Page 19 of Wish You Faith

“No. I’m afraid of falling.”

“You won’t.”

“Guarantee?” Rosie laughed.

Evan wasn’t sure if he could guarantee that she wouldn’t fall. “Nothing is guaranteed except salvation in Christ, right? How about I promise to hold you?”

He couldn’t believe he said that. Was ice skating a flimsy excuse for him to hold Rosie?

“I’ll think about it.” She didn’t turn him down right away.

Evan’s confidence level rose. “Meanwhile, I’ll go to the gym every day this week so that my arms will be strong enough to hold you without letting you fall on the ice.”

“I don’t know if gyms can work emergency wonders that way.” Rosie left it at that.

She connected her phone to her JBL speaker. “Since it’s December, let’s play some Christmas songs, shall we?”

Soon, “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” filled the room. She hummed along with it.

“What else is on your playlist?” Evan asked.

Rosie handed him her phone. It contained Christmas songs that he enjoyed listening to. He wanted to check out her other playlists, but didn’t feel that it was polite to look through her phone at this stage of his pursuit of her.

His what?

He stopped his own train of thought and returned the phone to her.

Rosie pointed to two chairs by the wall. “Feel free to sit on a chair or on the floor with the kids.”

“I’ll follow you.”

Rosie was on the floor among the kids. “When the weather warms up, we sometimes have our Sunday school class on the top deck. Today it’s too cold outside.”

Evan found himself wanting to be there with Rosie when the weather warmed up. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to teach Sunday school, but he wanted to be with Rosie, whatever she was doing.

Was that a prayer he could ask God? Would God grant him his heart’s desire?

This morning’s Bible study reminded him to walk by faith. If it was God’s perfect will for him to be with Rosie, then it would all work out, wouldn’t it?

If Mom got wind of Rosie Hamilton, she’d order a comprehensive background check, which would probably include finding out her blood type and if she had any genetically predisposed diseases. Mom might also test Rosie’s IQ and look into her career and her personal life.

It would be so intrusive that Mom might end up driving Rosie away.

Evan feared that Rosie might not live up to Mom’s standards because Rosie didn’t graduate from an Ivy League university—even though she had graduated from the oldest public university in the country.

Still, whatever hidden talents she might have would probably not satisfy Mom. And Mom wouldn’t consider being a Christian as a plus. In fact, she might not like Rosie from the get-go because of her belief, especially if it was strong.

Which meant that Evan had better keep his newfound interest a secret for now. He shouldn’t even tell his brother, just in case he told his wife and she, in turn, told Mom.

After all, this was only the third day Evan had been with Rosie, even though he was sure he had not only fallen in love with her gray eyes and cute dimples, but also with her voice, as she sang the refrain of the next song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

Her pronunciation was clear and her voice was warm. He could listen to her sing every day.

Didn’t I say she’s the one?

CHAPTERFOUR

Mom made the best chili. Ground beef with two types of beans. To keep it warm, she put it in a slow cooker. Everyone at the Christmastown Tree Farm had tasted Sonya Hamilton’s famous chili.

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