Free Confessions of a Mail Order Bride - Complete by Kate Kent

didn’t really bother me. It would be good to be around some men for a change. During the workweek I was surrounded by my co-workers and almost all of them were female. I usually worked so many hours I had very little time to socialize and meet men. I didn’t tell Jill I was interested in the men the town had to offer. She was my employee, and I had to stay professional.
    “The Big Bull Inn looks like a really nice place to stay,” Jill said.
    “Yep, and that’s a good thing. Sherry said it was the only hotel in town. I’m glad we were able to get reservations.”
    “Sherry told me that the guy that owns the hotel, Vic, I think his name is, started the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site—the website she met Adrian on.”
    “Oh, interesting,” I replied smoothly. I was not about to tell Jill I’d been drooling over the men on the site, one in particular, for the past hour or so.
    “Anyway, I’d better get back to work,” Jill said. “I’m glad I finished those reports, but I still have some work to do on the Beall account.”
    “Ok, well, thanks for getting these to me,” I motioned towards the paperwork she’d just handed to me.
    Jill waved her hand. “Of course, and hey, do you want to ride together to Shifter Villages this weekend?”
    “Sounds good, I’ll drive.”
    Jill smiled. “I knew you’d want to drive, but I’ll pitch in for gas.”
    Jill knew me well. I didn’t like to give up control, even when it came to driving. “I’ll touch base with you to arrange a time later.” As Jill left, I heard the sound of several incoming emails and flipped the lid back open on my computer. I knew it was highly unlikely as it had already been several days, but maybe just maybe, it was a response from Brad.
    My eyes lit up when I tapped the screen. There were several pieces of incoming mail from ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’. I clicked on the first one and quickly scanned the letter.
    “Dear Judith, We apologize, but due to technical difficulties our site has not been matching up potential mates as it should have been. The emails mates sent out to one another were not delivered. We have corrected this glitch and our service is back to normal. In order to save time, we are sending you the profile of the match we feel is the best fit for you. Please see the attachment for your best fit. In addition, you may feel free to contact the potential mates of your choice.”
    Ahh… a sigh of relief washed over me. So that was it. Brad had never gotten my emails. I scanned my inbox…and then I saw it. An email from Brad Stanford, sent through the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site! I knew it! With trembling fingers, I clicked to open the email.
    “ Dear Judith, I’ve been emailing you through the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site for several days now and was disappointed to not get a response. I just found out the site had a glitch and my mail was not getting through to you. I read your profile and I think we would be a great match. Would you be interested in getting to know one another more? If so, please email me privately at the email address below instead of through the site. I don’t want to miss any of your messages. I look forward to hearing from you.”
    Yes, oh yes! I couldn’t wait to write Brad and let him know I’d been emailing him too. A wave of excitement rushed over me as I scrolled to the bottom to get Brad’s email address. But as I moved my cursor to the bottom of my screen, I was stunned to see the hearts that rimmed the base of the page.
    The ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ website was set up so that when you clicked on a profile or emailed someone through the site, empty hearts would fill up with red. The number of filled hearts indicated how good of a match you would make with that partner. This was determined by several factors, including personality tests that you took when you set up your profile. The ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies’ site recommended