Bear Seeking Bride: Thorn (Bear Canyon Brides Book 6) (BBW Paranormal Bear-Shifter Menage Romance) Read Free

newspaper didn’t disappear while her back was turned.
    The words had touched her in a way none of the other ads had, and she desperately wanted to meet the man who had penned the short note. What did he look like? Why did he place the ad? Was he a creepy psycho?
    A million questions filled her mind, but the last one lingered. She couldn’t meet a stranger in Bear Canyon or anywhere else. If she came up missing, no one would know, or even care, to look for her. The last thought jolted her back to reality and she folded up the newspaper and shoved it into her bag. As much as the letter writer sounded like her perfect match, she couldn’t reach out to him.
    She forced him out of her mind, finished her coffee and drove home. She’d taken the long way to another coffee shop several miles from the central hub of the city, and as she drove back home, she realized she was sick of playing it safe.
    In the past six months, the ad had been the only thing to make her feel alive. Yes, it was risky to answer an ad and meet with a stranger, but it was also risky to cross the street, drive a car, or go ice-fishing. She was tired of living a half-life. She gunned the engine, sped home and opened her laptop.
    After taking nearly an hour to compose a simple four sentence response, she hit send and waited for his reply. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long. He replied back within thirty minutes, and they exchanged a few simple emails that included their first names and a brief description of what they each should look for.
    His name was Thorn, and he was tall with broad shoulders, black hair and green eyes.
    His description sounded too good to be true, and combined with the words in his ad, she wondered how the seemingly perfect, eligible man was still single. Her worries tried to resurface, but she tapped them down.
    She would find out the truth tomorrow at their lunch date in Bear Canyon.
    He’d offered to meet in the city, but if she were going to honestly consider moving to Bear Canyon, she might as well see the town. He didn’t seem to mind her change of plans, and they were now meeting at an Italian restaurant on the main strip.
    Ava looked in the mirror and her hands started shaking.
    What the hell did I just do?
    The reality of the huge step she’d just taken started to sink in, and she forced herself to breathe in and out.
    If he’s wrong, I leave. If he’s right, I stay.
    She repeated the words over and over until the mantra marched through her head effortlessly. The steady reminder made it easier to calm her fears. If he didn’t see past her fat, freckles and wild hair, then he wasn’t the man for her.
    It was that simple.
     
    ***
     
    Hawk Thorn sat in front of his laptop and reread the typed words on the screen. Ava, the woman they’d agreed to meet today, hadn’t been their only response, but she’d been the only one he and Gavin had both agreed on.
    Her simple words touched him in a way he hadn’t expected, and he wondered if they were putting too much stock into a simple note. Could Ava really be the woman they needed? Would she accept both of them, or run screaming as Gavin had suggested earlier?
    He shuddered and logged off.
    The odds of meeting their mate on the first try were pretty slim, but he wanted her to be the one. Like his brother, he was tired of searching and ready to settle down and start a family. They both had spent most of their lives studying, training and planning for the future, and now they had a large home and a thriving practice. They’d built a strong reputation in both their residential and professional communities and they were ready for the next step.
    They needed a mate.
    Cubs would come if they were meant to be, but a mate would complete them in ways that couldn’t be explained with words.
    He hoped Ava was the one.
    “You were reading her reply again, weren’t you?” Gavin asked.
    He looked up to see his brother standing in his doorway with a towel wrapped around his waist.