1
Christopher
“I think I heard you wrong, could you repeat that?” On the other end of the phone, Lincoln’s voice sounded both shocked and amused.
I rolled my eyes skyward and stared at the ceiling of my office. “You heard me. Mail. Order. Brides.”
“Your mother ordered brides for you and your brothers? For Christmas? Is that even legal?”
“Apparently.”
“And you’re sure this isn’t just your mom attempting to get grandchildren?”
I’d considered it because I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that I needed a wife to save Snow Valley, the small town where my brothers and I grew up.
“Yep. Looked into it myself. Snow Valley’s founder enacted a law in 1870 that stipulated the owner or owners of the town be married. It’s somehow been overlooked for the last hundred and fifty or so years.”
Lincoln chuckled. “Probably his own scheme for grandchildren.”
“Who the fuck knows. But Jasper is retiring and plans to sell Snow Valley to the Titan corporation on New Year’s Day. So, now I'm stuck between marrying a stranger by New Year’s Eve or losing the town.
Lincoln didn’t even attempt to hold in his laughter, and I grit my teeth until he finally calmed down. “I’m sorry, but this is like something straight out of an old Western romance.”
“Sounds like you want to take my place,” I drawled.
Lincoln snorted. “You’re like a brother to me, Christopher, but I am not taking that bullet for you.” He snickered before adding, “It’s time to brush off the ol’ horse and buggy before you meet the missus.”
“Why are we friends, again?”
Lincoln and I had been best friends since we were kids, even though it made no sense since we were practically opposites. He was outgoing, funny, and the life of the party while I was the man of few words who would rather be working in my office or at home with my dogs and a good book.
“Because you need someone to bust your ass from time to time.”
I sighed and dribbled my fingers on the top of my desk. “This is crazy.”
“And yet, you’re going to go through with it.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because you love your mother and this town. And, you know she’s right. The last thing you want is some money-grubbing assholes coming in and turning Snow Valley into a tourist trap, and telling you how to run your pub.”
“I don’t need a woman around interfering with my pub and brewery either,” I grumbled.
“Now, now. It’s ‘our’ pub and brewery, not ‘my’.”
Fucking hell. “I need a damn drink,” I muttered before hanging up and stalking out of my office.
I went behind the bar and grabbed my favorite whiskey and poured myself a shot. After downing that one, I tossed back another and slammed the glass down onto the shiny wood bar that my youngest brother, Spencer, had built for me. He’d done most of the restoration work when I renovated The Holly Jolly Pub a few years ago. I’d poured my own sweat and blood into it every day since I bought the place seven years ago.
Like Lincoln had said, my brothers and I loved Snow Valley, as much as our mother did. We’d long ago made the decision to stay and build our lives here. I looked around the bar, pictured the brewery behind it, and knew I’d do whatever it took to keep my town from a big corporation that would take away all its charm and the small-town feel.
As pissed off as I was about my mother’s meddling and her harebrained scheme, I could admit it was a quick way to resolve our predicament, which only made me angrier. Not at my mother, but at the situation in general.
I had given little thought to a family over the years. I suppose I assumed it would happen naturally. Although, I’d ruled out anyone from town, and no matter how many women I met when traveling, I’d never given any of them a second thought.
After living with the example of my parents' marriage, I was a one and done kind of guy. I hated the idea of being divorced; it felt like a four-letter word that left a foul taste in my mouth. But I would not stay in a loveless marriage, even if it disappointed my mom.
And there was no way I’d make my future wife sleep in the same bed as my ex, so I’d need to get some temporary furniture.
With a sigh, I poured myself another shot and tossed it back. This Christmas season had gone downhill extremely fast. I lifted my chin to the bartender on duty, receiving a nod of acknowledgment and meandered back to my office.
I sat down in my desk chair and booted up my computer to order a bed and whatever else I might need. As I perused mattresses, a thought suddenly hit me over the head. What the fuck was I doing? Just because I married the woman didn’t mean I had to sleep with her. I only needed her to wear a ring until the purchase of the town was complete.