Christmas Bride Read online

  christmas bride

  Convenient Marriages, Book Five

  NOELLE ADAMS

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Christmas Bride (Convenient Marriages, #5)

  About Christmas Bride

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Epilogue

  Excerpt from Purchased Husband

  About Noelle Adams

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Noelle Adams. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

  ______________________________________

  All I Want For Christmas Is You

  Words and Music by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff

  Copyright (c) 1994 UNIVERSAL TUNES, BEYONDIDOLIZATION, SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, TAMAL VISTA MUSIC and KOBALT MUSIC COPYRIGHTS SARL

  All Rights for BEYONDIDOLIZATION Administered by UNIVERSAL TUNES

  All Rights for SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC and TAMAL VISTA MUSIC Administered by SONY/ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, 424 Church Street, Suite 1200, Nashville, TN 37219

  All Rights for KOBALT MUSIC COPYRIGHTS SARL Administered Worldwide by KOBALT SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING

  All Rights Reserved Used by Permission

  Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard LLC

  About Christmas Bride

  WHEN RUTH GETS SET up on a blind date with Carter Wilson, she agrees to go out with him as a favor to a friend. But she's not interested in Carter. He might be the most attractive man she's ever known, but he's too rich. Too indulged. Too nice all the time. Right now, her career comes first in her life, and even if it didn't, she's looking for a man with rougher edges.

  Plus, she suspects he might still have a thing for a woman he can never have.

  Carter wants to get his friends and family to stop trying to fix him up, so he suggests a scheme that might help them both. They can pretend they fell in love and fake an engagement until Christmas. His friends will back off, and she can use the social events in the very wealthy town of Green Valley to line up a lot of new contacts for her interior design business.

  All she has to do is pretend she's going to marry Carter. It should be easy. It's not like she'll ever be his bride for real.

  One

  RUTH GARRISON WALKED into her favorite bar in Green Valley while forcing a smile on her face. She hated blind dates and had no idea why she’d let her friend Savannah talk her into this one.

  Not that the date was truly blind. She’d known who Carter Wilson was since she was sixteen years old.

  In her junior year of high school, Ruth’s mother had remarried, so the two of them had moved to Green Valley, North Carolina—a small town on the outskirts of Charlotte that had been built up around two ultrarich gated communities and so boasted an inordinately wealthy population. Ruth’s new stepfather, with four children of his own, was a security guard at the country club, so at sixteen Ruth had been thrown into a new town, new school, new family. That was when she’d first seen Carter. Six years older than her, he’d recently graduated college and moved back to Green Valley to work with his father in the family hotel business. He’d had no idea who she was, of course. Just a regular teenage girl who’d never been popular in a town where she was clearly an outsider.

  Carter had been a god king to Green Valley girls. Rich. Handsome. Smart. Thoughtful and polite. Loved by everyone. Ruth had been clever and more cynical than she should have been at that age, but she’d also been incredibly lonely. She’d had her share of teenage daydreams about Carter, usually involving him rescuing her from a life she didn’t particularly want.

  So he wasn’t a stranger to her on that Saturday night in October, although they’d never actually said a word to each other in the ten years since Ruth had learned his name.

  Milhouse Bar was one of the two trendiest places in town, and it was always packed on the weekends. Ruth peered around, searching for Carter’s brown hair, broad shoulders, and strong, chiseled features amid the sea of faces.

  He wasn’t there yet, despite the fact that Ruth was exactly on time.

  Just great.

  It was entirely possible she was about to get stood up by Carter Wilson.

  Ruth wasn’t an optimistic person, but she mentally acknowledged to herself that he was probably running late. She stood awkwardly near the entrance until she saw a couple getting ready to leave a small table in the corner. Her mission immediately clear, she slid around a large group of college students and came at her target from the opposite side, beating out a middle-aged couple and a former high school quarterback who were also trying to snag the table.

  She sat down, pleased at her victory and even more so when the quarterback (who’d gone to school with her for two years but obviously didn’t recognize her) gave her an outraged scowl. Searching for someone she knew with whom she might celebrate her table-claiming success, her eyes landed on the bartender across the room.

  Lincoln Wilson. Carter’s rebellious older brother who’d left the Wilson fold a long time ago and only recently reconnected with his family. They weren’t friends, but she came in there often enough that he recognized her. He was the only person who’d observed her victory just now. He gave her an ironically dorky thumbs-up that made her giggle.

  She entertained a fleeting thought that it was too bad Lincoln was happily married and obviously in love with his wife. The man was every bit as handsome as his brother but also had a slightly dangerous air that appealed to Ruth more than the solid, nice-guy vibes Carter always projected. But Lincoln was married. Not surprising. Ruth’s dating life had been sporadic and disappointing, and she had no real expectations of that changing.

  Her blind date with Carter was her first date in six months, and she was very possibly getting stood up.

  A depressing thought. But not a surprising one.

  She checked her phone to verify there were no messages from Carter (there were none) and then distracted herself by browsing through Twitter and Instagram.

  Ruth should have said no to Savannah’s suggestion that she and Carter might hit it off. Yes, he was by all evidence a genuinely good guy—a rare occurrence among the wealthy and notoriously entitled Green Valley-ites—but the Prince Charming types were never interested in Ruth. And she was always vaguely suspicious of what sins men like that were hiding beneath their projected decency. She’d known this setup wouldn’t work. She should have refused Savannah and saved herself the embarrassment.

  When her phone vibrated with a text, she assumed it was Carter canceling.

  Jerk.

  He could have let her know he was bailing before she’d gone through the trouble of dressing cute and driving downtown. Naturally he wasn’t as nice as he seemed.

  Because she was so sure of the content of the text that had just come in, she stared down at the screen for several seconds before the words registered.

  It wasn’t Carter. It was Kayla, the youngest of Ruth’s four stepsiblings.

  You coming by tonight?

  Ruth felt a heavy weight in her stomach that sank lower as she processed the question. Kayla was sixteen. She was sweet and shy and smart and sensitive. Delicate. Since Ruth’s mother had died last year, Kayla had been living with her father and three older brothers—who probably loved Kayla after their fashion but were also clueless and selfish and thoughtless and messy.

/>   Really messy.

  Ruth connected a call with Kayla and waited until the girl picked up.

  “Hey!” Kayla said, sounding breathless and relieved. “I thought you might be busy.”

  “I’ve got this stupid date.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. I’m sorry to interrupt. You didn’t have to call me.”

  “I know. I don’t mind. Is everything all right?”

  “Y-yeah. Yeah, it’s fine. I don’t want to mess up your date.” The hopeful hesitance in Kayla’s tone went right to Ruth’s heart.

  When Ruth had moved into that house ten years ago, at least she’d had her mother. Kayla didn’t have anyone now but Ruth. “It’s fine, Kayla. He hasn’t even shown up yet. I’m assuming he’s going to stand me up.”

  “Oh no. I’m sorry. He’s so cute.”

  “Yeah. He’s cute. But the cute ones usually know it and don’t have to try very hard. They always take the easy road. Is everything all right there?”

  “Yeah. It’s fine. But we’re out of groceries, and Dad and the boys got pizza.” Kayla didn’t like pizza. Perhaps because her father had tried to feed it to her at least three times a week since Ruth’s mom had died. Beer and pizza. That house was steeped in those smells. Even Ruth, who lived on her own and only occasionally visited, felt kind of sick whenever she smelled that combination.

  “I’ll pick up a few things from the store for you when I’m done here and bring them over.”

  “You don’t have to do—”

  “Kayla, come on. You know I want to. You shouldn’t be trapped in your room without anything for dinner.” Although her stepsister hadn’t said so, Ruth knew Kayla was stuck in her room because her father and “the boys”—who were definitely not boys since the youngest of them was now nineteen—were set up in the living room, watching a sports network, drinking beer and swearing loudly at whoever happened to be on television.

  If Ruth were there, she’d be hiding in her bedroom too.

  “Okay. Thanks. But I don’t want you to miss your date. You hardly go out with anyone.”

  Ruth chuckled wryly. That was definitely true. “Yeah, but like I said, I don’t think he’s going to even show up. If he does, I’ll just stay for an hour or so, so I can still get over there with something for you to eat.”

  “If you’re sure,” Kayla murmured wistfully.

  “I’m sure. I’ll let you know. Love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  Ruth was smiling as she hung up. She still missed her mother like crazy, and she didn’t have any other real family. Kayla and the guys were all she had. Ruth had never bonded with the males in her stepfamily. They’d never hurt her in any way. Mostly just ignored her existence except when she cleaned up after them and brought them stuff from the kitchen so they didn’t have to get up. But she loved Kayla. The girl was all she had left.

  “Ruth?”

  She’d been focused on the call, so the voice startled her so much she jerked dramatically. Her phone slipped from her hands and landed with a thud on the hardwood floor.

  Carter Wilson leaned over to retrieve it, offering it back to her with a rueful smile that momentarily took her breath away.

  “Shit,” she breathed, staring up at him. The man might not be her type, but he was quite unjustly handsome. She’d always known that fact, but it hit her a lot harder as he stood less than a foot away. Warm brown eyes. High cheekbones. Classically cut nose and jaw. A sexy, intelligent mouth.

  “Sorry,” he said, evidently misinterpreting her one-word response. “I’m late. I know. And then I snuck up on you and made you drop your phone. It’s not cracked, is it?”

  She examined her phone, pleased for the moment to recover. Her whole body was buzzing with attraction. Excitement. She hadn’t experienced those particular feelings in a really long time. How was she even on a date with this man? “No. It’s fine. And it’s not your fault. I just wasn’t paying attention.”

  “Well, that’s my fault too. You were probably about to give up on me.” He took the second chair at her table. “I was coming back from Charlotte, and there was a lot of traffic. I would have called, but by the time I realized I was running late, I was almost here.”

  “It’s fine,” she said with a smile, still slightly overwhelmed by his physical perfection but starting to recover herself. “You were like four minutes late. No big deal at all.”

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Sure. I like wine better than mixed drinks. Something red. Maybe a glass of cab or something. Whatever Lincoln has back there that’s good.” When she finished talking, she wondered if she already sounded too high-maintenance. She’d definitely been called that by guys before.

  Carter headed to the bar, chatted for a minute with his brother, and returned with a beer and a glass of wine. After he sat down and they’d both taken sips of their drinks, he asked with a wry twitch of his eyebrows, “Shall we get the regular blind date preliminaries out of the way?”

  He was smart. And had a dry sense of humor. He might be a nice guy, but he definitely wasn’t a pushover. “Why not?”

  “Savannah said she really liked you. How long have you known her?”

  “Just a year or two. We did a fitness class together last year. I guess you’ve known her for a long time since you both grew up in Green Valley.”

  “Yeah. We were in school together as kids. She’s a couple of years below me, but I’ve always been good friends with Lance. Her husband.” His brows drew together as he scanned her face, clearly trying to connect her to his memories. “So how long have you been living in Green Valley? I’m surprised we’ve never met before.”

  “My family moved here in high school, but you were already grown up by then.”

  “Oh. I see.” He made a face. “Not to be rude, but do you mind if I ask how old you are?”

  Ruth laughed softly. “I’m twenty-six. I think we’re okay, age-wise.”

  “Okay. Good. Thank God. I was suddenly afraid you were just out of college, and I was going to have to have words with Savannah about appropriate age gaps.”

  The laughter that rippled out of Ruth at that wry comment was genuine and completely surprising.

  Carter’s expression softened slightly as he watched her laugh. “I’m thirty-two.”

  “I know.”

  “How do you know?”

  Ruth gave him a skeptical look. “Seriously? You do know that you’re you, right? In Green Valley. Everyone knows who you are. Carter Wilson. You might as well be royalty here. All the guys want to be your friend, and all the girls swoon over you.”

  Carter curled up one side of his lips. “No need to exaggerate.”

  “It’s not an exaggeration. In high school, we’d keep a log of Carter Wilson sightings.”

  “What?” He looked absolutely horrified.

  She giggled. “Sorry to break it to you, but it’s true. It’s the price you pay for being rich, good-looking, and nice in a town like Green Valley.”

  “I was happier before I knew that.”

  “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much, but it had definitely been before her mother died. The wine was excellent. She’d grabbed one of the best tables in the bar. People were looking over at her with envy (because of her companion, of course). And Carter appeared to be completely focused on her.

  Ruth figured she was pretty enough. She had long auburn hair, hazel eyes, a small, curvy figure, and a wide smile with really good teeth. (Lamentably, she’d gotten more compliments on her teeth than on any other part of her body.) But overall she considered herself attractive. Plenty of guys had appreciated how she looked. Her problems with relationships were because she wasn’t good with men—not because she was unattractive. She was always too honest. Too direct. She had no patience for preserving male egos, and her edges were sharp rather than soft. So she wasn’t used to holding the attention of a man like Carter.

  She wasn’t a fluttery pers
on. At all. But it was hard not to feel a few little flutters at the moment.

  He adjusted in the small chair, propping his head on one hand as he leaned against the table. His dark eyes narrowed indignantly. “You’re laughing at me now?”

  “I’m just having a hard time understanding how you didn’t know you were the romantic hero to most Green Valley girls.”

  “Including you?” He arched his eyebrows in what was almost a challenge.

  “Well, only in the most routine of ways. I never liked to go along with the crowd. And to tell you the truth, I had more of a crush on your brother.”

  She had no idea why she’d said that. It was the truth, but it wasn’t the kind of thing a woman should say to a man on a date. That was always Ruth’s problem. She had no good instincts on flirting or seduction or attraction. She always just said whatever came to mind.

  To her relief, Carter didn’t look offended. He glanced over his shoulder toward Lincoln behind the bar. “Of course you did.”

  “What does that mean?” Ruth asked, genuinely curious.

  He gave a brief shrug and didn’t answer. Instead, he said in a different tone, “So we were going through the date preliminaries before we got distracted. Savannah said you’re an interior decorator?”

  “Yes. I worked for Frye and Handel in Charlotte for several years, but when my mom got sick last year, I wanted to get closer to Green Valley.”

  “Savannah mentioned that. She died?” His voice was gentle, but she liked the matter-of-factness of the question. He wasn’t trying to sugarcoat what simply couldn’t be made pretty.

  Ruth nodded. She wasn’t by nature a big crier, but it was still too close to her mother’s death. She’d start tearing up if she let herself think about it too deeply. So she pushed through with the conversation. “I tried to get one of the local designers to take me on, but no one wanted me. So I decided to set up a business on my own here in Green Valley.”

  “That’s got to be pretty tough.”

  “It is. I had a couple of big jobs to begin with, thanks to my old boss, so I had a good start, but I’ve got to round up some more clients soon or I’ll have to rethink things. That’s actually why I reached out to Savannah last week. I was hoping she could recommend me to some Green Valley folks for jobs. All my contacts are in Charlotte since that’s where I was working, but Green Valley is full of people who have plenty of extra money to spend on interior design. I’d like to get more connected. So I asked Savannah for some business, and instead she gets me a blind date with you.” Ruth assumed it was clear from her tone that she was teasing and not resentful. She wasn’t superclose to Savannah, but she appreciated the other woman and liked having her as a friend.