A Wise Investment: Arranged Marriage Romance Read online

  It might be a big house but nothing permeates open space like fresh coffee and bacon being fried in the morning.

  I roll over and lift an eyelid. The clock says it's barely 5 AM and the sky outside the window tells me about the same.

  The door to my room is open. I left it ajar on purpose last night, just in case. In case of what, I have no fucking clue. In case Dorthy had a bad dream? Heard a bear outside her window and got scared? Didn't have enough blankets on the bed and decided to come after mine?

  Yeah. That was a damn good fantasy. Unfortunately, thinking about Dorthy slipping her curvy little body up against mine didn't make it easy to get to sleep and I ended up lying awake for another hour after I left her downstairs just thinking about all the ways that could have worked itself out.

  No mistaking it. My nose tells me there's breakfast downstairs and my stomach agrees. No point in lying here watching the sun come up when there's a pretty girl in my kitchen fixing what smells like a damn good breakfast.

  I walk into the kitchen and find her humming to herself with a spatula in her hand. She's standing in front of the stove and after a minute or so she flips the pancakes on the griddle over.

  Good looking pancakes, I notice as she does it. Golden, thick and fluffy, but that's not what's got my mouth watering.

  Dorthy's wearing some tight jeans that hug her round little ass perfectly. She found my apron and she's got it tied tight around her waist, double looped so it's knotted in front, but the way it cinches around her waist just emphasizes her hourglass figure.

  All that blond hair is piled up on top of her head in a kinda of messy knot that looks like it's still damp from a shower and my cock's already aching to get up behind her.

  I do like seeing her here in my kitchen. Good to know she's making herself comfortable here, it makes me feel better. Like she's seeing the place as hers. That's a good thing but I was wanting to make breakfast for her this first day.

  "Smells good," I finally speak up after looking my fill. I head toward the pot that's full of fresh brewed coffee and help myself to a cup before coming to stand next her at the stove.

  She's piling golden cakes onto a plate and she waves the spatula over them, "How many should I make?"

  Well, hell, there's about a dozen all piled up already.

  "I don't know, how many can you eat?" I grin.

  "Hmm," she contemplates the stack of pancakes and counts out loud, "I think I'm good for about half of those," she turns her head and looks up at me, "and I'm prepared to fight ya for 'em so you better let me know how many more I should make."

  The thought of this little wisp of a thing fighting me makes me laugh but when I look back at her, she ain't laughing with me. Her fist is on her hip and she's giving me a look that says I better not take her for granted.

  "I say about 3 more should keep us from coming to blows," I tell her with a big grin, even though I can't help but wonder if maybe I want to take her up on the offer to fight me.

  After breakfast, I take her out and show her around the property.

  "So you just moved in?" Dorthy asks.

  "About 2 months ago, the place got finished up just before winter hit and I wasn't too keen on spending the winter in an empty house."

  "It's a big house," she comments, standing in back yard and looking at my place, "What made you build a place like this for just you?"

  "Well, I was hoping to fill it up with kids," I tell her gently.

  Dorthy turns and blushes as she looks at me, "Well, yeah, I know, but did you know that when you started building it?"

  "Oh. You mean like was I with someone when I started building?" I shove my hands in my pockets and shift my weight on the balls of my feet.

  "Something like that," Dorthy answers.

  "Nah," I tell her, "I had my eye on Raven's site for a few years now. Just couldn't afford it till recently."

  I thought she'd heard the story but she looks at me like she's waiting for me to fill in the details so I shrug and start talking.

  Talking ain't really where I'm best but if Dorthy's really the woman I'm about to end up with, there's no reason not to make sure she knows everything she wants to about me.

  "So you didn't even know you had that aunt?" Dorthy sounds about as shocked as I was when I found out.

  "When we got the letter from the attorney's office my Dad told me he thought she'd died years ago. No one on our side of the family at least had heard from her since I was a boy. We sure as hell didn't know about the money."

  "Wow." Is about all Dorthy says.

  I explain to her how my great aunt had divided her estate up in her will to include all her nieces and nephews and their kids too. Since my dad's just got the one sister, that left an estate that turned out to be worth a shit ton of money to get divided 5 ways.

  After all the lawyers and the taxes and shit were taken care of, we all got a little over 2 million to spend. And spend it fast is what my cousins did. Sasha, my sister, has always been good with her money so I let her talk me into seeing her investment guy and he set me up.

  I knew I wanted a second plane, I knew I wanted this property and the house built just the way I wanted it, and that sucked down a big chunk of it but there's enough left over that I'll be OK after retirement. I just gotta keep flying in the meantime. Which is fine by me, can't imagine not being in the air.

  Dorthy looks around the property with new appreciation, "So you were planning on hiring Raven this whole time?"

  "Well yeah. Eligible women are scarce in these parts. Of course, once word got out that I was a millionaire, I suddenly got a lot more attractive to the ones that are here. But that's not what I'm looking for."

  "What are you looking for, Barrett?" Dorthy asks.

  Dorthy

  I'm starting to wonder if this guy is ever going to kiss me.

  There was a moment there, I thought that was it. Instead, Barrett tells me about his childhood, his family, his career as a bush pilot. He tells me about inheriting his money and building his house, and hiring Raven to help him find a woman to turn it into a home.

  The moment passes quickly and now I'm standing on a corner of Barrett's property next to a pile of wood that will need split and stacked for seasoning and I'm wondering if maybe I'm not what he's looking for at all.

  Rogue and Melissa seemed pretty sure that Bear was the right man for me. They spent a lot of time telling me about life in Alaska and Melissa and I had lots of conversations about what it really meant to be a bush pilot's wife. They were convinced that I'd adapt to this environment quickly and that their friend was just what I was looking for.

  It never occurred to me that maybe I wouldn't be what he was looking for.

  Maybe he thinks I can't hack it up here. Maybe he thinks I'm too high maintenance-- that I'll miss mani-pedis too much or that I won't be able to handle the winters.

  I know I'm petite, just a little over 5 foot, but I've got a few extra pounds on me-- it's not like I look malnourished or anything. And just because I'm short, doesn't keep me from getting shit done. I can cook, I can keep a clean house, hell! I can run that log splitter I see peeking out from under the corner of a tarp behind this pile of logs and I can turn all these rounds into a well stacked wood pile. By myself, if that's what needs to be done.

  I can do just about any kind of car repairs, short of tearing an engine apart, and I'm sure I can learn to do that if that's what it comes to.

  Dammit. Why doesn't he like me? Is the chemistry just one sided? I make a mental note to call my nieces later and ask them for more details on why they agreed on this man. Maybe I can get a few clues as to what made our teams mutually agree that we were compatible. Because I honestly don't have a clue how to read this guy.

  "I'm looking for a woman who wants me for me, not because I got some money or because I built a big house," Barrett is answering me, "I want a wife. A woman who wants to spend her life by my side. Raise some kids and grow old together."

  His word
s cut through me. He's talking like these aren't the same things I want. Like I'm not what he's looking for. It hurts. More than I'd like to admit, but I'm not about to let that show.

  By the time he's finished showing me the grounds and we're headed back in the house I've come to some conclusions. I can either shake hands and part ways with Barrett Hainey and go back home and contact Raven and try again, or I can prove to this mountain of a mountain man that I am everything he's looking for in a wife. Because, dammit, if I don't want this man.

  As we walk into the kitchen a radio interrupts the silence between us. A man's voice is calling Bear, asking if he's in range.

  Barrett walks over and picks up a hand held radio off the counter and, after a short exchange with the man on the other end, he sets it down and looks at me, "Um, sorry," he says bashfully, "That was Joe, they need me in the air."

  I give him a warm smile. Getting called away because he has work to do is fine by me. I knew that would be part of my life if things worked out with us and I don't have a problem with being by myself.

  "Of course," I reassure him, "I'm OK by myself." Then I second guess the worried on his face, "You can drop me off with Melissa, I guess," I tack on hastily, "you know, if you'd rather not have me here alone when you're not home."

  I start to reach for my purse when Barrett doesn't answer. When I look up he's staring at me with an unreadable look on his face.

  "No, it's fine," he says, drawing the words out slowly like they aren't the ones he's actually thinking, "if you feel comfortable staying here, that's fine. I don't know how long I'll be, but you got everyone's numbers, right?"

  I nod and set my purse back down.

  "'K then, if you get bored or scared or somethin' you give Mel or Sasha a call. I'll be back as soon as I can."

  "OK," I say again.

  There's an awkward pause between us where I think there's supposed to be a kiss on the cheek or a hug or something before we part ways but, once again, Bear manages to forego any sort of contact with me before he grabs his things and heads out the door.

  I watch from the window till his truck is out of sight. It's still early in the morning, the whole day is ahead of me and from I've learned about Barrett's work, it's unlikely that I'll see him again for several hours.

  What can I do to keep busy and prove to this man that I'm worthy of being his wife?

  Bear

  "You don't get it," I'm sitting in the break room down at the hanger, trying to get the guys to understand what's wrong. "It's like she doesn't need me for anything, I got nothin' to offer her."

  Luke's eyes are big as saucers, watching the conversation unfold between the older men in front of him like it's the biggest learning experience he's ever had.

  Rogue's kicked back in his chair, just listening to everything I've said with a serious frown on his face.

  Joe is the one giving me shit.

  "So you're saying, that cute little thing that Rogue and Mel set you up with has spent the last 3 days bustling her sweet little ass around your house, cleaning it from top to bottom?"

  I take a gulp of my coffee and nod.

  "She's been cooking up a storm for you, and yesterday you come home to find her splittin' wood all by herself?"

  "Yeah, that's what I'm fucking saying."

  Joe shakes his head in sympathy that I know is pure bullshit, "Yeah," he makes a show of leaning in and grabbing one of the cinnamon rolls I brought in off the table, "you got a real problem there, man. I feel for ya. A woman like that's hardly worth having around."

  I'm not in the mood for Joe's sarcasm, but these rolls that Dorthy made this morning for me to bring down to the guys sure are good. I pull another one apart and try not to enjoy it.

  "So what is the problem, exactly?" Rogue speaks up.

  "The problem is that she won't let me do anything for her!" I spit out around the chewy dough in my mouth, "she hasn't let me do anything for her since I opened a damn beer for her over at your place."

  "How's that a problem?" Luke asks with a big ass 23 year old kid grin on his face.

  I growl at him, "You don't understand, I'm a man. I want to take care of my woman. Wanna make her life easier in ways that I can cuz this life is tough, you know?"

  Joe and Rogue both grunt, seeming to understand what I'm getting at.

  "If this gal is gonna move up here and be my wife, she's got plenty of work cut out for her as it is. She don't need to be taking over all my chores and leaving me with nothing to do at the end of the day but eat her cooking."

  I lean back and pat my stomach. It's damn good cooking, I gotta admit, but she needs to leave some stuff around the house for me to do.

  "So are you just feeling like you're not in charge? Like she wants to wear your pants for ya?" Joe asks.

  I shake my head, "Not exactly."

  "Well, I thought the whole point was that you wanted a woman who could hack it up here? Especially when you're not home and she'd have to be all alone up the house with that pack of kids you keep talking about making?" Lucas pipes up.

  "Yeah, but she's so damn independent," I tell him, "I mean, that's good and all, but she doesn't need me for anything."

  "She's gonna need you to make those babies," Joe snickers.

  "Yeah, Bear, how's that part going? Is the chemistry good? Everything working out between the sheets?"

  I look up at my buddy, Rogue, and try to figure out how to answer him.

  With a deep sigh I finally fess up, "I ain't even kissed her, man."

  The guys all gasp like a bunch of old hens.

  "Well no wonder you're all wound up," Joe laughs, "If I had a sweet little piece of ass like that running around my house that wasn't puttin' out, I'd be going out of my mind too."

  Joe can talk all the shit he wants, he barely even got a look at Dorthy when Luke flew her in and he's got no idea what's going on with us.

  Of course, I'm starting to think I got no idea either.

  "Bear, man," Rogue leans forward with his elbows on the table between us, a whole lot more serious than he was a minute ago, "is she not interested? Are you not interested? What's the hold up?"

  Rogue knows me better than any of the guys, which is why I had him pick a wife for me, and now I see real concern on his face like he's worried he picked wrong.

  I kinda wish the other guys would scram. We're past the usual bullshit around the break room point and I'd rather keep the serious shit between me and Rogue. Too late for that though, so no point in stalling.

  "Yeah man, of course I'm interested," I admit quietly, "I mean, when you guys first walked in with her, I was kinda shocked, you know?"

  Luke laughs, "Yeah, she's gotta be what? 4 foot 10?"

  We all chuckle.

  "Yeah and I'm damn near 6 and half feet, I mean," I shrug, "You know?"

  Rogue smiles, "Yeah, but buddy, you know how it works out."

  "No no no, man, I know," I mumble too fast, "I'm just saying it was a shock is all. I'm not worried about...that stuff."

  Damn, this is not a conversation I want to have with the whole crew listening in.

  "So what's the hold up?" Rogue asks again.

  "Yeah man, you tellin' us you haven't even tried to get a piece of that yet?" Lucas adds.

  "Ah man, you guys know how I am with women," I try to smile, "I don't even know if she wants me to kiss her. She hasn't said anything, or made any moves like she's looking to get out of my guest room. How am I supposed to know if she's even planning on going through with this marriage?"

  Joe reaches back to the plate of cinnamon rolls sitting on the plate in the middle of the table. Pulling one off the ring he makes a big deal about "mmm-ing" and "ooh-ing" over it as he takes a bite and chews slowly with his eyes closed.

  Rogue watches the older man and starts laughing. Before I know it, my boss is doing about the same thing, grabbing one of the remaining rolls and making a big fuss about it.

  I don't know what these too are getting at but it's piss
ing me the fuck off and I'm about to let them know.

  "Mmm," Joe says, smacking his lips and licking the cream cheese frosting off his fingers, "These are some good cinnamon rolls, ain't they, Rogue?"

  Rogue nods, still grinnin' while he finishes his.

  "You know, my wife used to bake stuff like this," Joe says, "way back in the day. Before we were even dating really, she'd show up down at the shop I was wrenching in at the time with a big old pile of brownies for me and the guys, or sometimes cookies. Nowadays I'm lucky if she buys me a coffee cake from the grocery store when she goes to town."

  "Mel bakes," Rogue adds in, "but not like she did that first year we were married." He shakes his head, momentarily lost in a memory, "Damn, she used to bake a lot."

  "Yup," Joe goes on, "Seems like the ladies love to show off their talents early in the game-- it's almost like doing little things like that for a man is their way of--"

  "Begging for cock," Rogue elbows Joe in the upper arm and the 2 of them fall apart laughing.

  I might be thick but I ain't that thick. I might be catching on to what they're gettin' at.

  "You saying you think Dorthy's working so hard around my place while I'm down here shootin' the shit with you losers because she's trying to get my attention?"

  Lucas snorts, "Dude, even I picked up on that," he laughs.

  "Bear," Rogue pulls himself together and looks back at me, "I know you've never been comfortable making the first move, but that little gal is working hard to get in your pants." He holds up the last bit of his most recent cinnamon roll, "If you don't wise up soon, she just might get the idea that you're not interested."

  "You teach her to shoot yet?" Luke throws out.

  "Yeah," Joe brightens up, "Isn't she from California or some place? Shit, do they even have guns down there?"

  "It's something she should get comfortable with if she's planning on making a life here," Lucas points out, "That's something you could show her, right?"

  Rogue's nodding, "Yeah, my old Ruger went a long way in getting me into Mel's pants."

  Joe and I both laugh our asses off, "It took you all summer to get in Mel's pants," I remind him.