The Bear's Bride (Mail-Order Mates #3)(4)

Ben nodded, getting into it. “You’re right. This is going to be huge for Sunset Falls.”

“Really, we need both,” Frank said, trying to tamp down his friends’ excitement. “It’s great we have successful business owners, but we need more family-friendly stuff.”

“I think we’re getting there. Your shop is as family friendly as they come.” Ben waved off the criticism easily. “This is a great start to our offensive. I think we could really have a shot at this thing in a year or two.”

“It only takes a few weddings to change our demographics,” Clint pointed out. “It’s not a big town. A handful of marriages will put us over fifty percent married couples. That’s all we need. A nice mix of marrieds and singles.”

Frank wanted to tell his friends about his potential match but he kept his mouth shut. He still hadn’t heard back from Olivia. It had been over twenty-four hours and Frank was getting worried. Maybe the woman had seen his picture and had turned him down. He knew he was a little past his prime but he still had a head full of golden-brown hair. He kept in good shape running around in the desert too. He might not be a spring chicken anymore but he still had a lot going for him.

He hoped he would hear back from Olivia soon. His heart couldn’t take the anticipation much longer. Either way, he wanted to know.

***

There was a knock at Amy’s door. She was tempted to ignore it but the visitor was persistent. She hoped it was her landlord coming to fix her oven. It had broken three days earlier and the man had said he was on the way to fix it. She couldn’t wait until she got the payment for her latest manuscript. She was going to find a better rental and forget all about the dump she was in. It would be a fresh start to move into a new place. She was counting down the days.

She peered through the peephole and rolled her green eyes. “Karen, go home. It’s late.”

“Open the door, Amy.” Karen tapped her foot on the other side. “I do have a key.”

Amy opened the door a crack. “What do you want?”

“I want to talk. That Lovely and Kind Brides agent called again.”

“Did you tell her you were a big liar and that I wasn’t going to meet this psychopath?”

“I did.”

Amy closed the door and slipped the chain off. “You did not.”

Karen nodded. “I had to. She was so keen on getting ‘me’ to talk with this guy. She sounded so happy that I felt awful deceiving her.”

“Serves you right.” Amy felt a teeny bit bad for her sister. She’d only been trying to help. She couldn’t let Karen see that or it would be an invitation for her to meddle again, and Amy didn’t need that.

“She was really nice about it, actually.” Karen waved a packet of paper. “I printed off all the stuff she emailed over. She says if you’re still interested, you can talk with her yourself.”

“Impossible.” Amy shook her head in disbelief. “You were impersonating me! They must be desperate for brides if they’re still going to take me.”

“They are not. I just filled out the paperwork. You took all the tests yourself. The answers were true. This guy is your match. I know you’re dying to look at this.”

“I am not.” She was. Oh, was she curious. Amy had thought about it all the night before. It was why she was still up writing. If she tried to sleep, she would think about this mysterious match again. What did the man look like? What kind of shifter was he? Where did he live? She could spend all day thinking up new questions.

Karen pulled a bakery box from her tote bag. “If you look at just the first page, I’ll let you have this brownie. I picked it up on the way home.”

Amy eyed the box hungrily. She’d been so busy typing she’d forgotten to have lunch. “Fine. Just one page.”

Karen handed Amy the box and came inside. “I can always count on your sweet tooth.”

They sat at Amy’s small kitchen table. Amy slowly bit into the brownie and savored the rich dark chocolate. Karen opened her manila folder. “Just the one sheet. If you don’t want to look at any more, that’s fine. I’ll respect your wishes and I’ll tell Olivia that you’re not interested.”

Karen passed the colorful print across the table. Amy slowed her chewing. There were no words on the sheet of paper. It was a printed picture of the man who was her supposed match. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Karen hadn’t been lying when she said the guy was handsome. He was so sexy Amy felt a jolt go straight between her legs. This man could be her husband. They could get married and have babies and a white picket fence. And he was hot. And a shifter. And he was supposed to be her match.

She took another small bite and chewed slowly. She couldn’t think straight looking at this guy. He was standing behind a counter in the picture and he towered over it. The guy had to be at least 6'3" if not taller, and he had deliciously wide shoulders. His hair was golden brown and his brown eyes crinkled at the sides when he smiled. He looked so kind. It was difficult to tell that from a picture but he did.

Karen reached to take the paper back and Amy slapped her hand. “I’m still looking.”

“Uh-uh.” Karen smiled knowingly. She opened the manila envelope again. “Want to know more?”

“Maybe.” Amy swallowed the brownie. “This is really good. Loraine really outdid herself this time. Is this new? I’m going to have to go in and order some for my writers’ meeting at the end of the month.”