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“I can’t wait to go to bed tonight,” Rachel said, swinging their arms between them while she clutched Jacob’s hand in hers. Once again, she was walking him back to his apartment, even though he was sure he could find his way home now that he’d lived at the resort almost a week.
 
“Why is that, darling?” Over the course of the past few days he’d shared a meal with Rachel and Leah and Bilhah and Zilpah, taking the time each evening to learn more about them, their hopes and dreams, and wishes for their futures. Jacob knew if he was going to lead this little flock, he needed to know them.
 
“Because before I go to bed, I have a chance to pray.”
 
Jacob fought a chuckle. “You can pray any time of day. You don’t have to wait for bedtime.”
 
“Well, I know you always pray over our meal, but…” Rachel hesitated. “When I pray before bed, I’m on my knees, and I can talk to God as long as I want. At least, until I’m too tired, and then I climb into bed.”
 
A vision popped into Jacob’s head about the two of them praying together before climbing into bed. Their relationship was too early to talk seriously about marriage, but they could fulfill part of that vision now. “We could pray together… if you’d like.”
 
“Just me and you?” Her face lit up with hope.
 
“Yeah, on our knees. Holding hands.”
 
“I love holding your hands.” As if to confirm her statement, she gave his hand a little squeeze.
 
Jacob realized they were at the door to his apartment, and he pulled the key from his pocket. “Would you like to come in for a few minutes? Is that appropriate in your culture?”
 
“Probably not.” Rachel shrugged. “But I can’t think of a more righteous reason to ignore that rule.”
 
He unlocked the door and flicked on the light switch as they stepped inside. The spacious living room was modern and inviting, with a flat screen television and a balcony overlooking the courtyard. He left Rachel beside the door as he strode across the room and pulled the door to his bedroom shut, as if sending both of them the clear message that the bedroom was off limits. Some rules weren’t meant to be broken, and that was one of them.
 
After returning to the door, Jacob offered Rachel his hand, and she placed hers in his with a contented sigh, then followed him into the living room. He helped her to her knees, knelt in front of her, and clasped both of her hands in his.
 
“Rachel, my darling,” he said softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever prayed with someone before. Not like this.”
 
“I know that I never have,” she whispered back. “I don’t even know where to start.”
 
“Yes, you do,” he prodded. “You speak to God every night, don’t you?”
 
“Yes, but that’s by myself.” Her eyes were wide with panic.
 
“If you’re not ready for this, I understand.” Jacob gave both her hands a gentle squeeze. Just because he had a vision of them praying together didn’t mean she’d had that same vision. She’d probably never had a vision in her life.
 
“No, I mean, yes. I mean, I want to be ready.”
 
“Then just speak from your heart,” Jacob suggested. “Talk to God as if I’m not even here.”
 
“Okay.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
 
As much as Jacob wanted to join her in prayer, he couldn’t bring himself to stop gazing at this beautiful woman kneeling before him. Her silky brown hair draped around her shoulders with the heaviness that only comes from healthy natural strands. He longed to hold a lock of her hair, allowing the softness to slide through his fingers. Instead, he just stared.
 
“Hello, God, it’s Rachel again. I guess you know that already, don’t you? I’m here with Jacob, your faithful servant.”
 
Jacob was taken aback by her calling him God’s faithful servant. He inwardly shrugged, sensing that wasn’t a bad way to describe himself.
 
“God, I have chosen to follow this good man, and I ask that you would guide him so that he will be able to guide me.”
 
Follow him? She said she had chosen to follow him. That was news to Jacob. He continued to listen as Rachel poured out her heart to God.
 
“I will never doubt Jacob’s leadership, God, but I’d love for you to provide me with a vision of what is to come. I promise to put my whole faith and trust in whatever you show me. I will follow Jacob as he follows you.”
 
With that, Rachel stopped talking and waited, presumably listening for the promptings of the Spirit, maybe even expecting to see an actual vision. Who was he to doubt God’s power in this matter? He waited, holding his breath almost, wondering what she was seeing or hearing.
 
Suddenly Rachel lifted her head and glared at Jacob in horror. Then she released his hands as if she’d been holding poisonous snakes and scrambled to get away from him, springing to her feet as fast as she could get away. When she finally looked back at Jacob as he remained on his knees, there were tears streaming down her face. The words she spat at him were filled with hurt and jealousy.
 
“You’re going to marry my sister.”


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“I want to hear more about your visions from God,” Zilpah said after they’d given their orders to the server and set aside their menus. “Or are they too intimate to share?”

The dining room was set with elegant tablecloths and fine dishes of glazed pottery. There were candles lit throughout the room and the ambiance was more romantic than Jacob had ever known. Mostly he ate with his parents or in a cafeteria at the university. Sitting at the head of a table surrounded by four of the most beautiful women he’d ever met was a new experience.

He took a drink of ice water and tried to decide how best to frame an answer. “Well… I guess… they are quite intimate. But if you think you can handle some pretty spiritual topics, I’m willing to share them with you.”

All four girls nodded with enthusiasm.

“We would really love to know more,” Bilhah said with a smile. She had a youthful countenance, almost playful. The other three women were exotic beauties with caramel skin and flowing, dark hair. Bilhah was lighter skinned and had freckles.

Jacob realized he’d been gazing at Bilhah too long and cleared his throat, looking down at the table in front of him as if that alone could shake away his unease. A warmth surrounded his heart, and he wondered if he could carry on the remainder of the conversation with his eyes drawn to his plate.

“Well, my most recent vision happened just a few days ago while I was visiting my grandfather in Bethel.” He chanced a look up at his little captive audience and met each of their gazes briefly. “I saw a ladder… extending up to heaven.”

“That must have been a really long ladder.” Zilpah’s voice held awe and complete trust. She wasn’t mocking him, and he appreciated that. Her greenish gold eyes sparkled in the light from the candles, and Jacob almost couldn’t stop staring at her.

“It was. I couldn’t see the top of the ladder, but I knew the angels who were using the ladder were descending from and ascending to heaven.”

 “You saw angels also?” Leah’s soft expression was filled with hope, as if she’d always wanted to know if angels were real. Jacob answered her unspoken question.

“Yes, angels are real, and they were right in front of me.”

“Did they speak to you?” Rachel asked, leaning forward with excitement. Jacob was reminded of their conversation the previous evening and understood that Rachel desperately wanted to hear God’s messages.

“Not really, no.” Jacob shook his head in contemplation. “I don’t remember them saying anything, just that I knew I was seeing the gate of heaven. And I knew that the rungs of the ladder represented the covenants I make with God.”

“That is the most incredible thing I’ve ever heard,” Rachel whispered.

Jacob boldly took her hand and gave it a light squeeze, again desiring to kiss this extraordinary woman. “I must say, this has been a cherished conversation.” He glanced up and met the gaze of each woman in turn. “Most people mock my visions and promptings, calling me a kook or a visionary man.”

“You are… a visionary man, I mean,” Leah said with awe. “In a really, really good way.”

“Thank you.” Jacob gulped and glanced again at his place setting and then at his hand that was still adjoined to Rachel’s. “I hope you don’t all run screaming to find someone who will lock me in a mental institution and throw away the key.”

Rachel clasped Jacob’s hand just a little tighter. “I plan to spend some time on my knees this evening, asking God to help me understand your vision of this ladder that reaches to heaven.”

“Me too,” Leah said. The other two nodded, with faith and hope in their countenance.
The spell around the table was broken by a server placing dishes of food before them. When they had all been served and before any of them had taken a bite, Jacob took a hold of Leah’s hand with his free one, then glanced over at Bilhah and Zilpah, indicating they should join hands around the table, then he bowed his head.

“Thank you, God, for this bountiful meal that you have placed before us. Please bless the food to be nourishing for our bodies, and please bless the hands that prepared it. We thank you for this time that we have to share this meal and ask that your Spirit will attend us and enlighten us. Please guide our path and help us to see your will for our lives. Amen.”

“Amen,” the ladies each echoed.
​
As he picked up his fork, a thought occurred to Jacob. In his prayer he had asked God to guide their path. Singular. As if the five of them were on the same path. He knew, in that moment, that he had been brought to this place at this time to lead these four choice daughters of God in the path they should follow. He felt the weight of that responsibility and added one additional silent prayer. God, help me to lead them in righteousness. 

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“Jacob!” Rachel called to him as he walked through the resort lobby after his first workday. He turned and found her in an office near the front desk. She hurried out of her chair and practically skipped to the door. Lifting onto her toes, she kissed him on the cheek and gushed in a happy voice, “I heard an answer from God!”

“You did?” Jacob took both of her hands in his, excitement filling his heart. “What did he say?”

She pulled him over to some waiting room chairs near her office suite. “Well, he didn’t exactly say anything. More that I could just feel that he was listening.”

“That is wonderful, darling.” Jacob squeezed her hands, wishing he’d known her long enough to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He was pushing his luck, holding her hands and calling her darling. “I’m so happy for you.” Happy for us, he echoed in his head. That thought came out of nowhere, but he’d learned to trust random thoughts.

They were interrupted by three smiling and laughing women, including Rachel’s twin. Jacob stood as they approached but kept one of his hands clasped with Rachel’s.

“Jacob.” Leah seemed pleasantly surprised. “How nice to see you again.”

“I live here now, you know.” He nodded politely. “You’re stuck with me.”

Leah giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Why did that elicit a reaction deep in Jacob’s heart?

Rachel squeezed his hand lightly as she stood and held out her arm to introduce the other two women. “These are our friends, and administrative assistants, Bilhah and Zilpah.”

“I hear you are the only two employees here at the resort who can tell these lovely twins apart,” Jacob said, reaching out his hand. “I’m honored to make your acquaintance.”

That same comforting warmth traveled up Jacob’s arm when he clasped each of their hands, and he wondered what it was about this resort that gave him such a visceral response. Perhaps the proximity to the hot springs. He decided to make it a point to shake as many people’s hands as possible and see if that happened with everyone.

Both women seemed to experience the same spark as the twins had, and their confusion was clear when they glanced at one another and shook out their arms as if they’d been shocked. Although Jacob thought of it as a warm, fuzzy kind of shock, it was still disconcerting.

“You were right,” Zilpah told one or both of the twins. “Jacob is a… unique man.”

“Glad you didn’t call me strange as Rachel does,” Jacob teased.

“Have I have ever actually called you strange?” Rachel asked.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you did.”

“Unique is far more polite,” she acknowledged.

They all chuckled nervously and looked around at each other sheepishly.

“We were just about to go get some dinner,” Leah said. “Would you like to join us? Have you eaten already?”

“I am famished, and I would be honored to escort you ladies to a meal together.”

“We’d be honored to have you dine with us,” Bilhah said. “These two haven’t shut up about you all day. Zilpah and I have been dying to meet you and see what all the hype is about.”

“Really?” Jacob grinned at Rachel and then Leah. “Haven’t shut up, huh?”

“Well, it’s not every day that a hot guy from Israel moves here,” Zilpah said. “If you hadn’t already pledged your love to Rachel, we’d all be scrambling for your attention.”

“As it is, we are content to help Rachel plan your wedding,” Bilhah added.

“Ah, so we spend one hour together in a car, and she’s already planning our wedding?” Jacob tucked Rachel’s hand into the crook of his arm and winked at her.

“Gotta get married soon if we’re gonna start making those babies, right?” Rachel winked back. She tugged him gently out of the office suite and into the lobby.

“Definitely can’t start making babies until we’re married.” Jacob was quite certain about that. He knew God’s commandments about staying chaste before marriage. That was one path he was determined to follow.

“Is it true that you’re, like, a prophet or something?” Zilpah asked as they made their way toward the formal restaurant. The closer they got, the more Jacob’s body responded to the delectable aromas and the opportunity for deep conversation.

“Yeah, did you really tell Rachel you were going to marry her before you even knew her name?”

Jacob chuckled nervously. “Did I? Huh? Kind of thought I knew your name first.” He looked down at Rachel and smiled. “You’ll have a new name when you become my queen anyway, right?”

“Right,” Rachel whispered. There were almost tears in her eyes, and her smile was brilliant in its simplicity.

He wished he could just kiss her and get it over with. Not with this many people surrounding them. He’d never kissed a girl and had no idea how to go about doing that. But he knew he wasn’t going to allow himself to be that vulnerable in front of anyone except his future wife.
​
Jacob held Rachel’s gaze for a few seconds longer than was socially acceptable while walking down a hall in the company of others. He knew instinctively that his life was about to change.


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NOTE TO NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS: the link I sent you is CORRECT. The text in the body of the email was from Chapter Six. Sorry! Just for you, I'm going to post Chapter Six today. See below Chapter Five...

Chapter Five:
“You were quiet at dinner,” Rachel said with compassion as they walked from the restaurant back to his apartment. Jacob still wasn’t confident with his ability to find his way around the resort, and Rachel had offered to walk him home.

“Thank you again for the lovely meal.” Jacob cleared his throat, not wanting to admit the reasons he’d been silent.

“Oh, yeah, I slaved over a menu to help you pick out the finest ingredients for the chef to cook to your liking.”

“The Kübül lebeniye was delicious and authentic.”

“I will give the chef your compliments.” Rachel nodded with a soft smile. “I hope you know I was teasing about not wanting to marry you.”

“I realize God is asking a lot of one woman to be willing to sacrifice so many years of her life to bearing children.” Something in Jacob’s statement made him pause. What was God asking?

He decided to take some time on his knees before bed. There had been too many divergent thoughts since he’d last prayed out loud while in the car. He needed peace and time for contemplation to be able to hear the whisperings of the Spirit.

“Marriage and having children are kind of personal choices,” Rachel said. “That’s not something we have to decide on the day we meet.”

Jacob wasn’t sure how to answer Rachel. As far as he was concerned, those decisions had little to do with his own personal choices and more to do with his faith in following promptings from God.

“Of course, what do I know?” Rachel chuckle-snorted. “I won’t have a choice anyway. My father will choose my husband. If you truly think you should marry me, you need to get in good with him.”

They had arrived at the door to Jacob’s apartment, and he turned to Rachel before taking out his key. “Do you not have a choice?”

She shrugged. “I mean, Father will probably take my desires into consideration, but… not really.” She lowered her gaze.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jacob lifted her chin with his finger. “Everyone should have the freedom to choose their own path.”

“That is not our culture,” Rachel said, vulnerability in her expression. “Isn’t that what you believe also? That God chooses your path.”

“No, my darling, I do not believe that.” Jacob’s tone was compassionate and sorrowful, wondering how he had gotten so bold as to call Rachel his darling. “God shows me the path and allows me to choose if I will follow. I learned when I was very young that when I follow God’s path, I prosper. And when I chose a different path—” He shrugged.

“Things didn’t go so well?” Rachel guessed, rhetorically. “How does that work? Do you literally see a path in front of you when you close your eyes? Or do you even have to close your eyes?”

“Some direction comes in the form of whisperings from the Spirit of God. Some promptings come from dreams, and some are literal visions before me as if there was a virtual-reality field overlaying my immediate surroundings.”

“That’s… really interesting.”

“You were going to say strange again, weren’t you?” Jacob teased her, lightening the mood.

“I want to try receiving directions from God,” Rachel said with complete seriousness. “How would I go about doing that?”

“Well, before I go to bed each night, I spend time on my knees just talking to God. I tell him all of my concerns, all of my joys, all of my appreciation for everything large and small, and I ask him for answers. Then sometimes I just sit there and wait to see or hear anything he wants me to know.”

“Do you always get an answer?”

Jacob knew what Rachel was really asking. She wondered if she would get an answer. From conversations with others, mostly his parents and grandfather, Jacob learned that most people didn’t receive the kind of clear messages that Jacob received. He tried to answer as honestly as he could to both her outward question and the underlying meaning. “If I wait long enough, an answer eventually comes.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Rachel nodded.

“Will you do me a favor?” Jacob asked. “Will you find me tomorrow and tell me about your experiences with tonight’s prayer?”

“Sure.”

“Whether you experience nothing or everything, I want to hear details, okay?”

“Okay.” Her smile was soft as she took a step back. “I’ll let you get some rest. You’re probably exhausted.”

“Thank you.” Jacob leaned forward and kissed Rachel on her forehead, once again feeling a warmth from their connection. “See you tomorrow.”

“See ya.”
​
He used his key to open the door and waved gently as he closed it, leaving the woman of his dreams standing outside his apartment. Before even removing his shoes, Jacob whispered a hushed prayer. “Thank you, God.”

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By the time they reached her father’s resort, Jacob and Rachel were practically engaged. At least in jest.

They figured out that Jacob didn’t actually work for her father. She had just assumed that because he was heading to the resort.

Jacob learned that Rachel had an identical twin named Leah, from whom most people couldn’t distinguish a difference. Rachel was curious if Jacob could figure it out and gave him that challenge.

Both she and her sister worked as assistant managers at the resort and occasionally switched name tags just to see how quickly their administrative assistants would figure out their deception. None of the other staff could distinguish between them, and Rachel wondered if some of the employees at the resort even realized there were two assistant managers.

Her favorite color was purple because she said it was the color of royalty and she fully intended to be a queen someday. Jacob promised to fulfill every dream she had for her future.

Rachel was simultaneously in awe of and jealous of her twin sister because she was older—by twenty minutes—and prettier, which was laughable since they were identical twins. Jacob couldn’t wait to meet Leah and figure out if he could tell the difference.
​
Turned out he was able to tell the difference immediately because when he met Leah that afternoon, he knew her right away. As Jacob was waiting in the lobby for the concierge to escort him to his new apartment, both girls approached him wearing identical outfits with matching hairstyles.

Jacob confidently extended his hand. “You must be Leah.”

“What makes you think I’m Leah?” She kept her arms folded across her chest.

“Your eyes are softer.” He didn’t lower his hand, and Leah didn’t reach out yet.

“What?” both girls asked at the same time and in the same tone. The sound was more musical than the stereo in his Cabriolet.

“Rachel’s eyes are snarky.” Jacob nodded to the twin on the left. “But yours are soft, almost as if you’re in love. Who’s the lucky guy?”

Leah finally slipped her hand into his. Her words were suspicious. “I’m not dating anyone.”

Her eyes widened and her jaw gaped as their hands connected with the same warmth as when he’d held Rachel’s hand. Weird.

He took a step back and cleared his throat, then rubbed his hand down the pant leg of his jeans as if he could brush away the electricity that seemed to flow between him and these beautiful twins.

“You’re the first person to ever notice that,” Rachel said with awe in her voice. “I’m blown away.”

“I think I am as well,” Jacob said. “I was expecting a little mole or beauty mark or something that I would notice eventually, not to have an immediate connection like that. Anyway, is there someone who can show me to my apartment? I’m desperately in need of a shower and some food after driving for almost thirteen hours.”

“We’ll show you the way,” Rachel said, grabbing one of Jacob’s smaller bags.

“Where did you drive from?” Leah asked in a subdued tone, also picking up one of Jacob’s bags. She was so different from her twin he couldn’t understand how anyone could mistake them.

Jacob raised the handle on his largest suitcase and nested his overnight bag on top, then rolled the bags behind him as he followed the girls. “I left my home in Be’er Sheva yesterday but stopped overnight to see my grandfather, Abraham, where he lives in a place called Bethel, just north of Jerusalem.”

“That is a long drive in one day,” Leah acknowledged. “You must be exhausted.

“Worth the fatigue to have had the chance to spend the evening with my grandfather yesterday,” Jacob said. “I have no idea how soon I’ll be heading back home. Could be years.”

“You’re staying that long in Harran?” Rachel questioned, as if she hadn’t just spent forty minutes beside him in the car discussing their planned future together.

“Well, I mentioned that my wife is waiting for me here, right?” Jacob chuckled nervously.

“I thought you were joking,” Rachel said. They turned at the end of a long hallway, and she pressed the button for the elevator.

“I would never joke about any prompting from God,” Jacob said with complete confidence.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Leah placed her hand on his arm. “God told you that you needed to find a wife in Harran?”

“No…” Jacob always hesitated to admit just how much he talked to God and how many visions and dreams he had that came true exactly as God had shown him. But he was already in too deep with these ladies. Either they were going to think he was strange and distance themselves from him, or they would embrace him as a visionary man. “God told me that my wife was waiting for me here and that he would place her in my path.”

“Jacob thinks that I’m meant to be his wife,” Rachel said with a defiant smirk. She wrapped her hands around his upper arm as if claiming him for her own.

“Why else would God have placed you in my path not more than thirty seconds after I’d been praying about the subject?” He patted her hand and winked down at her.

The elevator door opened, and they all picked up the bags they’d been carrying and stepped into the lift. They were quiet as they got settled and Leah pushed the button for the fifth floor. She turned to Rachel and Jacob, lifting her chin playfully. “I need to marry first because I’m the oldest.”

“By twenty minutes,” Rachel said. “That hardly counts.”

“Can’t fight the traditions of our culture,” Leah responded with sass.

“If that’s the case, then we need to find you a husband,” Jacob said. “Because I need to marry your sister as soon as possible.”

“What’s the rush?” Leah asked.

Jacob realized immediately that he could either lie or freak these girls out and cause Rachel to run away before they even started dating. He chose to be extremely vague. “So that we can have children.”

“You think I’m just going to give up my career to have your babies?” Rachel teased. “I’ll have to think about that.”

“How many children do you want to have?” Leah asked with sincerity. There was a hopeful lift to her expression, as if she’d be more than willing to give up her career to have his babies.

“God has promised me”—he gulped, wishing he didn’t have to answer that truthfully. He hurried through the rest of his response so that it almost sounded like one long word—“twelve sons and a daughter.”

“Twelve…” Leah coughed and stumbled to echo Jacob’s bold statement.

“Thirteen kids?” Rachel asked with wide eyes. She stepped away from Jacob and pushed her twin forward. “He’s all yours. You’re the oldest. You take him.”
​
They all laughed half-heartedly, but Jacob resigned himself that he had blown the opportunity to date Rachel. If she didn’t want to have children, he couldn’t marry her. Jacob trusted God more than he trusted his own youthful attraction to a pretty girl.
He had thought Rachel was the one for him but couldn’t deny what he knew to be true. God had told Jacob that he’d have twelve sons and a daughter. Somehow, God would provide a way for that to become a reality.

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Note from Julie: this chapter will make more sense if you've read chapter two.

Chapter Three:

“My name is Jacob Medad. Who are you?”

“How did you know to pick me up?” Her voice cracked.

“You were stranded on the side of the road,” Jacob said. “I picked you up because you looked like you needed help.”

“But you said you were from my father’s resort.”

“I said no such thing.” Jacob didn’t want to argue, but this conversation was getting more and more bizarre. “I teased you about needing directions to the resort, but my GPS is more than capable of getting me there, so I figured you’d know I was joking. You seemed to think I was joking.”

“So… if my father didn’t send you to pick me up, why am I in your car?”

“You tell me,” Jacob challenged her. “You’re the one who asked me to unlock the door for you.”

“Because I thought my father had sent someone to pick me up when I got stranded.”

“I guess that was an incorrect assumption on your part,” Jacob said. “I’m heading to the resort, but if you’d rather, I can drop you off at the nearest town and you can call your father for help.”

“Why are you going to the resort?” She still seemed suspicious but not as panicked.

“I’m renting an apartment there because I just got hired to work on the Southeastern Anatolia Project here in the valley. The all-inclusive resort seemed like a perfect place to live for now. Why are you going to the resort?”

“I live there,” she said with hesitation in her voice. “My father owns the resort.”

“Is your father Laban?” Jacob’s heart raced with excitement. “He’s my mother’s cousin.”

“No way.” Her jaw dropped. “What are the odds?”

“Apparently pretty good.” Jacob chuckled. “I had just been praying about finding the path God had for me, and praying about finding my wife, and there you were out of the blue.”

“Wait, wait, wait, you think I’m meant to be your wife?” She folded her arms across her chest with a sarcastic scowl. “That’s presumptuous.”

“Are you already married?” He was rarely wrong about these things as long as he followed God’s promptings.

“N-no,” she stammered.

“Dating someone?”

“No. But—”

“But what?” he asked. “If God stood in front of you and told you I was meant to be your husband, wouldn’t you listen to Him?”

“You’re kind of freaking me out right now,” she said in a quiet voice. “You don’t even know my name.”

“I’ve been asking you for your name for fifteen minutes and you’ve been talking in riddles and expecting me to guess from the millions of names that exist in the world.”

“My name is Rachel.”

“Nice to meet you, Rachel. My name’s Jacob.” He reached out to shake her hand. “Are you going to leave me hanging here?”

Rachel hesitantly slipped her hand into his and warmth ran up his arm. Comforting warmth. From the way she glanced down at their adjoined hands with wide eyes, he knew that she felt the connection also.

“Now do you believe me?” Jacob released her hand and placed his back on the steering wheel.

“I don’t know what to say right now,” she said in a voice so soft he almost couldn’t hear her over the wind from the convertible top down.

“How about we start by you telling me all about yourself, and we’ll go from there? What do you do for a living? How many brothers and sisters do you have? What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? Do you have an iPhone or an Android? I’m a Samsung guy myself, so if you tell me you are permanently attached to your iPhone, I may question God’s intervention here.” He said the words playfully, trying to break the tension.

“Are you a prophet or something?” Rachel asked. “You talk about God as if he tells you what to do all the time.”

He stilled his expression and gulped. Would she be creeped out if he told her about his visions and dreams? If they were going to be married, she would need to know eventually. Might as well get the heavy stuff out of the way now in case she wouldn’t want to marry him on that alone. “I don’t know about being a prophet”—he cleared his throat—“but I know God talks to me a lot. And I try to always listen.”

“That’s really… str—interesting.”

“You were going to say strange. Admit it,” he teased.

“Well… you are indeed the strangest man I’ve ever met.”

“But you like me, right?” He was only half-joking.

“Uh, yeah, I guess I sort of do.”

“Cool.” Jacob nodded with a full-on grin. “Now, what’s your favorite color?” 

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