All of a sudden the burlap bag in her hands started to squawk and bulge wildly. What is this? Caleb’s good humor was apparently restored. It’s a chicken, sodbuster. After you chop off his head, gut hi...
Who lived here? Steven asked, slowing his pace now that they’d reached level ground. Emma reached back to be sure her braid wasn’t coming undone. Just some homesteaders. I don’t know what their names...
When she arrived at her tiny house smoke was curling from the chimney and the windows glowed golden. Lily went up and stood in the empty flower bed to peer in through the glass, and she was incensed t...
She was sitting out a dance when Caleb took her hand, pulled her into the shadowy alcove off the ballroom, and presented her with a worn velvet box. This belonged to my mother, he said quietly. Holdin...
She snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his shoulder, and continued her idle exploration of his chest, adding the occasional foray to his taut belly. Are you scared? she finally dared to ask....
She awakened with a start to find Macon standing at the foot of the bed, watching her with a grin stretched across his face. His finger and thumb still lingered on her big toe. Stunned, she scooted to...
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 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 had a tenderness in him, and a streak of poetry, and she knew he loved the land for far more than its ability to sustain him.
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...
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...
Emma knew what was going to happen if she didn’t break away, and she used every shred of her willpower to turn from Steven and run through the daisies, her arms outspread. She’d gone only a few yards...
Don’t you know when to give up? she snapped. Caleb came up behind her, turned her into his arms, and held her close. When was the last time you gave up on something you wanted, Lily? I never give up....
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...
Caleb— He kissed her forehead lightly. Shhh. His hands came to rest on her bare shoulders, the thumbs making soft motions against her collarbone. Lily could feel the hard wall of his torso and his thi...
Caleb rolled over and slid down to kiss her belly. He seemed to love touching it now that it was rounding with his child. You know, as soon as you get over having this baby, I think we ought to start...
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...
You’re so much smarter than I am, Caleb. So much stronger and so much more persuasive. If I married you, I wouldn’t be myself for very long. I’d soon become the person you want me to be. He sat back i...
You’re in love with him, Sandra said in a delighted whisper. Lily thought of her half-section of land, of the corn crops and fruit trees that would one day grow there. She forced herself to remember t...