Free The Bear's Bride (Mail-Order Mates #3) by Lola Kidd

One
    “These are so good!” Janice Numm said. “Do you ship orders?”
    “I’m sorry. My treats don’t have preservatives,” Frank Franklin explained. “They wouldn’t last the trip to New Jersey.”
    Janice snapped her fingers. “Damn. I’m going to have to bring my girlfriends here, then.”
    “I told you he made the best brownies ever.” Molly Lunar took their boxes and paid Frank. “Thanks again.”
    “No problem.” Frank put on a new pot of coffee and then took the next customer in line. He wished he had time to stop and talk with Molly and her mom. The young girl was quickly becoming one of his favorite customers. She stopped by every morning on her way to work. It was nice having someone to talk to when he first opened. Her mom was visiting from out of town and Frank hadn’t had a chance to talk with her yet. He hoped they would stop in when he was a little less busy.
    After taking three orders, he stopped to take a break and have a bite to eat. No sooner had he made himself a sandwich than the phone rang. He looked at the roast beef longingly before picking up his cell. “Hello, Frank’s Treats.”
    “May I speak with Frank Franklin, please?”
    “This is Frank.”
    “Mr. Franklin, wonderful to talk with you. I’m Allison with the TV network Cuisine. I’m shooting a special about desserts for the holiday season and I was wondering if you’d like to be a part of it.”
    Frank almost dropped the phone. “Of course I would! I’ve watched Cuisine since the beginning and I’ve seen all your specials, Ms. Jensen.”
    “Please call me Allison. Thank you for agreeing to take part. I’ll email you all the details.”
    The pair exchanged emails and talked a little more about the special before hanging up. Frank pumped his fist in the air once he’d closed his phone. A Cuisine special. This was going to get great publicity for him and the town. He had contacted the network after he saw the first special seven years ago. He knew his shop was a perfect fit for the shows. He’d never heard anything back, but he thought about it every holiday.
    He started a quick list of things he could make for the show. He had to showcase some of his customer favorites but he also wanted to try something new.
    The phone rang again while he was taking his next customer. He put the person on hold while he counted change.
    “Frank’s Treats.”
    “Frank? This is Olivia Grey.”
    Frank stepped to the back of the shop. “Hi, what’s up?”
    “I’m very happy to say that we’ve found a match for you!”
    Frank leaned against the wall for support. “You’re kidding!”
    “I am not kidding in the slightest.” Olivia laughed, delighted. “This is a good one, too, ninety-nine point five percent.”
    “Holy cow. That’s huge.”
    “It is. I’m going to speak to the woman in a moment but I had to call and tell you first.”
    “Thank you, Liv. This means a lot to me.”
    “Happy to help. If all goes well with the lady in question, I’ll send you her information tonight.”
    “Perfect.”
    “Talk to you soon.”
    Frank heard the bell for service ring at the front of the shop, but he couldn’t move. His mate. She had found his mate. Of course he couldn’t be sure yet, but there was a very good chance that it was true. He’d been with the agency for less than a week. They had told him that it could take months for his match to turn up. He’d prepared himself to wait until at least the New Year to find anyone. It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet and Olivia had already found someone. The woman was amazing. She was clearly good luck for the bachelors of Sunset Falls.
    He was so happy he could barely move. A TV special and a mate on the same day? He must have done something right because this was too much. Things were looking up for Frank Franklin.
    ***
    Amy Alma put down the sleeping toddler and crept out of the room. She joined her sister in the kitchen. “He’s so heavy now.”
    “I know,” Karen said.