Savich nodded, smiling, and said, “How long does she want to think about it? Did she give you any hope at all?”

Miles shrugged. “I don’t know. We didn’t set a time, but I’ll tell you, Sam and I aren’t doing so well.”

“You miss her?”

“Well, yes, and Keely, but it’s Sam I’m really worried about.”

“What, nightmares? Surely you’ve got him seeing a child shrink. What does the doctor say?”

“No, no nightmares,” Miles said. “It’s Keely. He’s miserable without Keely. I’m telling you, those two kids bonded instantly. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was a nightmare separating them. Katie and I both felt like monsters, and there’s Katie’s mom, looking at us like she wanted to carry the pitchfork as she led the villagers. Sam is speaking to me now, but he’s miserable, too quiet-not sulking, just unhappy. I’m beginning to think it’s not going to go away.”

“It’s only been a little over a day, Miles,” Sherlock said.

Savich said, “So what does the shrink say?”

“Evidently Dr. Jones called Dr. Raines in Jessborough and that’s why she agreed to see Sam this morning.”

“So what did she say?”

“She said I should do anything to get Katie to marry me.”

They all laughed. Sam looked up, frowned at them, and went back to helping Sean build a block fort, which wasn’t going too well since Sean would yell and give it a karate chop when it got three blocks high.

“So what are you going to do?” Sherlock asked.

Miles sat forward. “You know,” he said slowly, “maybe it’s time I was a buccaneer.”

“What’s a buccaneer, Papa?”

“So you heard that, did you?” Sam, holding Sean’s hand, was standing next to his father. “He’s learned he has to be real quiet if he wants to eavesdrop.”

“Tell us, Papa.”

That serious, so serious voice. “All right, Sam.” Miles lifted both Sam and Sean up onto his lap. “A buccaneer was a pirate who was given permission by his country to plunder enemy ships. They were take-charge kind of guys, Sam, who did things their own way. I’m thinking that it’s time for me to take charge. What do you think?”

“You’re always in charge, Papa.”

Sean burped against Sam’s arm, raised his head and said, “Mama, apple pie.”

Sherlock laughed, got up, and went to the kitchen. “Apple pie coming up. What would the buccaneer like to have?”

“Just bring me an eye patch.”

Sam laughed, the first laugh that had sprung out of that little mouth since they’d left Tennessee.

A t eleven o’clock that night, Miles landed his plane at Ackerman’s Air Field. Thirty minutes later, he was driving the rental car into Minna Benedict’s driveway.

It wasn’t raining so hard now, but he could tell that it had really been coming down. A low-lying fog had come up, turning everything gray. The mountains brooded, blurred in a soft mist.

It felt like coming home.

He let Sam, so excited he could barely speak, knock on the door.

Minna beamed at them, clearly startled. “Good grief, Miles, Sam! Come give me a big hug, sweetie. You, Sam, not your daddy. Oh my goodness, it’s wonderful to see both of you. Miles, your face looks all sort of romantic.”

While Sam was enfolded in Minna’s arms, Miles looked over her head for Katie. “I called, but there wasn’t any answer, Minna. Where are Katie and Keely? Asleep? It’s nearly midnight. I’m sorry we’re so late. They are asleep, aren’t they?”

Before Minna could say anything, Sam said, “We’re here because Papa decided at dinner that he had to be a buccaneer. My aunt Sherlock couldn’t find him an eye patch, that’s why you can’t tell.”

“What Sam means, Minna, is that I’m here to sling my bride over my shoulder and cart her away.”

“I see,” Minna said. She straightened, keeping Sam pressed against her side. She gave Miles a big grin. “Well, now, isn’t this the funniest thing? Katie and Keely took off in her truck this evening, headed for Virginia.”

“What?”

“Oh wow!”

Minna smiled at the boy and the man, who, she suspected, would be related to her in no time at all. “Come in, come in. You can phone Katie on her cell. I’m surprised you didn’t get her number before you left.”

“She wouldn’t give it to me,” Miles said. “She wanted time to think without my bugging her and without Sam guilting her.”

“Doesn’t matter. Don’t worry, Sam, Keely’s been working on her around the clock.”

“I told her I’d work on my dad,” Sam said and gave her a huge grin.

“That’s my boy,” Minna said. “How long will it take Katie to drive to Colfax?”

Miles felt ready to explode. His heart was pounding, his guts were in a knot. “Minna, please tell me exactly why Katie is driving to Colfax. Spell it out for me.”

“She was coming to marry you, of course. She told me if you agreed, she’d call me and we’d work things out from this end.”

“You’re not joking? She’s really coming to marry me? She and Keely just hopped in her truck and off they went?”

“That’s it, Miles. She’s been stomping around here, driving everyone nuts, she’s growled at all her deputies, snapped at Mayor Tommy because he wanted every gory detail about everything, three times. What with all the rain and all the problems that’s brought, it hasn’t helped. She even snapped Linnie’s head off, blew a fit at Keely for her less-than-subtle hints, cried at her and Keely’s misery, and then she gave it up. Oh goodness, look at you, Miles. I love to see a man who’s trying to think.”

Miles stood there with his mouth open, just shaking his head. She’d been acting just like he had, which had to mean that she was miserable without him, without Sam.

“Katie’s a buccaneer,” Sam shouted. “Just like Papa!” Sam whooped, grabbed his father’s hand, and started dancing around.

“Why don’t I get her an eye patch for her wedding present?” Minna said. “You flew your plane, Miles?”

He nodded, blinking, still getting his wits back together.

“Then I guess you’d best be on your way back home. You don’t want her to get there before you do, do you? And be careful, the weather’s terrible.”

He thought of Cracker and hoped to God she’d let Katie and Keely in the house if Katie beat him back to Colfax.

“We’re married,” Sam said with a great deal of satisfaction to the group gathered with coffee, champagne, and Cracker’s special triple chocolate cake in the living room.

Savich leaned over and ruffled Sam’s hair. He said, “Yep, it’s all official now, Sam.”

Sherlock, holding a sleeping Sean in her arms, nodded. “You and Keely are brother and sister.”

“Cool,” said Keely, and punched Sam in the arm.

“Well, you can see where my kid stands on this,” Miles said as he handed a slice of cake to Cracker, who was still looking a bit shell-shocked.

Sam leaned over and patted her hand. “It’s okay, Aunt Cracker, Katie’s really nice and she can shoot people dead if they bother you.”

Cracker swallowed the bite the wrong way and began coughing. Sam was slapping her on the back, she was tearing up, and Keely handed her a glass of champagne.

“Just what I needed,” Cracker gasped and downed the champagne.

“Oh dear,” Katie said. “Would you believe, Cracker, that I’m actually known more for keeping our teenagers on the straight and narrow? No kid under eighteen smokes in my town when I’m around.”

Cracker took another bite of cake and said, as she closed her eyes in bliss, “That’s not gory enough, Katie. Sounds like Sam thinks you’re the Terminator.”

But Sam and Keely weren’t listening to the adults. They were whispering to each other in the corner of the living room, every once in a while sneaking looks at their parents.

Savich stood, picked up his boy and gently laid him over his shoulder. “It’s nearly ten o’clock. We accomplished the impossible-got you guys licensed and married, all in one day.”