MARRIAGE-BARGAIN

She needed a man.
Preferably one with $150,000 to spare.
Alexandria Maria McKenzie stared into the small homemade campfire in the middle of her living room floor and wondered if she had
officially lost her mind. The piece of paper in her handheld all the qualities she dreamed her soul mate would possess. Loyalty. Intelligence.
Humour. A strong sense of family and a love for animals. A healthy income.
Most of her ingredients were already cooking. One hair from a male family member-her brother was still pissed. A mix of scented herbs-
probably to give him a tender side. And the small stick for...well, she hoped that didn't mean what she feared.
With a deep breath, she threw the list into the silver bucket and watched it burn. She felt like an idiot for creating a love spell, but she had
no options left and little to lose. As the owner of an eclectic bookstore in a trendy upstate New York college town, she figured she was
allowed some quirks. Like sending up a prayer to Earth Mother for the perfect man.

Nicholas Ryan had a fortune at his fingertips.
But to get the one thing he wanted, he needed a wife.
Nick believed in many things. Working hard to accomplish a goal. Controlling anger and resorting to reason when a moment became
confrontational. And creating buildings. Buildings that were solid, yet aesthetically beautiful. Smooth angles and sharp lines blending mutually.
Bricks and concrete and glass attesting to the solidity that people craved in ordinary life. The short moment of wonder when a person looks
upon the final creation for the first time. All of these things made sense to him.
Nick did not believe in love everlasting, marriage, and family. These things made no sense, and he had decided not to incorporate such
societal themes into his life.