Has it been a little while? ;) Sorry to those of you that have been waiting! So much has happened. I felt the need to press pause on a lot of things for a bit in order to place my focus where it needed to be. BUT it really bothers me that I never finished writing/sharing the end of this story! Especially since I had a big chunk already written! Not sure if it will be as enjoyable as the first two sections, but I'm diving into these characters again and enjoying it very much. :) I hope you love it! Thanks for all of the messages and reviews over the past 9 months. Please enjoy part 3!


Oliver whistled as he exited the flower shop. He leisurely walked to his car, enjoying the June sunshine. It had been six weeks since he and Shane were married. These last six weeks had been the happiest of his life.

He had gone to church and promised Shane he'd run a few errands on the way home. She told him she would make dinner tonight. He chuckled slightly to himself. Shane's culinary skills consisted of coffee and eggs with toast. She had been experimenting in the kitchen and it had been quite interesting. His stomach was still recovering from the teaspoon of red pepper in the sauce that only called for a pinch. She was determined to succeed, however, and he found it endearing.

He pulled into his driveway, happy to be home. He walked up the front steps with groceries and flowers in hand. He smiled as he entered. Much about his home was the same as it had always been, Shane had been careful to leave décor and furniture that was important to him, but now there were touches of Shane everywhere he looked. His home was a lot more colorful. His life was a lot more colorful. He hung his keys carefully on the hook next to the door and slipped off his shoes, placing them next to Shane's on the shoe rack.

Oliver paused and sniffed the air. Was something burning? And what was that noise?

"Shane? I'm home!" he announced.

Shane didn't respond. Oliver hurried to the kitchen, starting to worry. He walked in to see Shane standing with her walker by the counter, back to him, surrounded by take out bags. Every window was open, all four fans they owned were on, circulating the air. There was something black in a dish on the stove.

He grinned, trying not to laugh. Shane still hadn't noticed him. He looked at her for a moment. She had her hair half up, as she often did on Sundays. She wore a casual button up with tan pants and had his favorite apron tied around her waist. Her feet were bare and there was jazz music playing quietly in the background. He took a mental picture of the scene in his mind, wanting to remember.

He slowly walked up behind her and put his hands around her waist, trying to be affectionate. "Hello, beautiful."

Shane yelled, clearly startled, and flung her arms, tossing a box of chow mein noodles through the air. She nearly fell. "O-Oliver!"

"I'm sorry!" said Oliver hurriedly, helping her to stabilize. "I did not mean to alarm you."

Shane shifted position and looked at him, slightly exasperated. Her face quickly shifted to laughter. "I love what you are doing with your hair."

He reached up and pulled several noodles off his head. "Does it add to my charm?" he asked with teasing eyes, placing his clean hand around her waist.

Shane, still laughing, shook her head, "Not exactly, but cleaning up the noodles would definitely earn you some brownie points."

"I would be happy to, but first…" Oliver paused and reached behind him to grab the flowers off the island, "these are for you. Happy six week anniversary."

Shane's face broke into a smile, she glanced at the kitchen table where the vase of flowers from last Sunday had begun to wilt. "Oliver, these are beautiful, but at some point you may have to stop buying me flowers every week."

"Hmm," he said looking thoughtful but unconvinced, "Perhaps you are right, but how else will I earn a kiss?" He pulled her close with a smile and raised eyebrows.

Shane grinned, "Well, I could probably think of a few ways." She smiled at him flirtatiously and leaned in. Oliver smiled back and pulled her closer, sharing a tender kiss. He then touched his forehead to hers, still smiling, and reluctantly turned to start cleaning up the noodles.

Shane had a smile on her face as she moved the five steps to sit back down in her chair. She had improved since returning home from their honeymoon, but still could only be up for short periods of time. She was making slow progress and was trying to be patient. If she overdid it, she would have to rest for several days.

She watched Oliver for a moment and then smiled affectionately, "I'm glad I married a man who is willing to clean up noodles."

He chuckled. "Anything for you, my dear."

"How was church?" asked Shane.

"Good. The sermon was actually on husbands loving their wives." said Oliver.

"Oh?" replied Shane with humor in her eyes, "I probably would have enjoyed that one!"

Oliver's eyes met hers with a hopeful look, "You are welcome to attend with me, anytime."

Shane smiled understandingly, "I know."

He cleared his throat and asked tentatively, "What exactly happened to the intended dinner for this evening?"

Shane sighed, "I may have gotten a little distracted and forgotten to start a timer. But it was for a really good reason!" she exclaimed.

Oliver raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.

"Dr. Noom sent me an email. There has been some new research published on how to treat injuries similar to mine. Anyway, it sounded so promising and was so fascinating that I may have forgotten I was cooking." explained Shane.

"Ah, I see. You'll have to tell me about it over dinner. Four plates?" he asked, noticing the counter on his way to the garbage can.

"Oh, yes," said Shane, "I forgot to tell you! Norman and Rita will be here any minute. I called and invited them, knowing there would be plenty of food, and Rita and I really need to discuss the baby shower."

"Oh! Wonderful!" replied Oliver. "Do you think perhaps we should enjoy our meal in the great outdoors?" he asked, looking around the room at the fan situation, not to mention the odor.

Shane turned toward him with a serious expression, "Is this about my burnt lasagna?" she asked, feigning offense, "Because the Oliver O'Toole I know does not enjoy dining in 'the great outdoors.'"

"Uh, well, I just thought...that uh, maybe the noise from the fans would hinder conversation…" Oliver quickly explained, looking uncomfortable.

Shane smiled, letting him know she was kidding, "Outside would be lovely."


Rita came in carrying a green salad, "I brought this to go with your…" She looked around, understanding filling her face. "Oh."

"Well, we can have the salad with the Chinese. Why not?!" exclaimed Shane, taking the salad from Rita.

Rita smiled, shaking her head slightly, "Cooking is just so tricky, isn't it?"

Shane laughed, "That is very true. How are you feeling, Rita?"

Rita placed a hand on her belly. "We're both doing great! Hard to believe only seven weeks to go until she's here."

"I'm so excited for your baby shower next weekend! Where is Norman?" asked Shane.

"Oh, he's…" started Rita.

"Right here." Norman said as he walked in. "Hi, Shane."

"He dropped me off close to the door and then parked the car." explained Rita, looking at Norman affectionately.

Oliver poked his head in the back door, "Everything is ready out here. Shall we dine?"

Oliver made sure Shane had enough space for her chair and then took his seat. At the same time, Norman pulled out a chair for Rita. It was a beautiful day for an impromptu picnic. Oliver found himself feeling grateful that Shane had burnt dinner.

The conversation found its way to the DLO.

"We've definitely had an increase in lost letters." said Norman.

"I've noticed that too," said Oliver.

"Yes," said Rita, agreeing, "we had two extra bins this week for sorting, if I calculated correctly." They all knew she had. "And that doesn't include the packages."

"We're keeping up with it, for now," said Oliver with a furrowed brow, "but whenever I bring it up with Andrea, she dismisses my concerns."

After they had returned from their honeymoon, the Denver DLO had been assigned to cover an even larger geographical area. Another DLO had been closed with recent budget cuts. Oliver had protested, explaining his concern over quality of work, if the quantity of mail received was too high.

So far they had been able to handle the load, but it had yet to stop increasing, not to mention what would happen during the holiday rush. Oliver's worries were justified. His team was stretched thin, they were all feeling pressure to work faster.

Shane sighed, "It will all work out somehow, right?" she said, looking at Oliver.

He smiled and reached for her hand across the table, "It will."

"And I know we have our hands full," said Shane, "but I'm itching for an impossible letter to solve!"

Rita responded first, "It has been a while."

"Yeah," said Norman disappointedly, "Nothing too difficult since that one involving the chickens. I haven't gotten to use my field kit in weeks."

Oliver just shook his head slightly.

"What was that face for, Mr. O'Toole?" asked Shane with raised eyebrows.

They all looked at him. He sighed, "Well, I was thinking perhaps we should not be wishing for a letter to go missing…"

"Oh, we don't want a new one to get lost! We just want an already lost one to find us!" explained Rita. Norman nodded in agreement.

"Exactly," added Shane, "but I suppose we'll have to trust the timing, like always." She smiled at Oliver, squeezing his hand.

"Yes, perhaps it would be better after the baby shower." said Rita, resting her hand on her growing belly.

"Rita, I was thinking we should move it outside, right here in the backyard!" suggested Shane, "We have a tent from the wedding we can use for shade."

"That sounds nice!" said Rita.

"Oh, Oliver and I can help with set up." suggested Norman.

Rita looked at him lovingly.

Oliver nodded, "We would love to help."

"You two can stick around for the party if you'd like!" exclaimed Rita.

"Oh...?" said Oliver, looking uncomfortable.

Norman clearly didn't know what to say and glanced at Oliver, hoping for some help.

"Well, there is actually a stamp collectors symposium next Saturday I was hoping to attend with Norman." Oliver said somewhat tentatively. "You know, guy time."

"Yeah," said Norman, "guy time."

Shane couldn't help laughing at the expressions on both their faces. This caused everyone to laugh.

The conversation shifted once again. Oliver complimented Rita on how much time her memory had saved them during the past week.

"I also never lose anything anymore." announced Norman. "Rita always remembers. No more missing keys for me!"

Shane agreed, "You really are amazing, Rita!"

Rita adjusted her glasses, looking embarrassed, "Thank you."

Shane leaned back in her chair as they discussed the possibility of the stamp price rising and the importance of mail carriers wearing sunscreen. She looked at Oliver as he talked with Norman. He sensed her gaze and flashed her a quick smile. He had been so sweet these past six weeks, especially with her limitations, just as she'd imagined he would be. People always talked about the honeymoon period ending in a marriage, but Shane couldn't ever see that happening with Oliver. He was so consistently considerate, so generous with his time, and he found little ways to show her he loved her each day.

"Here's dessert!" announced Rita as she stepped out of the house onto the back porch. "Cookies! And no worries, Norman made them, not me."

Norman shook his head slightly, "I just took one of Rita's recipes and tweaked it a bit. The credit goes to her."

Rita blushed and smiled as she placed the plate in the center of the table.


Oliver walked with a furrowed brow back to the DLO. He'd just had a meeting with Andrea. They met every Monday morning. The conversation had the same conclusion as always, leaving Oliver frustrated and slightly overwhelmed. He was looking at the ground when he heard Shane's voice.

"Hey, stranger!" she said with a smile, "Why the long face?" Shane had gone with Heather to a doctor appointment before work. They hadn't seen each other since early that morning. She was sitting in her chair holding a small box on her lap. Rita and Hazel were standing close by. They must have been picking up the undeliverables.

He looked up and quickly grinned, always happy to see Shane.

"Hello! How are you ladies doing this morning?" he asked, making sure to also look at Rita and Hazel.

"Great!" said Rita, always enthusiastic.

"Same here!" said Hazel with a giggle. She held up her finger and thumb with a small space between them, "A teensy bit stressed about wedding plans though! Only three weeks away!"

"Ah," said Oliver, "well, that is exciting."

"Yes, it is!" added Rita, "And don't you worry, Hazel. It will all come together!" She patted Hazel on the arm encouragingly.

Andrea walked into view and Hazel visibly jumped. "Gotta go!" she whispered loudly and turned to continue sorting mail.

Shane sighed as it was clear Andrea was headed their direction. Rita intentionally put on a big smile. Oliver eyed her somewhat warily.

"Good morning, Andrea!" said Rita cheerfully.

"Good morning." said Andrea stiffly. Ever since she had found out that Rita had organized the donut thank you party, she always responded to Rita's cheerfulness, even if it was done somewhat coolly.

"Is the DLO unsafe to occupy at the moment? Or could you possibly explain to me a job that requires all three of you?" Andrea asked with sharpness in her voice. She didn't give anyone a chance to respond before continuing. "Are you sure the workload is the problem, Mr. O'Toole?" She turned and walked away with a smirk on her face.

Shane felt her temper rising and Oliver's frustration was evident.

Rita sighed, unknowingly defusing the situation, "She must have gone through some pretty hard times to be so unkind."

They all collectively sighed.

"Well," said Oliver, looking for an opportunity to change the subject, "what is it that you have there?" he asked, looking at the small package on Shane's lap.

"Oh!" said Shane, remembering, "Hazel just gave us this. Says she found it by a dumpster on her route. She almost walked right by, but then she saw the stamp and realized it was sealed."

"It looks pretty old!" added Rita, "We were hoping Norman could use his solution to help us discern a name or an address. The only letter I can make out is a "t" in the top corner."

Oliver took the package from Shane as she held it up towards him. He scrutinized it carefully. "Oh, look at this. There appears to be an ink stamp over the postage stamp. At some point, this package had entered the system."

"But somehow never made it to its destination?" surmised Shane. "Or at least was never opened."

Oliver saw Andrea coming their way again. "Let us return to the DLO and have Norman take a look."


They all paused what they were doing to crowd around Norman. He sounded slightly disappointed, "Well, the only words I can make out are 'Denver, CO' and an 'et' in the sender's name." He looked at Oliver, "Not much to go on."

"How old do you think the package is?" asked Shane.

"Hard to tell." said Norman, "It's almost as if the address was rubbed off by repeated friction. But this type of paper, with that much fading of the address, my guess is around twenty years old."

They all looked surprised.

"Wow! That's a long time to be lost." said Rita.

"Yes, it is." said Oliver, "Hopefully we can remedy that situation."

Shane smiled at him as he looked over the package one more time, to be sure nothing had been missed. He was meticulous and thorough, signs of how much he cared.

"Should we open it?" Shane asked, looking up at Oliver.

He nodded, "Yes, will you do the honors, sweetheart?" Oliver's cheeks pinked slightly. He still tried to maintain professionalism at work, but he was slipping more often now that they were officially married.

Rita smiled at the term of endearment.

Shane took the letter opener from Oliver and slowly unwrapped the package. Norman took the outside wrapping from Shane and placed it carefully on the table where they gathered clues.

The box inside was pastel pink, taped close, big enough to hold a coffee mug. There were no markings on the outside.

Shane slid the letter opener through the tape and opened the lid. A small envelope sat right on top, unsealed, with nothing written on the outside. Shane handed it to Oliver, revealing a small box nestled in white tissue paper.

"Oh!" Shane gasped, holding up the box.

"What?" asked Norman.

"That looks like a ring or earring box!" exclaimed Rita.

Shane opened the lid, revealing what was clearly an engagement ring. It had a gold band with a diamond in the middle and several smaller diamonds on each side.

"It's beautiful." said Shane simply.

Norman began examining the packaging. "Nothing here. How about the bottom of the ring box?"

Shane flipped it over and grinned, "Brilliant, Norman! 'Kay Jewelers, Denver CO.'"

"That shop is still there!" announced Rita, "On First Avenue, near Washington Park."

"Well, that gives us something to work with if the letter proves unhelpful." said Oliver as he unfolded the letter in his hands.

They all leaned in to listen as Oliver cleared his throat.

Andrea burst into the room carrying a bin of letters, causing them all to jump. "O'Toole? Some more mail for you to sort." she said as she roughly dropped the bin onto a table. She glanced around at the piles of mail already needing to be sorted. She smirked slightly, "Think of it as job security." And with that, she walked out the door.

Norman swallowed, "She seems especially tense today." Rita nodded in agreement.

Oliver was still staring at the double doors she left through, brow furrowed.

"Oliver?" said Shane gently, shaking him from his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, yes…" he said, clearing his throat again.

"To my dearest love and dearest friend,

I am sorry I lost my temper last night with your father. I'm even more sorry that when he commanded me to walk away, I listened. I realize he does not, and may never, approve of me for his only daughter. I know how much you care for him, and despite my current feelings towards him, I know he is a good man. I saw the distress I was causing you as our conversation escalated, and for that I am truly sorry.

I hate to place you in a position to choose between us, but that is what I am about to do…

Will you marry me?

This ring has been wearing a hole in my pocket for weeks. You have given my life new meaning and purpose and I cannot even entertain the thought of us walking through life without one another. I promise you my whole heart and all of my days on this earth.

As you know, tomorrow I leave town for my new position. I hope I will be starting this next adventure with you by my side. I recognize your dedication to the post office, and that many look to you for inspiration, but darling…you will inspire wherever you go! Please let your answer be yes!

My bus departs at 10AM. I will wait by our tree at Washington Park until 9:45. If your answer is no, please keep the ring. I couldn't bear taking it back. If I don't hear from you, I promise to never bother you again. I wish for you a happy life.

With all my love and all the hope I can muster,

Peter"

Norman had given Rita a tissue halfway through the letter. She was now wiping her eyes.

Norman was blinking rapidly himself. Oliver took a deep breath, imagining himself in Peter's shoes.

Shane looked devastated. "She never got the ring. She never knew."

Oliver glanced down at the letter, "Oh, there's a date here at the top: June 15, 1999."

"Wow!" said Rita. "You were right about the age, Norman."

Oliver flipped the letter over in his hand, scanning for more clues. He sighed, "Not much to go on here, I'm afraid."

Shane tilted her head to the side and looked at him, "We've succeeded with much less. Where can we start?"

"She was a postal employee!" exclaimed Rita. "But without a specific branch or a name…"

"A search would prove fruitless." added Oliver.

"Hmm…" said Shane, "Perhaps the jewelers?"

Norman cleared his throat, "Maybe you and Rita could go together? Oliver and I have already been down that road." He looked at Oliver, "Remember? They didn't like us."

Oliver grinned slightly, "Ah, yes." He confirmed. "An awkward encounter. Perhaps the ladies would have better luck extracting information?" He looked around the room with a look of concern. "However, you are also needed here today."

"Why don't we go tomorrow?" suggested Rita. "I have a doctor appointment during lunch and we could drop by the jewelers afterwards. It's on the way!" She spoke with enthusiasm.

"Sounds like a plan," smiled Shane.

Oliver nodded, "Good. As your hands are working today, be thinking of any other ways we may be able to locate the recipient of this letter. This is our top priority." He paused, "She has been waiting a long time. They both have." He looked at Shane with warmth in his eyes. He thought he had waited a long time, but to be Peter in this situation, to assume his love had been rejected. Well, that would have been excruciating.

They all returned to their stations, working together as quickly as they could, hoping to put the DLO back in order by the end of the day.