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“Oh, yeah?” Sam bent low so he could peek through the screen door into the house. When he was satisfied that no one was watching, he sneaked over and kissed Evie deeply.
Evie broke away and craned her neck, looking for the Olsons. “Sam, don’t. You’ll get us in trouble.”
“I invented trouble. I know how it works. But hold on a minute. I want privacy for this next part anyhow.” Sam held Evie’s hand. “Don’t see us,” he intoned, rendering them invisible to everyone but each other. They were sitting on the porch steps with a view of the long road, the greening fields, and all that blue sky above. The kind of sky that made you feel infinite. Sam kept stealing glances at Evie. He rolled a tractor nut between his grease-stained fingers. “Ever seen one of these?”
Evie glanced at it. “Sure. In a picture of the crown jewels once.”
“Ha!” Sam laughed.
“What is it?”
“It’s a nut.”
“A… nut?”
“Yeah. See, it, ah, it slips over a bolt like… say, hold out your fingers for a second, I’ll show you.”
Evie gave Sam a dubious look and put out her hand. “Sam Lloyd, don’t you get that stuck on my finger!”
“Don’t worry. Plenty of grease on it,” Sam said. He slipped it easily over her ring finger. It was too big. “Like that.”
“And what does this nut do?”
“It joins two things together. And that makes things work. In union. Like, you know. A marriage.” Sam kept turning the nut around Evie’s finger slowly.
“Well. Now I know all about how nuts and bolts work. I’m practically an expert.” Evie went to remove the nut, and Sam covered her hand with his.
“Don’t take it off just yet, will ya?”
“Sam?”
It seemed to Sam that he had never in his entire life been as nervous as he was just now. Or as sure. “Evie O’Neill, would you marry me?”
Evie raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t we play these roles already? A few months ago?”
“That was pretend. I mean on the level. Evie O’Neill, would you do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Lamb Chop?”
Evie could scarcely catch her breath. “If you’re pulling my leg, Sam Lloyd, I swear on all things holy…”
But his face didn’t have even a trace of a smirk.
Evie beamed. “Well, I’m telling you right now that you’ll have to find me a better ring. I am pos-i-tutely not wearing this one.”
“Does that mean…?”
Evie laughed and threw her arms around Sam’s neck. “Yes! Yes, Sam Lloyd. I will marry you!”
“Hot dog!” Sam lifted Evie up and twirled her around.
“Ow!” she said and grabbed her side. “War wound.”
“Sorry, Baby Vamp,” he said, putting her down gently.
But then they were kissing and Sam felt just like that blue sky shining over the newly tilled soil of the Nebras
ka prairie. Limitless. He cupped Evie’s face between his palms and stared into her twinkling eyes. “Listen, I’ll need to keep that twenty dollars I stole from you. For the ring.”
“Sam!” Evie rolled her eyes and laughed. “Oh, who cares?” she said and kissed him again.
