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"You mean, a bodyguard?" asked Charlie, incredulously. "Aren't you taking this to the extreme? This was just a random burglary attempt!"

"He was breaking into YOUR window!" exclaimed Adam, getting out of the way of a police officer passing through the living room.

"I thought you said it was too soon for anyone to have known about my engagement ring!" retorted Charlie.

"It WAS!" shouted Adam, his voice filled with concern. "Don't you get it, Charlie-girl? The intruder was here because of YOU!"

"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Charlie.

The knowing look on Adam's face told her that he had been holding back something.

"I get millions of letters from fans," explained Adam, "and you'd be surprised how many of them are from crazy people who say things that could be construed as threats. Don't misunderstand, there was no one letter or crazy person who seemed especially dangerous, it's just that I'm a public figure, and now, you are too. We can't go about life the same way we always have. We've got to realize our vulnerability, work with God to do the best we can, and trust Him to protect us."

"Why didn't you tell me this, before?" sighed Charlie.

"I didn't want to scare you," replied Adam. "And, I have to admit, a part of me had been thinking that we could marry and go on living in Twin Yucca as if nothing had changed. This town has always been my home, and no matter how crazy or bizarre the rest of the world is, I've always assumed it would be safe for us here. But, I'm learning my lesson. God is warning me that I have to be more vigilant-- especially where it comes to your safety, Charlie."

"Do you really think it was one of your fans?" asked Vera, wide-eyed with astonishment.

"I don't know," sighed Adam, folding his arms. "I swear before God, Vera, that if I had thought any one of those letters were more than a sick prank or the words of someone who was just temporarily off their medication, I would have done something about it! There's just so many fans-- you don't know which ones to take seriously-- and that's IF the intruder had even sent a letter to me, in the first place! I just think that the timing of Charlie's sudden notoriety and this break-in are too coincidental to be simply a random act of burglary."

"Do you want to exchange this ring for another one?" asked Charlie, remembering its million dollar price tag.

"Do you think it would make much of a difference?" asked Adam. "Even if I gave you an engagement ring one quarter the cost of that one, you'd still be the wife of Wallace Shipley! You might as well know now-- I'm worth eighty million."

"Dollars?" asked Charlie, with a half smile. Surely, he was joking!

Adam nodded in the affirmative. When reality began to sink in, she had to sit down on the couch to steady herself.

"But, before you first went off on the tour," she recalled out loud, "you told me you only had seven million. You gave a lot to charities-- remember?"

"I meant, I had seven million from royalties, sitting in the bank, at the time," explained Adam, sitting down on the couch beside her. "There were more assets in the form of property, and a joint venture with an overseas investor. They import tea and coffee, from environmentally friendly family-owned farms to sell in the states at equitable prices. All in all, it's been very profitable for everyone concerned. In addition to everything else, I've also made quite a lot from the tour, so it all adds up."

Adam's fiancée stared at him incredulously.

"So," said Charlie, numbly trying to get it all straight, "that's eighty million..."

"In total assests," he finished.

"Unbelievable," muttered Charlie under her breath.

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