Lucky Lion (Shifter Mail Order Bride Holiday Romance) (Holiday Mail Order Mates Book 2) Read Free Page A

him, he’s yours forever. He isn’t going to cheat or leave you for a younger model in a few years.”
    Cindy nodded. “It’s so romantic. I’ve dated a few shifters and they were all great guys. Very family-oriented, too.”
    “So, what was the holdup?” Patty asked again.
    “I don’t know.” Emma shifted in her seat. “What if we meet and he likes me, but I don’t like him? Or what if he wants to get married on the first date and I’m not ready for that yet?”
    Danielle laughed. “You signed up to be a mail-order bride. I think marriage is a big part of it.”
    “Don’t you want to get married?” Cindy asked.
    “I do,” Emma said. “I’m not really sure why I’ve waited so long. I guess I was scared of the seriousness of the situation.”
    Patty nodded. “I understand. If you’re this guy’s mate, you could be married as soon as this summer. I hear that most couples who meet on the site marry pretty quickly.”
    “You could have the wedding at the Center,” Cindy said excitedly. “Well, if it gets fixed in time.”
    “The Center would be delighted to host your wedding,” Danielle said. “So, tell us about the guy, already.”
    “He’s a lion shifter,” Emma said, thinking back to his profile. “He lives one state over and he works at a furniture store. He’s almost thirty. He’s tall and has shaggy brown hair.”
    “What about his body?” Cindy asked, leaning forward.
    Emma laughed. “He didn’t provide any pictures with his shirt off.”
    “What do you think his body looks like, then?” Cindy asked.
    “This is a work lunch, ladies,” Danielle joked. “I don’t think we need to make her guess about his body. He sounds nice.”
    “He looks nice. LK has a good reputation for picking stellar men,” Emma said.
    “If this guy turns out to be your soulmate, we’re all signing up for this thing,” Patty said.
    Cindy nodded. “Yup. I’m going to look at the website as soon as I get home.”
    “How far away is he, again?” Danielle asked.
    “I think it’s two hours,” Emma said.
    Danielle frowned. “That’s a very long commute.”
    Emma didn’t say anything. She had thought about the long commute. Aaron the lion lived in Indiana, which wasn’t close to the Irish Center. She loved her job, but she wasn’t attached to the city. Aaron worked at a furniture store. She wondered how attached to his job he was. It didn’t sound like anything he couldn’t find in Burton.
    “We’ll cross that bridge if we have to,” Emma said.
    Cindy and Patty exchanged glances, but said nothing. Emma didn’t want to let it spoil her excitement about emailing and possibly meeting Aaron, but it was hard to put out of her head. Would she find love only to lose a job she loved so much?

Three
    Aaron was wearing his nicest jeans and t-shirt. He was meeting his match from LK Brides at a coffee shop in town. It had only been a week since he’d signed up with the service and he was already going on a date. The time had gone by so fast, his head was still spinning.
    He’d been matched almost immediately after he’d signed up, but the woman had taken five days to get back to him. Things had gone pretty fast after that. Once they’d agreed to meet in person, she had said she wanted to see his town. Aaron had been reluctant to agree, but Emma was persistent. He didn’t want to make her angry before they’d even met. He agreed to meet her at a coffee shop. It was the perfect place for a daytime date.
    The shop was small and cozy and had the best pastries in town. Whenever he had the chance, Aaron loved stopping by for a bite. It also had a great clientele. He was sure he wouldn’t run into any nosy busybodies. He still hadn’t told his friends about his match. They didn’t even know he’d signed up with LK Brides. Even though his friend Cade had found his mate, Aaron was still unsure. He knew that Cade had had a match go wrong before meeting his fiancée.
    He’d arrived for the date twenty