This past weekend, the loving husband and I observed our 12th wedding anniversary. We decided to celebrate the occasion by painting the garage cabinets. At approximately 1 p.m. we headed to True Value to purchase the celebratory gallon of anniversary paint. Next we headed out to M-M because we had a burning passion to purchase seed potatoes and some household supplies. On the romantic trip to M-M I nervously confessed that I had not yet purchased him an anniversary card. He, in turn, admitted that he intended to buy one for me that day (likely story). Suddenly, I came up with one of my great universal plans to rectify the situation. Since we were on our way to a store that carried greeting cards, we could peruse the selection there. He would find the exact card that reflected his deep, abiding love and affection. I would do the same. At that point we would present each other with the pre-selected anniversary card. We would read them and marvel at the profound sentiments. We’d give each other a clandestine kiss in the aisle, then put the cards back in the card rack. That way we wouldn’t have to pay for them, or take them home, read them and toss them. It was an excellent idea. It didn’t really work out. When we arrived at M-M, we forgot about the cards, forgot about the anniversary and spent the rest of the afternoon painting cabinets and watching the Timberwolves lose. Frankly, I think this is a good sign. The fact that we both forgot the same anniversary at the same time means we are totally compatible and our marriage is intact. You can forget your anniversary, but do not forget to check out the new book by Sandra Brown, "Not Even for Love." Jordan Hadlock spends her days shelving books at an English newsstand and her nights avoiding talk of marriage with her boyfriend Helmut. It's not that she doesn't care for him; it's just that her first marriage ended badly. Since then, Jordan has pledged never to surrender to love again. Then comes a knock at her door. It is an attractive American stranger in need of shelter from the storm. Jordan takes him in and after a magical evening together, she is crushed to wake up and find him gone. That night, after Helmut announces their engagement, he introduces Jordan to the journalist who is interviewing him for a magazine. It is Reeves Grant, the very man who had only last night managed to re-ignite her heart. Also new on the shelf is" Wild Orchids," by Jude Deveraux. Ford Newcombe loved his wife, Pat, more than anyone — or anything — in the world. She came into his life when he was just an inexperienced college student with big dreams of becoming a published author. She guided him down the path to more success than he ever dreamed possible. Since Pat's death six years ago, Ford has lived a life of solitude, barely able to put pen to paper. He needs inspiration and it finally comes in the guise of Jackie Maxwell — a smart, sassy university researcher with just enough attitude to match Ford's sharp intellect. It's her knowledge of the story of a young woman's friendship with the devil — and what the townspeople did to her — that persuades Ford to hire Jackie as his assistant and to move to Cole Creek, N.C., where the story is said to have taken place. As Ford and Jackie work to unravel the truth, they discover a connection between their lives and the past, a connection that not only helps them solve a long-ago crime but offers the promise of new love.
