I love reading a story that has a great guy in love with the absolutely right girl. I love writing about that kind of good guy – an old friend who becomes more than a friend by story’s end.
I saw something this week about romance tropes in stories. There’s the bad boy character who always seems to draw girls to him. There are the main male and female characters who start out hating one another or at least seeming to. The opposites attract trope. The two people who seem the least likely to fall in love but are forced to together by some force outside their control. And then the one that fits Caleb in Along a Storied Trail. The long time friends who add romance to that friendship. That’s the romance trope in my upcoming release too. I think you’ll love getting to know Gabe and Jacci in my story, In the Shadow of the River.
But in my Rosey Corner stories, Small Town Girl and Love Comes Home, I suppose it was more the bad boy trope and Kate not wanting to fall in love with Jay. But of course she does. I suppose that’s a little of a spoiler alert for Small Town Girl, but when you start reading books like that you are usually sure early on in the story which guy and which girl will end up together at the end of the story. You just don’t know exactly how and you enjoy going along on the journey to love with them.
Romantic scenes aren’t always just that first kiss or proposal or wedding. Here’s a scene from Love Comes Home that I think hits high on the romantic scene meter. What do you think?
That first night after they’d put her in this hospital bed, she’d drifted in and out of awareness, but every time she opened her eyes Jay was there. She wanted him there, and at the same time she couldn’t bear to see him. She wanted to shut out everyone, even him, and curl up in solitary sorrow, but he refused to let that happen. She could still feel the loving comfort of him cradling her body next to his after he climbed into bed with her. When a nurse came in to the room during the night, Kate braced for the nurse’s outrage at Jay in bed with her.
Jay raised his head and simply said, “I need to hold her.”
Kate opened one eye enough to make out the nurse’s features in the light from the hallway. The same woman had been in earlier, a plain woman in her middle years who looked worn down with taking care of people.
“I have to check her vital signs,” the woman insisted.
Kate couldn’t remember her name, but Jay did. He kept his voice soft, friendly. “Glenda, I can vouch for her pulse being steady and her breathing easy. If you know that, there’s no reason to jerk awake someone who has suffered what my Kate has suffered.”
Kate eased her eye shut and pretended sleep. She could feel the nurse hesitating. Jay had always been a charmer. She wanted him to charm the nurse. She wanted him to keep holding her.
The nurse summoned up her sternest voice. “It’s against the rules for you to be in bed with her, sir.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m sure it is. But I spent more than three years marching across Africa and Europe to make sure we hung onto the freedom to break those rules when they need breaking. Most of the time they’re good rules and you’re right to insist on folks following them. But tonight that rule needs breaking. We just suffered a sad loss and I need to hold her.” His arms tightened around Kate. “She needs me to hold her.”
Did you agree that this scene has romance?
Which of the romantic tropes do you most like to read in your stories?
For fun, I’ll give away a copy of Love Comes Home to one of you who comment on this post and on the Sunday night post. Maybe I’ll come up with another romantic scene for that post from a different story. Maybe one from When the Meadow Blooms or who knows? Maybe In the Shadow of the River. It’s time to get readers wanting to know more about my people on that showboat. Just leave a comment to get your name in the drawing for Love Comes Home. If you already have the book and you win, you can always donate it to your library or give it to a friend. Deadline to enter is midnight EST on February 21, 2023. You need to be 18 or older to enter. I’ll pick a winner by random and notify them by email and announce the winner on the post Wednesday, February 22.