Broken River - Ruby Shae Page 0,4
had to stay married for two years, and live under the same roof, but there was no clause for mandatory sex, or children, or anything like that, so they could basically just become roommates—married roommates—and fulfill the contract.
At the end of the two years, Elle would receive all of her brother’s money to open up the bakery of her dreams, and his debt to Gavin would be repaid.
There was only one part of the contract that didn’t make any sense.
“Why does it say you have to dump any loser boyfriends and marry me instead? Were you dating someone when Gavin died?”
“I broke up with my last boyfriend about a month before Gavin died, but every man I’ve ever dated has been a loser, so I’m pretty sure that my brother was just covering all bases,” she laughed nervously. “I’ve been wanting to open up my own bakery for years, and I’ve been saving like crazy, but…well, no one I’ve ever dated has ever believed in me or my dreams, so I think he was just trying to protect me.”
“Why do you only date losers?”
As soon as the words were out, he regretted them. Not because his question was stupid—even though it had been—but because of the look on Elle’s face. Not the angry mask she wore now, but the pain that had surfaced for just a moment before she had hidden it behind her current glare.
“All men are losers,” she seethed, “they just hide behind lies until they get caught. I’ve tried to find a good man—believe me, I have—but the only good man I’ve ever known was Gavin.”
Her anger faded at the mention of her brother, and she turned to look out the window, but he didn’t miss the sadness that filled her eyes.
“Gavin was a good man,” he agreed. “I don’t know why he decided you should marry me, even for such a short time, but I will do my best not to be a loser.”
His attempt at humor worked, and she granted him a small smile.
“Thank you, Liam. I know this is weird, and that you have your own life, and routines, and…everything…but I appreciate you doing this for me. I know not everyone would be willing to marry a stranger, especially one who’s…not your type, and I will do my best to stay out of your way.” She looked around the cabin, and he remembered that the backseat and cargo area of her SUV was packed with boxes. “Well, as much as I can, anyway.”
He had no idea what she meant about not being his type, but he had a feeling that was her way of saying that she didn’t want anything more from him than friendship. That was fine with him because he didn’t want anything more either.
At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
Unfortunately, that declaration was already hard to believe.
2
Elle looked at the boxes piled in the corner of Liam’s living room and winced. She’d been so proud when she’d filled her SUV and still had room to spare, but now the items she’d deemed as essential seemed to take up a ton of space in the cabin.
She eyed the box of baking pans sitting on top of the pile, and questioned whether or not she should have brought them. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, though, she pushed it away. The box was only a small sampling of the pans and other tools she had been collecting for the past twenty years, and there was no way she wasn’t going to bake for the next two years.
She might not ever know Gavin’s reasons for wanting her to marry Liam, but she knew he wanted her to be happy, and baking made her happy. Hopefully, Liam wouldn’t have a problem with the amount of stuff she brought. If he did, then she would sort through her stuff again, and try to shrink her pile, but her baking stuff was staying whether he liked it or not.
“Don’t worry,” he said, setting the final box on the floor. “I know this place looks small, but there’s actually a lot of room and I hardly have anything. We’ll find a place for everything.”
“You’re not…,” she looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. “You don’t think this is too much stuff?”
“Not at all. In fact, I’m surprised this is all there is. Are you sure you don’t need to get some more stuff out of the storage unit? This is going to be your