Sunday, February 08, 2009

Hubby and me at a booksigning.
Valentine’s Day is less than a week away and I was thinking how a romance starts, with a glance, a stare, a first meeting that leads to more. Every love story starts with two people meeting and a spark whether positive or negative that last a lifetime.

I met my husband on a cold December day at a wedding of a friend. He was on leave from the National Guard and he and his buddies crashed the wedding. They’d heard there was beer and girls at the reception and dance. The soldiers were a hit and the girls were eager to meet them, including myself. I zeroed in on one soldier who had a woman’s red high heel poking out of the pocket of his camouflage jacket. When we were introduced, I asked about the shoe and he grinned and said, “What shoe?” The smile got me and he was so good looking. But he’d also had too much beer which didn’t appeal to me. When he called later in the week and asked me out that part didn’t seem to matter. Did I mention he was good looking? Back then, as a naïve teenager, my list of priorities changed daily.

The high heel belonged to a bridesmaid who he’d been talking to. She’d kicked off her shoes for the dance and he took one knowing she would come looking for it (clever). He never dated the bridesmaid and to this day he denies the shoe being in his pocket. I bring it up sometimes to annoy him and to see him smile.


It’s been over forty years now and I still remember the first time we met. How about you? How did you meet the love of your life? Was it love at first sight or did it take a while for love to grow?

Harlequin celebrates love with every book they publish. And to celebrate sixty years of publishing Harlequin is offering 16 free downloads (just in time for Valentine’s) - a book from each line. You can even download to your computer. Once a Cowboy is one of the books. Check it out. http://www.harlequincelebrates.com/.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/
The Sheriff of Horseshoe, Texas – Mar ‘09



22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great photo, Linda. And a very romantic story of you and your husband.

I met mine at a weekend thing called Urban Plunge. (This was way back in the dark ages...) Urban Plunge was designed to throw a bunch of fairly innocent college kids into the urban experience. Radicals, anti-war organizers, gays, all kinds of stuff. What an eye-opener to a girl from Indiana. I was there to learn. My husband went to meet girls. Men!

Tarot By Arwen said...

This was such a fabulous tale, Linda! Thanks so much for sharing it. :) What a mischievious soul your husband must have.

Linda Warren said...

Ann,
I met my husband in the dark ages, too. LOL.
Urban Plunge would have been an eye opener for me as well.
And men, yep, they're all alike, looking for girls. And liquor. Isn't it wonderful they outgrow that? Well, a little, LOL!
Linda

Linda Warren said...

Arwen,
Thank you. My husband has a great sense of humor. He can make me laugh when I'm really feeling down.
Love that about him.
Linda

Estella said...

I could not stand my husband when I first met him. I thought he was an arrogant know-it-all.
Took him 13 years to convince me we were meant to be. Been married 20 years now.

Linda Warren said...

Estella,
I've heard a lot of stories like that. Bless his heart for hanging in there. Gotta love a man who never gives up. And 20 years, that's wonderful.
Linda

Kim Lenox said...

I met my husband in English class. I'd never really noticed him until one day, I was standing behind him waiting to enter the room, and ... gosh, I don't know why, I just thought his dark hair and the back of his NECK and shoulders were really sexy. Shazam! After that, he was officially "noticed" and helpless against my charm. Lol!

I enjoyed your story, Linda, and love the picture of the two of you.

Jo Anne said...

Great picture, Linda. And it sounds like you married your very own "bad boy." No wonder you write them so well - and no wonder they're all really sweethearts, just like that charmer you wed.

Anonymous said...

My love of my life didn't turn out to be the love of my life so I'm waiting for my TRUE love to find me or me him. But the first one - I had been working in a pizza place and he came in often, but during the day and I worked nights. The night I first talked to him - he was there to pick up a girl I worked with who snuck out the back door because she didn't want to go out with him! She sent me out the front to tell him. We stayed together for 10 years.
-Marcie

Linda Warren said...

Kim,
Thank you. It's those little things that get us. My hubby was drunk out of his mind, but when he smiled it was like "Wow."
I love how you met your husband. And you've been noticing him ever since. He's one lucky guy.
Linda

Linda Warren said...

Jo Anne,
Thank you. I've tamed him. LOL. He's very mellow these days. Of course, age has something to do with that.
Linda

Linda Warren said...

Marcie,
Hugs. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but I bet there's a terific guy out there waiting for you.
Sometimes it happens when we least expect it. Keep looking and don't give up.
Linda

penney said...

That's lovely Linda! I meet my husband 25 years ago and we got married 3 years later this Oct. it be 23 years, I meet him through a Iron Maiden rock concert back then he worked for them he did their fan club. We have 2 daughters ages 12 and 13 years old.
Hugs
Penney

DanaLea1699 said...

Hi Linda - thanks for letting me know about this. I haven't met my hubby yet and am still waiting to see if it will be love at first sight or a friendship that grows into something more. That's what I love about romance books - I get to pretend for a but while reading. :) I'm still waiting for my Eli Coltrane, though I don't want it to be as dramatic as poor Caroline's story. ;)

Linda Warren said...

Penney,
What fun to be part of a rock band. I love it. And you're still rocking today. That's the good part.
Linda

Linda Warren said...

Dana,
I don't want the love of your life to happen as dramatic as Eli's either. Ah, but I loved Eli, too. The strong, silent type with a heart of gold.
Keep reading those romances. They're the best feel-good books in the world.
Good luck with finding your Eli.
Linda

Jane Myers Perrine said...

Very interesting, Linda!

I met George in graduate school--very boring, I know. We got to know each other when we cut chapel to play bridge.

Jane (Myers Perrine)

Linda Warren said...

Jane,
Cutting chapel to be with him is not boring at all. That's exciting.
I love hearing 'how we met' stories.
Thanks for stopping by.
Linda

Meljprincess said...

Thank you for the invite to the blog, Linda.
I absolutely LOVE the story of how you met your husband.
On your site I told you how I met mine but I forgot to tell you we met on Christmas night! We have something in common. We both met our honeys in Dec. :-)

Mel K.

Linda Warren said...

Hi Mel,
Thank you.
How about that? Dec is the 'love' month. Everyone is in a festive mood and who could resist. Certainly not you nor I.
A lot of engagements happen at Christmas, too. Actually that's when my hubby and I got engaged.
Linda

Christie Craig said...

Linda,

What a wonderful story. It made my heart sigh.

Thank you for sharing!

Christie Craig

Linda Warren said...

Christie,
We never know when Cupid is going to strike. The red shoe has been a hot topic at our house for years.
Thank you for stopping by.
Linda