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Claimed by Her Polar Bears
By
Kate Richards
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Claimed Stories in the Paranormal Dating Agency World
Kate Richards
Also by Kate Richards
Jenni has a life she never dreamed possible; a great career, true friends, and a decent guy wanting to marry her. If only he was the one.
Jenni’s life is finally on track. She has gone from fosterling in questionable homes to successful full-figured model to owner of her own specialty travel agency. She’s even received her first marriage proposal. Which she will probably accept, even if she knows in her heart it’s settling. But who doesn’t settle, right? It’s not like life is a fairy tale.
Matilda cannot allow her friend to marry Harold, as nice as he is. Jenni deserves better—everything,. Matilda sets her old modeling friend up with a date from the Paranormal Dating Agency. Jenni deserves all the things a shifter can bring to the table in a relationship. No settling for her best friend. Maybe she should have let Jenni know about shifter first…
Mated polar bears Clark and Ty live in the back country above Mammoth Lakes, California in a cabin they liked to describe as authentic—most everyone else would describe it as outdated. When they seek the help of the Paranormal Dating Agency to help find their third, they make plans to have the cabin rolling into this century before their date arrives. But winter is a busy season on the mountain, and the solar panels are still in the shed. Hopefully, their date will understand—at least the bathroom is complete.
Jenni is not too sure about her dates, not when she has to fly to the middle of nowhere to meet them, and especially not when they are late. Don’t even get her started on the unfinished cabin they brought her to. Except, even with all the little things that should have her giving a polite decline, she can’t help but connect with them—their charm, their kindness, their way of giving her butterflies in her belly.
When they head out to help with an emergency, Jenni needs another glimpse of them and watches through the window only to be shocked and a whole lot of freaked out to see them turning into bears—real live polar bears, to be exact. Can Jenni see past their differences and give them a chance to win her heart?
Claimed by her Polar Bears is an MMF Dating Agency Shifter Romance featuring a curvy woman who finds out her perfect match is not one, but two hot men who are not technically all the way human.
Prologue
Jenni glanced at her watch as she climbed out of the cab. Fifteen minutes after the time she’d agreed to meet her old friend from their modeling days. A successful attorney, now, Matilda was always just a little late, and nothing made Jenni crazier than sitting alone waiting for someone, so she made sure it didn’t happen. Ever.
Entering the restaurant, she spotted Matilda sitting at a table toward the back and made her way toward her. The place was packed with hipsters brunching. So pretentious. There’d been a day when they would have been putting on just as much of a show, but not anymore. Now, they were free to be themselves. But she wouldn’t trade the days they’d spent together when they first came to the city for a billion dollars.
“Hey, beautiful.” Matilda rose and flashed one of her gorgeous smiles. No wonder the cameras loved her so.
“Hey, yourself, gorgeous.” Jenni gave her a big squeeze and slid into the seat across from her. “Been waiting long?”
“Not so much. Just got here.” She folded her hands on the table and grinned again. “It’s good to see you.”
They lived across the country from each other now. No more late night movie and cheap wine parties in pajamas with all the other girls. Getting together a few times a year for a meal was precious. Jenni worked from home, but from time to time had to visit clients in various cities for meetings or she’d never leave the house. She picked up the menu as a waitress appeared at tableside.
“You’re here. Excellent. Mimosa?”
“Ummm, sure.”
Matilda nodded, and the waitress disappeared into the crowd like her shoes were on fire.
“She’s in a hurry.” Jenni shook her head. “What are you having, or have you not had time to look yet?”
“As if you don’t know.” Matilda winked.
Jenni refilled her friend’s cup from the carafe in the middle of the table and then filled her own before moving the vase with a single plastic exotic flower and all the other things from the middle of the table so they could look at each other while we talked. Matilda smirked, but Jenni knew she understood.
“Eggs Benedict for you and pancakes for me.” She set the menu aside and took a fortifying sip of coffee. At least these hipster places did that right, strong and smooth. “So, tell me all that’s new in your world.”
“Aside from work—nothing.” Matilda shrugged.
“No men?”
“No, but I’m about to change that. I have an appointment with Gerri, a matchmaker, this afternoon. I’m done being lonely.” She was so glad to hear that. They both tended to be workaholics. After the years of long hours modeling, they’d switched to long hours in other fields. At some point, a person needed to live.
“I always figured you would end up with Daniel or Evan, honestly.” Two amazing men to choose from and she needed help finding someone? Of course she’d never been one to settle. Unlike Jenni.
“How about you? Any prospects on the horizon?” Matilda changing the focus of the conversation. Okay.
“Just Harold. He’s proposed. I got picked up by another agency, so I’ve been really busy.” Jenni started to tell her all about work…but she knew better than to think she could sail that news past her. The Harold news. Not the work news.
“I hope you said no.” Just flat. Like that.
“Matilda, you know Harold is perfectly nice. And it’s not like I have guys lining up to marry me.”
“If you ever left the house you might meet someone.” It was an old argument between them. When they lived in the model house, she’d dragged Jenni out to parties and all kinds of social activities. But now that she was three thousand miles away from her influence, she’d managed to slip back into solitude. Harold lived in the next apartment over. Jenni had met him in the laundry room.
“Are you going to ruin our short time together? I’m not like you. It’s not easy for me to meet new people.”
“Not inside your apartment.”
Jenni spoke through gritted teeth. “I get out. I like to get into nature and take pictures. I go to the beach and do that all the time.”
She shook her head slowly. “The beach is a block from your place.”
“It’s still outside.”
“You should use the Gerri’s dating service.” Matilda’s voice held the confidence of her convictions, as it always had when she was trying to change Jenni’s life. But they weren’t kids anymore. She had a life.
“I’m fine as is.” Although, her old friend’s enthusiasm, as always, got her mind working. Was she settling? Was that a bad thing?
As she was about to ask her for more details, the waitress returned and shoved their drinks in front of them. “Here. What you having?” If she smiled, she’d be pretty, but right now, she looked like she’d been sucking extra-sour lemons.
After she scribbled down their orders and stomped off, they continued their conversation, trying not to let her ruin their day. She brought the food and left, even crankier if possible. As Jenni was pouring even more real maple syrup on her last half a pancake, Matilda gave her a nod and got up. Standing to follow, she saw why their poor waitress, Sarah, was having such a bad day. A whole table full of young guys who looked like they were still on an all-night bender were giving her grief. One bastard actually called her chubby. They’d been there. Being full-figured models helped with their self-image, but it never let them forget the sting.
And they never sat back and let it happen to someone else. They’d take them down a notch and enjoy doing it.
“So, Sarah, I know you aren’t interested in modeling right now, but here are our cards in case you change your mind.” Jenni winked, and they both handed her their old modeling and current business cards. They had this routine down. And Sarah had the looks their old agency would go for.
“And our friend Gina is about to do another movie casting if that is your preference,” Matilda added. “Here’s her card, too. Tell her we sent you.” Gina, living in bliss with her two husbands in Hollywood had the perfect life. Visiting them was another way Jenni actually left the house. She’d have to mention that the next time she was accused of being a homebody. She never took Harold over, though. Not after the first time. He didn’t understand their relationship and didn’t mind saying so.
Matilda elbowed her, and she peeked at the hungover jerks who were tapping away on their phones. Probably checking out Gina and, since Jenni had managed to drop a pair of their old cards, and one of Gina’s on the table, them, too. Yeah, boys. Keep looking. You only dream of finding women like us. These encounters for some reason raised her confidence by a thousand percent. Made her want to wear a cape and save the world from asswipes like them. She’d have to text Gina in case they emailed her at the address on the card so her assistant could handle them. Or in case their new friend Sarah did.
“We’ll be at our seat if you have questions.” She linked her arm through Matilda’s and headed back to their seats.
“I freaking love throwing our modeling in the face of asshats. Does that make me a bad person?” Matilda whispered across the table.
“Naw, that makes you human and in this case made her very happy. She may call us.” She shoveled a forkful of pancakes in her mouth before winking over her shoulder at the jerks.
“If she does, we can hook her up. She’s adorable and those eyes.” Matilda fluttered her eyelashes. Sarah did have beautiful blue eyes. “If not, maybe we gave her some more confidence.” She sipped her mimosa and focused that determined stare on Jenni. The one that said trying to deter her would result in frustration and ultimate failure on the part of the deterrer. “Jenni—I have made an executive decision. I’m setting you up with an appointment with Gerri Wilder, the matchmaker. And don’t argue, because I always win.”
Before we got to talk about it any further, a very grateful Sarah came over with a tray of all the brunchy desserts they had to offer and sat to share it with them. By the time they left, they had her all set up to change her life.
Now, Jenni had to try to keep her friend from changing hers. It wasn’t so bad. Really it wasn’t.
Chapter One
Jenni
Jenni shivered as she scurried down the ramp from the plane at Mammoth-Yosemite Airport, California’s mini version of a real airport, which, she’d been informed, hosted two arriving and two departing commercial flights—max—most days of the year. Even though she’d arrived in spring, heavy snow lay all around, and the High Sierras had been pure white for most of the trip along the valley from LAX.
It was only an hour-long flight, but she was already a day late thanks to the previous day’s snowfall, giving her only a couple of hours to get ready for the “date” her friend had set her up for. And no time at all to ski—which had been the lure that convinced her to go ahead with the date despite her misgivings. Walking across the tarmac, she kept her footing with difficulty, cursing her stupidity in wearing heels for travel, but who knew there would be no nice, safe jetway between the plane and the terminal—a terminal smaller than the DMV at home. If she’d made the arrangements for a client, she’d have known a lot more. Would have made sure she did.
The air temperature had to be under twenty, and her leather jacket was intended for a lot warmer than that, so she stepped as quickly as possible inside and headed for baggage claim. Which was a four-second walk from the door. Okay, there were some advantages to the airport size. The matchmaker had promised her transportation to Mammoth Lakes had been arranged, so once she had her big wheeled bag and small overnight bag in hand, she started for the door. Even at this tiny airport, a few men in suits stood holding carboard rectangles with names typed, printed, or scrawled on them.
Scanning the cards, she didn’t see her name, so continued for the door, a niggling doubt forming in her mind. Suppose the agency forgot to inform the limo or shuttle company of her changed plans. She didn’t even have the details about the resort she’d be staying in. The previous night would have been spent at a rather banal inn she’d earned some points for, but tonight would be at PDA’s lodging of choice. She knew the name but hadn’t been able to locate it anywhere online. Polar Lodge…sounded a little bit like a low-budget motel, but from everything her friend told her, PDA, the agency setting everything up, was first class all the way, so perhaps the Polar Lodge was so exclusive, it didn’t even have a website. Or phone listing. Or appear on Yelp.
Pretty exclusive.
The doors opened, and she strolled outside into the same snow she’d strolled in on. Picturing the contents of her bag in her mind, she decided her sensible UGGs were buried too deep in her bag to get them out, and she’d just have to be careful until she got to the lodge. It was just after five, and she’d been told dinner reservations were made for her and her date at seven. While she watched, the shuttles for the resorts loaded up and pulled out. Private cars and a few town cars driven by the suit guys followed. In less than ten minutes, she stood all alone outside the terminal.
As a model, she’d often traveled to photo shoots and events, but always with every detail carefully planned and recorded. She’d never landed without knowing who was picking her up, where they were taking her, and the schedule for the entire venture. It brought out every insecurity for her not to have the information. Threw her right back into being a little girl, in limbo after her mother’s death. Years of foster homes where she wasn’t sure from one week to the next where she’d be living or under what conditions, followed by being on her own at eighteen, poorly equipped for independence, led to her embracing life in the model house. After years of hating her larger-than-average, curvy form, she’d been shocked to find work where her size helped qualify her and her looks were appreciated.
It offered a chance for job training, income, and several lifelong friendships. Including the one she was about to end by text if someone didn’t show up to pick her up in the next five seconds. In fact, she did it now, sending a spate of words to Matilda as fast as her frozen fingers could type, letting her former bestie know her opinion of someone who should know her better setting her up in a situation in which her need for control went to hell. She knew better. How could she do it?
Sure, she’d agreed to this one date before accepting Harold’s proposal. Just to make Matilda happy. Her prospective fiancé wasn’t much, but he was better than eternal loneliness.
Determined to get out of here and back home to Los Angeles as soon as possible, she tried to think if that
was even possible. With only two flights a day, she might be stuck here until tomorrow. Sleeping in the lobby didn’t sound pleasant but better than the alternative of freezing to death outside. Did they even keep the place open at night?
Shivering in the cold, angry and tired, she spun on a heel, and her feet flew out from under her. As she struggled to regain her footing and finally plummeted toward the icy concrete, flailing and shrieking like a complete ninny, a big man raced toward her. He caught her, inches before her dignity struck the ground.
“Oof!” She lay in his arms, stunned for a moment before the humiliation of her situation hit her. “I could die.”
“Don’t do that.” Her rescuer grinned, pale blue eyes twinkling, but he made no move to put her down. Instead, he shifted her in his arms and strode toward the curb. “I’m Tyrone, but my friend call me Ty.”
How did one handle an introduction while being carried like a sack of potatoes. “Nice to meet you,” she murmured, clinging to his neck as he padded over the icy ground with complete confidence. “I’m Jenni.” He had dark hair with a white streak on one side, but not from age, she was sure. He couldn’t be older than his early thirties, barely older than her. And his dark scruff of a beard held not one pale hair.
“We know.” He stopped before a big SUV that had pulled up at the curb while she was distracted. Another man, equally tall and broad-shouldered, curiously also with a white streak in his hair. He hopped out and came around to open the front passenger door.
The driver?
When she hesitated, a strange feeling building in her mind, Ty waved toward the new guy. “Jenni, this is Clark. Clark, this is our Jenni.”
Before the words sank in, she held her hand out, and Clark enfolded it in both of his. “Jenni, so glad to meet you, and accept our apologies for being late. The snow plow gifted us with a heap blocking the end of our driveway and it took a few minutes to shovel out. I hope you weren’t worried.”
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