Looking For You All My Life Part 195

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-

ible moment where the rest of the world seemed to spin

totally away. When they finally pulled apart, she heard a

series of loud explosions and looked up to see colorful fire-

works lighting up the night sky and reflecting softly in the

snow below.

"Wow!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "I always knew that

every time we kissed I'd see fireworks, but this is truly

amazing!"

He laughed happily. "Happy New Year, Maggie!"

"Happy New Year, Jed! Somehow, I feel certain it's going

to be the best year everl"

A.

Melody Carlson is an award-winning author of

more than 40 books, from novels to children's stories,

including Homeward and King of the Stable. When not

writing, she enjoys skiing, hiking, and boating. Melody

lives in Oregon with her husband and their two sons.

4.

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