‘Don’t worry, love always happens when you least expect it.’ Yes, we’ve all heard those pitying words from a happily-loved-up friend whilst experiencing a particularly arid period of singledom. Please note, all happily-loved-up friends out there, these words are not, in fact, comforting. It seems highly unrealistic to sit back on one’s laurels and just wait for Prince Charming to come along…after all, it is the 21^st century, don’t we as modern, independent women have the right to have a little hand in our own destiny?

You see, the trouble is, if you really put no effort into finding love then you’d probably be setting yourself up for falling head-over-heels for the only regular men in your life – the pizza boy and the milkman. Not that you should go looking for it either, that’s when you’ll manage to convince yourself that falling in love with the milkman is actually the best idea you’ve ever had. (Slight confession here: after reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles as a teen I always found the idea of becoming a milkmaid terribly romantic…although I’m not sure this was Hardy’s intention).

Nevertheless, the sentiment of these fateful words does remain true. Some of the best love stories are those that take their victims by surprise, when it’s the last thing that they ever expected. Just think how incredibly boring it would be if we knew exactly when and where Mr Right was going to come along…! When it comes to love, we’re not interested in standing at the edge and wondering when it’s the right time to jump, we want to fall whole-heartedly, irreversibly and most importantly, unpredictably.

At that moment, we aren’t worrying about whether it’s the right time or the right person…we might not even be aware that something momentous is about to happen. Look at old Newton and his falling apple, and the unimaginable, unforeseeable consequences his discovery held for humanity. For love is like gravity, except when you’re in love the world is turned on its head and the gravitational pull is towards another’s heart. In the smallest of moments, our lives have changed forever.

It’s the same in our stories, some of the best romances occur when it’s the last thing a character is looking for…perhaps even the last thing they want. In Rebel Outlaw by Carol Arens (Historical, July 2014) Colt Wesson Travers is headed for a life of tranquillity in Texas. Here, he’ll finally escape the obligations demanded by his notorious outlaw family. But when he meets his stubborn lodger, Holly Jane Munroe, his illusions of peace are shattered…and Colt quickly realises that life with delicious Holly Jane is going to be anything but quiet and absolutely everything to do with trouble!

For if there’s one thing we can be sure about love, it’s that it’s unpredictable. Sneaky little Cupid will swoop down and shoot whether you’re ready or not. But hold on, because you’re in for the best ride of your life…!

We’d love to hear your stories, do tell us, did you fall in love when you least expected it?

 

By The Mills & Boon team