Sylvia woke the next morning, reaching out to wrap her arm around Leland’s waist, but she found the bed empty beside her. Opening her eyes, she saw the last glimpse of his perfect behind sliding into his dark blue jeans. He turned to her and climbed back into the bed to kiss her on the forehead.

“I have an important meeting soon, and I’ve got to get going. I’ll call you as soon as I’m done,” he said, standing back up to pull his fur-lined denim jacket over his shoulders.

“What time is it?” she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

Her head ached from the beer the night before. She sat up in bed, trying to orient herself.

“It’s already eight thirty,” Leland said, stepping in to give her one last kiss on the mouth. “I’m sorry about leaving so soon. I wish there were another way around it.”

He cupped her cheek and smiled as he stood back up.

“It’s okay. I’ve got a meeting too. I can’t believe I slept so late.”

“I’ll call you later, okay?” he said, stepping toward the door.

“I’d love that.”

“We’ll talk soon,” he said, slipping outside.

Sylvia threw back the covers and climbed out of bed, still totally naked from the night before. She put her hand to her forehead, feeling fuzzy and confused. She’d let herself get swept up in the moment last night, and she should regret it, but she didn’t. Not one bit. Being with Leland had been the most amazing experience of her life.

After meeting him, she was beginning to believe in fated mates. She hurried to the bathroom and took a shower. As she wiped off the mirror to start on her makeup, she could barely keep her mind off the night before. Even though she’d been pretty tipsy, she remembered everything. And all the choices they’d made.

She barely knew Leland, but that didn’t seem to matter last night. It was like they had a connection that was above knowing how he spent his childhood or…even his last name.

What was his last name? She couldn’t remember if she’d ever even asked him. After finishing her makeup, she went on to blow out and straighten her long black hair. With that done, she went back into the bedroom and opened her suitcase, pulling out her most professional black pinstripe pant suit. This should give the right message when she showed up at Timber Bear Ranch.

Regardless of her new and unexpected love affair with the mysterious and gorgeous shifter she’d met the night before, she still had a job to do. She’d been given a big case, and she knew it could lead to bigger and better things, if she could manage to collect the debt.

She slipped into her suit pants, a white shirt, and then the jacket, before stepping into a pair of black suede heels. Knowing that the ranch was probably a muddy mess this time of year, she also grabbed her rain boots. With everything in hand, she made her way down to the car. After checking the GPS for the address again, she started up the mountain.

She slipped in the motivational CD she listened to before difficult on-site audits to get herself psyched up as she drove, repeating the power phrases she knew so well.

By the time her GPS told her to turn off the highway onto a dirt road, she was feeling confident and ready to take on the world. And it was a good thing too because she honestly had no idea what to expect.

She was already forty minutes late. She hated being late to meetings, but she was an auditor. Coming early or late was kind of her prerogative at the end of the day. Evasion was a serious crime, and the Kincaid family needed to know who they were dealing with.

Usually, she’d do a preliminary interview with the payer before the audit, but because it had been Jim’s case, she’d had to skip that part.

She pulled up into the gravel driveway of the Timber Bear Ranch and pushed open her car door. Grabbing her briefcase and purse from the backseat, she centered herself and took a deep breath. Letting out her relaxing breath, she started up the gravel path to the front porch of the old farmhouse, noting the value of the items around her. The home alone was worth several hundred thousand. She stopped at the screen door and looked for a doorbell. There wasn’t one so she pulled back the screen and knocked on the carved oak door.

When the door opened, her knees almost buckled.

“Leland?” she croaked.

“Sylvia?” he said in a gruff voice.

His eyes were dark and hooded, his expression unreadable.

“How did you know where I lived?” he asked, stepping back to welcome her inside.

“I…” she started, unable to form a complete thought.

“Come in, can I get you anything? Coffee?”

“Yes. Please. That would be great.”

“Cream and sugar?”

She couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Yes,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“You look great in that suit,” he said, moving to the kitchen. “I thought you had a meeting? Did you track me down through the gossips in town or something?”

“Um…”

How was she supposed to break it to him? When he came back into the front parlor holding her coffee cup, she stood there like an idiot gripping the handle of her briefcase. She took a sip of her coffee and smiled. He sat across from her on a red velvet couch and picked up his own coffee mug.

“I’m sorry I can’t be a better host right now. I’ve got a meeting with an auditor. He should have been here an hour ago.”

“He isn’t coming,” she muttered.

“What do you mean?” he said, shuffling through a handful of documents.

“He isn’t coming, because they sent me instead,” she said, deflating entirely and sliding down into the armchair across from Leland.

“They sent you?” he said, looking up at her, the realization finally dawning in his eyes.

She nodded, pressing her lips together, unable to speak.

“You’re my auditor?” he said in a gravelly voice.

She wasn’t sure if his tone was angry or what, but it made her heart jump in her throat and all she wanted to do was run away and forget this ever happened. It was a nightmare. The night before had been magical. Erotic. Beautiful. She’d wanted it to never end. Even if they’d just met. Even if they’d never been on a date before. The smell of him, the feeling of his arms around her. He’d told her she was his everything, and she felt he’d meant it.

“I’m afraid so,” she said, the feeling starting to come back to her numb fingers and toes.

She popped open her briefcase and pulled out her files.

“Shall we begin?” she said, trying to remember her professional manners.

“Sylvia?” he questioned.

“Leland, I’m sure we can handle this like two mature adults. I do these audits all the time. This shouldn’t be any different.”

“But you’re my fated mate,” he growled. “We made love last night.”

“True. There is a conflict of interest now. It might be better for me to assign this case to someone else.”

She could see the brightness of his beast shine through his eyes, making her recoil. Sylvia cleared her throat, not sure how to respond. She was the auditor here. She was supposed to be in charge of this investigation. The waves of palpable dominance rolling off of him made her question her ability to keep this thing under control. There was a loud banging at the door, saving her from the heat of his gaze.

“Hold on,” he said, standing from the chair.

He went to the front door and opened it.

“What the hell is going on with the company credit card?” growled a deep male voice.

Sylvia craned her neck to see who was speaking. The man in the doorway was taller than Leland by an inch or two, with shoulders so broad she doubted he could pass through the door without turning sideways. His face was so similar to Leland’s that she knew they must be related.

“Buck, this isn’t a good time.”

“I was trying to order supplies this morning and my company card kept getting denied. I need an explanation, Leland. Did you freeze my card?”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Who then?”

Leland turned to Sylvia where she sat startled in her chair. Buck, the man in the doorway, pushed past Leland and walked into the house.

“Who is she?” Buck demanded.

“Hi, I’m Sylvia Becker,” she said standing to offer him her hand. “I’m with the auditor.”

“Sorry I forgot my manners, ma’am,” he said, rubbing his hand over his denim jacket. He reached out to shake her hand. “Buck Kincaid. Leland’s brother.”

“Pleased to meet you.”

Buck sniffed the air and looked from Leland to Sylvia and back again.

“Is there something going on here I should know about? Beside the fact that there is an auditor in Dad’s living room, and my credit card is frozen. Because you two smell…funny.”

Leland sighed heavily, his tone revealing his deep exhaustion. Sylvia wanted to reach out and touch him, but part of her felt like the enemy here. The fact was, she was the enemy, in a way, and it was killing her.

“Sylvia is my mate.”

“Whoa, mate?”

“We met on Mate.com last night.”

“Okay. This is too much for one bear first thing in the morning. I was supposed to be up on the mountain half an hour ago. All I needed was a new nut for the rigger. Now, you’re mates with our auditor, and I didn’t even know we were being audited. Figures this would happen the minute you come back home after seven years.”

“You think this is somehow my fault?” Leland objected.

Sylvia felt awkward being in the middle of what looked like a budding family feud.

“Dad never said anything about an audit.”

“You have no idea what’s going on with the family finances, do you?”

“Dad took care of all that. You know what he was like.”

“Well, Dad was not doing a very good job. There are years of unpaid debts to unravel. And that’s not even the half of it.”

Buck collapsed onto the red sofa, looking dazed.

Sylvia stood near the fireplace, clutching her briefcase. She wished there was more she could do. She didn’t know Leland that well, but the night before had connected them on a level she’d never felt before. She felt a deep sense of loyalty to him, which she knew she wouldn’t be able to shake any time soon, even if she wanted to.

“I can’t believe it,” Buck said, running his hand under his baseball cap. “Dad was always so sure of himself. He never let me or Jessie in on the business side. It was a lot like the herd. You know, Leland. If I’d had any idea, I would have said something a long time ago. We could have hired someone to help him.”

“I think it was beyond hiring an accountant. Dad was hiding something. What? I have no idea. But I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

“Gentlemen, this may not be the best time to start the investigation. Maybe we can reschedule.”

“No,” they both said at the same time, finally turning to look at her.

“You two seem to have a lot to talk about right now,” Sylvia said.

“What happens next with the audit?” Buck asked.

“I look at your books, assess your assets, and take it from there. I am a certified CPA and tax preparer. I can help you get caught up on the paperwork. Although, I’m afraid this situation is…a conflict of interest now. I should probably hand the case over to another agent.”

“And go back to Portland?” Leland asked, his face contorting into a shocked and worried expression.

“That would be the most appropriate thing to do at this juncture.”

“No one needs to know you two are mates,” Buck said thoughtfully.

“I’m not sure I can do my job objectively.”

“I’d never ask you to do anything you were uncomfortable with,” Leland said, crossing the room to her.

The irritation in his face had melted away, and all she saw now was the sweet man she’d given herself to the night before. The tender look in his eyes made her weak at the knees, and she nearly fell over when he gathered her in his big, strong arms.

“Somehow, I already know that,” she whispered into his ear. “But if I’m going to be objective, you’ll have to be able to accept the outcome.”

She hated to say it. Because what she uncovered could ruin their lives. This kind of debt was a serious issue and they were in real danger of losing everything. She didn’t want to be the person who had to tell him that.

“I know we can work this out without you ever having to compromise your integrity,” he said.

“I’m not sure you comprehend how serious this is,” she said. “Depending on what your dad owes, the lien could be too high to ever pay off. You could lose Timber Bear Ranch. And there is nothing I can do to stop it. It’s all numbers. I can’t fudge them or be more understanding about it. The entire decision is black and white with no gray. I don’t want to be the one who has to do that to you.”

“Sylvia. I’d rather it came from you than anyone else. Besides, I’m not letting you get away.”

She giggled softly and stepped to the coffee table to open her briefcase and retrieve her files.

“Okay, then. Let’s get to work.”