Cover

Praise

Praise for the novels of Jude Deveraux

“Deveraux spins an intriguing and unorthodox romance… An entertaining page-turner.”

—Kirkus Reviews on Met Her Match

“Vintage Jude Deveraux from start to finish, a joy to read.”

—Fresh Fiction on Met Her Match

“Deveraux’s charming novel has likable characters and life-affirming second chances galore.”

—Publishers Weekly on As You Wish

“Jude Deveraux’s writing is enchanting and exquisite.”

—BookPage

“Deveraux’s touch is gold.”

—Publishers Weekly

“A steamy and delightfully outlandish retelling of a literary classic.”

—Kirkus Reviews on The Girl from Summer Hill

“[A]n irresistibly delicious tale of love, passion, and the unknown.”

—Booklist on The Girl from Summer Hill

“[A] sexy, lighthearted romp.”

—Kirkus Reviews on Ever After

“Thoroughly enjoyable.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Ever After

About the Author

Jude Deveraux is the author of forty-three New York Times bestsellers, including Sweet Liar, the Nantucket series and A Knight in Shining Armor. She was honored with an RT Book Reviews Pioneer Award in 2013 for her distinguished career. To date, there are more than sixty million copies of her books in print worldwide.

JudeDeveraux.com

Booklist

Also by Jude Deveraux and MIRA

MET HER MATCH

AS YOU WISH

Medlar Mysteries

A WILLING MURDER

A JUSTIFIED MURDER

A FORGOTTEN MURDER

Providence Falls

CHANCE OF A LIFETIME

Look for Jude Deveraux’s next novel in the Providence Falls series
AN IMPOSSIBLE PROMISE
available soon from MIRA.

For additional books by Jude Deveraux,
visit her website, judedeveraux.com.

CHAPTER ONE

Mason, Kansas
May 1972

Adam is back.

Vera Exton couldn’t get that thought out of her head. The man she had always loved, the man who held the keys to her future, was finally home.

She was on the front porch of her family home. As always, she was surrounded by newspapers and magazines. She paid to have the New York Times sent to her. That it arrived three days late didn’t matter. At least she got to see what was going on in the world. The world. Not just Kansas, not just the US, but everywhere.

In college, she’d majored in political science, with a minor in geography. She knew where the Republic of Vanuatu was, where Rajasthan, India, was. She could tell Bhutan from Nepal by a single photo. She’d studied languages on her own and knew a smattering of several. Rhodesia, she thought. Madagascar. She’d send her sister photos of herself with a lemur when she got there. Kelly would like that.

Vera closed her eyes, leaning back in the old chair that her mother had bought at a craft fair. It had been made by someone local, using local materials. That was the difference between them. Her mother and her sister prided themselves on “local,” while Vera could only see the world.

“And now it’s all going to begin,” she whispered, and opened her eyes.