Sam’s brow furrowed. “She did tell me his name in a postcard she sent. I think I have it in my carry bag. Let me look.” She ran across the compound and returned with her carry-on. She dug around until she had the stack of old postcards in her hand. “Here it is.” She quickly read the message on the postcard. “His name is Peter Nicoli. Do you know him, Pappy?”

Pappy started to laugh. “Yes, I know him, and so do you. It’s Senator Wyne, a.k.a. Douglas Cosmo Rainford, III. I gave him a new identity, and he will live there the rest of his life, or at least for a good long time.”

Sam stared at the man she was going to marry, her eyes full of questions.

“I can’t talk about it, Sam. It all belongs to that old part of my life that I gave up. I’m sorry, but I can’t say more.”

Sam’s head buzzed. “Well, we need to warn her. Don’t we?”

“Zoe’s a big girl. The senator’s appearance has been altered but I’m sure she’s going to figure it out sooner or later. He did tell me she was the only one he regretted divorcing. He really liked the way she could take apart a drainpipe. Even with her long fingernails.”

Sam started to laugh, and Pappy joined in. They laughed so hard they fell off the bench they were sitting on. Glued together, they rolled around until they found a soft patch of freshly mowed grass.

“I love you so much it hurts,” Pappy said. “I wasn’t sure you would come back. Every night I prayed. I counted the hours and the minutes.”

“I did, too. I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. At least not anytime soon. I explained my departure agreement. You’re still okay with it, aren’t you?”

“I’m okay with anything you want,” Pappy said softly. “I’ll always be okay with anything you want to do.”

Sam kissed him to seal their bargain, and it was a bargain. A bargain of love.

More from the Author
Hey, Good Looking	Pretty Woman
The Nosy Neighbor	Family Blessings
The Real Deal	Crown Jewel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Fern Michaels is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of Hey, Good Looking and Family Blessings, the #1 New York Times bestseller The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, Crown Jewel, The Real Deal, Late Bloomer, Trading Places, No Place Like Home, Kentucky Sunrise, Plain Jane, and dozens of other novels. There are more than 70 million copies of her books in print. She lives in South Carolina.

ALSO BY FERN MICHAELS

Hey, Good Looking

The Nosy Neighbor

Pretty Woman

Family Blessings

The Real Deal

Crown Jewel

Trading Places

Late Bloomer

No Place Like Home

The Delta Ladies

Wild Honey

We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.