She stiffened in relief and shock when the door opened and Steven walked in. He actually had the audacity to grin at her as he swept off his hat. Hello, Miss Emma, he said. Emma felt heat surge from h...
Melissa had never really caught the culinary bug; in fact, she'd all but had herself vaccinated against it.
Lily stepped back to admit him, her gaze catching on the chocolates again. It was Caleb’s aim to make her look at him just the way she was looking at that red satin box. He extended the candy and knew...
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...
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...
He was a scoundrel, and he deserved whatever happened to him. But for just one shining, magical night Lily would pretend he was a prince.
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...
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, Major, she said. Just when she would have turned and run inside he caught hold of her hand. Tell me why your brother let you come all this way by yourself. The words had the tone of an ord...
Gently, and without thinking, Emma reached out to touch his forehead. His hand rose and closed around her wrist, and his fingers were at once strong and gentle. Come here, he said gruffly. He was like...
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. He smiled in the darkness, thinking what a fool he’d made of himself. Because of Chloe, he’d assumed he was in a whorehouse, and he’d taken Emma for a fresh young flower in the madam’s bouquet....
Did you see the fight yesterday, when Lem Johnson didn’t want to cross the river? Joellen nodded. I was hiding in the supply wagon, and I watched the whole thing. You were masterful. If you saw what h...
Courage, like so many other things, was not something one did or didn't have; it was a decision, a choice.
Caleb swore under his breath and got to his feet. He had so much to say to Lily, and presents to give her, and here she’d taken off on some wild goose chase. She really meant to move to that damned fa...
But he was bent on making that ride, Brody, and if he hadn't gotten himself thrown that day, he'd have done it some other day. What I'm trying to get at here is that folks seem to come into this life...
Are you afraid of me, Lily? She hugged herself and shook her head, aware that she must look very silly in that oversized coat. No. I don’t believe you’d ever hurt me or force me to do anything I didn’...