Free The Professional Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book Three by Lucy McConnell

just want you to understand that I was alone a lot as a kid. Mom worked like crazy, and I hated the idea of disappointing her like my dad did. Dad was gone or sleeping, so I learned to take care of myself, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
    Amber’s mahogany eyes filled with sympathy. “You don’t have to do it alone now. Maybe that’s why your grandpa wanted you to have a wife. He gave specific orders about the type of woman he wanted for you.”
    “Maybe.” Rym glanced in the rearview mirror. “Look, I’ll admit you helped out back there. But you’ve got to keep your nose out of the resort stuff.”
    Amber blinked several times. “The resort stuff , as you call it, is the whole reason I’m here.”
    Rym shook his head. “You may know about money, but by the way you’re shivering, I’m willing to bet you know nothing about skiing, ski resorts, or how to run them.”
    Amber took a breath and held it for several seconds. Rym glanced over to see her eyes slowly close and open again. “You’re right,” she said. “I don’t ski. But that doesn’t mean I can’t run a business, and in the end, Iron Mountain is a business.”
    That was exactly the thing Rym was worried about. Amber was no different than the investors nipping at his heals to take over the place. “You’re wrong.” Rym bit out. “It’s a family.”
    Amber didn’t push, and Rym was surprised she let it go. Wasn’t she going to “coach” him out of this too? She didn’t shrink into the coat and she didn’t turn away. She just watched him with those big brown gypsy eyes for a moment before turning to look out the windshield.
    Rym put his arm up on the steering wheel and leaned toward his door. He’d had his say and he was glad he got it out there. But the fact that Amber hadn’t agreed to stay out of things didn’t escape his notice and left him with a pit in his stomach.
     
     
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
     
     
    As he pulled into the stamped concrete driveway, Rym noticed a red BMW in front of the garage. “There’s Mr. McGraw,” he said, breaking the silence between them. He hadn’t felt any animosity from Amber mixed in with the quiet. However, since she didn’t commit to leaving him alone, there was a weighted feeling. He may have won that battle, but Amber had just signed on for a year of marriage to Rym, and he suspected she was the type to choose not only her battles, but the battlefield as well.
    “Who?” asked Amber.
    “Grandpa’s, and I guess my lawyer. He’s a good guy.”
    Rym parked under the carriage roof that separated the house and the garage. From this angle, the house wasn’t much bigger than the garage, but Rym knew there was more to it than first met the eye.
    Mr. McGraw and Rym shook hands, and then Rym introduced Amber.
    “Ah, the infamous bride. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
    “Likewise.” Amber’s smile was genuine and Rym couldn’t see a trace of the tension between them in her body. She moved with grace, not shy or held back, but not brazen either.
    Her poise left Rym unsettled. How could she be so calm when her world was changing as much as his? She was about to walk into a home she would share with a stranger for a year, and she appeared as calm as a meadow covered in freshly fallen snow. When the sun hit the snow in the mornings, it sparkled, just like Amber’s eyes. 
    Holding out a set of keys, Mr. McGraw asked, “Would you like to open your home?”
    Amber motioned to Rym. “You should do the honors.”
    Rym took the keys and made his way to the front door. When the heavy wood swung open, they were greeted with a breathtaking view of the ski resort behind the property and the valley below. Rym shook his head as he stepped inside. So close to his grandpa and so far away … for so many years.
    Amber followed, and Mr. McGraw came in and shut the door behind them. The entry level had a formal feel to it. There was a grand sitting room with a wall of windows making the most of the