He laughed. When she came out of the closet, he was just crossing his ankle over his knee. His face was flushed.

She hoped she hadn’t left a pile of underwear out for him to see, and took a swift glance around the room. It looked like everything was all right. She dumped the sweaters onto her bed, and went back to the closet for more.

“I won’t be much help,” he said.

She came out of the closet again, and dropped another pile of sweaters onto her bed.

“Which of those are you going to bring?” Ty said.

She turned to the pile, picked up the old green one on top, and held it up, turning toward him. “What do you think?”

“Try again.”

When she picked up the next sweater, a little black velvet box tumbled out of the pile onto the bed. “What in the world?” she said. When she looked at Ty, he had a funny smile on his face.

She picked up the box. “Is this—?” she said, but couldn’t finish the thought. When she lifted the lid of the box, there was a ring with a tiny diamond sparkling on it. “Ty?”

He had dropped to his knees before her, and now looked up at her with those eyes that she couldn’t resist. “I’m not one of those guys who—” He shook his head, started again. “I mean, it isn’t—Will you, Lissa? Marry me? When I come back?”

“This isn’t because of—last night, is it?”

He shook his head. “No, Lissa. I bought the ring the first day I was home. I’ve just been waiting for your father—I mean, not that I—I just wanted to do this right. I’ve been meeting with him every day—he’s been asking me all kinds of questions—you, too?”

It was true: Every night since Ty had been home, Jack had had some kind of question about him—how he treated her, how she felt about him, what she thought he was planning to do with his life after the war.

Ty went on. “Just this morning he finally said it was all right, so I came right over.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Lissa. I love you. I’d marry you today, if—”

She sank to her knees to face him, and held the little box out to him. “Will you put it on my hand?”

Chapter 42

The time to put on the brakes in checking runaway emotions is before they gain momentum.

—The Good Housekeeping Marriage Book, 1939

THE MICKELSON HOUSE
502 W. First Street, Pine Rapids
Monday, July 31, 1950