Wolf Seeks Wife (BBW/Shifter Mail-Order Bride Romance) (Mail-Order Mates Book 2) (2 page)

“Are you out of your mind, Molly?” her mom asked, exasperated. “You can’t just show up on a stranger’s doorstep unannounced.”

“He isn’t a stranger,” Molly said as she tried to zip her suitcase. “He’s my future husband.”

“You’re romanticizing a very serious situation.”

“You read the email and the profile. He’s perfect.” She had to sit on the suitcase to get it zipped. She was trying to take only three bags with her so she wouldn’t have to pay outrageous fees for luggage.

“Anyone can write a nice email and sweet talk a naïve young girl.” Her mom paced back and forth. “Seeing a handsome face in a picture could be a trick too. Maybe he’s really a seventy-year-old man who wants to lure young women to his murder dungeon.”

“You watch too much TV.” Molly set to work packing the second bag. It was cold and snowy where she was, but he lived in a desert. She packed mostly summer clothes and threw in a few sweaters and jeans. According to the internet, nights were cool in Sunset Falls.

“Have I done something wrong?” Her mom’s voice was thick with emotion. “Did I screw up somewhere to make you run into the arms of the first psychopath you could find?”

“Oh, Mom.” Molly abandoned her packing to hug her mom tight. “You did a great job raising me. Kellan isn’t a psychopath. LK Brides does extensive background checks on the men and women who use their service. You’ll be able to call me anytime you want, and you know where I’m going. If you’re ever worried you can even call Olivia and have someone out to me lickity-split.”

Her mom wiped her eyes. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. Maybe by the time they get there, you’ll already be made into a soup or a skin lamp.”

Molly shivered. “Seriously. Stop watching those shows! They’re going to give you nightmares. I have a good feeling about this, Mom. I think this is it. I would wonder for the rest of my life if I don’t take a chance on this.”

“I don’t know how I got such a headstrong daughter. You’re a brave girl.” Her mom wiped her eyes. “I’ll trust you, but you have to promise to call me twice a day, every day. No excuses! And you have to send me the address for this psycho the minute you find the house.”

Molly made a cross over her heart with her fingers. “I promise.”

***

It was hotter than she’d expected when she got off the plane. The airport was also much less crowded than she was used to. Newark was always bustling with people day and night. There were so few people here that Molly didn’t even have to wait at the car rental desk. She’d reserved a compact, but the guy upgraded her to a midsize for no charge.

“You’re the first person I’ve gotten today,” the man behind the desk told her with a smile. “You deserve a treat for making my day a little less boring.”

“Thank you! Say, you wouldn’t know how to get to Sunset Falls, would you? I Googled directions, but it told me it would take six hours.”

The man nodded. “Sorry. There’s no faster way to that part of the state. They have a private plane that takes people into town but he isn’t scheduled to come in until Thursday.”

Molly sighed. “Guess I’ll be driving!”

She was very glad for the midsize once she had her bags loaded in the back. She liked driving, but she’d never had to drive for so long before. She’d touched down at the airport around eleven in the morning. Even stopping for breaks she thought she’d be arriving in town by seven at night. No such luck. She got lost a few times and was sure she was going to end up dehydrated meat in the desert.

It was almost midnight by the time she pulled into town. She’d been sure Sunset Falls was a beautiful, busy town, but when she got there she was surprised to find that everything was closed. She couldn’t even find a fast food chain or convenience mart. Molly was starting to get worried when she finally noticed lights on in one storefront. She got out of the rental car and crossed her fingers.

She knocked on the door a few times before a man appeared from the back of the shop. He had to be a shifter. The sheer size of the man hinted at an animal origin. If she had to guess, Molly would have said bear shifter. She’d seen one before, but this man was much bigger. He wasn’t just tall, he was wide. She couldn’t even imagine where he would find shirts that fit.

“Can I help you?” he asked when he opened the door.

“I’m a little lost,” Molly lied. “I was looking for Lunar Ranch and I’m just all the way turned around. Maybe you could point me in the right direction?”

“I’m putting the finishing touches on a cake for the morning. Come on in and I’ll make you a map.”

“Thank you!” Molly stepped inside the shop and her stomach growled.

“I also have some new brownies I’m trying out. Would you like to be my guinea pig?” the man asked as they passed by cases of delicious-looking treats. “I’m Frank, by the way.”

“I’m Molly, and I would love to try that brownie.”

“Here’s some for you to munch on while I get cleaned up.” He placed two giant brownies and a big glass of lemonade in front of her. “This one is mint and the other is pumpkin. This is a first for me. Be honest. If you hate them, I can change them up.”

Frank disappeared into the back of the store and Molly took a bite. It was so good she closed her eyes and moaned. She’d never had a more decadent pumpkin brownie. It was perfect for the season and was sure to be a hit with his patrons. She took a long drink before devouring the mint brownie. It was just as good as the first. Clearly, this man had a gift with baked goods.

“These are so good!” she yelled to him. “I’m tempted to buy up your whole stock. You make great treats.”

He poked his head out of his kitchen. “Thank you. I’ve been trying different recipes and was worried these would be too sweet.”

“No, it’s perfect.” Molly felt better once the sugar hit her system. She hoped Kellan had some food at his house. She couldn’t just have brownies for dinner.

Frank came back with a piece of paper. He explained how to get out to the ranch. She had to be sure not to turn in at the first ranch she saw, he said. That was Brooks Ranch and she would be able to tell by the lions on the sign. “How do you know Kellan?”

She didn’t have a lie prepared for that. Molly thought fast. “I’m looking to interview him for an article about shifter ranchers.”

Frank smiled. “I’m surprised he said yes. Kellan is one sarcastic bastard. Don’t take any of his comments too seriously. He likes to make jokes too much.”

Molly nodded. “Thank you for the help and the brownies.”

“You might want to check in with the hotel before going down to the ranch at this hour.” Frank looked at his watch. “I’m sure Kellan has turned in for the night by now.”

“He knows I’m coming. He’s going to check me into the hotel himself.” Molly lied again. Her empty stomach twisted as she fibbed to Frank. He was being so nice that she hated to lie. But the truth would come out soon enough. She was sure she would be a frequent customer once she moved to town. All the money she was about to spend on his confections would make up for her lies.

It took her almost an hour to get to the ranch. She made the wrong turn that Frank had warned her about. She could see two lions perk up when she turned into the driveway to turn around. They were young, but Molly was still scared. What if they attacked her car? She heard them roar into the night as she drove away. When she came to the next driveway, she made sure to check the sign. Sure enough, there were two wolves flanking the words ‘Lunar Ranch.’ She was in the right place.

She squealed to herself in her car. This was it. She was about to meet the man she was going to marry. She hoped he wouldn’t be too angry when she knocked on the door. From the two emails they had sent, she was sure he was into her too. He’d told her all about himself and had said he couldn’t wait to meet her. She had just taken the initiative and made the meeting happen. He was going to be pleased. She checked her makeup before she got out of her car in front of the house.

Molly was wearing a simple red and white polka dot summer dress. It showcased her ample curves and made her feel flirty and fun. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but eyeliner was enough to make her blue eyes pop. She smoothed her dress and went to the front door. There were no lights on, which made her remember Frank saying that he was probably already asleep. She knocked on the door as her heart slammed against her ribcage.

No one came to the door and no lights turned on in the house. She walked around and knocked on the back door. Nothing again. She tried ringing the doorbell for a full minute. Nothing. He had to be home. There was a big black truck behind the house that had to be his. It was possible he’d gone out with friends or was at the hotel watching the front desk. Molly hoped neither was true. She didn’t want to have to sleep in the rental car for the night.

She spotted a barn in the distance and drove towards it. Maybe there was a ranch hand or someone who could help her find Kellan. The odds of that were pretty low. Inside the barn all she found were cows and a few horses. She rubbed the closest horse’s nose while she thought about her next move. She didn’t have a phone number for Kellan and she couldn’t ask for one. Her only option was to park out in front of his house and wait for him to come home.

She was on the verge of tears but pulled herself together. There were worse things than sleeping in a car. She took her bag out of the trunk and looked for something to act as a pillow. Molly tried to find the upside to the situation. At least now she would have a chance to go out and get Kellan a present. She hated showing up empty-handed but had had no idea what to bring with her. Now she had time to go back to town and grab a treat from Frank’s. She would show up at Kellan’s in the morning looking refreshed and with something to offer besides herself.

Yes. It was good that she hadn’t found him tonight. It was far too late to call on him. She had convinced herself how lucky she was when she heard growling in the night. She spun around but didn’t see anything. She was sure it was her imagination, but then she heard it again. She was scrambling to get back in her car when out of the darkness, a snarling grey wolf appeared.

Molly backed up and put her hands up. “Oh! Please be a shifter and not a real wolf! I’m Molly Pitt and I’m here to see Kellan Lunar.”

She felt ridiculous talking to the animal. If it wasn’t a shifter, she was in real trouble. She had nothing to defend herself with. She closed her eyes and prayed there was a man or woman under all that fur and those snarling teeth.

Kellan was shaking with rage. He thought he had just caught someone trying to sneak into his barn and steal his livestock. A moment before he would have pounced on the thief, he realized it was a small, terrified human woman. It was another second before his wolf registered that the woman was Molly. Kellan couldn’t believe his eyes. He shifted back to human and covered himself with his hands.

“Molly?” He had to be sure. He had just emailed her yesterday. There was no way she could be standing right in front of him less than twenty-four hours later.

“Y-yes.” She took her hands away from her face and looked relieved. “Kellan!”

She ran and threw her arms around his neck even though he was stark naked. “Oh, thank gosh it’s you! I was so scared. I thought I was going to get attacked by a wolf in the middle of nowhere. No one would have even known I was out here for days, probably. You said you lived way out of town, but this is in the middle of
nowhere
.”

Kellan couldn’t process all the words she was saying. His wolf was on the verge of taking over with her warm, soft curves pressed up against him. His cock was getting hard against her stomach as she kept rambling. He very carefully pulled her off him and held her at arm’s length before he embarrassed himself.

“Molly, I need to put on some clothes,” he said stiffly.

Her eyes trailed down to his painfully hard cock and she blushed deep red. “Oh, oh my. I’m sorry. I-I didn’t…I mean, I’m not disappointed or anything. I just…wow.”

Kellan gritted his teeth and tried to hide himself with his hand. He cut off her incessant chatter. “We can go to the house now.”

He shifted back to wolf to get to the house faster. By the time she’d parked her car out front, he was waiting in the foyer with a pair of jeans on. He crossed his arms after he’d let her in. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” She smiled up at him so sweetly. He could feel the anger relenting. “I thought it would be nice to see each other in person. You can only tell so much about a person over email.”

He was taken aback by how young she looked. She probably still got carded when she bought alcohol. If he didn’t know any better, he would have guessed she was nineteen. His wolf didn’t give a damn that she looked young enough to be his daughter, though. His wolf wanted to claim the curvy girl on the floor of the foyer…and in the kitchen and the front yard and in the barn. Kellan licked his lips as his wolf showed him its intentions.

“Well, are you happy I’m here?” Molly rocked on her heels, waiting for an answer. She hadn’t stopped smiling.

“I’m glad to see you,” Kellan said tightly. “But I think it’s a little early for a first meeting. I would have appreciated a call before you got on a plane.”

“I’m glad to see you too.” Molly moved closer to Kellan and bit her lip. “You’re much better looking in person.”

Kellan took a step back and nodded. “You’re very pretty too. Look, I need to get you somewhere to sleep tonight. We can talk more in the morning, but I need to watch my animals tonight.”

“Oh.” Molly looked disappointed. “I thought you’d want to spend time with me tonight.”

His wolf was berating him. He knew it was crazy to choose a night out patrolling while his mate was sitting pretty under his roof.
His mate
. The word flashed hot and red across Kellan’s mind. Molly was his mate! His heart thumped in his chest at the realization. Could she be? He couldn’t just throw her down and claim her because his wolf wanted it. He needed to get to know the girl first. He needed to stay out of the house for the night.

“We can talk in the morning. I’ll set you up in a room upstairs. I’ve been having that coyote problem I wrote you about. I smelled one of them tonight.”

“Oh, no! I don’t want another cow to get hurt.”

Kellan nodded. “Good. Then wait here and I’ll get it all set up for you.”

He turned and fled up the stairs. He had bedrooms to spare and one was even set up already. He fluffed the pillows and straightened the comforter. He swiped the dust off the nightstand and the room looked good enough to use. It was sparse and there was barely any furniture in it, but it would do. He went to the bathroom before returning downstairs.

Kellan splashed cold water on his face and gave himself a pep talk in the mirror. “She’s just a girl. She may be your mate, but she’s still a human. You don’t want to scare her off. Take it easy.”

He doubted he’d scare her away if she didn’t mind his hard cock pressing against her. Images of himself bending Molly over the guest bed and taking her hard flashed behind his eyes. The pep talk wasn’t working. He needed to get away from the house.

“Okay, everything’s all ready.” He led her up the stairs to the small guest room. “You can stay here for the night. I’ll be back before dawn.”

“Will I be safe?” Molly asked, looking up at him.

“Sure. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“There’s an animal prowling around here.”

Kellan laughed. “It’s not going to come in here and eat you. The coyote wants the cows. You’re far too much work for one of those little suckers.”

Molly nodded. “You’d better protect me if anyone comes to get me, though.”

Kellan growled. “If anyone comes near you, that’ll be the last bad decision they make in this life.”

Her eyes went wide and then she smiled. “I’m glad the big bad wolf is on my side.”

Kellan could see right down the top of her dress. Her ample cleavage was calling to him. He walked out of the room. “I’m going outside now. Good night.”

“Night!” she called from behind him.

He bounded down the stairs and out the front door. He waited until he’d closed the front door to take off his clothes and shift. His wolf didn’t want to leave the house, but Kellan just ran. He did three laps around his property before he allowed himself to stop. He was exhausted and collapsed in front of the barn.

All the animals were safe and he could think again. She had shown up at his house unannounced. Yes, they had emailed back and forth, but that wasn’t an invitation to come over. She didn’t even live close to him. Molly must have gotten on a plane and then driven six hours to get to town. And how had she figured out where he lived? On one hand, it was very creepy. She might be a stalker who had slipped through LK Brides’ background check.

On the other hand, she was most likely his mate. And she was gorgeous. Literally perfect. He didn’t know if he’d be able to turn her away even if she was a crazy stalker. It wasn’t like she could hurt him with her tiny human fists. It wouldn’t be so bad to have a beautiful girl obsessed with him.

He was going to have to explain why she was here if he took her to town. He wasn’t looking forward to that. Owen and his wife Erin knew that Kellan had been looking for a mate with the agency, but he’d managed to keep it a secret from everyone else in his life. It wouldn’t be so bad if she was his mate, but if it didn’t work out it would be embarrassing. He would have to keep her at the ranch for a few days and get to know her.

His wolf was convinced she was his mate, so it shouldn’t take long for him to confirm. Easy…as long as he didn’t tear off her clothes before they could actually talk.

***

He snuck back into the house just before dawn. He showered quickly and went down to start a pot of coffee. He had enough time to drink two cups and get through the newspaper twice before Molly woke up.

“Good morning.” She had come downstairs in a short white robe. “Did it go okay?”

“No animals were hurt, and not a sign of the coyote.” He raised his mug. “Would you like a cup?”

“Do you have any tea?”

He wrinkled his brow. “Maybe.”

“It’s fine if not. I can just have coffee.” She stretched and yawned. “I haven’t slept this late in forever. That bed was really comfy.”

“Really?” Kellan moved some boxes and found an ancient pouch of loose-leaf tea. “I think you’re out of luck on the tea front. Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She sat down at the table. “We can get some from town.”

“Uhh.” Kellan started a fresh pot of coffee and stalled for time. “I don’t need to go to town today.”

“That’s cool. You’ll have to go soon. Don’t you go to check on your hotel three or four times a week?”

Shit. He’d forgotten he’d told her about the hotel. “Yeah. I just went yesterday so I’ll be going into town tomorrow.”

“You’re a cowboy and a hotel owner.” Molly shook her head. “You must be so busy.”

“Not really.” Kellan sat down with her. “The hotel almost runs itself, and the ranch is pretty small. Owen next door has three times as many animals and he can run his ranch with only one hand.”

“He has one hand?” Molly frowned. “That’s so sad. Poor man. I thought shifters healed really fast. How did he lose the hand?”

Kellan tried not to laugh out loud. “I mean one ranch hand. Owen very much has both his hands. And yes, shifters do heal quickly.”

There was a ringing from Molly’s robe pocket. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to call my mom. Would you excuse me?”

She ran out of the room before he could say yes. He could hear her talking with her mom about him. From the sound of it, she’d come against her mother’s wishes. Kellan was horrified. He stalked into the hallway. “Give me your phone.”

“What?” Molly put her hand over the mouthpiece.

“Give me your phone.” He held out his hand. “I’d like to speak to your mother.”

Molly pulled the phone away from her ear. She looked between Kellan and the machine like she was holding a bomb in her hand. “No. Why?”

“I think she deserves to talk to the man you’re staying with.”

She shrugged. “Knock yourself out.”

Kellan talked with Molly’s mother, Janice, for a full ten minutes. He poured Molly a cup of coffee while he speaking. Once he had hung up, he turned to her. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“That was a long conversation.” She looked suspicious. “What did you have to say to each other for that long?”

“Janice seems to think I’m a murderous psychopath. I gave her my address and the number for the local police.”

“I’m sure that made her feel better.” Molly rolled her eyes.

“It did,” Kellan insisted. “I would want to speak to the person my daughter was staying with.”

“A crazy murderer isn’t going to say they want to chop me up into little pieces and wear my hair like a wig.”

Kellan frowned. “What kinds of books are you reading?”

Molly laughed. “I’ve been listening to my mom a little too closely. So, what are we going to do today?”

He hadn’t thought about what they were going to do all day. Kellan groaned inwardly. He was going to have to entertain her. He’d been planning on going down to his cousin’s restaurant and having lunch. “I don’t know. I didn’t have any plans for the day.”

“I’d like to see the Falls,” Molly said. “They sound so pretty.”

Kellan nodded. “That’ll be fine. I haven’t been out there since I was a teenager.”

“Great! I’ll have whatever you’re having for breakfast.”

Kellan got up to start making biscuits and gravy. So far, so good. He was handling himself like a perfect gentleman. Now he just needed to get through a day with her.