Awaken My Heart
Page 23
“Papa,” she said. “It’s Marianne.”
His lips moved, but she couldn’t hear his words. She bent closer and heard her name. His fingers moved within her hand, and an onslaught of tears flowed from her eyes.
“I love you, Papa,” she said. “Please get better.”
His eyelids fluttered, yet they didn’t open. Again he attempted to speak. “Marianne…the desk…hacienda is yours.”
“Don’t try to speak.” She lightly squeezed his hand. “Just rest.”
“Take…take care of your mother and the baby,” he whispered. “You…you are my beloved daughter.” As soon as the words formed on his lips, his body relaxed.
“Papa.” She stared into his still face. “Papa, we can make up for all the times we quarreled. We can ride together. We—”
Her mother touched her arm. “Marianne, he is gone.”
“But we—”
“There is nothing you can do.”
Marianne sobbed on his chest—for his untimely death, for the wasted years, for the sorrow, and for the love. She felt her mother’s arms around her shoulders, and they fell into each other’s embrace.
“He loved us.” Mama’s body quivered. “He told me so.”
They comforted each other until the weeping subsided. Mama pulled the coverlet up around Papa’s neck as though he slept. She kissed him and whispered good-bye. “I pray you have a son,” she said. Standing, she gathered Marianne’s hand into hers. “In your papa’s desk drawer is his will. He left everything to you. The only stipulation is, if the child is a boy, he shall be granted half of the estate upon his twenty-first birthday. If the child is a girl, you are to provide for her until she marries.”
Marianne shuddered. “Why would Papa leave all this for me?”
Her mother took a deep breath and moistened her lips. “You two are so much alike, and he realized you could better manage our land than I ever could.”
Marianne’s mind spun with the news. Disbelief haunted her. She peered down at her father, his face free from bitterness and pain. “He did love me.” She shook her head to rid herself of any more tears. “Did he talk of Jesus?”
Mama’s face saddened. “I asked him if he had made his peace with God, but he did not answer.”
Silence prevailed in the death room.
“Are you alone with the vaquero?” her mother asked.
Marianne paused. No doubt her mother knew the truth. “Armando is with me.”
“Marianne.” Her mother reached up to stroke her face. “You did the right thing in warning the people of La Flor. I see in your eyes the love you have for Armando Garcia.” She kissed Marianne’s cheek. “Your papa had me pen a letter to Don Lorenzo to ask him to release you from your promise. He also requested that you return his gifts. A rider left this morning with the post.” Mama’s eyes clouded for but a moment. “I want you to be happy. You have my blessings if you feel your life is with Armando.”
“Oh Mama, thank you. Give him time, and you will see a good man. He loves the Lord.”
She merely nodded, grief overcoming her once again. “Let me be alone with Weston for a while. I want to recall the way he courted me and his once-sweet ways.” She glanced at Papa’s peaceful face. “Then have Armando come inside. I want to meet this man who has stolen your heart.”
Hours later, Armando and Marianne walked through the courtyard. Mama had been cordial to him, and when he apologized for past injustices, she stiffened.
“The only pledge I will accept is for you to love my daughter with all of your heart,” Mama said. “And if you ever hurt her, I will not rest until you are dead.”
“I give you my word. My life will never be filled with riches, but Marianne will have all of my love.”
As they walked, Marianne had yet to tell Armando about the hacienda. She fumbled for the right words, trying to anticipate about his reaction.
“I need to tell you about Papa’s will,” she said. In the coolness of the day, the fragrance of flowers wafted about them.
“Are you certain?” He patted her arm coupled into his. “It can wait. You have endured enough pain for one day—for a lifetime. If we need to take care of your madre, then so be it.”
“It’s not bad news.” Marianne took a deep breath. “He left me this hacienda and asked me to take care of Mama and the new baby.” She lifted her head to meet his dark depths. “La Flor is now safe for all who live there.”
“The prayers of so many are answered.”
She glanced away, then back to her beloved Armando. “We could be together…here. Would you think about this?”
“What do I know of running a vast estate?” he asked.
“We can learn together.”
A smile played on his lips. “Maybe I could learn with the help of a fine woman.”
“You led the people of La Flor to victory. I think you could handle this hacienda just fine.”
He lifted her chin with his finger. “I believe there is something unsettled between us.”
She peered into his eyes. Had he chosen to return to the mission and take his vows to become a priest?
As though driving away her doubts, he drew her into his arms and brushed a kiss across her lips. “My sweet Marianne, in all the world, there is no other woman for me. No woman with your beauty, your spirit, your excitement for life, and daring for adventure. I know I am not worthy of your love and devotion, but I must ask. Will you marry me?”
“My heart is yours, Armando. Today and tomorrow.”
Dear Reader,
Armando and Marianne’s story first came to me a few years ago. I love Texas history and those courageous people who formed this great state. Soon I was enveloped in a love story that only God could orchestrate. I stepped into the world of handsome vaqueros and brightly dressed, dark-eyed maidens. I heard the sweet strum of a guitar and smelled the fragrant flowers. I tasted food seasoned with life and the toil of a man’s hands. I felt the hot sun baking the clay at the mission, and I sat under the tutelage of the padres who instructed the people in the ways of God. Most of all, I saw two people separated by culture, religion, and social demands embrace the love that comes only from the great Creator.
At first I abandoned the story and told myself that it was a rendition of Zorro, my girlhood hero. But my mind kept journeying back to bigger-than-life Texas heroes, the strong men and women who dared to step over the line—those people who understood that God had a purpose for their lives.
I hope Armando and Marianne’s story never leaves you, for their love story is a symbol of what helped build this great country.
DiAnn Mills
www.diannmills.com
And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
MICAH 6:8 KJV
Discussion Questions
Marianne takes great pride in being the only one who can control Diablo. Why do you think she worked so hard to tame the stallion?
Armando believed he had abandoned God and turned his efforts to helping the people of La Flor. What evidence did you see that God had not abandoned him?
What character in the story could be compared with Diablo?
Marianne risked her life to save her mother. Do you think she really understood the gravity of her decision? Consider 1 Corinthians 13. Does this apply or not?
Armando is confused by his feelings for Marianne. He feels his heart has betrayed him. How does his past drive those feelings? Do you understand his hesitation?
Armando wondered if Marianne could force away his black cloud of depression. What happens when we think another person can play the role of God?
Armando and Marianne admit their love, but the social and political environment of the day frowned on their relationship. Forbidden love often pulls two people together, but what does God say is the foundation for His gift of love?
Although Marianne did not love the don, she planned to marry him out of obedience to her parents, and to t
ry to forget Armando. Did you find this a strength or a weakness on her part? What is more important to God, our happiness or our obedience? Why?
Weston Phillips is a hard man to understand, perhaps an even harder man for his wife and daughter to love. Do you have people like him in your life? How does God want us to handle this kind of relationship?
Marianne loved Armando and the people of La Flor. When she warned them about her father’s plan, do you think she was obeying God?
About the Author
Award-winning author DiAnn Mills launched her career in 1998 with the publication of her first book. She is the author of numerous titles including novels, novellas, and nonfiction. In addition, she has written several short stories, articles, devotions, and has contributed to several nonfiction compilations.
DiAnn believes her readers should “Expect an Adventure.” Her desire is to show characters solving real problems of today from a Christian perspective through a compelling story.
Several of her anthologies have appeared on the CBA Best Seller List. Three of her books have won the distinction of Best Historical of the Year by Heartsong Presents, and she remains a favorite author of Heartsong Presents’ readers. Two of her books have won Short Historical of the year by American Christian Fiction Writers in both 2003 and 2004. She was named Writer of the Year for 2004 at the 35th Annual Mount Hermon Christian Writers’ Conference and is the recipient of Inspirational Reader’s Choice Awards for 2005 and 2007.
DiAnn is a founding board member for American Christian Fiction Writers, a member of Inspirational Writers Alive, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, and a mentor for the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild. She speaks to various groups and teaches writing workshops. DiAnn also belongs to Cy Fair Women’s Networking, an exclusive professional women’s networking organization.
She lives in sunny Houston, Texas, the home of heat, humidity, and Harleys. In fact, she’d own one, but her legs are too short. DiAnn and her husband have four adult sons and are active members of Metropolitan Baptist Church.
Website: www.diannmills.com
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Credits
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph by Mark J. Barrett/Alamy
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
AWAKEN MY HEART. Copyright © 2008 by DiAnn Mills. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition December 2007 ISBN 9780061738456
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