Lucy nodded and headed instead for their two-year-old daughter, who was gleefully attempting to snatch a bedraggled stuffed dinosaur from a loudly protesting miniature replica of Ted Beaudine. Panda reached the screen porch where his son had been napping. The baby quieted as Panda put him to his shoulder, and the old house that had once felt so unwelcome seemed to embrace them both. He gazed out at his yard, where the people who meant everything to him had gathered.

Lucy had managed to distract their daughter, a pint-size lion tamer with Panda’s dark curls and her mother’s adventurous spirit. The afternoon ferry chugged toward the harbor. A pair of gulls swooped over the water in search of a meal. Lucy lifted her head and looked toward the porch. As their gazes met, her mouth curled in a soft smile of contentment that made his heart swell.

Be the best at what you’re good at.

Who could have known he’d be so good at this?

About the Author

SUSAN ELIZABETH PHILLIPS soared onto the New York Times bestseller list with Dream a Little Dream. She’s the only four-time recipient of the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Favorite Book of the Year Award. A resident of the Chicago suburbs, she is also a hiker, gardener, reader, wife, and mother of two grown sons.

Author’s Note

You readers are a pushy lot! After I wrote Fancy Pants and Lady Be Good, you demanded to see more of the delectable Ted Beaudine, and after I wrote First Lady, you demanded to see more of Lucy Jorik. It seemed so logical to hook them up in Call Me Irresistible … Oh, well … We know how that worked out. I hope you’re as happy as I am that Lucy finally got her own book.

In a career that’s been as blessedly long as mine, so many people have cheered me on and held me up—family; friends; my longtime editor, the wise and wonderful Carrie Feron; the incomparable teams at HarperCollins, William Morrow, and Avon Books who are incredibly generous with me. An overdue thank-you to my ever-patient copy editor, Shelly Perron. Anything that slips past her is, unfortunately, my fault. The same goes for my incredibly able assistant, the remarkable Sharon Mitchell.

What could I have done without my writing buddies: Lindsay Longford, Robyn Carr, Jennifer Greene, Kristin Hannah, Jayne Ann Krentz, Cathie Linz, Suzette Vandeweile, Julie Wachowski, and Margaret Watson? I’ve been very fortunate to have Steve Axelrod and Lori Antonson as my agents for lo these many years. I’m grateful to my publishers all over the world who have treated my books so well. A special thank-you to Nicola Bartels, Inge Kunzelmann, and the phenomenal team at Blanvalet Verlag in Munich. Alles Liebe!