He caught her before she tumbled down the stairs. His hands snaked around her waist, pulling her against him.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t why he was here.

He set Whitney back on her feet.

“S-Sam?” She looked into his eyes. She had beautiful brown eyes full of warmth and light. Something he had forgotten existed in this world.

He nodded. “I’m here to see his family.”

He tried to sound official. But right now his blood was pumping. He felt the energy in his body surging at an all-time new level. His bear was awake. This beautiful curvy vision had just changed the entire game.

“Are you with the insurance company?” She took a step back.

“No. Nothing like that. But I need to meet with his family. Are his parents here?”

She shook her head. “No. They’re not. It’s just me.”

Kyle looked at her. How was that possible? “Only you? Sam said ‘family’.”

“Well, I’m his sister. And our parents have been gone for years. I’m the only family Sam has.” She lowered her eyes. “Or had.”

Fuck. She was Sam’s sister? He had always envisioned Sam’s little sister with freckles, braces, and glasses. Not curves and lips so full he had to remember to blink.

“Can we talk?” He motioned toward the front door.

“Would you like to come in?”

Hell yeah he wanted to come in. The mission had changed. Everything had changed. The minute she landed in his hands and he looked in her eyes, he knew he had a mate. Kyle Brake had a mate.

“That would be nice.”

He followed her inside, noticing the boxes stacked along the walls.

“Sorry it’s a mess. I’m packing up Sam’s stuff, and trying to sort through what I can sell.”

She led him to a living room and he sat across from her. “What are you doing with all of it?”

“I have some boxes to donate. Some to try to sell online. The rest can just go with the house.”

Kyle’s eyes shot to hers. “Sell the house?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’m going to sell it.”

He tried to remember what Sam had told him about the house, but he was having trouble remembering all the conversations. Sometimes they talked just to try to keep each other awake. They would be out in the field for days with no sleep. It passed the time.

“Anyway.” She smiled. “You said you needed to talk.”

“Does Sam’s sister have a name?” He smiled, desperate to hear her name pass over her lips. Lips that were so lush and soft. He stopped his bear from growling in front of her.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s Whitney. Whitney Collins.”

Even her name was perfect.

Kyle reached into his pocket, retrieving the letter he had guarded for the past month. He held it toward her.

“This is from your brother. He asked me to deliver it.”

She reached forward, taking the envelope in her hand. She stared at it, blinking rapidly.

“I don’t think I can read it.” Her eyes lifted to him.

He shook his head. “Whenever you’re ready,” he offered. He didn’t know when Sam had written the letter, and he had no idea what was on the pages, but he swore he would get it to his family.

It wasn’t the only promise Sam got out of him.

“Thank you for bringing it to me.” She placed it in her lap. “Were you in his unit?” she asked.

“Yes. We were in the same Ranger unit.”

“So you’re like him, then?”

“Depends on what you mean by that.”

“Reckless. Fearless. Determined.”

Kyle noticed how her eyes blazed when she talked. “Yeah, important Ranger qualities.”

“I left out idiot.” She rose from the couch, clutching the letter in her fist.

“Your brother wasn’t an idiot.” He wanted to steady her and calm the emotion surfacing.

“Really? Then why is he dead?” Her eyes narrowed.

Kyle wanted to pull her toward him. The need was almost unbearable. He didn’t know it would feel like this when he found his mate.

“I can’t talk about what happened on the mission. It’s classified. But I can assure you, your brother was not an idiot.” He stared into her eyes, but all he saw was anger.

“Well, thanks for dropping this off. You can check it off your list.”

She walked across the room toward the front door. “It was nice to meet you, Kyle.”

None of this was going right. She was ready to toss him out.

“I can’t leave.”

“And why is that?”

“Because I swore to Sam I would help his family. And I can’t leave until I know you’re ok. That you don’t need anything.”

“I doubt Sam took it that seriously.”

Sam’s instructions were clear. Kyle would never forget the look in his eyes or what he said. His family was in Kyle’s hands now. It appeared that meant Whitney.

She put her hands on her hips. “I’m fine. Really.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Your steps are falling apart. You got locked out of your gate. If you lean over that porch railing you’ll fall down a hundred foot cliff. You’ve got a leak in the hallway and…”

“Ok. Stop. I know the house is falling apart, but that’s not your responsibility.”

He looked in her eyes. “It is now.”