He stopped walking and gazed at the farmhouse. The twins were two and a half now, mischievous little blond haired cherubs who managed to get into nearly as much trouble as their mother. As he thought about them, he could feel his throat closing up, and he was glad nobody was around to witness the tears that gathered in his eyes. He’d always loved this place, but until Phoebe had settled in with her rhinestone sunglasses and glittery earrings, something had been missing.

Once again he drew a long, contented breath. He had everything he’d dreamed of. A wife he loved with all his heart. Beautiful children. A house in the country. And a dog.

He whistled softly “Come on, Pooh. Let’s go home.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would not have been possible without the gracious assistance of the Chicago Bears’ organization. A special thanks to Barbara Allen for opening doors and answering questions. Go Bears!

I am also deeply indebted to the following people and organizations:

The National Football League

The Dallas Cowboys’ and Denver Broncos’ organizations

The public relations staff at the Pontiac Silverdome and the Houston Astrodome

Linda Barlow, Mary Lynn Baxter, Jayne Ann Krentz, Jimmie Morel, John Roscich, and Katherine Stone, for brainstorming, answering questions, providing perspective, and, in general, bailing me out of trouble

The wonderful reference librarians at Nichols Library

Claire Zion, for years of guidance and support The people at Avon Books, especially my enthusiastic and helpful editor, Lisa Wager.

A special thank you to my husband, Bill Phillips, who, since my writing career began, has planned golf tournaments, designed computers, and spent the past year managing a professional football team. This book truly would not have been possible without his help.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips
www.susanephillips.com

About the Author

SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS soared onto the New York Times bestseller list with her 1998 smash, Dream a Little Dream, and remained there through three subsequent novels—Lady Be Good, First Lady, and This Heart of Mine. A former RITA Award winner, she is the only five-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award. Susan delights fans by touching hearts as well as funny bones with her wonderfully whimsical modern fairy tales. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is a wife and the mother of two grown sons. Her web address is
www.susanphillips.com.

About the Publisher

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United States
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.