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

view, a bar, and a hallway.
    “That leads to the private wing.”
    “The what?” asked Amber.
    “The private wing.” Mr. McGraw smiled, obviously enjoying showing off the home even though it wasn’t his. “Let’s go take a look.”
    They walked through the sitting room and into what should have been a hallway, but it had windows. Amber stopped to look. “We’re pretty high up. What’s down there?”
    “It’s a ravine. It’s quite beautiful when the snow melts,” said Mr. McGraw.
    They neared the end of the bridge/hall/viewing area and came to a set of French doors that were also locked. Mr. McGraw pointed to the key in Rym’s hand, and he unlocked the door to a stunning home. Rym hadn’t paid much attention to the layout of the house or the architecture when he’d come to see Grandpa. That day, he’d only had eyes for the patriarch.
    Today was a whole different situation. This was the home he would live in and share with Amber, for the next year at least. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.
    One wall was made up of windows just like the grand sitting room, but the adjacent wall had a huge rustic fireplace in the center. The mantle had to be eight feet long and a foot and a half thick.
    “Down there is the master suite and a couple other bedrooms.” Mr. McGraw pointed. “The kitchen is just around the corner.”
    Amber and Rym both leaned forward. The kitchen was beautiful. It had stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors, and a huge sink.
    “I thought this was under construction,” Amber said.
    Mr. McGraw grimaced. “Not this half of the home. When he was diagnosed, Michael rushed to finish this area and left the rest. It’s livable, but it should be taken care of as soon as possible, or the homeowners’ association will be breathing down your neck.”
    “Okay.”
    “I put together a packet of information for you so you can familiarize yourself with the place, the CC&Rs and whatnot. I’ll go get it out of the car.” Mr. McGraw shut the door as he left.
    Rym cringed. Another set of papers he wouldn’t understand. There were mountains of lingo people bantered back and forth like he should know what they were talking about. They forgot that he wasn’t raised in this environment; he didn’t go to private schools, live in gated communities, or take tennis lessons. He whispered across the room to Amber like they were sharing information in class. “What’s a CC&R?”
    “Codes, covenants, and restrictions set forth by the homeowners’ association.” Amber ran her hand over the countertop.
    Of course Amber understood exactly what the abbreviation meant. Even though she’d given him the spelled-out version, he wasn’t sure why it was necessary to have them to move into his grandpa’s house.
    Rym dropped to the couch and rubbed at his beard. “I’m in over my head.” A company, an inheritance, inflated bank fees, covenants and something or other, and a wife ! This wasn’t him. He was comfortable in his dinky old apartment, not in some mansion on a hill. Who was he kidding? The same feeling of claustrophobia that had grabbed on to him outside City Hall slithered its cold tentacles around his chest. He sucked in air like a man drowning, because he was. He was drowning in Grandpa’s expectations. “I can’t even understand what it takes to move into this house. How am I going to take over Grandpa’s company?” He sank as far as the overstuffed leather couch would let him.
    Amber sat next to him and waited until he looked at her. “One day at a time.” She lowered her voice and spoke with a calm Rym wished he possessed. “Are you going to mess up? Yeah, you will. Everybody messes up. We’ll get through it.”
    Rym caught the word “we” and held onto it like a lifeline. He’d planned to go solo on this, but it was obvious he couldn’t do that. But Amber ? Her California sun-kissed skin and wispy clothing had no place in Park City in the winter.