The Country Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book 4

by Lucy McConnell

  Trish laughed. “Neither.”

  “But I’m painting the wrong fence here. I shouldn’t be a mother and I sure as shootin’ shouldn’t be a bride. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Paige!” Trish spoke sharply, and Paige snapped her knees together and stood up straight like a soldier called to attention. “You are not the first bride to question herself.”

  “I’m not?”

  “No.”

  “So what do I do?”

  “Hmmm. Usually, all it takes is a shot of confidence.”

  She says that like it’s a snow cone flavor I can order at the first window.

  “You’ve been doing all the things Cody wanted you to do, right?”

  “Right.” She could definitely say that she’d made an effort.

  “Well, stop it.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “If Addison were your child, what would you do?”

  Paige bristled at the if she were your child part of that. Addison was hers, at least for year. Once she got over her defensiveness, she contemplated Trish’s comment. “All I know is camp and horses.”

  “Who were your friends when you were young?”

  “My brothers and cousins.” Paige fumbled her cup in her excitement. “I have a niece Addison’s age. I could call Taylor and set up a playdate.”

  “Good … what else?”

  Paige set her cup down on the nearest chair and began pacing. “I could do a day camp. The dance studio had a bulletin board, and there’s one at the church too.” Images of age-appropriate crafts flashed through her mind, and the tune to one of her favorite camp songs played in the back of her head. “Addison would love that.”

  “You bet she would.”

  “Okay, I’m going to do it.”

  “Good luck. And don’t forget that appointment.”

  Paige forced a smile. “I won’t.” Day camp for five to seven six-year-olds? Piece of cake. A date with her husband, the man who drank in her touch like a dehydrated animal and left her standing on jelly knees? Not so much.

  One thing at a time. There was no point worrying about a dinner that was days away when she had so much work to do.

  Chapter 27

  Can you pick up takeout?

  Cody answered the text with a yes and stopped on his way home to pick up the orange chicken Paige liked. Things must have gone well at the quilting thing if they were too busy with friends to get dinner going.

  Humming to himself, Cody swung through the door to find his kitchen in complete disarray. Pipe cleaners and fuzzy balls were scattered across the table. Bits of yarn drooped off the sides, and there was glitter everywhere. There were also pinecones and containers of peanut butter and bird food on the counter. Plastic bags with a craft store logo on the side littered the floor, and in the middle of it all sat Paige, her hair pulled back and held in place with a twisty-tie.

  “What in the …?”

  Paige whipped around and her face lit up. “Hey.” Her eyes dropped to the bags in his hands. “Oh, good. I’m starved.”

  Cody’s mouth went dry. She wasn’t the only one starved for a little nourishment … “Where’s Addison?” Cody made his way across the floor by kicking aside pom-poms.

  “She’s watching a movie upstairs.” Paige set down the pinecone in her hands and reached for the container Cody had just set on the counter. She opened it eagerly and snagged a piece of chicken between her fingers. Popping in into her mouth, she moaned. “Oh my gosh, it’s heaven in a box.”

  Cody chuckled. He grabbed two forks from the drawer. Handing one to Paige, he used the other to spear a piece of chicken in the box she held. She scowled, and then smiled to let him know she was teasing.

  He popped open the other containers, and they stood at the counter eating in silence for a few minutes. Cody surveyed the mess, and finally had to ask. “Sooooo, what’s with the …?” He waved his fork around, indicating the entire room.

  “We are hosting a day camp for kids.”

  Cody choked on his ham-fried rice.

  Paige pounded him on the back. “You’re purple!” She dashed around him, filled a cup with water, and commenced pounding him between the shoulder blades.

  Cody’s eyes watered. He gasped, took a drink, and gasped again. Finally, he took a deep breath. “We’re what?”

  Paige grinned. “I put up a couple flyers today and called Taylor to see if Maria could come.” Holding the chicken container in her left hand, she dug a fluorescent blue paper out from under a bunch of glue sticks.

  “‘Happy Camper Day Camp for children ages six to seven,’” Cody read out loud. He scanned down the page, taking in the start time, activities listed—including riding instructions— and fee. “I don’t understand.”

  Paige ran her fingers back and forth across the box’s flap. “You wanted me to help Addison make friends.” She pointed to the paper but wouldn’t meet his eyes. “This will help.”

  Cody ground his teeth. “How will charging kids to make those—” He threw his hand toward the pile of junk on the table. “—and ride in our arena help Addison make friends? What happened to the church sewing thing?”

  Paige settled into her chair at the table. She stared down. “The kids were all too young for Addison. She had a good time, but only because she was the oldest and a babysitter.”

  Cody longed to place his hands on Paige’s shoulders and work the knots out of her muscles until she leaned against him, content and kissable. Instead, he pulled his hand down his face. “And you think this ... camp thing ... will be better?”

  Paige nodded. “I do.”

  “Then why charge?”

  Paige tipped her chin up. “Perceived value.”

  Cody shook his head. “Addison isn’t some prize to be bought by another child. We’re the ones looking for friends.”

  “It’s strategic. If I did it for free, people wouldn’t see it as worth their time. By charging, I not only cover supplies, but it becomes desirable. The higher the cost, the higher the value in the buyer’s eyes, even if it’s only perceived and not actually realized.”

  “Like a BMB bride?”

  Paige sputtered.

  Cody wished he could swallow the words back in and never let them out. He didn’t mean to imply that Paige wasn’t worth every penny he’d handed over to get her. Having seen her in action with Addison, he would have paid double. Having held her in his arms, he would have given everything he owned. He sputtered, looking for a way to explain all that without giving away his feelings for her.

  Slamming the chicken container on the table, Paige stood and planted her hands on her hips. “My credentials and background as a camp director are worth more than the seventy-five dollars on that flyer, thank you very much.”

  Cody carefully set the rice container on the counter. “Paige,” he began, “I didn’t mean—”

  Paige cut him off with a glare. “As for my value as a bride ...” She pulled in a deep breath, and Cody saw the flash of uncertainty. “I ask that you reserve judgment until after I’ve finished with camp. If Addison doesn’t have at least one good friend by then, I’ll drive you down to BMB and we can sign the annulment papers.”

  Cody groped behind him to find the counter. He needed the help staying upright after that sucker punch. “You want to leave?”

  The indignation flapped out of Paige’s stance. “No. But I can’t take your money if I can’t do the job.” She glanced around the room. “I’ll come down later and clean up.” She headed for the stairs.

  “Paige?” Cody called, so softly he wasn’t even sure the word left his lips.

  Paige looked over her shoulder. “I’ll send Addison down for some dinner.”

  She ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time with her long legs, and Cody sank to the floor. He shoved his head back against the cabinet. How was it possible to muddle things the way he had? He didn’t mean to imply that Paige wasn’t doing her job. Since they’d been married, Addison had blossomed with
a new level of confidence. Cody couldn’t blame her. Knowing Paige would be there for a year, though it seemed like too short of a time now, had rejuvenated his desire to live and not just survive. Each day had meaning, and color, and laughter, and desire …

  Closing his eyes, he relived the feel of Paige’s fingers on his cheek, his neck. Yes, there was desire there, and something else. Something stronger than time, stronger than petty arguments and miscommunications, something stronger than Cody’s grief. Something he knew he needed to hang on to, or risk falling back into his state of zombie-like survival. Paige was life, and Cody had finally found his desire to live. He couldn’t lose that—he wouldn’t lose that. He would help Paige see the change in Addison, in their home, and most especially in him. He wasn’t the grumpy old troll she believed him to be, and he intended to prove it.

  Paige had given herself a week to find Addison a friend, and Cody adopted the same deadline to convince her he was worth sticking around for. He popped to his feet and grinned, because he did his best work under a deadline.

  Chapter 28

  Early Friday morning, Paige hurried out to the pool for her training session with Landon. She’d been up late planning camp activities and had skipped her last two workouts. Feeling a little guilty, she promised to throw herself into this session and wear herself out.

  Stepping outside, she was surprised to find Cody and Landon chatting easily. What surprised her more was seeing Cody in swim trunks. “What’s going on?” she asked the two of them.

  Cody shuffled his feet. “I thought I’d join you guys this morning. If that’s okay.”

  Paige set her towel on one of the deck chairs. “I thought you already had your workout schedule figured out.”

  “I do. Well, did. I just thought this would be fun.”

  Paige crinkled her nose.

  “What?”

  “It’s just—I can’t think of one thing you’ve done since we’ve been ...” Her eyes cut to the side. “... married that was just for fun.”

  Cody pulled off his shirt and set it next to her towel. Paige took in his flat stomach and defined muscles and felt her thoughts clatter like Legos to the floor. Dang if he wasn’t fit—fit for mountain climbing, fit for ripping open car doors with his bare hands, fit for all sorts of activities that made Paige’s temperature climb.

  “A lot of things have changed around here lately,” said Cody.

  Paige could only nod. She found herself biting her lip as she surveyed Cody, and quickly turned away. She didn’t hear any sarcasm when he talked about things changing. If anything, Cody sounded keen on the idea. Since the changes had provided her with a view worth taking in during her torture session with Landon, Paige was pretty happy with them too.

  Landon took the quiet as an opportunity to jump into the conversation. “We’re starting with ten easy laps. Don’t push yourself too hard. We’re just warming up.”

  Paige stood on the edge of the pool and tested the water with her toes. Warm, but not as hot as bathwater. She was just about ready to dive in, when she found herself falling. The water whooshed over her head, and she flailed her arms to reach the surface. Gasping for air and wiping her hair off her face, she glared at Cody, who was smiling like a kid.

  “See? Fun.”

  This view is fun.

  Shocked at Cody’s playful attitude and her own admiration of the man’s body, Paige could only tread water as Landon snuck up behind Cody and pushed him into the pool. Cody, his arms whirling, flopped next to her, sending a wave of water over her head. Laughing, she waited for him to surface.

  “You could have warned me,” he sputtered.

  “Oh no. It was much more fun to just watch.” Paige laughed again.

  “You’re going down.” Cody cupped his hand and sent another wave in her direction.

  “You’ll have to catch me first.” Paige ducked under the water and shot toward the other end of the pool.

  When she came up, lengthening her stroke, she heard Landon yell, “Swim now, flirt later, you two. I’m on the clock.”

  Cody’s hand brushed her leg, and Paige squealed, sure he was going to pull her under. Instead he matched her stroke for stroke, and they finished their laps at the same time.

  Landon hadn’t been kidding when he said the ten laps were just a warm-up. Next they did a two-hundred-meter kick, and then a three-hundred-meter pull. Then Landon had them do four sets of four hundred meters. “On the first one, only go at seventy percent. We’ll push a little harder each time.”

  By the fourth four-hundred, Paige thought her arms were going to fall off, and her whole body was tight. Landon gave them a minute to rest and Paige threw her arms out, floating dead-man style.

  Cody floated nearby. “I take it back. This isn’t fun, it’s brutality.”

  “Serves you right for pushing me in.”

  Cody lifted his head out of the water. “Then what are you being punished for?”

  “I stole your fortune cookie last night,” confessed Paige. She had seen the cookies in the bag when she was cleaning up the mess she’d made, and had munched through two of them while she worked.

  “That was you?” Cody gave her a serious frown. “The fortune cookie is the best part.”

  “No way, the food is the best part.”

  “It’s not the flavor of the cookie; it’s the fortune.” He gave her a half grin. “At least tell me what my fortune would have been.”

  Paige thought for a minute. “‘The place that may seem like the end is a new beginning.’”

  Cody stared. “Did it really say that?”

  “Yep.”

  “That’s appropriate.”

  Before Paige could ask him why, Landon blew his whistle. “Break’s over, sweethearts.”

  Paige wondered whether Landon was calling her and Cody sweethearts as in a couple in love, or if he was insulting Cody by calling him a nickname usually reserved for girls. Cody didn’t respond to the comment either way, so Paige ignored it as well.

  She wished it was as easy to ignore Cody. All morning he was charming and happy and not at all his usual self. When she’d accidentally moved into his lane, he had playfully bumped her back. While Landon coached with Cody on his technique, he’d made a joke about his backstroke that had them all snickering. And that body of his? She had the feeling her brain wasn’t about to let that image slip away any time soon.

  “Do you want to make this interesting?” asked Cody as he positioned himself so that he could push off from the wall.

  “How so?” asked Paige.

  “Loser makes breakfast tomorrow.”

  Paige rolled her eyes. “Even if I win, I lose.”

  Cody mocked offense. “I’ll have you know—”

  Paige had no idea what she should have known, because Landon blew his whistle and she pushed off the wall with all she had left.

  After the first hundred, Paige’s legs began to tire and her shoulders burned. But her little maneuver had gained her a strong advantage, and she wasn’t about to lose it. With fifty meters left to go, Cody closed the distance, and she was only an arm’s length ahead of him. Digging deep, Paige kicked with all she had. Her fingers hit the end of the pool and she threw her hands in the air, knowing she’d won.

  Cody, his impressive chest heaving with every breath, grinned.

  “Admit it: you’re shocked I won.” Paige shoved him.

  “Not as shocked as you’re going to be when you taste my French toast tomorrow.”

  Paige held up her right hand. “I promise to eat it in front of Addison to set a good example.”

  “Ha! You’ll be begging for seconds.”

  They climbed out of the pool, water dripping and sliding in all directions. Landon handed Cody his shirt and Paige her towel. “I’m leaving—not that you two will notice.”

  Paige massaged her triceps. “Believe me, I’ll notice.”

  Landon pointed at both of them. “Now that I know what you’re capable of, we’re going to have a lot
of fun.”

  Paige groaned as Landon went out the gate. She hooked her finger at Cody. “This is all your fault.”

  “My fault?”

  “I had him believing I was a total wimp.” Paige wrapped up in her towel.

  “You are a total wimp,” Cody shot back.

  “Ugh!” Paige put her hands on her hips. “I would argue with you, but I’m too tired. I think I’ll take a nap right here.” She sank into the lounge chair and felt her muscles throb.

  Cody held out his hand. “Come on. I have a better idea.”

  Paige slipped her fingers into his, and goose bumps flushed her skin. No. No. No. Do not like him! Paige felt like she was standing in the middle of a teeter-totter, trying to keep it balanced and not fall flat on her face. She’d told Cody she would leave if she couldn’t do the job. Leaving Addison would tear her to pieces, but if it was what was best for the girl, then it must be done. If she liked Cody, it would only make leaving that much harder.

  Biting her lip, she stood, and Cody pulled her over to the waterfall and opened a secret door. Inside was a bench, a heat lamp, and a whole lot of steam. “Rest in here for about twenty minutes and you’ll feel like new.”

  Paige eyed the small space dubiously. “I should get Addison up. We have an appointment today.”

  “I’ll get her going. Rest.” Cody pointed to the teasing, swirling mist. “There’s cushions.” He pumped his eyebrows up and down.

  Paige stepped over the threshold. “You’re the boss.”

  A look of disappointment crossed Cody’s face, quickly replaced by a smile. “Enjoy.”

  He disappeared into the house right about the time Paige settled into a reclining bench. The steam clung to her skin, and the moist heat softened her tight muscles. She moaned. That’s the stuff.

  Why did Cody have to be nice today, of all days? Why couldn’t he glare at Landon and complain about the horses and be grumpy? It would make following through with her decision to leave so much easier.

  Twenty minutes later, when the steam cut off and the world seemed eerily quiet without the noise, Paige still didn’t have an answer.