My 2nd Favorite Romantic Blog Post – Sept – Nov, 2010

Shannon here: Barbour author, Lynette Sowell’s real life romance gave me visions of a hero and heroine meeting from the moment I originally shared it here on November 15. Lynette graciously gave me permission to use it in a future book and my ideas are flowing. Comment for a chance to win A Door County Christmas or Vickie McDonough’s Christmas Mail-Order Brides on any post dated Dec 20 – 25. Deadline Dec 25, midnight Central time. Here’s Lynette:

C.J. and I didn’t go on our first date until July 1994, but back in June 1994 I realized something was brewing between us. One fine Texas Saturday afternoon, I borrowed my friend Lisa’s Nissan Pulsar to attend a piano recital at a nearby college. Lisa was busy at her apartment and didn’t mind me borrowing her vehicle. A quick cruise down the highway a few miles in Lisa’s cool car with the T-top off was just the thing.

Gorgeous, gigantic fluffy white clouds filled the sunny sky, the temperature in the high 80s, just right for June in Texas. I should have figured the pretty white clouds wouldn’t last.

That afternoon, C.J.’s younger sister was playing piano at the recital, so he was there too. I saw him in the small crowd. He smiled and waved. I happened to notice that he wore his nice white shirt, favorite Wranglers and his beloved cowboy boots.

Then came the recital’s intermission. I knew right away something was wrong as I stepped from the auditorium out to the hallway. Someone opened the side door and I glimpsed gray, not yellow sunshine outside.

It was pouring rain outside, a Texas thunderstorm, and I’d left the T-top off my friend’s car!

Lisa was going to kill me, and I didn’t blame her one bit.

And then I saw C.J., and in my eyes he looked like a knight in cowboy boots.

“C.J., I need your help. I’ve really gone and done it.”

“What’s wrong?”
“I borrowed Lisa’s car, and left the T-top off.”

We raced out the door to the parking lot. Thunder boomed. Rain poured. We were soaked within seconds as we struggled to put both sides of the car’s roof back in place.

Without saying anything more, we jumped inside the Pulsar to take refuge from the storm. An inch of water had pooled inside on the floor of the car.

C.J. and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. I apologized for his boots getting wet, and he told me not to worry about it.

“We can’t go back in, not like this,” he said, his blue eyes twinkling.

“No, we can’t.” We laughed some more, and headed back to town so I could face the music with Lisa.

Even though we weren’t a couple then, I felt a spark that day. In this bad situation, C.J. came to my rescue, risked ruining his boots, and was there for me as I explained to Lisa what happened to her car. I knew then that there could be something more than our easy friendship between us.

Thankfully, the car was fine, C.J.’s boots dried out, and Lisa forgave me.

In the sixteen years C.J. and I have been together, we’ve met all kinds of situations head-on in a similar way. With humor, and together.

About Lynette: 

Lynette Sowell is the award-winning author of nine books with over 200,000 copies sold. She’s written five novellas, inspirational romance, as well as a three-book cozy mystery series and historical romance for Barbour Publishing. From the time she was old enough to play Let’s Pretend and own her first library card, she’s loved making up stories, reading late into the night, and has spent the past twelve years writing fiction. Lynette was born a Massachusetts Yankee, but arrived in Central Texas “as soon as she could,” where she lives with her husband and five cats that have their humans well-trained.

Book link for ordering on Amazon: http://astore.amazon.com/lynesowe-20/detail/1602609675

My web site: lynettesowell.com

Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lynette.sowell

Come back Dec 24 for Vickie McDonough’s son’s Christmas proposal and a chance to win her book.