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

women your age who are pregnant for the first time. It isn’t too late for you.”
    Leave it to Karen to remind her about her ticking biological clock. It was true that she wanted children of her own. Amy had resigned herself to a childless life when she got her second divorce. She’d been stupid enough to hope that she still had a chance when she got married a third time. Idiot. She was okay with it now, though. She had Max and was sure she’d have more nieces and nephews. She could come and play with them whenever she got lonely.
    “I’m just starting to see success in my career. I have social engagements regularly. I just started working out again. I mean, I’ve got a lot of things going on. I don’t need to have a baby right now.”
    Karen rolled her eyes. “When was the last time you got laid?”
    Amy pushed her older sister lightly. “I’m not telling you that. You’re my sister, for goodness’ sake.”
    Honestly, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been pleased by anyone other than her Mr. Rabbit. Not that any man was ever as good as Mr. Rabbit was at pleasing her. She would keep that one to herself, though. Amy might have been married a few times but that didn’t mean she’d ever had mind-blowing sex. Whatever that was. She didn’t even see what the big deal about sex was. Her theory was that since it was taboo, people liked talking about it. It was just a man jerking around on top of you for a few minutes and then you could get to sleep.
    “So, probably not since Brandon left.”
    “Since I kicked Brandon out on his sorry ass,” Amy corrected and then blushed. Now Karen knew that it had been three years since she’d been with a man.
    “You know what they say about shifters, don’t you?” Karen smirked. “I know you have to be a tiny bit curious to find out if the rumors are true.”
    “Not in the least.” Of course she was. In college, the shifters were the most popular guys on campus. Amy had been married at the time but that hadn’t stopped her classmates from telling her in detail why they were never going to sleep with human men again. She’d always wondered if what the girls had said was true. She was way too chicken to ever find out for herself. Shifter men were supposed to be the best lovers and the best husbands. They mated for life and were extremely loyal. Their divorce rate was less than 0.01 percent, a statistic that interested Amy greatly.
    “What if I told you this guy was smart, successful, incredibly handsome, wanted to start a family ASAP, and wanted to get married even sooner?”
    “I would ask you if he lives in his mom’s basement. Or how many kids he has. Or how many felonies he’s committed.”
    Karen snorted. “See. Bitter cat lady.”
    “I don’t have a cat,” Amy said.
    “Yet. You don’t have a cat yet. We can all see where this is going.”
    Amy held up her hand. “Enough. I get it. But I’m not doing this. I don’t need to talk to some crazy man on the Internet and get my hopes up again. I’ve tried my hand at love more times than I care to admit, and I’ve failed every time. And that’s okay. I guess white picket fences, two point four kids, and a sweet husband aren’t in my future. And that’s okay! I’m happy with my life just the way it is. Thanks for trying, but no thanks. I’m not doing this again.”

Two
    “Owen couldn’t make it tonight,” Clint Preacher said, starting the discussion. Frank was hanging out with his friends Clint and Ben at Ben’s ranch. They had put off discussing their annual camping trip for as long as they could.
    “Kellan is out,” Frank told the two men.
    Ben nodded. “We knew that was going to happen. He’s not going to leave his new little wifey at home for us.”
    “Have you seen his wife?” Clint asked.
    “Have I seen her?” Ben whistled. “That girl is smoking hot. Kellan is one lucky man.”
    “Owen too,” Frank added. “Those LK people don’t mess around when it comes to picking