Hi ,

Valentine’s weekend here was a sweet mix of ordinary and memorable—and honestly, I think that’s my favorite kind.

On Friday night, my husband and I dressed up and went ballroom dancing. There’s something about stepping onto a dance floor together that makes the world feel a little smaller. The music starts, you fall into rhythm, and for a few songs, it’s just the two of you making a connection.

Then Saturday morning looked very different—running a 4K with my daughters, cheeks pink from the cold and rain. It wasn’t glamorous, and no one was gliding gracefully across a polished floor, but we were happy because we showed up for our health.

Later that afternoon, my husband and I slipped away for a quiet lunch. Nothing extravagant. Just good food, unhurried conversation, and the comfortable kind of closeness that comes from years of choosing each other again and again.

It struck me how beautiful it is when life holds both things at once—the everyday and the exceptional. The dance floor and the running shoes. The dressed-up date and the simple meal. Love doesn’t always need fireworks. Sometimes it just needs time.

A Sugar Creek Moment

In Sugar Creek, Valentine’s Day isn’t flashy. It is handwritten notes tucked into coat pockets. Shared desserts. A promise made quietly over dinner that no one else hears, but both will remember forever.

As we move past Valentine’s Day and back into regular routines, I’m holding onto that reminder: love lives just as much in the ordinary as it does in the big moments. Maybe even more.

I hope your weekend—whether it was quiet, busy, celebratory, or completely normal—held at least one small reminder of what matters most.

Warmly,

River

(also writing as Charity Bradford)

Book Shares

Coming March 5th

Sara Porter has spent her life proving she’s strong enough to stand on her own—until a sudden illness reminds her of the limits she can’t outrun. Determined not to derail JD’s NFL dreams, she makes the heartbreaking choice to push him away. But JD has loved her since kindergarten, and he knows one thing for certain: no future is worth having if she’s not in it. In Sugar Creek, they’ll have to decide if love is a risk—or the very thing that makes them brave.

Preorder at half price ($2.99)

Fake dating, small-town Christmas

After a brutal breakup, Kennedy Quinn returns to Serenity Falls hoping for peace and anonymity—not a holiday-obsessed HOA, her high school ex in charge, and a town-wide Christmas competition. When a rumor lands her in a fake relationship with her steady, secretive contractor neighbor, pretending seems easier than facing the truth. But as feelings grow and old wounds resurface, Kennedy must decide if she’s ready to stop performing for approval—and choose something real.

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