Page 4 of The Bear's Mail Order Mate

Philip took Finn’s phone, scanning the text. “This actually sounds…not half bad.”

“It’s a good thing that no one is ever going to see it,” Kris muttered, trying not to imagine some poor woman reading it and taking it seriously.

Finn tapped a few more keys, shooting Kris a wicked grin. “And…posted. That’s that.”

“Wait! What?” Kris stood up abruptly and reached for Finn’s phone as panic gripped him.

But Finn merely held up his phone, an unapologetic shrug on his face. “It’s for your own good.”

“You are joking.” Kris narrowed his eyes at his brother as he clenched his fists. He’d not come to blows with his brothers since they were hot-headed teenagers, but this was too much.

“I might be,” Finn teased, holding his phone close to his chest. “Or I might not be.”

“Finn,” Kris growled, a warning to his brother.

“You should see your face.” Finn chuckled as he reached for his wine glass and took a drink.

“Give me the phone, Finn,” Kris demanded, his voice dropping an octave as his bear’s irritation seeped through his veins.

“Fine, fine,” Finn relented, tossing the phone to Kris with a dramatic sigh. “It was just a joke. I didn’t actually post anything.”

Kris caught the device and quickly checked the screen. The draft was there, but thankfully not published anywhere. He exhaled slowly, relief washing over him as his brothers collapsed in a fit of giggles.

“You all think you’re hilarious,” Kris said, handing the phone back to Finn. “But you know what? I’m perfectly content with my life.”

That’s a lie,his bear grumbled.

“Sure you are,” Stanley said, clapping him on the shoulder. “I mean, why would you want to find your mate when it might interfere with all the time you spend with your wine?”

Kris shrugged off his brother’s hand. “It’s important to me…”

A faint hush fell as Kris mulled over how to make them understand something he barely understood himself. After their cousins over at the Thornberg Ranch all found their mates, he’d felt the emptiness more keenly than ever. Immersing himself in vineyard work helped bury the fear that the Thornberg Vineyard boys might never share in such joy.

Maybe we all need to place ads for mail-order mates,his bear said dryly.

Kris sighed heavily. “Look, I appreciate the concern, but I don’t need help finding a mate. When it happens, it happens.”

“And it has to happen sooner or later, doesn’t it?” Stanley asked hopefully.

“It does,” Nero replied, raising his glass. “Here’s to fate. May it bless us with the same luck as our cousins over at the Thornberg Ranch.”

Kris glanced down at the ad on the phone one last time, then handed it back to Finn before raising his own glass. “To fate.”

“To fate,” his brothers chorused.

Let’s just hope fate has not abandoned us,his bear said, as the brothers drank their toast, each with a far-off look in their eyes.

Chapter Two – Cassia

What was she doing?

The right thing,the voice in her head answered.

And the voice was right, she was sure it was. How could it be wrong when, from the first moment she saw the advert for a fresh start, she’d known it was the perfect job for her? After all, she dreamed of pairing delicious food with extraordinary wine. And the Thornberg Vineyard certainly produced some extraordinary wine. And she was more than ready for a fresh start filled with warmth, laughter, and lasting relationships. If those actually did exist. And she was not afraid of a little hard work and family chaos. And with any luck, this new job would help her recapture her sense of humor.

Or was she simply trying to convince herself that the universe had aligned the stars for her? That she was meant to be here, in Bear Creek, working at the Thornberg Vineyard?

When in reality she was running away.

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