CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Though the night had ended earlier than planned due to the fight, Rachel still found herself walking all alone through a sleeping hacienda the next morning. Not even the servants were up yet. Relishing the quiet sunrise and encouraged by the sparkling beauty of spring’s arrival, she headed for the vineyard. Once there between the vines, she stood with her face upturned toward the sunrise, her eyes closed in prayer. Sometimes when she prayed, the Spirit illuminated her mind, and a heavenly light would swirl through her senses, so warm and soft and comforting with God’s presence. For how long she stood like this savoring his goodness, she didn’t know, but when she finally opened her eyes, Steven stood beside her.
“Good morning. I prayed I’d find you alone this morn.”
She returned his delighted smile. “Good morning to you.”
“Am I interrupting your devotions?”
In a sisterly fashion, she straightened a button on his shirt. “Of course not. You could never interrupt me, Steven.” Her heart ached for him, coming all the way to California only to find her engaged to Roman.
“Has the Lord made it clear whom you are to marry?”
Straightforwardness was one of Steven’s strengths. She tweaked the button on his shirtfront so it finally settled into place. Then she looked him over. He was as tall and earnest as she remembered. A fine man. A godly man. The husband she’d always dreamed of. “No, the Lord hasn’t made it clear to me yet,” she admitted.
“Why are you living in his home before marriage?” He did not sound condemning, just concerned for her welfare.
“He took me from my father’s house.”
“Against your father’s wishes?”
“I don’t think my father cared. He has recently married a woman not much older than me.” She thought of Rosa there too at her father’s beck and call. She ached over her father’s sinful lifestyle. “Walk with me.” She beckoned Steven to follow her.
Birds sang all around. They headed away from the house, through the vineyard, down toward the creek, where real privacy could be found. “It would not be hard for my father to come fetch me. Yet he has not. California is not what I expected. My father is not what I expected.”
Steven moved closer to her, measuring his long steps to hers as they walked. “Roman shared with me last night a bit about his past. He has not had an easy life.”
This surprised Rachel. “What did he tell you?”
Steven smiled. “We talked for several hours. I did not want to leave him after the fight. He was bleeding quite badly.”
She stopped walking, looking toward the house. “How badly is he hurt?”
“Bruised and swollen, but he’ll be fine. Lupe used a sewing needle on him. Darned his eyebrow like a sock last night. I’m grateful he’s not so handsome now. It gives me a chance to have you look at me.”
“Oh, Steven, the Lord made you handsome as well.”
He grinned wryly. “Not like Roman Vasquez. I suspect when he heals, his face will be even more intriguing to the ladies with that new scar to admire.” Steven grew serious. “Are you in love with him?”
Looking up into his kind brown eyes, she found herself fumbling for an answer.
“Don’t be afraid to hurt me. Your love for him would only confirm what the Lord has already shown me.”
“What has the Lord shown you?” Her heart skipped a beat.
Tears filled Steven’s eyes. “I shall not marry.”
She grasped his hands. “Are you sure? That can’t be true!”
He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t tell me you love him,” he whispered huskily. “I can’t bear to hear you say it.”
His embrace took her aback. This wasn’t like Steven at all. “In heaven, none of us will be married,” she whispered back to him. “We must remember heaven is our true home.” Tears filled her eyes.
He held her for a while, pressing his cheek to her hair, and then, with a deep sigh, he released her. Stepping back, he pressed his thumbs against his eyes.
She knew he fought back tears. “Ours is an eternal hope. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” She captured his hands, squeezing them in encouragement.
“I’ve loved you for so long. I just needed to see you again.” He took a deep, shuddering breath. “You’re so beautiful. I’ve always thought you would be my wife. The light of Christ shines through you. Pray for me, Rachel,” he said hoarsely. “A battle rages in me. I don’t want to let you go.”
She closed her eyes, her hands tightly squeezing his. “Oh, Lord, reassure us that your plans are better than the plans we hold for ourselves. Let our lives be a sacrifice to you, dear Lord Jesus.”
“Amen,” Steven agreed.
Tears dripped down Rachel’s cheeks. “The Lord is with us here in this place.”
“Yes, he is. I did not feel God’s reassurance on the ship, but I feel him now.”
She felt his gaze on her before she saw him. Rising onto her tiptoes, she peered over the top of Steven’s shoulder to find Roman standing amongst the vines.
Steven turned and saw him too. He waved Roman over.
“He has a terrible temper,” she whispered in warning.
Steven smiled reassuringly.
Roman’s bruised and swollen face was like a thundercloud when he stepped up to them there near the creek.
“We were praying. Would you like to join us?” Steven invited.
Roman glanced at Steven and then leveled his gaze on Rachel. “I understand,” he said abruptly. His eyes burned over her, and then he spun on his heel to leave.
Steven captured his arm. “Don’t go. Pray with us, Roman.”
Roman shook off Steven’s hand. “I do not pray. I’ll leave you two alone with your God.”
He walked stiffly away.
“See how he is?” Rachel laced her fingers together to stop from wringing her hands.
“We must show him the love of Christ.” Steven stared after Roman, his face shining with compassion.
“You don’t know what he has done.” She bit her lip. Certainly, she couldn’t tell Steven about Roman’s embraces. And that he’d seen her bathing and bathed her himself when she was ill. She shuddered at the thought of how intimately he knew her. And how she responded to his touch.
“He’s a man who doesn’t know our Lord. We must help him see Jesus. I believe he loves you, Rachel. I think you could return his feelings in time.”
“Truly, I don’t know what I feel for that insufferable man.”
Steven placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We must trust our Lord. He knows what he’s doing with us here.”
Steven turned and plucked some unripe grapes off one of the vines. “When the harvest comes, these grapes will be crushed to make wine.” He handed Rachel the cluster of green grapes. “We must allow our Lord to ripen us like these grapes. Ultimately, we will be crushed to produce the wine God chooses to fashion from us here.”