Confessions of a Mail Order Bride - Complete (19 page)

“Jill! Jill! Are you talking to yourself again?” My mother shouted from the other room.

“Ah…now I’m just finishing up some work on the computer. I’ll be there in a sec.”

“Well, hurry up. That show is starting soon!”

“Ok…ok…” But I couldn’t resist looking at the men one more time. They were all so damn hunky.

“And what the hell are you looking at?” I heard my mother’s voice bark from right behind me.

“Wha…!” I almost jumped out of my seat. “You…you startled me.”

“Porn! You’re watching porn!” Mom jerked her head towards the image of the hot men on the screen.

“No…mom, it’s not porn.” I stood up and stepped in front of the computer so my body was covering as much of the screen as possible. God, I don’t know why I felt like I had to explain anything to her. I was an adult woman.

“See there,” my mother continued, “you’re trying to hide it.”

“No, mom…I…”

Mom didn’t seem to hear me. “You are living in my house, Jill Lambert, and you need to follow my rules. That includes no porn!”

“Mom!” I whined, exasperated. “It’s not porn! And I’m living in your house because every time I try to move out you get sick or something.”

“I do not get sick,” she muttered.

“Yes you do! Every time I mention moving to an apartment…you say you’re sick.”

Mom put her hand on her chest. “Well, I have a weak heart. And right now I can feel it throbbing… It’s just throbbing… I could be having a heart attack because of you.”

“Mom!” I rolled my eyes. I felt like screaming. If I had a dollar for every time she was having a heart attack, I’d be rich. She’d cried wolf once too often.

“I saw your doctor’s reports and it was very clear you have a healthy heart,” I shook my head. For years, my mother had complained of chest pains and a weak heart. I had been stunned to discover just this morning that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her heart. I wasn’t sure whether to be happy there was nothing wrong or sad that she had me thinking she could die at any minute for so long. I did know one thing for sure. There were going to have to be some changes.

Mom’s eyes narrowed. “Where did you see my doctor’s reports? Did the nurse from Dr. Mobey’s office call and talk to you? That’s confidential information.”

“No, mom, the nurse from Dr. Mobey’s office did not call me. You left your report sitting out on the counter.”

“Since when did you start reading my mail?”

“Mom the report was open on the counter. I picked it up to see what it was. It was just a paragraph—and you know how fast I read. It was easy to see at a glance that your heart is just fine.”

“Well, I don’t care what that doctor says. My heart is not good. They must have mixed me up with someone else. And my heart will be worse if you keep watching porn!” Mom sniffed as she grabbed at her chest.

“It is not a porn site, mom. It’s a matchmaking site.”

“…a matchmaking site?” Mom gasped as if it were a cocaine den. “What are
you
doing visiting a matchmaking site?”

“I…I just wanted to see what it was all about.”

“You actually think you could find love on a site like that?” Mom frowned. “I knew you had no sense.”

“You know, several of my friends have found love on the site, like my boss Judith Banks and Sherry Cole. You remember Sherry…she picked me up for work once when the car wouldn’t start.”

“Sherry…she married a lion shifter, didn’t she?” Mom cocked her brow.

“Yes, she married Adrian Landen. They’re so happy together. Every time she calls me she is just so bubbly and excited. He owns a hair salon in Shifter Villag…”

“So, is it a shifter marriage mating site?”

I nodded. “Yes, it’s called the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site.”

Mom frowned.

“All the women that join are regular women who want to hook up with shifters in Shifter Villages and all the men are shifters looking for their life mate.”

“Did you put your profile on it?”

I swallowed.  “Yes, I did.”

“And you actually expect to find a shifter man on it?” Mom raised her brows.

“Well…I…I hope so…I” It was hard to be confident with my mother when I wasn’t even sure I could actually go through with dating someone on the site myself. I was not only afraid she would freak out, but I was even more afraid that in reality the men weren’t as loyal as Judith and Sherry said they were. I didn’t want to get hurt again. And what if they were loyal? Would they like someone with my curves?

But I wasn’t going to tell her about my doubts. “I umm, I ahhh…heard that shifters mate forever.” I glanced down at the scar on my wrist—a reminder of the day my father had left. I only hoped it was true that shifters were loyal.

“Rubbish,” Mom spat. “That’s just plain rubbish. Men are all alike. Your dad left you and your boyfriend cheated on you. It won’t be any different with a shifter. No man is ever going to stay with you—shifter or not.”

Mom’s lips were set in a thin, tight line and her wrinkled face was pursed with disapproval.

“Mom…I…”

“Get that nonsense out of your head, Jill, and go get me some hot cocoa and cookies. Our show is going to be on soon. Oh, and make sure you get a couple of the macaroon cookies. Those are my favorite.”

I stared at my mother. A small smile was working its way around her lips and I knew she wasn’t thinking about what she had said about my father or my ex-boyfriend anymore. She was looking forward to watching her show and sucking down cocoa and macaroons. She didn’t realize, or maybe she just didn’t care, how much her words hurt me.

“And hurry up about it, Jill.” Mom said as she turned her back and started walking down the hallway.

Tears welled in my eyes. I loved my mother—at least, I tried to love her as much as I could. But she had a way of getting under my skin. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to stay calm and peaceful and not let her get to me—she managed to dig at me.

“Oh, by the way…” she turned around and pointed towards the computer. “The cable bill is high and it’s pretty obvious the internet is just a waste of time. I’m cancelling it tomorrow.”

“What? Wait a minute now, Mom. I pay more than my share for rent and cable.” This made me angry. It was enough that she controlled a lot of my evenings by ‘guilting’ me into doing what she wanted, but now she wanted to control even more.

“Yeah, the internet is a big waste of money. I mean, just look at the trashy site you were on. What was it called—‘Luscious Lads for Ladies’?”

“It’s called the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site.”

“Whatever…who cares, it’s a waste of time,” Mom waved her hand in the air and started down the hall again.  “Hurry up with the cocoa, Jill, and don’t forget the cookies.”

In the past, I’d always made excuses for her. She was weak and sickly. I didn’t want to upset her. But now I knew my mother was as healthy as a horse. As she walked down the hall towards the living room, a flash of my future with her waved through my mind—and it wasn’t pretty!

I couldn’t believe I was about to go on a date with not one shifter, but two—Kurtis and Conrad Anderson. I whispered their names out loud and they twisted sexily around my tongue. Even their names were hot.

When I’d first put my profile on the marriage mates site, I was really not sure I would go through with dating anyone. I was afraid to trust a man and I didn’t want to upset my mother. But after seeing the doctor’s report on mom, I’d brushed my fears aside. Sherry and Judith were so happy with their shifters maybe it could happen for me too. I had to give it a try. When I saw the ten heart match the ‘Luscious’ site had given me with the twins, I decided to go for it. With trembling fingers, I clicked the reply button. After chatting back and forth over the past week or so we arranged to meet at a park near my house.

I swallowed hard as I saw two men walking towards me. There was no mistaking who they were. They were even more handsome and buff than I’d imagined. What had I been thinking!

As they grew closer, one of them gave me a shy wave.

“Jill, it’s so good to finally meet you.”

“You too. It’s nice to meet you. I mean, both of you…” I felt awkward. The men looked so much alike I couldn’t tell who was who.

“I’m Conrad,” the man who had waved at me said, grinning, as he gave me a light squeeze. “And you’re just totally beautiful!”

“And I’m Kurtis,” Kurtis hugged me, his eyes holding mine. “You are gorgeous.”

Wow… beautiful, gorgeous? These two smooth talkers knew just what to say.

Once we started to chat, it was easy to tell them apart. Kurtis had a lower voice than Conrad and I realized he had a small, jagged scar just above his right eyebrow.

We all stood there for a moment, staring at one another.

I could see the admiration in their eyes as they looked at me and it made me feel good. I’m a tall girl and curvy, and many men felt intimidated by my size, preferring a smaller woman with a skinnier body…but not these two. It was clear they liked what they saw. There was something about them that made me feel all warm and tingly inside.

“So, are you ready to make dinner?”

“Wha..?” My eyes widened. “I…uh…” That was kind of nervy of them, expecting me to make dinner. I thought they were taking me out. What would I make for these two? I bet it took a lot to feed those muscles. My cooking skills were not the greatest.

Conrad noticed my surprise and smiled. “We’re taking you to the Chef’s Kitchen. It’s a cooking school-eatery. We’ll eat what we cook.”

“Oh,” I started to relax. “That sounds like fun. Where is it?”

“It’s about a block from here,” Kurtis said, pointing at a street not far from the park.

“I didn’t know there was anything like that near here.” I was a little embarrassed that I really hadn’t explored the options my own city offered much. I spent my days working and taking care of my mother’s needs. When John and I dated we’d always done what he wanted to do, which usually meant eating at the same old restaurants and having sex. He wasn’t much on trying something new.

“Yep, Conrad found it when he was looking for something fun for us to do in this area. We think it would be a great way to get to know one another.”

“It sounds great! And thanks for coming to my hometown to meet me, I appreciate it.” It was nice of them to travel all the way from Shifter Villages to meet me in the small Pennsylvania town I lived in. 

“Anytime, ma’am,” Conrad drawled.

“We aim to please,” Kurtis added.

I laughed. I had a feeling it was going to be a lot of fun going out with this pair. I glanced from one to the other and shivered—maybe more than just a little fun.

~ * ~

“No…no…I can’t eat another shrimp!” Kurtis was dangling a jumbo shrimp in my face but I was so stuffed I couldn’t swallow another bite.

The cooking school was really cool and I kicked myself for not finding it and trying it out before. Even so, I knew it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun without the twins there. Each class had a theme, and photos on the wall showed some of the different options. Some of the options were ‘Everything Chocolate,’ ‘Louisiana Spice,’ ‘Healthy and Happy,’ ‘Casserole Capers,’ and ‘Dressed Up Salads’.

The theme for our cooking class was ‘Shrimp Plus More’…and they weren’t kidding. I looked down at the table in front of me. There were four different plates each boasting a shrimp dish we’d learned how to prepare. The concoctions ranged from spiced shrimp with beans to crispy horseradish shrimp cakes. As we prepared each one, we’d enjoyed glasses of crisp, cool Riesling.

I’d had a lot of fun making the dishes, and the two men seemed to enjoy it too. If we were a little shy at first, near the end of the class we were like good friends; laughing, chatting, and enjoying each other’s company. The close quarters didn’t hurt and I could feel my heart racing as the men’s firm bodies brushed up against mine as we seasoned shellfish, prepared the sauces, and plated the dishes.

“What do you think, Jill?” Kurtis grinned at me. “Would you like to go out for dessert after this? There’s a little bistro around the corner according to my phone app.”

“Of course, I would love tha…” as I started to accept their invitation, I thought of my mother. I had told her I was meeting friends for coffee after work. I knew she’d assumed I was meeting girlfriends. She didn’t like it, but she’d accepted it. She would not be a happy camper if I got in late though. Things were definitely going to change now that I knew she’d been complaining about a heart condition she didn’t have, but I wasn’t ready for a tantrum from her just yet.

“I can’t. I have to get back home.”

Kurtis raised his brows. “You have to go this early?”

I grimaced. “Unfortunately, I do.”

“But the night is young…” Kurtis said.

“For you two maybe it is, but I have my mother at home and I need to get back and see if she needs anything. She hates it when I’m gone.”

“Oh, ok. Ours is just the opposite. She is always trying to get us to go out and have fun!”

“I wish,” I muttered.

“Yeah, our mom is always on the go. Our dad died when we were in our teens and she stayed home all the time. But after a couple of years we finally convinced her to go out. Now she’s hardly ever home!”

“Does she stay in Shifter Villages or go outside of the town?”

“She always stays in SV. On weekends she square dances at the town hall. And she loves Kane’s Bar and Grill. It’s her favorite restaurant. She goes there every Friday when she gets off of work,” Kurtis nodded.

Conrad flashed a toothy smile, “Lately Kurtis and I have been letting her out early because we know she’s chomping at the bit to get there and meet her friends.”

“
You
let her out early?”

“Yeah, she works for us at C and K Realty.” Conrad flicked a strand of his dark hair back. “She’s our gal Friday…does whatever we need.”

“It’s great that you have someone reliable that you can trust working with you.”

“Yep, that’s for sure,” Kurtis shook his head. “It’s hard to know who you can trust these days, especially in Shifter Villages.

“Very true,” Kurtis nodded his head. “SV has been crazy lately with all the thieving and fires. But at least they think they got the guy that committed the arson. He could be the one that’s responsible for the thefts too.”

“Oh?” I’d heard about the fires from Sherry and Judith. “I didn’t realize they’d arrested someone.”

“Yeah,” Kurtis grimaced, “they arrested Max Harris. He and his brother, Vic, are owners of the Big Bull Inn. As a matter of fact, Vic started the ‘Luscious Lads and Ladies Marriage Mates’ site where we found you,” Kurtis’s face lit up.

“It’s a damn good thing they caught Max,” Conrad said, “these fires are destroying our buildings, polluting our air, and they’ve got everyone on edge. A lot of these buildings are close together; if a fire is set at one of them and isn’t controlled early—then bam!” Conrad smacked his fist into his open palm, “half the town could wind up in flames.”

“Well, now that Max is in jail,” Kurtis said, “I
hope
there are no more fires. But there are a lot of people saying that Max didn’t do it.”

“True,” Conrad grunted.

As the men pursed their lips in thought, I couldn’t help but notice how pouty and sensual their mouths were.

“Anyway, enough chatter about the fires. You can’t go before trying this,” Conrad teased.

“What?” I asked, cocking my head.

“It’s something different. Close your eyes, Jill.”

I did as Conrad asked. I could feel his body warmth as he came closer to me. Both men had a powerful, woodsy smell emanating from their bodies and I shivered, even as I felt enveloped in their heat.

“Open your mouth.”

I partially opened my mouth.

“Ready?” Conrad asked.

I nodded. What was he going to feed me this time?

Suddenly, I felt a warm tongue flicking lightly across my lips.

My eyes flew open and I jumped back. “Conrad!”

I had to admit, his tongue had felt amazing, even in the brief seconds I’d felt it. And yes, I’d wanted him to kiss me. I wanted them both to kiss me and…but still.

“Hey bro,” Kurtis cautioned his brother as he sensed my mood. “Don’t scare her.”

I was scared
and
excited
and
nervous. I glanced from one man to the other.

Conrad eyes were filled with desire as he looked at me. “Jill?”

He didn’t have to say anything else. I knew he was asking me if I wanted more. Did I ever!