Melinda Sue blankly looked off into space, twirling her four-carat emerald-cut engagement ring as a tear slowly escaped from the corner of her left eye. That was how Ryn found her when he unexpectedly appeared at the Copa Cabana that afternoon. Startled, Melinda Sue jumped as he approached. She became aware of the lone tear on her cheek and tried to wipe it away. Ryn wanted to know what was troubling her, but she just shook her head in a negative manner. He held her for a few moments, then gently led her outside. Whatever it was that had Melinda Sue so upset, he wanted to make right. She wasn"t going to begin her rehearsal until they talked it out. After slowly walking two blocks, Melinda Sue understood that this wonderful man wasn"t going to be pushed aside. He felt he had every right to know why she was upset. Melinda Sue tended to agree with him; she just didn"t know how to begin to explain it all to him. "Simple things become so very complex." She sighed almost inaudibly. "Come on, now. Whatever it is, it can"t be all that bad." "I wish you were right." Stopping, he turned her so that she was facing him. He looked deep into her green eyes. Then he once more asked what the problem was. "I . . . I can"t marry you," she quickly blurted out before she lost her nerve. "What do you mean you can"t marry me?" His heart plummeted to his toes. "Ryn, I can"t marry you . . . or anyone else, for that matter."