Be brave, young lovers, and follow your star. ~Oscar Hammerstein II
It was fun sharing a romantic scene from Love Comes Home on Wednesday’s post. Thanks to all of you who read it and took time to comment on the scene and on the types of romances you like to read in books.
The romance threads in When the Meadow Blooms that released last year are a little different. Dirk and Anneliese were neighbors, but due to a feud of sorts over a piece of property, their families did not get along. But you know what is bound to happen when families are feuding, don’t you? Two of the young family members are going to meet and fall in love. So perhaps that is a new romance type – couples whose families forbid them to fall in love. What a challenge, right?
So here’s a slightly edited scene of Anneliese’s and Dirk’s first meeting at the shallow river that separates their farms.
“That’s really why you wanted me to come down here, isn’t it? To splash me.” Dirk wiped the water out of his eyes and stayed at the edge of the river, fearing he might scare her away if he stepped toward her.
But she seemed to have no fear at all as she moved through the water until she could have touched him if she wanted to. “A little splash never hurt anyone. It can wake up a person. Make them pay attention.”
“And what did you want me to pay attention to?” His heart was beating extra fast.
“Me, of course.”
“You already had my full attention.” His breath came faster as he felt as though he was being swallowed by her green eyes. He surprised himself again by saying, “Your eyes are luminous.”
“Luminous?” She lowered her gaze and then gave him a flirtatious look up through her eyelashes. “You must be the Meadows son who has been wasting his time off in that college in Louisville learning words like that. Luminous. Lightning bugs have luminous tails. The moon is luminous.”
“And a beautiful girl’s eyes are luminous,” he said.
She stepped even closer to him then, until the river water pushed her skirt against his legs. She didn’t bother corralling it as she stared up at him. “I bet you tell all the girls they have luminous eyes.”
“Only the ones who do. But the fact is until today, I have never met a girl with luminous eyes.” It was all he could do to keep his hands down in the water instead of reaching up to smooth a lock of her hair away from those luminous eyes.
As if she guessed his thoughts, she hooked the stray strand behind her ear as she kept staring at him. “And I never met a man with curly red hair.”
“So, what do you think?” He lifted his eyebrows at her. “Like it?”
“Like it or not, my mother says to be wary of red-headed men. She claims they have the temper of a mean tomcat.” She paused a moment before she went on. “And my father says he’s never met a Meadows worth exchanging the time of day with.”
“He’s never met me. And I’m more like a friendly old hound dog than a mean tomcat.”
“Pa has two old hound dogs. I’m not particularly fond of either one.” She whirled away from him with a swish of her skirt through the water.
“Poor dogs,” Dirk said. “And I don’t know what time of day it is to exchange with you.”
That made her laugh and turn back toward him. “It’s an hour past too late.”
“I hope not.” He fastened his gaze on her eyes that practically exploded with sparks. “What say you forget I’m a Meadows and we can be friends?”
“Friends?” Her coy look was back. “Wading friends?”
“I’d be glad to wade a few rivers with you.”
“Would you now?” She ran her hands under the water to send a spray up at his face.
Hope you think this scene between Dirk and Anneliese hints at romance on the way.
Thanks so much to all of you who commented on my last post with the excerpt from Love Comes Home. That book has been out for readers for several years. It’s easy to find at online booksellers such as Christianbook.com. And if you like audio books, you might like to listen to Love Comes Home with me doing the narration. You can find it on Audible but also other audio book sites such as audiobooks.com.
Here’s what one Amazon reviewer said about the audio book. “Ann H. Gabhart can tell a story! I laughed, cried, cheered, and held my breath along with the characters in this book set in Rosey Corner, Kentucky. .. This book is the third in the series but I had no trouble jumping into the story and enjoying a wonderful time spent in Rosey Corner. Gabhart’s Southern accent added so much to the audiobook and I recommend checking out the audio version if you can.”
Remember, I’m giving away a copy of Love Comes Home to one of you who comment on these two posts about romance. Not much time to enter. Deadline for entries is midnight EST on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. You need to be 18 or older to enter. I’ll pick a winner by random and notify that person by email and announce the winner on the post Wednesday, February 22.
Do you believe attraction between two people can happen immediately as I hint in this scene from When the Meadow Blooms?
Comments 41
Yes, I think it can happen.
Yes, if it’s real. 🙂
Yes, I believe so. I’ve seen it happen.
I do believe in love at first sight. When it happens the people have to take time to know each other.
I loved that book , one of my favorites of many of yours. Love is in the eye of the beholder.
Author
I suppose it’s good that love is in the eye of the beholder, Donna Jean. We’ve long known beauty is. Love is such a precious gift and we can rejoice when we have been blessed with loving spouses and good marriages.
I’m glad you liked When the Meadow Blooms.
it could happen
Now that sounds like a romance that I would definitely like to read about. Your books are so good and this one sounds exceptional.
Author
I do hope you’ll give the book a try and read about Anneliese and Dirk. It’s not your normal boy meets girl and happily ever after romance, but I think you will like finding out more about them and about all the other characters in When the Meadow Blooms.
Thank you for your kind words about my books, Judy.
Wow- an Ann Gabbart book I’ve not read? This one sounds great! But love can surely ‘find’ us anytime. After 52 years of marriage I’d say it can also last a lifetime 🙂 .
Author
You made me smile, Marilyn, with your comment. I hope you’ll give this Ann Gabhart book a try.
So glad love found you and led to many happy years of marriage. The vows do say “till death do you part.” That’s a lifetime.
The romantic in me wants to say yes, I believe we can be attracted by just a look; however I think love takes longer.
That being said, “When the Meadow Blooms” is a wonderful book and one of my favorites.
Author
So, that romantic side of you and all of us can enjoy some stories with the love at first sight, Pamela. But most of us know the attraction has to grow and turn into a lasting love.
I’m so glad you enjoyed visiting Meadowland and getting to know my characters including Anneliese and Dirk. I love the name Anneliese and how easy it is to type and how it rolls off the tongue. I think it was the perfect name for that saucy neighbor girl who was ready to try her romance wings.
I believe attraction can happen at first sight, it was like that with me and my husband.
Yes, but a long lasting relationship needs to be built on more.
I believe in love at first sight. It doesn’t always last, though.
I believe ‘attraction at first sight’ is definitely possible and this certainly happened for me with the young man who became my husband. I had seen him in our high school hallways but he graduated two years before me. It wasn’t until December of my Senior year that we ended up sitting near each other at a basketball game. There was an attraction and a spark that created our initial connection. ‘Love at first sight’ is a lovely thought but it’s probably overrated! The romantic in me might like to think that we shared ‘love at first sight’ but, at 18, there was no way that I felt, or even understood, the deep emotions that I now have for him, almost 55 years later!
Author
Thank you for sharing your attraction at first sight or at least at that important sighting at a ballgame, Connie. I think all of us like to consider the romance of love at first sight and that we were meant to meet and fall in love with the right person.
It’s a beautiful thing when love lasts through the years and all the bumps and unexpected twists in a marriage. Glad you and your husband have kept that attraction and love going.
Attraction ? For sure . I think it takes longer for love.
Attraction yes, connection sometimes.
Yes, I do. I don’t think it’s true love though.
Yes, I believe that strong attraction can happen immediately between two people. However, I also believe that love grows as the two get to know one another–admiration, trust, enjoyment, etc. grow as the two spend time together and understand and know each other better.
Author
Love growing after the attraction is what keeps the connection going, Suzanne. It’s good to have that admiration, trust, enjoyment and more that you mention.
Yes, I believe that attraction between a man and a woman can sometimes begin “at first sight”, but more often it takes more time together before a woman can feel comfortable enough and trusting enough to be as bold (forward?) with a man the way Anneliese was with Dirk.
Author
What can I say, Roberta? Anneliese was a tease and ready to try her wings out from under her father’s thumb. And love did happen over about a year.
Attraction at first meeting, Yes. I don’t believe in falling in Love at first sight, though. I think you need to know the person and their personality before you fall in Love.
Author
You could be right, Jolynn, and probably are. But in a story magic can happen. And as I told Lynne, it could be that attraction just continues to grow as the days and weeks go by until it seems as though love was there all the time.
Yes some people it can happen too!
Attraction at first sight! Love takes a lot longer!
Author
But you might be right too, Lynne. Perhaps that attraction just keeps growing until it seems as though the love was at first sight to those doing the sighting.
Author
Yay, Sarah. I’m glad someone is romantic enough to believe it’s possible. 🙂