It Started with a Bang by Piper James

Chapter Six

Ryder

“Would you really marry her? And take her money?” Ethan asked after I finished explaining everything to him, Noah, and Chase.

We were in my motel room with Daniel safely tucked away next door in the room he shared with Chase. Ethan and I sat side-by-side on the end of the bed while Chase and Noah sat in the two chairs flanking a small square table.

We’d shut down our work soon after Annabelle had left. My brothers wanted an explanation, and I insisted we come back here to talk about it in my cool, air-conditioned room and out of earshot of Daniel.

“I don’t know,” I said in answer to Ethan’s questions. “She acted like offering me a million bucks was the same as offering me a hundred, so the money isn’t the issue.”

“But you don’t need the money,” Ethan said.

“It’s a million dollars, Ethan,” Noah said. “Hell, if you say no, maybe I’ll offer my services.” I narrowed my eyes at him, but he just laughed. “What?”

“You are not offering her any services,” I growled.

His dark eyes lit up with excitement, and I groaned. Shit.

“Feeling a little territorial, are we?” he goaded.

“No,” I argued. “I just don’t want you taking advantage of her, that’s all.”

“I’d make sure she got her money’s worth,” he said, his voice practically purring.

“Stop being an ass,” Chase said, reaching out and punching Noah on the arm.

At thirty-three, Chase was the oldest of us. He always took it upon himself to try to keep Noah, who was only a year younger than him, in line. Try being the operative word.

“God, lighten up. I was just joking,” Noah said, his chocolate eyes sparkling as he looked back at me. “Ryder knows I was kidding. Right, brother?”

“Fuck you,” I said.

I knew exactly what he was doing. He thought he sensed something…possessive in me where Anabelle Parker was concerned, and he was trying to get under my skin. Well, it wasn’t working. Just because I didn’t want him taking advantage of her situation didn’t mean I felt anything for her…except for maybe sympathy.

Her dad really was a douchebag.

He was trying to demean and control her, yet she’d found a way to get around his threats and get what she wanted. It was actually quite brilliant. I just didn’t know if I wanted to be the one to help her.

“I’d probably do it,” Chase said softly, and my gaze shot up to meet his. “I mean, if I didn’t have Daniel to think about.”

My head swung around, my eyes wide as I took in Chase’s soft smile. “You would?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Annabelle seems like a good person stuck in a bad situation. I like her. She’s got a lot of balls, asking a total stranger to marry her, and I think it could be fun. But it would be confusing for Daniel, and I couldn’t do that to him. You, on the other hand, have absolutely nothing to lose.”

“How about my freedom?” I shot back.

“Like you’re doing so much with that freedom,” Noah cut in. “You live like a monk, so what’s the difference?"

“Just because I’m more selective and discreet than you doesn’t make me a monk,” I said defensively.

“Whatever,” Noah sighed. “I think you should go for it. She’s hot, and she’s going to pay you a million bucks.”

“The whole thing seems kind of sleazy,” Ethan said.

“Not if they’re both going into it with eyes wide open,” Chase argued. “Neither of them expects anything more than what the contract lays out. It’s a business arrangement, and no one is getting hurt. We’re going to be here for at least eight months working on the ranch, so what’s four more?”

“It just feels wrong to me,” Ethan said. “Marriage is supposed to be…I don’t know. Sacred.”

I knew Ethan was thinking of our parents. They’d been married for thirty years before the heart attack that took Dad from us, and they had loved each other fiercely. Mom cherished the memories until she passed away two years later. The example they set taught us that marriage was sacred, and agreeing to go into it for any reason other than true love would’ve broken Mom’s heart. And made Dad beat my ass.

“It wouldn’t be a real marriage,” Chase said quietly. It was obvious he was thinking of our parents, too, when he added, “Not like Mom and Dad’s.”

“And you’d be going into it under false pretenses,” Ethan added, ignoring Chase’s reasoning.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s pretty obvious Annabelle thinks you’re middle class, at best. She thinks you need the money, and that you’d be willing to give her whatever she wants just to get the paycheck,” he explained.

“So?” Noah asked. “Ryder has scruples and wouldn’t leave her high and dry.” His gaze cut to me. “Would you, brother?”

“Of course, not,” I said. “If I were to agree to this insanity—and that’s a big if—I would hold up my end of the bargain.”

“But you’d be lying,” Ethan said.

“Again. Not a real marriage,” Chase sighed. “And we’ve kept our personal lives out of the public eye, for the most part. She never has to know we have money.”

“Are you kidding?” Ethan asked, raising his voice for the first time. “Her father is a multi-billionaire running a huge conglomerate. Of course, he’s going to hire a private investigator to find out everything he can about the man his daughter up and married out of the blue.”

“Let him,” Noah said. “Ryder never told her he needed the money. She offered. So, technically, he’s not lying.”

“Semantics,” Ethan muttered, shaking his head.

I held up my palms. “You guys are squabbling like a bunch of old ladies. I haven’t even agreed to it, and I don’t plan to. So the argument is moot.”

“It’s not moot if I tell her I’ll do it,” Noah said, a mischievous grin spreading his lips.

And he would, too. He was the hellraiser of the bunch, and had been known to do some outlandish things to relieve his boredom. He once drove to Mexico to streak down the beaches of Baja on a dare. Fool nearly got himself thrown in Mexican jail, but he still laughed every time he told the story.

“She didn’t ask you,” I grumbled, not liking the tightness forming in my chest at the thought of Noah marrying Annabelle.

“Just because she met you first doesn’t mean she wouldn’t prefer me,” he said, smirking.

I knew he was only trying to goad me into making a decision. The four of us might have very different personalities, but one thing always held true—we were extremely loyal to each other. He would never make a move on any woman he thought I had even the tiniest modicum of interest in.

“She asked me because there’s no attraction between us,” I said. “The lines would remain clear and solid.”

All three of them burst into laughter. I clenched my teeth, seething until the noise subsided.

“Are you done?” I gritted out.

“Sorry, man, but that was some funny shit,” Noah chuckled.

“Ryder, the chemistry was practically sparking between you,” Chase added, trying and failing to keep his expression serious.

I looked from him to Ethan, who shrugged. “He’s not wrong.”

“Yes, he is,” I argued. “That woman is infuriating. And prickly. And annoying as hell.”

“If you say so,” Noah said in a patronizing tone.

Before I could respond, my phone chimed with an incoming text. I pulled it from my pocket and swiped a finger across the screen to read the message.

Princess: I need an answer soon. If you’re going to say no, I need to find someone else.

I’d programmed Anabelle’s number in as “Princess” after her first text—the one I never responded to. I read the text three times, my body filling with tension. I tapped at the screen furiously, typing out a response.

Me: Are you seriously trying to rush me into marriage without giving me a minute to think about it?

Her response was almost immediate.

Princess: I’m running out of time, Ryder. I’m not trying to pressure you. I just need to know if I need to start looking for a replacement.

I started to tap out a response to that, but another message came through, stopping my fingers.

Princess: If you don’t think you can handle the pressure, I understand. Just be honest so I can move forward.

I frowned, my eyebrows drawing down low as I reread her words. She didn’t think I could handle the pressure? She didn’t think I could handle her? Oh, hell no. I’d show her just how much I could handle.

And then we’d see if she could handle me.

Me: I’m in.

I tapped send, and my body deflated. I looked up from the screen to see three sets of curious eyes on me. Dropping my phone to the bed between me and Ethan, I inhaled deeply before heaving out the breath.

“Congratulate me, boys. I’m getting married.”