Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Olsen)
Hope Valley Dating App Romances Book 11
Ariana Hawkes
Contents
Note from the author
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Get your free book!
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Olsen)
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
A Thank You from Ariana Hawkes
Also by Ariana Hawkes
Bonus story: Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Kristin)
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
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About the Author
Copyright ©2017 by Ariana Hawkes
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events and businesses is purely coincidental.
This is a standalone, 33,500-word HEA romance, perfect for a lunch break, bath time, or a little dose of me-time, wherever you are!
Created with Vellum
Note from the author
Hi there! The eleventh instalment of the series is here and I really hope you’ll enjoy Olsen and Dolores’ story!
I’ve also included a free bonus book for you.
Please note: The main story finishes at about 60% because the free bonus story follows. So don’t be confused - the main book is a novella of 33,500 words.
Enjoy Olsen and Dolores’ story!
Yours,
Ariana
ALSO BY ARIANA HAWKES
Shiftr: Hope Valley Dating App Romances
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 1 (Dina)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 2 (Kristin)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 3 (Melissa)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 4 (Andrea)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 5 (Lori)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 6 (Adaira)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 7 (Timo)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 8 (Jessica)
Shiftr: Swipe Left for Love – Book 9 (Ryzard)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love - Book 10 (Nash)
Broken Hill Bears
Bear In The Rough (Broken Hill Bears Book 1)
Bare Knuckle Bear (Broken Hill Bears Book 2)
Bear Cuffs (Broken Hill Bears Book 3)
Christmas Bear Shifter Romances
Bear All I Want For Christmas Boxed Set
Bear Magic Christmas
Bear My Perfect Gift
Polar Bears’ Christmas
Lost To The Bear
Ravished by the Ice Palace Pack
Get your free book!
A 4.5-star rated, comedy romance featuring one kickass roller derby chick, two scorching-hot Alphas, and the naughty nip that changed their lives forever.
The only thing missing from Aspen Richardson’s life is a man who will love her just the way she is. In the small town she calls home, bullies from the past remain, making her wonder if it's ever going to happen. But, things are about to change in a major way, as the secret Aspen’s parents have been keeping from her comes out…
“This book definitely needs to be added to your MUST read list – you will quickly fall in love with this steamy and fast paced story.”
Get your free book now!
(If your device doesn’t support links, go to www.arianahawkes.com/freebook)
Shiftr: Swipe Left For Love (Olsen)
Hope Valley Dating App Romances Book 11
Prologue
Dolores bit down hard on her tongue and dug her nails into her palms. I won’t think it, she repeated to herself like a mantra. I won’t even entertain the thought for a second. Instead, she locked eyes with the red-faced man who was bawling in her face in the middle of the school playground, and concentrated on her breathing. I’m strong enough for this. I am. He was at least a foot taller than she was, and he loomed over her like a predatory animal, but she stood firm, breathing in and out.
At last, it began to work. Mr Carter was still screaming, his face screwed up like an angry baby’s, yellow teeth gnashing, but her lip stopped trembling and her eyes quit prickling. It’s not his fault he’s acting like this. He’s just trying to protect his kid.
He was saying all kinds of terrible things to her. That his son deserved better than a piece of crap teacher like her. That he was going to ruin her. That he was going to find out where she lived and torch her house. Each word was like a stab in the heart, but she forced them to roll off her. Reminded herself that he couldn’t help it, and that she needed to treat him with kindness. Never mind that his son Trey was a violent bully who terrorized half the kids in his class; who’d recently knocked a girl’s front teeth out, and had kicked Dolores in the shins more times than she could remember. Never mind any of that. His dad was furious that she’d given him an after-school detention, which had meant that someone had to come pick him up, which was obviously a gigantic inconvenience to the family.
There was no point trying to reason with Mr Carter. She’d made that mistake once before, when she visited him at home and told him very gently that Trey seemed to be exhibiting some behavioral problems and he might benefit from seeing a child psychologist. One look at the broken-down two-room house where they lived told her a lot about Trey’s issues. The place was filthy, crammed with junk, every available surface strewn with empty beer cans, half-eaten food, and cigarette stubs. At least three huge dogs barked and snarled at her from behind the kitchen door. Mr Carter had completely freaked out, grabbed her by the throat and told her that there was no damn thing wrong with his son, and if she ever said so again, he’d cut her. She’d run away sobbing and didn’t sleep at all that night. But she wasn’t a quitter, and she came back the next day and faced the class again.
Trey wasn’t the only difficult kid in the class. Many of them showed signs of ADHD. Lots of them had aggressive parents, who’d swagger up to the school, threatening violence if they felt like their kids weren’t being respected. As a result, she was often stressed and upset, but she just wanted to help the kids, to give them the love they were so obviously missing at home.
“Are you hearing me?” Mr Carter bellowed.
“Of course I am –” she began. But before she could finish her sentence, his hand shot out and one of his dirty, stubby fingers jabbed her in the chest. She screamed and jerked backward.
“Mr, Carter! Don’t touch me, please!” she yelped.
He sneered at her. “I’m gunna do more than that. I’ve got half a mind to teach you a lesson,” he spat, taking a step toward her. Just
then, the Head of Year appeared from behind her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
“Is there a problem, Mr Carter?” he said, coming to a stop beside them.
“Yeah, there is. This teacher of yours has been bullying my kid. I don’t know why, but she’s got it in for him.”
Dolores gasped. “That is not true. I’ve been trying to help –”
The Head of Year held his hand out. “I’ll handle this, Dolores. Mr Carter, why don’t you come this way? Let’s talk in private.”
Dolores stood in the middle of the playground, watching them go, her mouth opening and closing in disbelief. What? I’ve been assaulted, and threatened. And the Head of Year is not backing me up at all. He’s treating me like I’m the criminal. And all I’ve wanted is to help these kids. She couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. As she broke into loud sobbing, she ran across the playground, all the way to the parking lot and the safety of her car.
It took twenty minutes before she was calm enough to drive, and another twenty to get home, but by the time she was parking her little car in her driveway, her hands were still trembling and her eyes were hot and swollen. She let herself into her house and shut the door behind her. The click of the deadlock turning meant home. Her sanctuary. The one place in the world where she felt safe and protected. Mr Tiddles, her black and white tomcat, greeted her, mewing for his dinner, and she scooped him up into her arms. But her legs couldn’t carry her weight any longer, and she collapsed in a heap on her welcome mat. As she started sobbing again into his soft fur, the words that she’d promised never to speak, much less think, tumbled from between her lips. She gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to force them back in, but it was too late; they hung in the air like a poisonous cloud. She’d promised herself not to fail the kids. To be there for them, even when they were mean and difficult and unlovable. God knew, she’d been a difficult child herself when her own world had fallen apart all those years ago. And she didn’t know if she’d done a good job, but she’d tried her best. She’d lost a boyfriend over it – her first and only boyfriend – who complained that she cared more about the kids than him, and got sick of the fact that she was always tense and emotional in the evenings. And she’d been losing sleep. A lot of sleep. Every night she lay awake, worrying about the violent parents and her unsympathetic co-workers, and every morning the bags under her eyes seemed to get bigger and darker.
This is too much. I can’t do it anymore. There, she’d said it. She held her breath, wondering if her world was going to come crashing down on her head. She was going to quit. The first job she’d ever quit in her life. She was going to leave those poor, neglected kids to whoever the hell else was capable of dealing with them. Because it wasn’t her. “I’ve failed them,” she muttered. Her throat tightened so much she couldn’t even cry. What right do I have to call myself a teacher, when I only want the easy jobs? The kids with nice, kind parents?
She absently stroked Mr Tiddles along the length of his back, but he wriggled out of her grasp and let out a loud mew. Feed me. She sighed and dragged herself onto her feet. Her legs were numb from sitting for so long, and she moved slowly. But as she reached the living room door, there was an almighty crash of breaking glass. Her head snapped back toward the front door. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The glass panel in the door shattered and fell onto the welcome mat in a thousand pieces. A fist appeared where the glass had been. Something soft and light gray landed on the mat. There was a muted whump sound. There was a bright orange flash. And then Dolores’ whole world went black.
1
Six months later
Olsen Burchfield strode through the brand-new school that he and his clan had just finished building, looking for the owner. They’d done a pretty good job, if he did say so himself. The classrooms were spacious, well-ventilated cabins, full of toys and brightly-colored educational props. The play area was huge, full of things to climb up and slide down and jump off. There were monkey bars and high walkways, and nets to scramble over. There was a giant sandpit and swimming pool and swings and a zip-line. It was the kind of school he would’ve wanted to attend when he was a cub. If things had been very different…
At last he caught sight of Tamika Montefiore, the owner and mastermind behind the shifter school. She saw him at the same moment and waved, her caramel eyes full of warmth.
“Olsen, my dear! Isn’t this fantastic?” she boomed in her funny-sounding English accent, using her hand to shade her eyes from the late afternoon light. When he came close enough, she impulsively hugged him. He grinned down at her, charmed by her energy and sunny personality.
“Yeah, I reckon it’s gone pretty well,” he replied, rubbing the back of his head.
“Well? It’s absolutely perfect! Beyond my wildest dreams! I’m so grateful to you and the rest of the clan for being such a bunch of geniuses, and putting up with me throughout this long planning process.”
“I’m happy if you’re happy,” he said, hiding his pleasure with exaggerated gruffness.
“I’m absolutely delighted! Now, all we need is a team of very special teachers to take care of all the little shifters who’ll soon be filling all of these brand-new seats.”
“That’s what I wanted to tell you about – there’s a human in your office, waiting for an interview.”
“Oh, she’s here? Fantastic! Thank you, my dear!” Tamika trilled and skipped off toward the administration building, tottering in her high heels. Olsen watched her go, a smile playing on his lips, wondering what she’d make of the small, tightly wound, but very attractive female that he’d just let through the door.
Tamika’s tummy fluttered as she reached her office. The school was perfect. It hadn’t been easy to ensure that the needs of every shifter species had been taken care of, but she, Olsen and the other carpenters had gotten there in the end. But recruiting for the school was a different matter. It had been even harder than she’d expected. The trouble was that a lot of shifter kids were home schooled, while others went to mainstream schools. The few teachers who taught at shifter schools didn’t want to leave their territories behind and move to Hope Valley. So, she’d been forced to start recruiting within the human world. And that brought its own set of problems. She’d only invited four applicants to interview so far, and the first three hadn’t worked out. She hadn’t even gotten to the point of asking them to sign an NDA. They were too human, too conventional, and she didn’t trust them to keep the shifter secret. But, there was something different about the applicant she was about to meet. Her references were off the scale. Colleagues praised her relentless dedication, while a parent of one of the kids she’d taught had written a personal letter explaining how she’d taught his severely dyslexic son to read. She’d successfully campaigned for free school meals for all kids in her district, and she’d won a bravery award for saving a teen from drowning in a canal. In short, she sounded like a tough, feisty super-woman. Which is exactly what I’m going to need, Tamika thought, as she turned the handle and opened the door. But when she caught sight of the woman sitting at the table, she froze, her eyes widening as her heart sank into her boots.
“Dolores Martin?” she said, recovering fast, and held out her hand for the woman to shake.
“Y-yes,” the woman replied in a trembling voice, her fingers clammy and limp.
“Very pleased to meet you. I’m Tamika Montefiore.”
Dolores flashed a shaky smile and sat down in her seat again. She looks like a mouse, Tamika thought. I think she’d hit the ceiling if I coughed too loud. And what a shame. She’s a very attractive woman – voluptuous, with smooth olive skin and long black hair. But her hair fell into her face as if she wanted to hide behind it, and her pale green eyes were full of fear, while the corners of her mouth were crumpled with tension. Tamika tried and failed to imagine her teaching a class of unruly bear cubs. They’d exhaust her in minutes.
Tamika sat down on the chair opposite Dolores and cleared her throat as she
sifted through her notes, trying to buy some time. This wasn’t what she’d expected. At all. And it wasn’t going to work out. She ought to tell the woman that the position had just been filled and reimburse her for the wasted journey.
But she couldn’t do that. The vulnerability in the woman’s eyes stirred her sympathy.
“Thank you for coming here today,” she said instead.
“No problem,” Dolores replied, her voice little more than a whisper.
“As I mentioned on the phone, this is a very unusual position. But your résumé is certainly very impressive, which is why we selected you for interview. I wondered if you could talk me through it, starting from the beginning?” Dolores nodded nervously, shuffled forward in her chair and began.
At first her voice was quiet and strained, and Tamika had to keep prompting her to expand on what she was saying. But as she moved on from her college degree and training, to her first position as a newly qualified teacher, a passion came into her words, and her eyes began to sparkle as she spoke of the schools she’d taught at, and how much she’d loved the kids. As she explained her teaching philosophy and how she personally ensured that every single kid she taught got the attention they needed, Tamika began to match up the woman in front of her with the vision she’d had in her mind. Dolores sounded like a tireless worker, fearlessly devoted to her charges, and very open-minded in her teaching methods.
By the time Dolores reached the end of her résumé, Tamika’s fingers were itching to hand her the NDA. Instead, she pressed her fingertips together, and took a deep breath, trying to quell her enthusiasm.
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