Authors: Michele Paige Holmes
My Lucky Stars (39 page)
“When you ran over my foot.” He grabbed her hand, stopping her. “I’d wondered before then—when I couldn’t get you off my mind for months. And then, when I saw you in my kitchen, it all came to the surface. But when you ran over my foot and didn’t yell
at me
for it, I said to myself, ‘Ben, this woman has changed. You’d better not let her go this time.’”
“I first loved you when I kissed you in the moving truck,” Tara said.
“Why then?”
“It was the first time I cared about you,” Tara said. “I didn’t realize it until months later, but I kissed you because I knew what you’d be facing that weekend with your ex, and I wanted to give you a boost of confidence before you went into the lions’ den.”
“Barely a convert and talking in parables already,” Ben said. “Amazing.” He pulled her to him again, resting his chin on top of her head.
Tara closed her eyes, reliving a similar moment from eleven months earlier. It had opened her eyes and heart to possibilities she’d never before considered. How happy she was now, how grateful for her newfound knowledge and understanding, how in love with Ben. Modern-day miracles, indeed.
And oh, how she thanked her lucky stars.
Epilogue
Thirteen Months Later
Jane closed the door of the nursery and tiptoed down the hall. It had taken her almost a year and a half, but she finally had the twins’ nap schedules coordinated. The hour they slept in the afternoon allowed her to have some time alone with Maddie when she came home from school each day.
Grabbing a sweater from the back of a chair, Jane headed toward the front door. She went outside and down the walk to wait for Maddie’s bus. She opened the gate and walked to the mailbox. While she waited each day, she sorted through the mail, a particularly enjoyable task during the past few weeks, with friends’ Christmas cards arriving daily.
As she stood by the gate, she shuffled through the envelopes, setting aside bills and ads to look through later. The second-to-last envelope—with a return address from Ohio—brought a smile to her face. Jane turned it over and tore it open then pulled a photo card out. She laughed at the faces staring up at her.
Ben, in overalls and holding a pitchfork, was doing his best to look somber but couldn’t entirely hide the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. Beside him, Tara wore a high-collared, old fashioned dress that Jane would have bet a million bucks two years ago that Tara wouldn’t ever touch, let alone wear. Her face attempted equal somberness, but she too betrayed a hint of amusement. A large wooden picture frame bordered the couple, as if they were a painting on the wall.
A small caption at the bottom confirmed Jane’s suspicions.
American Gothic: a Whitmore Halloween Production
On the side of the card, in the space reserved for holiday greetings, there was one word.
JOY.
About the Author
Michele Holmes spent her childhood and youth in Arizona and northern California—often with her head in a book instead of out enjoying the sunshine. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for twenty-three years, and they live in Utah, having traded the beach for the mountains.
Michele graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in elementary education—something that has come in handy with her five children, all of whom require food, transportation, or help with their homework the moment she sits down at her computer. In spite of all the interruptions, Michele is busy at work, with more story ideas in her head than she will likely ever have time to write.
Michele’s first published novel,
Counting Stars
, won the 2007 Whitney Award for best romance. The companion novel, a romantic suspense titled
All the Stars in Heaven
was a 2009 Whitney finalist.
My Lucky Stars
continues the series. Michele also enjoys writing historical romance. Her first,
Captive Heart
, was published by Covenant in 2011 and is a Whitney finalist.
To learn more about Michele’s writing, please visit her website at michelepaigeholmes.com You may also contact her via Covenant email at [email protected] or through USPS mail at Covenant Communications, Inc. P.O. Box 416 American Fork, UT 84003-0416.
OTHER BOOKS AND AUDIO BOOKS
BY Michele Paige Holmes:
Counting Stars Series:
Counting Stars
All the Stars in Heaven
My Lucky Stars
Other Books:
Captive Heart
Table of Contents