The Bull's Bride Hunt (Holiday Mail Order Mates Book 3) (2 page)

Macy kicked herself all the way home.
Husband?
Why oh why had she said she had a husband? She and Don were in the process of finalizing their divorce, and she hadn’t thought of him as her husband for almost a year. But now, when she was in front of this gorgeous man, she’d said
husband
. She wished she could go back and start all over, but that was out of the question.

She sighed. Maybe she wasn’t ready to get rid of her marriage yet. This could be her subconscious’s way of letting her know that she needed to spend some time working on herself before she moved on.

She and Don had been married for six years, but their marriage had been in trouble from the start. They’d been on the verge of divorce after only two years when she became pregnant with Jill.

Macy had been so happy to see those two pink lines on the little plastic stick. She’d been sure this was what their marriage needed: a new life and responsibility to bond them together. She’d had visions of them playing with their little girl at the park and spending nights talking about their future together.

For nine months, they didn’t argue or have any disagreements. She did all the work to prepare for the baby, and Don never questioned or told her no. He just handed her money and let her prepare to her heart’s content. It was the happiest time of their whole relationship.

That wonderful time ended abruptly once Jill was born. To Macy’s horror, Don was an even worse father than he was a husband. After almost two years of him promising to change but never making any progress, she’d finally come to her senses and asked for a separation. He’d protested bitterly at first, but when she held firm, he’d moved out quickly and now he seemed to have forgotten all about them.

Macy had done all the paperwork and filing for the separation and now for the divorce. They were waiting for a judge to finalize everything, and then it would be done. They would legally no longer be married, and Macy could truly move on.

It was nearly two years since their separation had begun, and she still hadn’t started dating again. She hadn’t thought about it seriously until today, when she saw Jack. She didn’t know what had possessed her to walk into the bar, but it had done wonders for her long-dormant libido. After only a few seconds with Jack, she had felt like her old self again. She was flirting and laughing and having a great time.

Jack was the most attractive man she had ever seen. He was so big and manly. With his inky black hair, blue eyes, and broad shoulders, he was ruggedly handsome, and that was just her type. Hearing that he was a shifter made perfect sense. Shifters were usually bigger than human men, and stronger too. Jack looked like he could pick her up and carry her anywhere.

She wondered if there was a way to go back and tell Jack that she wasn’t taken. Would that make her look crazy or desperate?

Maybe she should wait. Get to know him a little better. Then, once she’d made her choice, she would tell him that things with her and her husband hadn’t worked out.

That was the smarter decision. It wasn’t like she even knew he was single. He hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend, but she hadn’t asked—and she was going to be on pins and needles until she knew. She would have to ask her mom what she knew about the bull shifter. Her mom had lived in this town for years and did like to have the occasional drink.

She pulled into the driveway and put her head on the steering wheel. Her head was all over the place. She couldn’t go in and talk to Jill or her mom like this. It was like she was a hormonal teenager or something. Jack was attractive, but he wasn’t
that
attractive. Was he?

It was possible that she had just gone too long without a man. That had to be it. Now that she was away and on her own again, she had the chance to spread her wings. Her body and mind were distracted by all of this freedom. She was sure she would be just as obsessed with any other hot man she came across. Her divorce was so close, and her mind was starting to get used to the idea that she was truly single again.

She took a deep breath and put her hands on her cheeks. Her face was red-hot. She rolled her eyes at her silly lust. The time for single-girl fun and games was over. It was time to put on her mom face again, and her daughter face.

Ever since she’d moved home, her mom had been all over her constantly. Not in a nitpicking and complaining way; more in an I-can’t-get-enough-of-you way. If she walked into the house red-faced and disoriented and asked her mom about the hot bartender Jack, her mom would never let it go. She would probably march Macy down there and insist that Jack and Macy go on a date right away. That was all Macy needed. At the very least, she could see her mom going to the bar and asking Jack back to the house for dinner. That seemed innocent enough, but Macy would be so embarrassed.

There was a knock at the window, and Macy jumped. She saw two little hands on the window and smiled.

She rolled down the window. “Can I help you, miss?”

Jill stood on her tiptoes so her eyes were above the top of the window. “Hi, Mommy! What are you doing out here?”

“Mommy’s taking a minute before she comes inside. What have you been doing while I was gone?”

“Me and Grandma played a game.” Jill hoped from one foot to the other impatiently. “Are you coming inside now?”

Macy got out of the car and picked Jill up. She was almost too big for Macy to do that anymore. “Yup. Have you guys started dinner yet?”

Jill shook her head. “I didn’t make any food today. But Grandma made something, and she said I can help make dinner tomorrow. We’re going to make pizzas!”

Macy smiled. She remembered making pizzas with her mom in that same kitchen when she was a child. “That sounds like fun.”

“Macy, is that you? I’m in the kitchen!” her mom, Shirley, called from the back of the house.

Macy could have guessed that by the smell. Her mom was making her “world-famous” mac and cheese. The whole house smelled of cheesy goodness. That was the one of the greatest parts about being home—her mom was the best cook. Macy was good herself, thanks to a lifetime of learning at her mother’s elbow, but nothing could compare to her mom’s home-cooked food. It made up for all the nosy prying.

She set Jill down at the table and hugged her mom around the shoulders. “That smells delicious.”

“Thank you, dear,” her mother said. “What have you been up to this time? You’re looking a little flushed.”

Jill giggled. “Like the toilet?”

“No, like she’s all red,” Shirley explained to Jill before turning back to Macy. “So, what
have
you been up to?”

“Just looking around town. Taking a break for myself,” Macy said.

“Did you see anything interesting?” Shirley asked, wiping her hands on a dish towel.

“Not much,” Macy lied. She couldn’t ask her mom about Jack just yet. She had to wait for the time to be right.

“You want to see the picture I drew?” Jill was off and running before Macy even had a chance to answer.

Macy sat at the table to wait for Jill. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”

Shirley joined her, and they both sniffed the air, enjoying that wonderful aroma of mac and cheese. “You ask that every time,” Shirley said. “You know I love having you girls here. I wish you had come sooner.”

“Me too. I don’t know what I waited so long for. I forgot how great Maple Creek is.”

“Did you just say Maple Creek was great? Maybe you’ve had too much to drink,” Shirley said with a laugh.

“You can smell it on me?” Macy put her hand to her mouth and breathed out. “I can’t smell anything.”

“Just a little. I don’t think you’re drunk or anything. I’m just glad you finally took some time to loosen up and enjoy yourself.”

“I have been wound pretty tight since we got here,” Macy admitted.

“What did you think of the Brazen Bull?” Her mom waggled her eyebrows. “And you have to have something to say about the bull himself. That Jack Keller is one hot dish.”

Macy could feel her flush deepening. “He’s all right. He does make a mean drink.”

Her mom rolled her eyes. “Don’t try to pretend you didn’t notice he was good-looking. You don’t find a man like that every day. I know Jack is just your type, and he’s single too.”

Jackpot! She didn’t even have to go fishing. Her mother had brought it up herself.

Macy almost squealed with delight now that she knew Jack was single. She still had a chance to get to know him better and maybe date him. One day. Eventually. Once she was ready, anyway.

“Look!” Jill came running into the room with a piece of paper in her hand.

Macy had been so excited about Jack, she had forgotten Jill was off retrieving a picture. She picked up her daughter and pulled her into her lap. “Let me get a look at this.”

“I drew my family. This is me,” Jill said, pointing to the small figure on her picture. “And this is Grandma and you.”

Macy nodded. Unexpectedly, the simple drawing tugged at her heartstrings. It was a picture of the three of them in front of the house. None of them was drawn particularly well, but it was a sweet drawing. Macy couldn’t help but notice that Don was missing from the family picture.

She had the urge to ask, but she also didn’t want to remind Jill that her father wasn’t with them. It hurt her to think that Don had done such a bad job as a father that his daughter barely noticed his absence. For Jill, it was normal for Don never to be around. Macy wondered if her daughter thought life was better without her father around, or if she just didn’t remember him.

How depressing. When she was first pregnant, she had been filled with such hope. But Don had been a disappointment right away. It was one thing to disappoint Macy, but to disappoint their daughter was something entirely different.

It was one of the main reasons Macy had decided to leave. While she was driving to her mom’s house in tears, unable to figure out how she was going to do this all alone, she had vowed not to make the same mistake again. She would take great care with whomever she chose to date or marry next. She wanted never to bring someone else into Jill’s life who would let her down.

“What a beautiful picture,” Macy said. She kissed the top of Jill’s jet-black hair.

“Dinner will be ready soon,” her mom said. “Maybe you should check your emails before we sit down to eat?”

Macy narrowed her eyes. “Why would I check my emails?”

Her mother shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe you’ll find something nice there.”

“Mom!” Macy cried. The legs of her chair squealed on the tile as she backed up quickly. “Have you been looking at my emails again?”

“Don’t sound so accusing,” her mother said, looking abashed. “I didn’t mean to. If I did it. Not that I’m saying I did.”

Jill put her fingers over her mouth. She looked from her grandma to her mom. Macy knew she wasn’t going to talk, but the little gesture gave it away. Jill always put her fingers over her mouth when she had a secret she wanted to tell.

“Fine, I’ll check my email,” Macy grumbled.

She went to the computer in the family room and opened the browser. She quickly navigated to her emails and saw that she had many unread messages. The one that would interest her mom stood out from the rest. It was a congratulations email from Lovely and Kind Brides.

Macy gasped and put her hand over her mouth. She’d only signed up a couple of weeks before her visit to her mom’s. When she had decided that her marriage was over, her mother had been very practical, telling her to sign up on some dating sites. She had signed up for only three, and as time went on, she’d forgotten all about them and let her membership on two of them lapse. She wasn’t ready to date, so it was no use having a profile on a dating site.

But she had completely forgotten to shut down her LK Brides profile. It had been so long, and she hadn’t gotten any match from the site. Of all days, this was the one when they’d found her someone. She didn’t need to become a mail-order bride anymore. She knew she could find men on her own when she was ready. She felt awful, but she was going to have to turn down the match.

“What’s wrong?” Jill asked, putting her hand on Macy’s face. “Is it the flush?”

Macy shook her head. “Mommy just had a little surprise.”

Her mother came out of the kitchen. She couldn’t keep the glee off her face. “Did you see?”

“I saw,” Macy said. “I can’t believe I got a match. I forgot to shut down my profile.”

“You have a match.” Shirley sat down on the couch and clapped her hands together in delight. “I can’t believe this. Who is it? Is anyone we know? How far way does he live?”

“Calm down, Mom. I haven’t even opened the email yet.”

Jill slid off Macy’s lap and went to sit with her grandmother on the couch. Shirley waited anxiously as Macy opened her email and read quietly to herself.

The contents were even more shocking than the initial email. She had to read it four times, and even then she didn’t believe it.

“Jack Keller,” she breathed.

“Forget about the barkeep,” Shirley said dismissively. “Who’s your match?”

“Jack Keller.” Macy moved around so her mother could see. Right there on the computer screen was Jack’s smiling picture on his profile page. His luminescent green eyes twinkled with mischief even in the 2-D picture. Macy could stare at it all day.