She never wants to get married. He does. To her.
American
missionary Michael Young has moved to Rome on a two-year mission trip. His
temporary future in the country doesn’t stop him from spontaneously joining
Alessa’s tour after spotting her outside the Colosseum. And being bold enough to tell her afterward that one day she’d be
his wife. God had told him. And he believed Him. But Alessa shows no sign of
interest in Michael.
Can anything
sway the beautiful and headstrong Italian to fall in love? Can anyone convince
her to put her faith and hope in the Heavenly Father, despite being raised by
an earthly one who never loved her? Will her sister’s prompting, or a
mysterious painting, or Michael himself change Alessa’s mind? About love. And
about God.
First
scene extract (prologue)
PERSPIRATION BEADED
MICHAEL YOUNG’S BROW as he left the indoor court and headed for the showers.
“Good game, guys. Good game.” He swiped at the moisture with his forearm. What
on earth had made him think Americans were supposed to own the basketball
courts? These Italians were certainly making him and Keith work hard to win.
Leaving Rome’s
Centro Sportivo Santa Maria, he waved at his fellow American missionary, Keith,
and their newfound friends.
“Arrivederci. See you at church on
Sunday.” He smiled as he ambled up Via Labicana. Three converts so far, with
hopefully more to come soon. Lorenzo would be next, of that he was certain. Not
bad for the month he and Keith had been actively ministering among Italian
students, using their skills on the court to befriend the locals. God was
definitely at work in these students’ hearts, although some would prove to be
more of a challenge to reach than others. Especially Matteo. The good-looking,
bronzed Italian made no secret of the fact that he lived to satisfy the flesh
alone, giving no thought to his eternal soul. But God had His perfect timing
for Matteo. As He did with everything.
Keith was giving
the post-basketball Bible study today. Michael needed to get back to Hope
Center where he and several other missionaries worked and lived. Chiara had
agreed to meet him there at three thirty. With only two more weeks until their
big evangelism event at a popular piazza in the center of Rome, the group’s
choreographer had offered him some private lessons. He couldn’t wait. He’d
never taken part in a flash mob, let alone be the lead dancer. So many emotions
roiled in his gut—nerves, excitement, fear.
He glanced at
his watch—two forty-five—and hastened his pace. Up ahead, the Colosseum loomed.
One of these fine days, he’d need to make time to visit the ancient
amphitheater.
Why not now?
Michael chuckled.
I can’t, Lord. You know that.
Chiara…dance lessons…
The Colosseum
cast him in shadow as he passed by. Breaking into the sunlight again, Michael
stopped in his tracks at the flash of red that caught his eye. He hadn’t
planned on taking a tour today—he couldn’t really. He only had forty-five
minutes, but in that moment, all sense of reasoning vanished. Besides, wasn’t now God’s suggestion in the first place?
He veered left
off the path into the crowded area. He’d apologize to his dance instructor later.
Maybe he’d be lucky enough to still find her hanging around by the time he got
back to the center.
Right. Fat
chance of that happening. Chiara waited for no one. He’d probably face the
fifty-year-old’s wrath next time he saw her. He drew in a deep breath then
sighed, unable to shake the feeling that he needed to take his chances.
Michael strolled
across to the small group gathered in front of the auburn-haired beauty. Dare
he even ask?
“Perdono, how long is this tour?” he
asked the uniformed tour-guide dressed in a burgundy polo shirt and black
knee-length skirt, and Alessa engraved in black on her gold nametag.
With a smile she
pointed the branded flag she held, its colors matching her clothing, toward the
sign behind her. “One hour.”
Michael glanced
at the Ancient Steps Tours’ board. What a stroke of luck. Or was it fate? The
last English tour for the day was at three o’clock. Ten minutes more.
“Is it possible
to join?”
Alessa eyed him,
her gaze scanning the length of him as she raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have a
booking?” She seemed surprised, taken aback that someone would even think they
could join a tour of the age-old walls without having pre-booked and pre-paid.
Michael shook
his head, resisting the urge to pout or allow his eyes to beg. He doubted
either would score him brownie points with this woman.
She shrugged.
“Okay, I do have an unreserved place. That will be twenty euro.” She held out
her hand.
This is the girl you’re going to marry,
God’s voice whispered in his soul.
What, Lord, you can’t be serious?
Of course He
was. Michael had learned from an early age that God never joked with him.
Exactly why he’d obeyed and moved to Italy when his Lord had spoken.
He handed over
the tour fee. Small price to pay for the chance to get to know the girl you
were destined to marry.
For the next hour, Michael hung on her every word, and
not just because she brought the place to life. For once, he didn’t have much
to say, preferring to listen to the sound of her voice.
After the tour, everyone thanked her and the group
dispersed. Michael watched as some pressed a gray five euro note into her palm.
Pity he’d used up all the cash he had on hand.
Michael followed Alessa to her scooter. She was about
to put her helmet on when she spotted him.
“Yes…?” She raised her perfectly penciled brow again
with the single-worded question.
“Uh…” It took all his American gumption to utter the
next few words. “I’m going to marry you one day.”
Maybe it was his accent, but Alessa didn’t seem to
understand what he’d said to her. For a few seconds, she merely stared at him,
seemingly astonished before bursting into laughter.
“In your wildest dreams.” And with that, she slid onto
her little white Vespa and buzzed off up the road.
Character
Interview:
1. Tell us your name and a
little bit about yourself? My name is Alessandra Rossi,
but only my Nonna calls me that…and my oldest brother, Rafaele if he’s angry
with me. To everyone else, I’m Alessa. Personally, I think the extra letters
are just a waste of the alphabet—not to mention ink.
I’m 22 years old and I
never knew my mamma—she died giving birth to me. My entire life, Papà blamed me
for her death. That one tragic event shaped so much of me and who I am
today…the good, the bad, and the ugly.
2. Tell us about where you live
and why you choose to live there? I live in Roma,
Italy. It was close enough to be able to visit my Nonna, and far enough away from
my papà . With a degree in architectural history and archaeology, it’s the
perfect place to eke out a living as a tour guide.
3. What is a quirk of your
personality that most people wouldn't know? I’m an open
book. There’s nothing I can think of that I hide. First thing people realize
about me is that I LOVE food.
4. Name two things you would hate
people to know about you? Like I said, no hidden
skeletons in my closets, although I could take you somewhere in Roma where
there are a lot of skeletons. On second thoughts, read Ti Amo and you can tag along with my sister, Sienna, and Michael.
5. Tell us about your special man.
What makes him special? Michael Young is talented,
creative, good-looking, well-built, and a great preacher. Besides the overall
package from head to toe scoring a perfect ten, the man has moxie. He says what
he wants to say, and that’s that. Not that all the above mattered to me when I
first met him.
6. The first time you saw him,
what did you think? Did you like him immediately, or did he have to grow on
you? I couldn’t stand him at first. I thought he was a
forward American. I was not happy with my sister when she invited him to tag
along with us most places the weekend she was visiting me in Roma.
7. What would he hate people to
know about him? He’s a tad claustrophobic—not crazy
about confined spaces.
8.
What is your favourite thing to eat and drink? Melanzana
panini from the sandwich shop just outside my apartment building. The whole
works complete with mortadella, mozzarella, salami, capicola, prosciutto,
lettuce, tomato and the restaurant’s secret homemade Italian dressing. A sparkling water to
wash it down with.
9. If you had to fight, what
would be your weapon of choice and why? A menu because
it’ll probably be the thing closest to my hand.
10. Pepsi or coke Neither.
11. Tea or coffee Espresso.
12. Elephant or tiger Elephant, because there is usually one in the room when I’m
around
13. Roast dinner / burger and
chips (fries for our US readers) or pizza Pizza, but
only with very good friends, or my sweetheart.
14. Classical music or pop Pop.
15. Sunrise or sunset Both…they’re just the reverse of each other.
16. Walk or run Walk…I do a lot of that in my job, so I am partial to the
pace.
17. Chocolate or crisps (chips
for our US readers) Chocolate, especially Venchi.
18. What would you like on your
epitaph? She made the world an interesting place.
A Novel Place to Fall in Love
USA Today bestselling author, MARION
UECKERMANN’s passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her
family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational
romances set in novel places. Marion and her husband again live in South
Africa, but with two gorgeous grandsons hanging their hats at the house next
door, their empty nest’s no longer so empty.
Please
visit Marion’s website for more of her books: www.marionueckermann.net
You can also find Marion on social media:
Amazon
: Marion-Ueckermann/e/B00KBYLU7C
Facebook
: Marion.C.Ueckermann
Twitter
: ueckie
Goodreads
: 5342167.Marion_Ueckermann
Pinterest
: ueckie
Bookbub
: authors/marion-ueckermann
Instagram
: https://www.instagram.com/marion.ueckermann/
I have a subscriber freebie. Readers can download Spring’s Promise, set in
Northern Ireland, for free. http://marionueckermann.net/subscribe/
Comments