HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY from all of us here at Around-the-World Cottages in Lavender, Texas!  I don't know about you, but my hubby and I like to celebrate Valentine's Day on the weekend before the big day to avoid crowded restaurants, so our personal celebration has come and gone. But I've hatched a plot, with the help of Sabrina and her black cat Hitchcock, to bring two potential lovebirds together tonight. 


You see, my friend and employer Rowena Flowers has had a "thing" for our widower sheriff, the very handsome Jebediah Crawford, for a long time. But do you think she would ever admit as much? Ha! Rowe's niece, Sabrina, has learned through talks with the sheriff that he cares for Rowe, too, but he's convinced she won't give him the time of day. Really? How will the man know if he never asks?


Rowe intends to stay home tonight and watch that old movie, An Affair to Remember. By herself. (That's what she thinks.) See, I'm the chief cook and bottle washer here at Around-the-World Cottages, and I'm cooking a nice romantic dinner for Rowe & Jeb even though they don't know about it yet.


Sabrina tells me she's cooked up a plot to get the sheriff over here just in time for me to serve the appetizers. Sabrina's a writer, so I trust her to make up a good enough story to bring the sheriff our way.  I've told Rowe that I'm making her a special dinner so she ought to get dressed up for the occasion. 


We'll have a beautiful Valentine's gift ready and waiting for Jeb to give to Rowe. We hope the man has enough sense to go with the flow.


What are your plans for tonight?