"Tom, have you not paid attention? We didn't just have to get married, we-"

"I'm telling you, it doesn't matter to me, so it can't matter to you, because I'm bringing Nora and the kids to live with us. We could get our own house but if I'm going to work this orchard, I-"

"No, Tom, I absolutely don't want you to find your own house and leave me on the orchard in this great big house," she said, but she wasn't sure he was listening to anything she said. He appeared to be just about deaf and blind and a little crazed. "Tom. Tom, look at me. Has Nora agreed to marry you?"

"No, but she will because she has to. They're kicking her out of her house and she thinks she's moving to Stanford to live with her father, but I'm not letting her go," he said. "I'll find a way to make it up to her if she wants to go back to college... ."

"We do have colleges," Maxie said, mesmerized by her grandson's passion. "I've never seen you like this before."

"Probably because I've never been like this before. I knew I was falling for her but I thought I had time to get used to the idea of becoming a husband and father overnight. Man, I don't need time-I only need one thing."

"Can you slow down for just one second?" Maxie asked calmly. "Can you please listen to me?"

"Don't try to reason with me, Max, because I-"

"Tom! Shut up! Listen to me!" He sat still and focused on her. "Better. You still look a little dazed, but better."

"I didn't sleep at all, and I was already running on very little sleep."

"I understand, now please try to hear me. You have to calm down and see if you can lose that lunatic edge. No one's going to marry you if you continue to sound completely insane."

"I might be a little insane," he said. "I sure feel that way."

"Deep breaths," she said. "I love Nora. If she'll come here as my granddaughter-in-law, I would be very happy. But you must hear me on this-if you tell her she has to, any woman with a brain would run for her life."

He was quiet for a second while he absorbed this. "Right," he finally said. But he looked confused.

"Tell her how you feel. Just tell her how you feel and ask her if she can lower her standards enough to take you for a spouse."

He sat back. "Very funny," he said.

She grinned. "I couldn't be more serious. And before you light out of here with a mission, make sure you're wearing boots the same color and zip your fly."

He looked down-sure enough, one black, one brown. And an open fly. How did she do that? "Sometimes you're just spooky."

"Women notice things like that. Are you done with me?"

He nodded. "I'm going to Nora's now," he said. "After I change boots."

"Good. I think I've aged ten years since I walked in the door!"

But Maxie stayed in that chair until he had attended to his clothing and left again. Then he came back, kissed her forehead and said, "Thank you, Max!"

She sat. My God, she thought. She just shook her head. He really had no concept of what he was asking, what he was saying. They had talked about the fact that his grandfather was not his biological grandfather, though Tom had been much younger. Maxie thought it imperative that he hear that from her before he heard it in town or at school, surprised he hadn't already. He had only asked one question-was he his father's biological son. And Maxie had said, "There is absolutely no question-you are his twin. We'll go through pictures any time you like." Apparently he had heard that, accepted it and was at peace. The biology dating back to his grandfather and great-grandfather was so far removed in his young mind, it didn't matter.

When Tom pulled up to that small house in town that held almost all his hopes and dreams, her father's car was there. He took a deep breath. Probably just as well.

When he knocked at the door, she said, "Come in." And he thought, I have no flowers, no ring, nothing.

He opened the door and saw that Jed was sitting on the sofa, reading a picture book to the little girls. Berry looked up, gave him a little smile and her version of a wave. Tom approached Jed and stuck out a hand. "Don't get up, Jed," he said. "I'm just going to talk to Nora for a couple of minutes."

Jed just shook quickly, smiled and gave a nod before going back to his reading. Nora had a cardboard box open on the table and seemed to be filling it with folded clothes. Already? "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "I'm right here."

He walked through the very small living room and faced her. "Alone?"

"Where?" she asked. "The bathroom?"

"Maybe we could, um, go sit in the truck?" he said, but even as he said it, it sounded so dumb. And not exactly the way he wanted her to remember a marriage proposal. But then, neither was this.

She leaned toward him and whispered, "If it's about last night, there's nothing to talk about. Everything was fine. Lovely and perfect. Shhh."

He whispered back. "I want to marry you."

She almost broke her neck, it snapped up so fast. "What?" she said.

He looked over his shoulder uncomfortably. Jed was peering at him over his reading glasses.

"I love you," Tom said quietly. "I want to marry you."

She frowned and leaned toward him. "Are you drunk?" she whispered.

"No! I've never been more sober! Way too sober. Marry me. You'll learn to love me, I promise."

Nora swallowed. "Tom, this is very sudden."

"So is you packing boxes. Listen, don't go. Let me take care of you, let me-"

She was shaking her head. She couldn't be saying no already! "You can't possibly have had time to think this through."

"Hours," he said. "I haven't slept a night through in days."

"You're probably just hallucinating. You don't get married just because you-" She leaned to look around Tom to her dad. "You should give yourself more time to think about this."

"I have thought about it. I don't need more time, I need you."

"But you were concerned about making sure things, you know, didn't get serious."

"Yeah, because I'm an idiot-I was falling in love with you and it scared me to death. I've never been in love before, but I am now. I want you. You and the girls. If you need more time, fine-but don't leave town. I love you."

Jed cleared his throat. They both glanced at him.