The Merry-Merry Month of May
The month May was named for the Greek goddess Maia, known for her connection to the Roman goddess of fertility, Bona Dea. Unless you listen to the Roman poet Ovid, who claims the month of May is named for the maiores (Latin for 'elders'). And then there's Mayovka, a celebration born in the late Russian empire, where countryside picnics celebrated the merry first days of the month.
The emerald is May's birthstone--symbolic of love and success. The aromatic Lily of the Valley plant has become May's official flower, the harbinger of 'true spring.' May's zodiac signs are Taurus (through the 20th) and Gemini (May 21st and onward).
One thing you can rely on—all year long!—are exciting, poignant storylines
presented by Harlequin authors. In May, I'll close out my “Those Marshall Boys”
series with The Firefighter’s Refrain,
featuring a Colorado cowboy turned firefighter who, after an on-the-job injury,
puts his skills to use at the Nashville fire academy, teaching rookies what it
takes to keep citizens—and themselves—safe.
But wait, you say, why did this rugged
cowpoke trade life on the family’s Double M Ranch for the hustle-bustle of Music
City, USA? Well, it just so happens Sam Marshall
is a talented songwriter whose guitar skills are rivaled only by his smooth baritone…
Things move along according to his plan…until he literally knocks the lovely owner of The Right Note Café off her
feet.
Once he dusts her off and sets her back
on her feet, Finn Leary tries hard
not to get lost in Sam’s apologetic blue eyes. But he’s a musician, she reminds
herself, and she hasn’t met one yet—wanna-be-stars parents included—that can be
trusted.
Does she have the willpower to keep
Sam at arm’s length? And does he have what it takes to choose between a
lifelong dream and the woman who could complete his life?
Just for fun, here's a sneak peek into the
moment when Sam and Finn first meet…
The movements of a short-haired brunette drew Sam’s attention to the kitchen.
“Didn’t
your mama teach you it’s rude to stare?”
“My
luck,” he told his pal, “she’ll turn around and give me an eyeful of hairy
moles and missing teeth.”
Mark
snickered, then pointed at Sam’s leg, stretched out into the aisle. “There are
better ways to find out than to trip her.”
Sam,
too preoccupied with hopes that the waitress would turn around, barely heard
the warning.
“So
it’s still bugging you, is it?”
“Now
and then.” Sam shrugged. “Not much.”
“How
long since the last surgery?”
Sam
did the math in his head. The ceiling cave-in happened in 2009, and he’d had
two operations since. “Going on three years.”
Mark
leaned back. “Are you gonna talk to somebody about it, or keep playing the
brave, silent hero?”
“I’m
talking about it now.” He leaned back, too. “Unfortunately.”
The
waiter arrived with Sam’s iced tea, and taking a pencil from behind his ear,
asked, “You guys ready to order?”
Mark
hadn’t even glanced at his menu. “Turkey burger and sweet potato fries, house
salad with lite Italian on the side.”
“Holy
health food, Batman,” the kid said, “what’s got into you?”
“That
crack is coming out of your tip, wise guy.”
Sam
read the boy’s nametag. “Go ahead and laugh, Ted. I’ll get the tip. It’s worth
every dollar to see this guy squirm.” He tapped his menu. “I’ll have a BLT, a
side of curly fries, and coleslaw.” And when Ted walked away, he leaned forward
and whispered “So what’s her name?”
Mark’s
eyebrows rose. “Whose name?”
“The
woman who put you on a diet.”
Waving
the comment away, Mark said, “Can’t a guy cut back a little without his friends
jumping to crazy conclusions?”
“So
I take it ‘be my best man’ isn’t the reason I’m here.”
“Man.
You’re like a puppy with a bone.” Shaking a packet of sugar into his
already-sweet tea, he said, “All right, Mr. Impatience, here’s the deal: Duke
Miller is taking Eli on the road.”
“No
kiddin’? Well, good for Eli. It’s about time that brother of yours caught a
break.”
After
leukemia took his little girl, Eli’s heartbroken wife committed suicide, and he
found comfort at the bottom of a bottle. Hard to tell how long he might have
stayed there if Mark hadn’t made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “Shape up and kick the addiction, and I’ll
make you full partner at The Meetinghouse.”
“He
leaves in two weeks. Just enough time to get his affairs in order.”
“Will
Torry replace him as manager?”
“I’ll
ask him, but he won’t say yes. He’s on the road more than he’s here in
Nashville.”
Sam
pictured Torry Martin, the big red-haired comic whose stand-up and movie career
had taken off in the past year. “But Eli’s still your partner, right?”
Mark
shrugged. “Therein lies the rub, Sherlock.”
“Wish
I had a dollar for every time that line was botched.”
Mark
looked up. “Huh?"
“For
starters, it’s Shakespeare, not Sherlock Holmes…Hamlet, to be specific.”
“Gimme
a break,” Mark kidded. “You know as much about the bard as I do. Which is zip.”
“Sez
you.” Sam launched into the story of how, back in high school, the object his
affections was signed up to play Gertrude in the annual winter pageant.
“Claudia’s
family owned the ranch just north of the Double M, see, and I figured she and I
might have a chance to get closer if I signed up, too, and offered to drive her
to and from rehearsals.”
“Closer,
huh?” Mark wiggled his eyebrows.
Sam
ignored the disruption. “Claudia loved attention. Positive. Negative. Didn’t
matter, long as people were looking at her or talking about her. She was a
cheerleader. Recited the Pledge during morning announcements. Faked migraines
and fainting spells in the halls, so guys would have to pick her up and carry
her to the nurse’s office.”
“Figures
you’d develop a crush on a girl like that.”
“I
was young and dumb. What can I say? Anyway, it didn’t surprise anyone when she
snagged the female lead. I read for the part of Horatio, thinking, fewer lines
to memorize than Hamlet. But good old Mrs. Smith had other ideas.”
“No
way….”
Sam
nodded. “Yes way. You should’ve heard my cousins, mocking every line as I
prepped for that part.”
“Well,
at least you got the girl.”
Sam
took a deep breath, let it out slowly.
“No
way,” Mark repeated.
“Yup.
I took all that razzing for nothing, since Claudia only had eyes for Bart
Isaacs.”
“Captain
of the football team?”
“Nah.
His dad was a big shot in Denver politics.”
“Ah.
Name-dropper, was she?” Mark took a swig of his tea. “But I didn’t just fall
off the proverbial turnip truck, my firefighter friend. No way you’ll convince
me you played Hamlet!”
Sam
sat ramrod straight, and began:
“‘To
sleep, perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub. For in that sleep of death what
dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give—’”
A
breathy oomph, the shattering of
plates, and the clatter of silverware hitting the tiles interrupted his
monologue.
There
on the floor beside him, amid broken dishes, tomato slices, and a jumble of golden
fries, sat the most gorgeous woman Sam had ever seen. Dark, long-lashed eyes
flashing, she glared up at him.
“Did
it ever occur to you that sticking your leg out into the aisle might trip
someone who can’t see over a serving tray?”
Now for our traditional "The Lough Down" recipe, an easy, healthy, tasty treat for the whole family:
Spring Veggies and Spinach Dip
Ingredients:
For the spinach dip…
One 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
One cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise
3 spring onions, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 clove grated garlic
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt & pepper
For the veggies…
2 bunches asparagus
2 bunches kale
6 carrots, cut into strips
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
1 head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 bunch spring onion
1 bunch radishes, each cut in half
1 head red cabbage, hollowed-out (to hold the dip)
Directions:
For the spinach dip…
In a medium bowl, mix spinach, sour cream, mayo, green onions, carrots, garlic, lemon juice, half of the salt and pepper. Cove and chill for 2 hours.
For the veggies…
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In separate pot or large bowl, prepare an ice water bath. Blanch the asparagus in the boiling water, until bright green but still crisp. Transfer to the ice water bath to stop cooking process. Drain, dry with paper towels, and set aside.
Line a pretty basket with a paper doily and cover with kale. Then, arrange the remaining veggies on top of it, leaving space in the center for the dip.
Spoon the dip into the hollowed-out cabbage and place in the center of the basket, and voila! (Recipe and photo from Ree Drummund.)
Stay tuned for the next installment of The Lough Down, coming soon!