Monday, February 14, 2022

Happy Valentine's Day


Each year when I get to post on Valentine's Day, I also share that today is my wedding anniversary. My hubby and I have been married forty-six years. Where did the years go?

It was the era of colorful tuxes, avocado-colored appliances, and shag carpet. The seventies was a colorful decade. Our two daughters were born in the seventies.

Even though we were married on Valentine's Day our celebration on each February 14th is very low key. Too many other people are celebrating the romantic holiday, so we do our celebrating at another time. We have often taken a cruise sometime during February, but to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we took an Alaskan cruise in June.

Here we are after our helicopter ride to a glacier where we took a dog sled ride.
 
Ready for our whitewater raft trip in Denali National Park.

Valentine's Day can be considered a commercial holiday for florists, card companies, candy companies, or restaurants that promote the day. However, it can be a good time to tell not only a sweetheart or spouse how much you love them but also a friend who means a lot to you. 

I have a couple of books, which contain a Valentine scene. These books are both in my Kellersburg series, Hometown Promise and Hometown Cowboy. In both scenes a reluctant couple attends the Valentine banquet at their church. Here is a little excerpt from Hometown Cowboy.

Looking dangerously handsome in his western-cut jacket and red tie covered in cowboy boots, Wyatt held out several tickets. “I’ll just get Gram and Gramps settled, then I’ll join you.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“Sure it is. We can’t just leave you sitting here all alone.”

Sure you can. The words sat on the tip of Caroline’s tongue, but she didn’t say them. What was she to make of his attention, of how he was acting like it was a date? Her breath caught at the thought.

As Wyatt thumped across the fellowship hall with his cane and halting gait, Caroline’s heart thumped along with the sound. Who was Wyatt Bayer? The rotten kid who had tormented her on the way home from school? The kid with a chip on his shoulder during their high school years? A world-famous cowboy? A grumpy patient at the nursing home? Or this man who was taking care of his grandparents?

After Wyatt settled his grandparents at the table with Nathan and Melanie, he hobbled his way toward Caroline. She didn’t want to stare, but her gaze was drawn to him against her will. His lopsided grin did nothing to slow the rate of her heartbeat. She took a deep breath and forced herself to smile. She would get through this evening. She would.

“Hey.” Wyatt sat on the empty chair next to Caroline and leaned his cane against the nearby wall. “Got almost everyone checked in?”

Caroline’s heart raced, and she couldn’t catch her breath. For a moment she was back in Kenya on a dusty road in the heat of the day. She gave herself a mental shake. She was not in Kenya. She was here in Kellersburg in the church fellowship hall. Had Wyatt’s proximity triggered that flashback? How often would this happen?

I hope you enjoyed that little bit from Hometown Cowboy enough to buy it. You can find buy links to all vendors if you click on the title.

What do you like about Valentine's Day?

Merrillee Whren is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award presented by Romance Writers of American. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of forty-plus years, and has two grown daughters. Connect with her on her Facebook page and sign up for her newsletter.
 




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