I’m leaving the army, he said. Lily felt hope leap within her breast. Maybe Caleb had changed his mind; maybe he wanted to be a farmer after all. She held her breath, waiting for him to go on. I want...
I’ll stand by you, no matter what happens. To her surprise and hurt, Steven shook his head. No. You’re going to Whitneyville, not Louisiana. Until I’ve cleared my name, I won’t have anything to offer...
It’s plain that Daisy never learned not to trust a flattering rogue, she remarked. Steven closed his hands around Emma’s waist and lifted her none-too-gently onto the leather seat of the rig. If that’...
If you weren’t so sorely injured, she said evenly, I would slap you. The laudanum was beginning to take affect, and Mr. Fairfax yawned expansively. You’ve already set me on fire and then tried to beat...
If you marry the wrong man, Steven warned, in a voice all the more ominous because of its quietness, you’ll regret it into your old age. You’ll never pass a day—or a night—without remembering how it w...
I was hoping—er—thinking— He went crimson from his neck to his hairline. Would you dance with me, Miss Emma? She smiled and offered her hand. I’d like that very much, she said, hoping her face didn’t...
I want you to stay here, Steven told her as he stood at the bureau, arranging his tie. He’d already bathed, and he was wearing a fresh suit. Emma sat up in bed, a protest on her lips, but the look in...
I hear Chloe is keeping a man in the house, he said stiffly. Now, Emma, you know I don’t mind about Big John Lenahan stopping by every now and again, but I draw the line— It isn’t your house, Fulton,...
I have another problem. Caleb’s grin was at once endearing and obnoxious. You’re naked in my bed, and you don’t own a stitch of clothing in the world, he agreed. You needn’t look so pleased about it!...
He touched her chin with the tip of one index finger. I’m leaving tomorrow, Lily. Maybe he was imagining it, but he thought he felt her quiver. Leaving? she asked in a small voice. I’m going back to F...
Has anybody ever told you what a hardheaded little spitfire you are? Yes, Emma replied primly, and it’s never done them a mite of good. Steven
Hank, if you could see your way clear to ride to the fort for a doctor, I’d appreciate it I don’t need a doctor, Caleb protested. But he winced and drew in a sharp breath when Lily poured some of his...
Good night, Mr. Fairfax, she said in a shaky voice. Steven laughed and tossed his hat onto a settee to pull her against him. Her heart raced and heat climbed from her stomach to her chest at the intim...
Even though Caleb had known in the core of his being that Lily would not be waiting in his house when he returned from Spokane, he was disappointed not to find her there. As he walked through the dust...
Emma looked up at him and kissed him lightly on the chin. We’ll make up for all the unhappiness, she vowed rashly. We’ll fill Fairhaven with noise and babies. He held her close. Judging by what happen...
Daisy was still lingering in the kitchen when they arrived, and when she saw Steven she shook a wooden spoon at him. I raised this chile to be a good girl, she warned. Don’t you go messin’ with her, h...
Courage, like so many other things, was not something one did or didn't have; it was a decision, a choice.
Couldn’t you stay? she whispered. Couldn’t someone else go on that cattle drive? He shook his head, then bent to kiss her lightly on the mouth. Be ready, he told her, when it was over, because when I...
Caleb resisted an urge to go back to Fort Deveraux, snatch Lily up, and take her with him to Spokane. If she was at his side, no one would hurt her—he’d see to that.
Caleb pushed back his chair and fetched his hat from the bed, but not before he put his hand on the mattress and pressed to make the bedsprings squeak. The sound was so loud that Lily cringed, knowing...