As Cole, Alex, and Jacob worked their way down the checklist one more time the following Monday, a figure approached the barn. Alex was the first to notice.

“Who's that?” he asked, causing the other two to look up from the list.

Jacob instantly recognized Rosa and jogged towards her without answering.

“Good morning,” he greeted her when she was still far enough away to be out of earshot. “What brings you by?” He tried to make his voice sound casual, but failed miserably. His excitement at seeing her combined with the fact that his nerves were already on edge regarding the arrival of the horses in four days had his question coming out more aggressively than he intended.

However, Rosa took no offense. He could tell that her mind was too filled up with something else.

“I wanted to see how you are doing. I thought maybe you have time for a short walk? From tomorrow, you will be very busy.”

He couldn't be sure, but she appeared to be quite nervous herself.

“Sure, I can do that. Let me just tell Alex and Cole.” That only took a minute, and he returned to her side. “Any particular direction you'd like to walk?”

Rosa shook her head. “Just show me your favorite parts of the ranch.”

That was easy enough. Jacob began walking in the direction of the river that flowed from Falls Creek. The spring runoff caused it to rush by, creating a turbulent yet glorious sight.

“In the fall, it looks quite different. You almost wouldn't recognize it as the same river.” He had to raise his voice a little to be heard, but was glad to see how fascinated she was.

“I see why you like it here,” she answered, also raising her voice. “But can we go somewhere a little more quiet?”

He obliged her by going downstream a ways to where the stream widened out and was thus less raucous.

“What's on your mind?” he asked, not enjoying the suspense. “I didn't expect to see you until Sunday. Not that I mind, of course.” He added the last part quickly in case she misunderstood. “I'm just surprised.”

“Yes, I know, but I have to ask you something and it cannot wait.”

Now his senses tingled, and not in a pleasant way. He suspected that he question must be very pressing, or she wouldn't have walked the hour it took to get from the Porter house to here.

“Go ahead,” he replied with more confidence than he felt.

Rosa took a deep breath and turned to face him. “Jacob, do you believe in God?”

Although he wasn't sure what to expect, the direct question startled him.

“Uh, well, yes. I guess so.”

That was the truth, but it didn't seem to please her.

“You guess?” Her eyes narrowed.

He wished he'd had more time to prepare, and he scrambled for an adequate answer.

“Um, yeah. There doesn't really seem to be any other reasonable explanation for the world and the people in it, so I'd say that God is real.”

“You say? Real how?”

Stalling, he bent over to pick up a smooth stone and skipped it along the riverbed.

“Well, not real like you and me, but real like, He's a power that we can't see, a power that made the Earth and all that is in.”

She didn't seem to like that much either.

“We may not see God, but we know He is real because He lives in our hearts. His Spirit is with us every day.” Her lips twitched a little and she blinked a few times. “And what about Jesus?”

Jacob blew out a breath. “Yeah, I know about Jesus.”

“You know about Him?” Her tone was incredulous. “Even the evil one knows about Jesus. What do you believe?”

It was too much. He leaned against a tree for support and blew out a long breath. “I believe that I have a good life. I've worked hard for the past ten years, saving every penny I earned for this ranch. Now I have it. The world is beautiful, and I appreciate it.”

Her eyes closed briefly. “I see.” For a moment, she said nothing. “I am very sorry, Jacob, but I think we should not go on the picnic this Sunday. I do not think it would be wise to spend time together.”

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You judge me because I don't believe the same things as you? That doesn't seem fair. Okay, so I don't pray or go to church, but I'm still a good person. I could be an even better person for you.”

She shook her head. “No one is good, not you, not me, not even the saints. Without Jesus, no one can get to Heaven.”

“But I've never hurt anyone,” he argued. “I help out whenever someone needs it. I treat people fairly and am honest in everything I do.”

“It is not enough. Humans cannot do enough to be right with God. Jacob, I do not wish to argue with you about this, but my decision is final. I am sorry.”

Without another word, she turned and began to walk quickly in the direction they'd come. Jacob watched her go with a mix of frustration, anger, and disappointment. Part of him wanted to chase after her and continue to defend himself, but she seemed determined not to hear him out, so he let her go.

Returning to the barn, he began to vigorously clean out the already clean stalls and forked hay into each one with more force than was necessary. Alex and Cole must have read his mood because they didn't question him about his conversation with Rosa. Instead, they only talked about things related to the ranch.

After it was clear that everything was ready, the three of them left, Cole to his own house and Alex and Jacob to the house they would be sharing. It technically belonged to Alex, but he graciously called it “their” house.

“I'll pay you rent,” Jacob told him on the way. “It's only fair.”

“Oh, I don't care about that,” Alex replied. “If you do the cooking, I'll be happy.”

A bark of laughter shot out of Jacob. “What in the world makes you think I can cook? I went from my mother's house to my brother's, where Amanda does the cooking. I can fry the odd thing, but that's about it.”

Alex gave him a look of dismay. “And here was me thinking that an old bachelor such as yourself would know his way around the kitchen.”

“Old, am I? Thanks a lot.”

There was no malice in the exchange, but the issue did present a challenge.

“I guess I'd better propose to Christina sooner than later,” Alex joked. “I was looking for a sign from God about the timing. Maybe this is it.”

Jacob might have laughed at this even a few hours before, but the topic of God was a sore spot for him now.

“I don't know about that,” he groused. “Who's to say there even is such a thing?”

They had arrived at the house, but Alex didn't dismount immediately. “Are you saying you don't believe in signs or in God?”

Jacob didn't want to talk anymore, so he merely shrugged. “Nothing is sure in this life, is it? You’re here one day, and then next, you can be dead with some mysterious illness or your horse throws you and you break your neck.”

Slowly, Alex slid off his horse. “Well, that's a cheery thought. Remind me not to let you speak at the wedding.”

His jocular mood had its intended effect, and Jacob nearly gave him a grin. “Yeah, better not.” But then the grin disappeared. “I guess I'd better get started on my house. Don't want to be here with a couple of newlyweds.”

The way he nearly spat out the last word caused a frown to appear on Alex's face, but wisely, the younger man said nothing.

“So, Valerie sent over some bread and soup yesterday, and the pantry's full of things. I guess between the two of us, we can sort out something to eat.”

Although he'd been inside the house several times to move in his bed and a few other furnishings, walking in this time felt different. He had permanently moved out of his brother's house and was going to start living on his own, well, with Alex, but even that situation wouldn't be for long.

Jacob was on his own now and, as it would seem, indefinitely.

Initially, Rosa had walked away from Jacob as quickly as possible, not wanting to talk anymore in case she started crying and even possibly relenting in her view. He'd made some good points, but not good enough. There wasn't anything in the world he could say that would make her change her mind, but seeing him lean against the tree, looking so vulnerable, she wanted to.

“Why?” she whispered to her Heavenly Father as a tear slipped down her cheek. “Why did you bring me here? For this? Haven't I had enough heartache? I've trusted You for everything, but I feel so alone now.”

Perhaps that was what God had for her. In that moment, there didn't seem to be any other prospect. Even though she'd accepted the offer from George to show her around, she would make sure that her sister or the children accompanied them so that he wouldn't mistake the outing for anything serious. It occurred to her that she'd had the arrangement with Jacob, but in her mind, that was only to protect her reputation, not because she worried that he would get the wrong idea. She'd hoped that he would understand she had feelings for him and even believed he returned those.

Now, there would be nothing. She could not even take one step with a man who so clearly didn't share her faith. He believed he was a self-made man and gave no credit to God for his blessings. Neither did he realize who Jesus was and what He had sacrificed for all people.

“Help him understand, God,” she prayed as more tears chased the first one. “Whatever it takes, bring him to You.”

She knew that was a dangerous prayer, but she couldn't stop herself from praying it. Although she would bury the thought of having Jacob as her part of her future, a small part of her would cling to the hope that he would discover what she already knew. Without Jesus, life was empty and desperate. To put hope in anything else was foolish. No one and nothing else could ever satisfy.

“Whatever it takes,” she repeated. “Help him find You.”