It’s Finally Spring! – Love in Bloom
Even after a mild winter, spring comes slowly here in the northland. Regardless of the snow (or lack thereof), we have to wait for the sun to rise high enough in the sky to bring real warmth. While one of my sisters harvests kumquats in early March in Los Angeles, I sit in my kitchen in Minnesota contemplating my barren yard. When April brings tulips and daffodils to my other sister’s garden in Kansas City, our grass is still lichen-gray, matted from the retreating snow, holding its breath for the magic of May.
The first signs of spring are the drips, slow at first then gurgling down the downspout outside my bedroom window. But I don’t mind the noise. It’s a reminder that winter is dissolving all around me. Early spring in the north is a time of recession.
Then the real thaw begins, and every day brings a little more color. People appear everywhere, some dressed incongruously in shorts. Fifty degrees never felt so good.
I’m a gardener – a northern gardener – so I take great joy in the first signs of renewed life in the garden. I’m always hesitant to remove the mulch from my roses, afraid one last fearsome freeze is just around the corner. But when I do, I always find new shoots of life sprouting from the protected heart of the plant. I don’t get flowers in May, (I can’t plant bulbs due to an ongoing battle with the bunnies) but the burgeoning flush of green is enough at first. I know the flowers won’t be far behind.
One of the lessons of living in the North is perfecting the art of delayed gratification. Every year the frustration with winter begins to burn in February; but we learn we can make it, we will make it, and spring will be all the sweeter when it finally arrives. Happy spring!
My Western historical, Harvest of Dreams, has a gorgeous cover dripping with apple blossoms to celebrate the promise of spring. The flowers represent the heroine’s hope for a new life. I invite you to stop by my website at www.alisonhenderson.com and check it out.
Harvest of Dreams Blurb
Weston, Missouri, 1865
Alone on her farm in the middle of a blizzard, young widow Lisa McAllister labors to give birth to her first child. Help arrives in the strong hands of a stranger wearing a six-gun. Lisa has no reason to trust this man who makes a living by violence, even if he is on the right side of the law. Men and their guns have already claimed the lives of her father, brother, and husband, and she’s determined to protect her son at any cost.
Jared Tanner, a security agent for the stagecoach, has been on his own since he was twelve. Against his better judgment, his feelings of protectiveness toward Lisa and her baby turn to something deeper, and he is tempted by the possibility of a family of his own. Can their tender new love survive when an act of ultimate violence threatens to tear them apart?
Jared was the first to speak. “I’m not sorry.”
She remained silent.
“This doesn’t change anything,” he said.
Lisa pulled back and looked up, shaking her head. “It changes everything.”
“No, it doesn’t. The feelings were there before, and they’ll still be there whether we act on them or not.”
She didn’t try to deny it. “But we can’t, and it will be so much harder now.”
“That’s true. Now you know how much I want you, and I know you want me, too. I don’t know where this is going, but we have to find out.”
“I don’t want to find out.” But a small voice inside denied the words. Part of her had to know.
“I think you do, and I know I do. I’m not going to offer to leave, even though it might make some things easier, not unless you can convince me you really want me to go.” He cupped her face in both hands and searched her eyes. “Do you?”
Lisa knew she should say yes and remove the unbearable
temptation of his presence, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the lie. She shook her head. “No.”
Jared’s lips moved in a tiny smile, then his serious expression returned. “I can’t tell you I’ll never kiss you again, or touch you, or that I won’t want to get even closer to you, but I promise I won’t press you for anything you don’t want to give. I’d never do anything to hurt you. You know that, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“Good. Now it’s time for you to get some sleep.” He led her to the bed and tucked her in, his hands lingering as he smoothed the quilt across her. Then he leaned over her, his expression rigid and deadly serious. “I want you to know leaving you tonight is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But I want more from you than one night in your bed.”
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I live in NY where we get all 4 seasons. My favorite is autumn though when the leaves are so beautiful.
Lauren
Lmackesy at gmail.com
I live in Iowa. Sometimes we get all four seasons, but sometimes we don’t. Winter seems to last a long time and Spring is usually very short. This book sounds great. Can’t wait to read it.
Joanne B
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
I get to experience all four season. This was the mildest winter and felt more like spring and loved it. I’m sure we will have to make up for having such a mild winter, but it’s all good 🙂
lenikaye@yahoo.com
Thanks for your post Alison.
I live in the South. We do experience all for 4 seasons, though summer gets the most play time. Fall is my favorite time of the year.
I’d love to read your book.
Thanks for stopping by GP.
K
It’s pretty mild here all year round. The great thing is that on some days you can go to the beach or go skiing in the same day. The mountains, the beaches are that close.
We generally get to experience the four seasons in Massachusetts.
WE experience 4 seasons, in SD, but they sometimes don’t always fall when they should. LOL. I think with the rotating of the earth, our season’s are changing.
tiss81@hotmail.com
We usually have 4 very different seasons but this year we missed winter almost completely. I think I would like to live somewhere with only 2 seasons! jepebATverizonDOTnet
I am a northern gardener too, but we do get four seasons generally.
This book sounds great! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I live in Southern Illinois. We usually have all 4 seasons. Our winters are usually ice and cold around 20-0 degrees F. Our springs are usually mild and rainy. Our summers get hot. Very humid and sticky. Can get up to 100 or more. But yucky. Our falls are mild again.. This year has been different. We have been in the 80s already. It’s going to be a hot one this summer.
Mel
bournmelissa at hotmail dot com
I live in Missouri and we do get all four seasons but this year seems to be a really confusing year for the weather…lol
My sister lives in Wisconsin so I know all about the Northern winters…..
Harvest of Dreams sounds very interesting and I love the cover, it does remind me of spring.
Thanks for the giveaway!
I live in Trinidad, we only have two seasons the rainy season and the dry season.
I live in Kentucky. We have 4 seasons however this year we really had a mild winter. Enjoyed the excerpt. Sounds like a good story. Addingto my to buy list.
Nice excerpt. The area I live in gets more than 2 seasons.
bn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
I live in the Greater-Seattle area where we say we have 2 seasons: winter and August. 🙂
Jacki
shelby15(at)clearwire(dot)net
yes, in NC we get all 4 seasons! But summer lasts the longest 😛
Thank you all for stopping by! Thank you Alison for the great give away!
Congratulation to Shelby (shelby15) you are the winner of Alison’s post!
Wow what an interview loved it book is on my wish list.