"Maria—she's the most unexpected gift I ever received." When he thought of the unconditional love Maria had held in her heart for him all the years of her young life, he felt unworthy all over again, and an incredible self-doubt shrouded his soul once more.
Lina laughed softly. "Is that how you see her? As a gift?"
They reached the top of the stairs, and Miguel turned Lina to him before they went into Maria's room. "Lina, I see this day as a gift. The fact that you waited for me—your love—is a gift."
"You've always had it."
Tears sparkled in her eyes, and Miguel was ashamed of the heartache he'd caused her. He pulled her close, holding her in his arms.
"You won't ever be alone again, querida. As long as you want me, I'm here to stay." It was all he could think of to say to her, to let her know it was her choice, this time.
Her fingers tightened at his waist and after a few seconds, she nodded, lifting her head to look into his eyes. "I will never stop loving you."
Miguel smiled at her serious pronouncement. "That might be enough to make me believe in miracles, Lina."
He turned to push Maria's door open, and together they walked inside.
Moonlight spilled through the window, like a stairway to the stars. From where she sat among the silvered moonbeams in the middle of her bed, Maria turned as they entered. She held up two ribbons of deep, rich scarlet, the very ribbons Miguel had bought earlier. Beautiful, fine ribbons, fit for a princess.
Miguel's chest clenched. He did not believe in miracles. But where had they come from? How had they gotten here? There was no explanation. If he lived to be a hundred, he'd never know where those silken ribbons had come from. The breath rushed out of him as he knelt beside the bed, and Maria hugged him, the ribbons clutched in her small hands. Her eyes…her beautiful brown eyes were shining with sight once more as she looked up at him. A miracle he could neither deny, nor understand. There was nothing left to do but to accept what this day had brought to him, and he embraced it, at last.
"Scarlet ribbons, Papa! The most beautiful scarlet I've ever seen! And with a cross here, on the back!"
His own eyes stung and blurred with tears of thanks as he looked closely at the gold etched stitches. A detail he had not noticed before… A detail which, without a miracle, might not be seen by one who had been blind for so long.
The End
About the Author
Cheryl Pierson is a native of Oklahoma. She lives in the Oklahoma City metro area with her husband. The mother of two grown children, and pet-sitter on occasion, she is always busy. A romance author who loves to read, Cheryl also teaches novel writing classes and is a freelance editor. She writes short stories published by Adams Media, Western Trail Blazer, Western Fictioneers, and Victory Tales Press, as well as historical and contemporary romance novels.
Ms. Pierson's novel, Fire Eyes, was an Epic Award Finalist and Cheryl received the PNR PEARL Awards Honorable Mention as Best New Author of 2009 for her novel Time Plains Drifter. She also placed third in the San Antonio Romance Authors (SARA) Merritt Contest with her newest novel, Gabriel's Law. Kane's Redemption, Ms. Pierson's Young Adult Western Novella, was chosen Best Mainstream Short Story of 2012 in the Preditor & Editor Readers' Poll.
Cheryl's Western/Time-Travel/Romance, Time Plains Drifter, is now available from Western Trail Blazer in digital formats and in print.
To learn more about Cheryl and her exciting books, visit her author page at: https://www.amazon.com/author/cherylpierson
* * Works by Author Cheryl Pierson * *
Novels:
Fire Eyes
Temptation's Touch
Sweet Danger
Kane's Chance
Gabriel’s Law
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Novellas:
Kane's Redemption
Kane's Promise
Kane's Destiny
* * * * * * * * * *
Single-author Collections:
A Hero for Christmas
* * * * * * * * * *
Short Stories:
White Christmas
Every Girl's Dream
Meant to Be
Jason's Angel
Homecoming
One Magic Night
A Heart for a Heart
To Make the Magic Last
The Last of Her Kind
Always and Forever
The Wishing Tree
The Gunfighter's Girl
* * * * * * * * * *
Multi-author Anthologies:
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Empty Nesters
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from Heaven
Christmas Through a Child's Eyes
Classic Christmas
Christmas Traditions
The Traditional West
Six Guns and Slay Bells
The Rocking Chair Reader: Memories from the Attic
The Rocking Chair Reader: Family Gatherings
A Summer Collection
A Valentine Collection
A Christmas Collection: Sensual
A Christmas Collection: Spicy
A Christmas Collection: Sweet
2011 Christmas Collection
2011 Summer Collection
A Mystery/Suspense Collection
2012 Christmas Collection
A Historical Collection
A Western Saga
Wolf Creek Book 6: Hell on the Prairie
* * * * * * * * * *
Collaborative Novels
Wolf Creek Book 1: Bloody Trail
Wolf Creek Book 5: Showdown at Demon’s Drop
[Cheryl's works may be found at most online book retailers.]