she watched Cody walk away. “You’ve got a good one there, sweetie.”

  Paige released her own contented sigh. “He is a good father.”

  “Father!” Vicky threw her hands up. “He’s a good man.”

  “Caveman, maybe.”

  “Man, and he adores you,” Vicky insisted.

  “Pfft.” Paige brushed away the comment with a wave of her hand. Cody didn’t love her. He’d softened toward her, that was for sure. After their little moment in the barnyard, when he’d practically melted at her touch, he had been much more open and relaxed. They’d just needed to become used to being together. Although Paige wasn’t getting any more used to having Cody close. If anything, his touch had her walking backwards and stumbling over her words.

  “He put that ring on your finger, didn’t he?”

  “Yeah, but—” Not because he loves me. Paige frowned down at her ring. She couldn’t tell Vicky about BMB. “It doesn’t matter.” Paige pulled herself out of the dumps. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon?”

  Vicky looked like she wanted to shake some sense into Paige, but s
he let her off the hook. “Tomorrow.”

  Or was she off the hook? Vicky had a gleam in her eye that Paige wasn’t too sure she liked.

  ***

  Paige and Addison browsed the fabric selection at SewnTogether, a sewing supply store that had everything a quilter’s heart desired. Cody told her to buy whatever she wanted on the household card, so she and Addison mixed and matched patterns of the cotton fabric to their hearts’ content. Addison leaned heavily toward the pinks and purples. They got enough for six baby quilts and four twin-sized quilts in girly colors. With all that yardage, Paige was also able to purchase some for a quilt for Addison’s room. She planned to work on it once Addison was back in school and then wrap it up for Christmas. Perhaps by then, she’d convince Cody to let her paint Addison’s room too.

  They made it to the church in time to help move folding tables and chairs out of the storage closet. Vicky bustled over to give them both hugs. “We’re so grateful for your help today.”

  “We’re glad we could be here.” Paige smiled. “Where would you like the fabric?”

  Vicky fanned her face. “Goodness, that’s quite a bit of work.” She opened the first bag. “Oh! Look at those colors—and they coordinate so well. Most of our quilts are made from donated scraps and we have to make do. These will look like they came from a designer. I just love them.”

  Addison smiled up at Paige, clearly taking the compliment to heart.

  Vicky’s attention was called away by a mother struggling through the doors with a stroller. Another woman held the door and invited her in.

  Paige’s eyes roved over the room. The tables were lined up in three rows with cut squares of fabric on one end, then a chair and space for someone to lay out the quilting blocks in a pleasing pattern, then the sewing machine, and then another chair for someone to clip strings and corners as needed. One corner of the room had old blankets spread over the floor and a bunch of toys. There was also a box of books, puzzles, and games. Moms set their young ones over there and kept an eye on them as they finished hauling out supplies and tools.

  Vicky’s attention came back to Paige and Addison. “If you will take a seat at one of the machines, we can get started. Most of these ladies don’t know how to sew.” She patted the back of her hair. “I’ve tried to tell them that sewing squares isn’t that hard, but they just won’t listen. I think it’s the machine they are afraid of.”

  Paige smiled. “I’ll be happy to.” She took Addison’s hand, and they settled in at the table in the middle of the room. Paige figured that would give both her and Addison plenty of opportunities to chat and make some friends.

  In just a few minutes, Paige’s table filled with volunteers. Tabitha pinned the squares together and handed them to Paige who sewed them in place and then handed them to Alexis, who ironed the seams flat. Addison ran the pieces back to Tabitha to link to the next square—or line, as it were.

  Tabitha’s son woke up from his nap and began pointing to the toys. “Addison,” Tabitha asked, “will you play with Sam?”

  Addison’s eyes brightened up in a way Paige had never seen before. Tabitha unbuckled Sam and set him on his feet. Addison offered her hand, and Sam pulled her to the fun part of the room. They settled on a blanket to build a tower out of blocks.

  Paige watched for a moment to make sure everything was okay. There were lots of young moms and lots of grandmas, but there weren’t any children Addison’s age. Disappointed that the afternoon wasn’t turning out as she’d hoped, she set her eyes on the project before her and asked, “Is it the same group every week?”

  Alexis took the completed line of fabric and sprayed it with water before pressing the seams to one side. “We have a few others who are out of town.”

  “Do they have older children?”

  Tabitha shook her head. “Seems like once the kids turn five they get busy with other things.”

  “What type of other things?”

  “Piano lessons, soccer, baseball, football, dance, day camps—you name it. Five is the golden age. Before that, they’re stuck at home.”

  Paige frowned. “I like having Addison at home.”

  “That’s because you only have one. Once baby number two comes along, you’ll be happy to send her off for a few hours a day.”

  Paige fumbled with a pin and had to realign the squares before she could continue. “We aren’t planning …”

  “Addison’s your stepdaughter, isn’t she? Don’t you want one of your own?”

  “Maybe one day …” Paige let the implication hang there as she worked. She and Cody weren’t going to have any children, but Paige had always wanted to. It was just a matter of timing—and finding a husband.

  She looked at her ring. Would she ever find a man who was as good a father as Cody? She hadn’t reckoned on collecting a measuring stick, yet she knew she’d compare any man she dated to him. Heck, she already compared the men she just met to Cody.

  A young boy toddled over to Alexis and handed her a book. She scooped him up and blew raspberries on his cheek before setting him down to toddle back to the play area.

  Paige found herself longing after a pair of chubby cheeks. What would it be like to hold a baby in her arms? Her baby? Cody’s baby? She shook her head against the torrent of sadness at the thought of never holding Cody’s son in her arms. “Addison is a gift and I love her dearly, but I missed out on her baby years.”

  “Ah, the diapers.” Tabitha made a face.

  “And the sleepless nights.” Alexis groaned.

  “And the spit-up.”

  “Tantrums.”

  “Blowouts.”

  Paige laughed and held up her hands. “Okay, I’m never having a baby now.”

  “Don’t get me wrong,” said Alexis, “there is nothing as wonderful as snuggling with a baby. It’s like holding a piece of heaven.”

  Paige’s neck swiveled around to see Tabitha staring off with a contented smile on her face, which started an ache in Paige’s chest. Like these women, she had a husband and a child, but unlike these women, her marriage had an end date, and eventually she would fade in Addison’s memory. The thought nearly made her break down into tears right there in the middle of the church’s sewing circle. She looked toward the vaulted ceiling and blinked rapidly to force the moisture back.

  “Um, did I say something I shouldn’t have?” Alexis placed a hand on Paige’s shoulder.

  Paige laughed at her burst of motherly desires. It was natural that, having spent the better part of the last month acting like a mother, she would start to feel like one. Even the desire to increase her children wasn’t completely out of place with the lifestyle she’d adopted … was it? “I’m fine, really.” She sniffed once and then grinned. “Children are a blessing, no matter how they come into your life.”

  “Amen,” agreed Tabitha. She offered Paige another set of squares and a sad smile.

  Paige read the concern. Who knew what these women were thinking? Paige needed to change the subject, and fast. “Did you grow up around here?” she asked Tabitha.

  For the next hour they traded background information, chased children, and shared funny stories. Paige felt the group’s efforts to include her, and she was grateful for their kindness, especially knowing that she’d have to report to Cody that the day was a complete failure as far as making friends for Addison.

  Keeping her chin up and shoulders back as they left was a monumental effort when she was surrounded by so many young moms and their adorable babies. How could she even think about having a baby? Putting aside the fact that she wasn’t exactly in a relationship that lent itself to conceiving a child, Paige had other issues to consider. The first and biggest was not being able to accomplish the simple task of finding a friend for Addison. What kind of a mother was she, anyway? True, her position was only temporary, but it wasn’t like she’d been asked to do the impossible. Yet the more she tried, the harder she failed.

  Paige and Addison climbed into the truck. Paige didn’t w
ant to go home. She just couldn’t face Cody’s expectations with empty hands once again. So she sat there, her hands on the wheel and the keys dangling in the ignition. What was she going to tell him?

  “Can we get a shaved ice?” asked Addison.

  Paige shrugged. “Sure.”

  Addison grinned and then turned her head to watch the homes and businesses fly by. At her lowest, Paige barely noticed the traffic lights.

  They pulled up to the Snow Shack and got out. The little island-type hut had two windows, one for ordering and one for pickup. Addison got a rainbow cone, which wasn’t a cone at all, just a bunch of shaved ice in a Styrofoam cup drenched in flavoring; Paige got a peach colada.

  Just as they picked up their order, Paige’s phone rang. She dug through her purse to find it. Checking the caller ID, she whimpered. Of all the days Trish could call to check in, she had to call when Paige had no idea why she’d been hired in the first place. “Hi, Trish.”

  “Hi! I noticed you had a double date this Friday, so I booked a salon close to your house for you and Addison.”

  That wasn’t what Paige had expected. She hadn’t thought much about the dinner with Gabe and … and … what was her name? Paige sighed. She needed to get her act together so she could play the happy wife and act like she and Cody talked about things like the name of his best friend’s wife.

  “That’s not a good sound,” said Trish.

  “What?”

  “That sigh. I’ve heard it before. What’s going on?”

  Paige pointed to the folding tables, and Addison went over to take a seat. Paige hung back where she could watch and Addison couldn’t hear. “I’m a little stressed,” she admitted.

  “Spill it.”

  Paige took a scoopful of her snow cone while building her answer. Her contemplation didn’t matter, because it all spilled out. Everything. The dance class disaster, the sewing circle debacle, and the horse havoc. Paige placed the cold cup against her aching forehead. “So do I file for the annulment, or does he?”