Love is in the Air

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, which should be a happy day for those in love. But what about those don’t have a special someone, or have lost that someone? For them, Valentine’s Day can be especially depressing. I, for one, am not a fan of what I call Hallmark holidays. Being a romantic at heart, I used to build up all kinds of expectations that my husband, being the down-to-earth, practical sort, could never meet.

I’ve learned to pare down those expectations to a bag of Hershey’s Nuggets and maybe lunch out. I’ve learned to stay off of Facebook until posts of beautiful flowers, fancy jewelry, and romantic dinners have faded away. And I’ve learned to pour my craving for romance into my writing instead of taking it out on my poor hubby, who has no clue what he did wrong.

We’ve been married 40 years now, and I love him and he loves me. He just doesn’t believe in spending our life savings on a day made popular by television commercials and the greeting card and candy businesses. And I’d probably shoot him if he did. LOL. Talk about damned if you do and damned if you don’t. He’d rather build me a garden than buy flowers that will die in a week. He’d rather grill steaks and eat dinner at home than spend a day’s wages to eat out. And he’d much rather watch a movie on TV than go out and spend $20 to watch one at the movie theater.

So I write heroes who are a little more clued in than my hubby, heroes who understand, at least by the end, how much a woman’s heart craves feeling special. They may not start out that way at the beginning of the book, but somewhere along the line, they learn that love is the most important thing in life and they figure out what their very special woman wants. It’s also why I read romance. It gives me a few hours to put myself in that heroine’s shoes, to feel like the most desired woman in the world.

I don’t think I’m alone. Yes, there are some men out there who are incredibly romantic, but the norm is more likely that most are like mine. It’s just another day. They stress out, knowing they should do something, but really have no idea what and so they do nothing or fall back on the same candy and card year after year.

So for those of you who don’t have a special someone this year, remember. We’re all in this together. I’m not getting diamonds and roses, either. I won’t be jetting off to Paris or eating at a five star restaurant. I’ll probably have my nose buried in a good book at some point during the day, lost in the fantasy of a hot hero who wants nothing more than to make me feel like a million dollars.

I did do something for myself this year. I finished my latest book and got it out in time for Valentine’s Day, so someone, somewhere, who needs a lift and needs to feel special can lose themselves between the pages of The Bluest Eyes in Texas and enjoy the fantasy of a hot cowboy falling in love with them and sweeping them off their feet.

Bull rider Cooper Saunders has a shot at the PBR championship until a bull not only shatters his body and puts him in danger of never walking again, but it also tramples his spirit. Cooper is ready to give up on life, not wanting to be a burden on others, until his neighbors in Morris Springs, Texas, show him how much he has to live for.

Physical therapist Nancy Phillips is not about to let Cooper give up, not after she worked so hard to get him back in shape for the finals. Now she must not only help him find the will to live, but also give him the motivation to get out of that wheelchair. With the help of newly-orphaned Becky McCallum and Nancy’s friends in Morris Springs, Nancy shows Cooper how much he still has to offer, to his family, the community, and to her.

The Bluest Eyes in Texas is Book Three in the Lone Star Cowboys series, with return appearances by many of the characters from Blame it on Texas and Blue Moon over Texas.