Free Pursuing the Panther: BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Romance (Mail-Order Mates Book 7) by Lola Kidd

One
    “Benjamin? Are you listening to me?” Maude Shelby was scowling at her son across the dinner table. “I’m sorry I’m so boring to you.”
    “I’m not bored, Mom.” Ben had stopped listening right around minute two of his mom’s speech. He was interested in the celebration planning. His mother, however, wasn’t interested in his ideas. She was just telling him what she was going to do. Never mind that she didn’t have anything to do with the town’s big win.
    “You know how much it means to me that Sunset Falls is finally something to brag about,” Maude said. “I’ve been on pins and needles waiting this whole time. I’m very excited to finally get to plan something big.”
    That Ben believed. He and his friends had started the push to get the town onto the list of best small towns for shifters in the USA. It was a wonder that they’d won this year. Before they’d actually gotten word that they had made it, his mom hadn’t wanted anything to do with the efforts. She hadn’t even donated money to the initiative to get the town cleaned up. Maude had always preferred to spend her money on fancy charity dinners and balls. Ben didn’t care for spending on big dinners when the people you were trying to help couldn’t afford to come to the event.
    He loved his mother very much and didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He never turned her down when she asked him to attend a big-ticket fundraiser or wanted to host a garden party on his estate. He knew she had good intentions even if he didn’t prefer to work that way.
    “If you don’t want to talk about the carnival, then tell me how you’re doing,” Maude said.
    “I do want to talk about the carnival,” Ben insisted. “I’ve been talking about making it into American Shifters Weekly for the last year. You can bet that I’m going to have a role in the celebration.”
    Maude looked pleased. “Good. Then what do you think of the carnival idea?”
    “I think it’s great. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it on such short notice, though.”
    “It’s going to be an annual thing,” Maude said. “The company I talked to is very keen to get repeat customers. I think we’ll have no problem getting them out here on short notice.”
    “You’ve already talked to a company?”
    Maude waved for the maid to come and take her plate. “Yes, dear. It’s very important we get the ball rolling already. The Ladies’ Club wants to do most of the legwork if you boys don’t mind.”
    Almost all the men in his group were over the age of thirty and all of them were successful entrepreneurs. It made Ben smile that his mother and her friends still called them boys. “I don’t think anyone will mind if you ladies want to help us sponsor the event.”
    “Perfect! I talked to the mayor too. If you boys will work with us, we can get everything going tomorrow. I think we should go for the week after the magazine comes out.”
    “Why not the same week?” Ben motioned for the maid to take his plate too. He didn’t think she’d be staying long. His mother hated having to tell her “helpers” when they needed to do things. She’d gone through ten maids in the three years since her longtime “helper” had retired.
    “That’s the same time as the state fair. Lots of people in town vacation there every year. I don’t want to make them choose and have to compete.”
    “I guess that would be a good date going forward, too. I think that could work out. Should we set up a meeting between the mayor’s group and the Ladies’ Club?”
    “That would be wonderful.” Maude looked at her fingernails. “So, have you heard anything from Olivia lately?”
    Ben ground his teeth. Olivia Grey was the consultant working with all the people who’d signed up with Lovely and Kind Brides. It was a mail-order bride company that specialized in shifter bachelors. She had a knack for finding matches and nurturing relationships. She’d done so well in Sunset Falls that