Loving the Lion: BBW Shifter Mail Order Bride Paranormal Romance (Mail-Order Mates Book 1)

by Lola Kidd

  “I’d love to. How far along are you on the wedding?”

  “All planned.” Erin pantomimed wiping her brow. “It was a lot of work, but I’m good at planning. It isn’t going to be anything major. The hardest part was finding a caterer at such short notice.”

  “You got Two Wolves, didn’t you? And let me guess, Frank is doing your cake?”

  “Not that hard to guess when there are only four options.” Erin looked at Gwen. “Can you keep a secret?”

  “Maybe.”

  Erin laughed. “At least you’re honest. I got Frank to make Owen a donut groom cake.”

  Gwen tapped Erin’s arm. “Get out! That is so cute.”

  “It’s in the shape of a lion,” Erin said gleefully.

  “He’s going to love it. Frank has the best donuts around.”

  “He’s so sweet too. I can’t believe he’s single.”

  “I know.” Gwen looked at the screen and then back at Erin. “Don’t get any ideas, missy. You won’t be setting me up anytime soon. Keep a secret?”

  Erin zipped her lips shut and crossed her heart.

  “You really have to keep this one. People will flip.” Gwen took a long pause. “I signed up with LK Brides.”

  “No!” Erin didn’t know how she felt about that. She was happy Gwen was taking a chance, but she liked the vivacious redhead. She would miss her only friend in town.

  “I had to. I’ve dated all the good ones in town already. I have too much history here.” Gwen sighed. “They didn’t have any matches for me yet, but I can wait.”

  “So are you a shifter?” Erin covered her face with her hands. “Sorry. That came out of nowhere. I’m just so curious.”

  “Don’t worry.” Gwen laughed. “I’m a tiger-shifter. It’s hard to tell when we’re wearing our human skin.”

  “A tiger. Wow.” Erin couldn’t picture Gwen stalking anything more dangerous than a shoe sale. “Do you spend a lot of time shifted?”

  “Heavens, no.” Gwen frowned. “It isn’t fun when you’re the only one.”

  “There are no other tigers in town? I thought you had a diverse town. Owen told me the only one-of-a-kind was Kai.”

  “There are other tigers in town.” Gwen stared off into the distance before shaking her head. “We just don’t talk. It would be nice to get a fresh start. You know?”

  “I know exactly what you mean. It worked out really well for me. I have nothing but nice things to say about the agency.”

  The women worked for half an hour on the website before Gwen sat back with her arms crossed. “That is one hell of a website.”

  Erin clicked through the pages one more time. She hadn’t done much, but the addition of the pictures really helped bring the site alive. Sunset Falls now had a responsive, easy-to-navigate space on the web.

  “This is going to be great for us,” Gwen said. “You’ve been here two weeks and you’ve done so much. Cleaned up the Brooks Pride, made us a new website. What’s next?”

  “The wedding,” Erin smiled. “The wedding is the last thing Owen and I can really do. After that, it’s up to the town to take over.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think we can pull it off. Maybe not this year, but definitely in the next five.”

  “Too bad you won’t be here to see it.”

  “Girl, don’t worry. You and Owen will be invited to my fabulous new house and I’ll bring my cubs back to visit once a year. We won’t lose touch.”

  *

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  The cubs in the crowd clapped as Owen leaned down and kissed her. Gwen snapped a few pictures as the pair kissed for a little longer than was respectable. Erin didn’t care. She was married!

  She raised her bouquet in the air and the rest of the audience clapped. Her mom and Nina were both crying. Erin didn’t know how her life could get any better. Even though it had been a whirlwind courtship, she had found her true love. After they had said their vows it was a whirlwind of pictures and champagne. It wasn’t until the reception that she found a familiar face.

  “Olivia! You came.” Erin hugged the agent. As always, Olivia looked impossibly chic in simple clothes. She was wearing an oxblood sheath dress and small heels. Perfect for an early fall wedding.

  “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. This is my favorite part of matchmaking.”

  “I have to thank you.” Owen shook Olivia’s hand. “If you hadn’t taken an interest in me, I don’t know if I would have ever found Erin.”

  “That’s part of the magic. You have a very interesting town. Dare I say, I may have found some new clients.”

  Owen laughed. “You must find a lot of clients at weddings. Nothing’s going to make people want to find love faster than seeing a happy couple.”

  Erin crossed her fingers. “Here’s hoping you can help some of them.”

  “I may have a trick or two up my sleeve.” Olivia winked at the happy couple. “After I get Kellan’s match set up, I’m going to be a busy lady.”

  “Kellan!” Owen’s mouth dropped open. “That little sneak. He’s been teasing me nonstop about using LK Brides.”

  “Well, you must have changed his mind.” Olivia touched Erin’s arm. “Your magical story has inspired him to dig up his old profile. He even asked me if I’d take a look at his file and see if I could help.”

  Owen sighed. “And he already had a profile. Great friend he is.”

  “Oh, stop,” Erin said. “At least this is a step in the right direction.”

  Olivia looked around the party. “I’m really thinking about transferring to Sunset Falls for a while. So many successful single men here.”

  Erin wrapped her arm around Owen’s waist. “That would be great. I only hope everyone can be as happy as we are.”

  Owen kissed her forehead. “I’m so lucky. I have a wife who loves not just my family but my home town too.”

  “What’s not to love?” Erin asked. “I love Sunset Falls. Everyone is so nice. I can’t wait to raise a family here.”

  “It is one of the best small towns in the country,” Olivia said. “I think I read that somewhere.”

  Owen laughed. “Guess half my job is done. Make sure you tell people that.”

  Olivia looked confused as Owen and Erin shared a laugh. “Inside joke, I see. I’ll just leave you two alone.”

  Owen watched Olivia sit back down next to Kellan. “You were right. I guess having a wedding might just be the start of a big thing.”

  “I think it’s the start of a great thing.” Erin smiled. Fate had brought her and Owen together and she was the luckiest girl in the world. She only hoped Olivia could help bring joy to the other lonely bachelors in Sunset Falls.

  ~~~~*

  Thank you for reading Loving the Lion. If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review. Thank you :)

  Available Now

  Wolf Takes a Wife

  Kellan Lunar has gone against his instincts and signed up for Lovely and Kind Brides. Seeing a happy couple get married convinced him that he could use a little help in the romance department. He’s excited when Olivia Grey calls and tells him that she has found his perfect mate. Only there’s a slight problem that may put Kellan off. Can he overcome his own prejudices and claim the mate that fate has put in front of him? Find out in book two of Mail-Order Mates series.

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  A Note from Lola

  Thank you so much for reading Loving the Lion. If you enjoyed this story, please consider leaving a review. It really helps other readers decide to take a chance when looking for new authors to try out. I would really appreciate it if you have the time!

  If you’d like to keep in touch you can always join my new release mailing list. I won’t spam you’re inbox but you’ll get an email whenever I have a new release. You can also friend me on Facebook. –Lola

  Other Books by Lola Kidd

  Witch and Wolf U
niverse Books

  The Witch and the Wolf: The Complete Collection

  Aurora Silver has a werewolf problem. Cross Hemlock won’t stop begging her for a date. If only the handsome man wasn’t only a werewolf, Rory would agree to a date in a heartbeat. Too bad witches and wolves don’t mix. When Rory’s life is in danger, Cross jumps at the chance to protect the young witch.

  Cross will protect Rory no matter the cost to himself. He knows the witch is the one for him. Now all he’s got to do is keep her alive and convince her to give a wolf a chance.

  This book also contains the short story, A Very Witchy Wedding. This collection contains graphic sex scenes and language. It is meant for a mature audience.

  Individual entries are also available as part of KindleUnlimited.

  The Vampire and the Bear

  Vampire Violet Moore needs help. She’s been injured in a werewolf attack and is near death. Her mother has brought her to the only safe place she could think of, Golden. The city is home to the Golden Bears, a tribe of bear-shifters. Shifters don’t usually want anything to do with vampires but they make an exception for Violet. They’ll give her place to rest while her mother deals with the events that got her hurt.

  Eric Lightfoot is the son of the alpha of the Golden Bears. He takes Violet in against the wishes of his tribe. He wants to do the right thing and pay back the vampire who helped his tribe long ago. He didn’t want anything to do with the vampire but he’s finding that harder and harder. The gorgeous bloodsucker is growing on him. Could he have finally have found someone he can connect with?

  Black Oak Shifter Universe Books

  Taken by the Shifters: The Complete Collection

  Curvy Elle Quinn is beyond delighted to meet the man of her dreams on a lazy day at the farmer’s market. Tall, dark and handsome Luke Rivers is equally smitten with Elle. The two can’t keep their hands off each other from the minute they meet.

  Too bad their pleasure is cut short when a figure from Elle’s past whisks her away from Luke. Elle is about to come face-to-face with a shocking revelation about her past. The most difficult part of all is that it doesn’t just affect her but also her burgeoning relationship with Luke. Can their explosive connection survive the blast from her past or will the shocking news tear them apart?

  This book contains graphic sex scenes and language. It is meant for a mature audience.

  Individual entries are also available as part of KindleUnlimited.

  Captured Serial:

  Captured by the Shifters: The Complete Collection

  Journalist Amina Blake is in trouble. She’s gotten lost in the woods while doing research for an article. She was following a lead about a secret town in the woods that may be linked to shapeshifters. Amina may not believe in shifters but she knows a great story when she hears one!

  Impossibly lost, she manages to stumble into a strange town. She’s surprised to find the super-hot best man from a wedding she just attended happens to be the town’s deputy sheriff. Her week goes from bad to worse when the town turns out to be far stranger and more dangerous than she ever imagined.

  Individual entries also available as part of KindleUnlimited.

  Black Oak Shifter Novels:

  The Shifter’s Wife

  The Shifter’s Surprise

  The Shifter’s Choice