Part 195 (1/2)

then smiled shyly. ”I guess I'm not very good at this sort of

thing, but I thought I was sending you all kinds of signals.”

She laughed heartily. ”Well, like I said, Jed Whitewater,

you still have an awful lot to learn about women.”

He gently toached her cheek with his hand. ”I'm sure

you're right about that, Maggie. I can't believe how dense

I've been about so many things. That's just one of the many

reasons I need you in my life. You help me to see things dif-

ferently.”

”I could say the same about you, Jed.”

Then he slipped the ring onto her finger, and it fit per-

fectly. She held it up to the light and examined a simple yet

elegant solitaire set into a smooth band of gold. ”It's incred-

ible, Jed. I love it. But when did you get this, and how did

you know the size of my finger? It's all so amazingly fairy-

tale wonderful!”

He smiled. ”Well, I've known almost since I met you that

this day was coming. I know it must sound crazy to you, but

something in my heart clicked almost from the moment we 304 ~ Melody Carlson

met. I didn't even quite believe it myself, at first.” He

touched the ring on her finger. ”I very carefully traced a ring

you left sitting in your kitchen window sill when we were

cleaning up after Thanksgiving, and I bought this while I was

in Seattle. I loved its elegant simplicity-it reminded me of

you.” He smiled warmly down on her, then tenderly gath-

ered her into his arms and kissed her for a long and incred-