Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 90266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“I can certainly understand,” she murmured, sitting down next to me. “I’m sorry I had to add to your list, but I have some news you need to hear before you arrive in Snow Valley.”
Some of my excitement faded, and I slouched against the cushions. “Why do I get the feeling this isn’t the good kind of news?”
“Probably because it’s something you’re not going to be happy about.” She flashed me a sympathetic smile before continuing, “Although his mother was the one who made all the arrangements for her sons, Christopher reached out to me via email to make sure his bride would be on the same page about how the marriage would go.”
“What does that mean exactly?” I asked, bracing myself for her answer.
“Christopher wants this to be a marriage in name only because he’d like to get an annulment after a few months,” she explained.
“I don’t understand,” I whispered, shaking my head as my brain reeled. This wasn’t at all what I was expecting to hear today, and I was beyond disappointed. “Why would someone want a mail-order bride in name only? And only for a short amount of time?”
“I know you said it didn’t matter why your groom wanted a mail-order bride. But with this little wrinkle, I definitely need to fill you in on the whole story.” She took my hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze, making me wish I hadn’t been quite so impulsive when signing up for this. “Christopher’s mother arranged brides through me for all six of her sons because she wants to save their hometown. Snow Valley is up for sale, and the corporation that wants to buy it is known for turning quaint locales into tourist hot spots. Pooling their money together, the boys have enough funds to swoop in and purchase the town, but an archaic law that’s somehow still in place—after the town founder wrote it more than a hundred and fifty years ago—says the purchaser has to be married. Christopher has agreed to his mother’s plan, but only for long enough to save the town he loves.”
Christopher sounded like the kind of guy who’d make the perfect husband. Not only was he doing something kind of heroic—and was willing to listen to his mom’s scheme in the first place—but he had also put the arrangement he needed at risk because it was the right thing to do. He could have just kept this information to himself and let me be blindsided when I showed up and anticipated a real relationship. There wasn’t much I could have done about it once we were married. “I’m glad he reached out to you. This would have been an awkward conversation to have when I arrived in Snow Valley.”
“I’ll understand if you want to reconsider your decision since you were expecting your marriage to be real.” Holly sighed and patted my hand. “The timeline is awfully tight, but I might be able to find a different bride for Christopher. Someone whose expectations will better match what he wants from a mail-order bride. And then I’d be more than happy to help you find a husband who would be a better match.”
I was tempted to take the easy way out, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what would happen if Holly wasn’t successful in finding another bride for Christopher. “The future of the whole town really depends on all six brothers getting married before the start of the new year?”
“I know it sounds like something out of a movie, but yes,” she confirmed with a nod. “The boys don’t have enough money to complete the purchase without all of them chipping in their savings. If one of the marriages falls through, then they won’t be able to buy Snow Valley, and the sale to Titan Corporation will go through.”
Getting my first—and what should have been only—marriage annulled wasn’t what I’d ever pictured for myself. As awkward as the whole thing was bound to be, my bags were already packed, and someone needed to marry the man to help save his town. Maybe I was as impulsive as Whitney said because I blurted out, “You don’t need to find Christopher someone else to marry. I’ll be his bride in name only.”
Chapter Three
Christopher
Snow Valley had one airport, but it was for private jets and small aircraft. Most visitors flew into a slightly larger regional airport and drove to town. However, if they didn’t have a car or want to rent one, then the next best mode of transportation to our little town was the train.
The station happened to be on Snowflake Lane. It was the same street I lived on, except I was on the opposite side of town, way out past the Snow Valley Ski Slopes, which meant a half-hour drive each way. Since Holly had assured me that my wife-to-be, Winter (my mother was going to flip over that name), was on board with the plan, I was hoping it wouldn’t be too awkward. Although...if she was a talker...it was bound to be uncomfortable.