She wondered why Caleb had been so uncomfortable when she’d eaten that first piece of candy. Wasn’t that why he’d given it to her, to eat? With a shrug Lily took another chocolate from the box and pop...
She said a silent prayer of gratitude and went to the stove, making as little noise as possible, stirring the embers with a poker and then shoving in several sticks of the precious seasoned wood.When...
Rance gave them both a Shawshank glare, no redemption included
Our children are going to be remarkably stubborn, he commented as they started down the main street of town. Lily tried to ignore the avid stares of passers-by. We aren’t going to have any children, s...
Macon grinned as a white-haired man with pale, bushy eyebrows approached. He was wearing a light-colored suit, like most of the men around him, and there was a black string tie at his throat. His blue...
Lily was exasperated, but she knew arguing with Caleb would only waste valuable time. It was like having words with a hitching post. They
I’m not a loose woman, she said firmly, without preamble, and I won’t be your mistress, no matter how many boxes of chocolates you give me. Caleb rested one hand on the gnarled trunk of the tree she l...
It’s not smart to hold yourself away from the shocks of life, the good ones or the bad. They’re all part of the mix, and paradoxically, shying away from them only makes things harder.
Insanity, the saying went, was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to get different results.
If you permit such a barbarous thing to happen, Caleb Halliday, I vow that I’ll never speak to you again. He pushed back his chair, and Lily’s hand in the process, to stand. If you have your way, we’l...
If I were you, she countered, I’d get the major’s weddin’ ring on my finger, and his baby in my belly, and I’d forget this whole stupid idea of homesteadin’! Insulted,
Hello, Major, Lily said, and she went right on scrubbing. Caleb approached. Put down those long Johns and look at me, Lily. I’ve got something to give you. She glared resentfully at his perfectly pres...
He was a man. He should have acted more like one - thought about how all that self-indulgence might affect his daughter, if not his wife.
Emma must have looked ferocious at that point, for Callie shrank back in surprise, then scurried toward the front stairway like a field mouse with a cat on its tail. After
Will your daughter be here?
You’re going like that? In trousers? Lily nodded. They’re much handier for riding than a skirt, she informed him, though she privately thought any idiot would have been able to figure out such an obvi...
When she twisted around to face Steven, he was grinning at her. What? she demanded. Never mind. She realized she’d displayed her derriere, after a fashion, and the blood flowed to her face again. Skun...
What did he say to you? he demanded, when they were alone in Chloe’s study, with the doors closed. Emma rubbed her eyes. Who? she replied, stalling. Steven only looked at her, his expression wry, his...
Wait until you see him up on a horse
My good man, he said to Charlie in a serious tone of voice, this young woman is a fugitive. Charlie looked horrified. You mean she done broke the law? Rupert favored Lily with a brief, triumphant glan...