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      SHERRYL WOODS

      With her roots firmly planted in the South, Sherryl Woods has written many of her more than 100 books in that distinctive setting, whether it’s her home state of Virginia, her adopted state, Florida, or her much-adored South Carolina. She’s also especially partial to small towns wherever they may be.

      A member of Novelists Inc., Sisters in Crime and Romance Writers of America, Sherryl divides her time between her childhood summer home overlooking the Potomac River in Colonial Beach, Virginia, and her oceanfront home with its lighthouse view in Key Biscayne, Florida. “Wherever I am, if there’s no water in sight, I get a little antsy,” she says.

      Sherryl also loves hearing from readers. You can join her at her blog, www.justbetweenfriendsblog.com, visit her Web site at www.sherrylwoods.com or contact her directly at [email protected].

      For Diane Kay McDaniel, who had the

       wonderful idea of bringing Sammy and Penny together.

       This one’s for you.

      Contents

      Prologue

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Epilogue

      Prologue

      In the eyes of sixteen-year-old Penny Hayden there was something a little dangerous and very exciting about the handsome young man standing beside her grandmother in the streaming sunlight at the front of Boston’s Whitehall Episcopal Church. Though he was wearing an expensive suit made of the finest Halloran fabric and tailored to fit perfectly, he looked as if he would have been more comfortable in ripped denim and black leather. His blond hair had been newly trimmed and was slicked back, but it was still an inch or two longer than any respectable teen’s in her conservative private school back in California.

      Of all the new relatives she was meeting for the first time at the christening of six-month-old Elizabeth Lacey Halloran, Penny thought Sam Roberts was by far the most fascinating. She had been drawn to him from the first instant she’d seen him. At the same time, the unexpected intensity of her reaction was something entirely new and faintly puzzling. Frankly, it scared her silly.

      Sam’s exploits, at least as told by her grandfather, had taken on almost mythic proportions in her mind, adding to his intriguing aura. Every time the stories were told, her parents managed to look faintly alarmed, as if they’d guessed right off what her reaction to Sam would be. She’d probably been half prepared to fall head over heels in love with him before she ever got to Boston just because he was the kind of boy they’d always placed strictly off limits. At sixteen, she figured she was long overdue for both a rebellion and a gigantic crush. That probably explained why she trembled inside every time she set eyes on him.

      Unfortunately, Sam Roberts, who’d just turned nineteen, hadn’t so much as glanced at Penny the entire weekend. In fact, he’d stood on the sidelines at most of the family gatherings this weekend, looking a little lost, a little lonely. She knew with some gut-deep instinct that he would never admit to either of those feelings. He probably didn’t even recognize them.

      Penny could empathize. She still felt like an outsider with the tight-knit Hallorans. For one thing, they all lived on the opposite side of the United States. None had visited them in LosAngeles, despite her grandfather’s overtures. She guessed they were still as shocked as her family was by the discovery that Penny’s mother Ellen was the daughter Brandon Halloran had never known he had.

      Personally, Penny thought it had been incredibly romantic the way Brandon Halloran had tracked down her grandmother Elizabeth and then discovered the truth. Penny had been dying to go to Boston for their long overdue wedding, but everyone had agreed it would be best if only her mother and her Aunt Kate were there for the first meeting of the two sides of the family. She’d had to wait six months, for this christening, to get her first look at all these intriguing new relatives.

      Because of her own tumultuous emotions she could guess how Sam must be feeling. It made her want to reach out to him. To her parents’ regret, she’d been picking up strays most of her life, always befriending the outsiders in her class and in her neighborhood. It looked as if she might carry the trait into adulthood.

      Right now, though, Sam was in the center of things, caught up in this special celebration. He, along with Penny’s grandmother, had been chosen as godparents for the firstborn in the fourth generation of Hallorans.

      Sam’s expression was solemn as he listened to the minister explain his responsibilities. Only when he glanced down at the baby, still being held in her mother’s arms, did a look of absolute delight and reverence soften his features. Penny saw her grandmother reach over and squeeze his hand and wished like crazy that she could have been the one standing up there beside him, sharing this special moment in a family where tradition meant so much.

      Later, at her grandfather’s house, Penny watched with her heart in her throat as Sam awkwardly cradled the baby in his arms. She told herself she was being silly and romantic, but she fantasized that it was their baby he was holding with such a look of tenderness on his face. Then she wondered when she had turned into such a nut case. She’d always been the steady one, the precocious one. She’d never fantasized about anything until this week…when she’d seen Sam Roberts for the very first time.

      “What are you thinking about so seriously?” her grandmother asked, coming up beside her and giving her a squeeze. “You’ve been awfully quiet all weekend. It’s not like you.”

      “They’re a little overwhelming, don’t you think?” Penny admitted aloud for the first time.

      Elizabeth Halloran gave her a conspiratorial grin. “That’s exactly the way I felt when Brandon introduced me to them for the first time, but it doesn’t last. Pretty soon you’ll feel like one of the family.” She followed the direction of Penny’s gaze. “Quite a hunk, isn’t he?”

      Embarrassment flooded Penny’s cheeks. She hadn’t realized she’d been so obvious. “Who?” she asked, hoping to save face.

      “Sam.”

      “I guess,” she said with a disinterested shrug.

      “He’s older than you are, though.”

      “Not that much. A couple of years.”

      “But he had a much tougher life. He grew up a lot faster.”

      “Is he going to go into business with grandfather?”

      “That’s what Brandon wants and Kevin and Jason don’t object. Sam started working in the company right after his sister Dana got involved with Jason. He seems to have a real aptitude for sales and marketing, but according to your grandfather, Sammy’s gotten it into his head he wants to do something on his own. Maybe he’s feeling overwhelmed by all the Hallorans, just like you. How come you haven’t asked him about this yourself? You’ve never been shy.”

      “I’ve never met anyone like him before,”

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