Did your mother tell the authorities? she asked. No. He laughed again. She told my brothers. She said, ‘If he comes home with one bruise, I will beat you and then your father will beat you.’ Well, tha...
We can continue this conversation later. I don’t think so, she said. You boys gossip worse than a bunch of old women and I think it’s high time you mind your own bloody business. He leaned toward her...
They had their Christmas-gift exchange right before he left town, and when she opened her gift and saw the boots, she wept. No one had ever given her a gift like that in her life and he enjoyed succes...
There might as well have been no one else in the room. As she walked toward the bar, he came around it. I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time to help, she said. Preacher stooped to pick up Christopher,...
The vulnerability in her eyes warned him he’d better be very, very careful. One wrong move and she’d jump in that little BMW and shake the dust of Virgin River off the soles of her shoes, the town’s m...
Task finished, she sat a few minutes longer, very quietly. Then she sheepishly opened the outhouse door, cursing the squeaking hinges as she stuck her head out. She saw nothing, so she took a careful...
Something hit him, and it didn’t feel particularly good. He picked up the picture and looked at the man’s face. So, you’re the guy, he thought. He didn’t look like a bad guy—but clearly he had done so...
Sean briefly wondered if in an earlier life he had pissed off a bunch of tough old goddesses; he was surrounded by strong, opinionated women.
Playing with me again, he teased. Don’t you worry that you’re biting off more than you can chew, little girl? Aren’t you? she asked. He groaned. I know I am. And she laughed at him. As
Paige lay on the examining table in Doc’s clinic and Preacher held her hand in both of his. I let you down, he was saying, so softly Mel barely heard. No, she whispered. No. Paige, were you afraid I w...
Oh, boy, Mike thought. It was going to happen between these two any second, right in the hospital hallway. Mike was a good six feet and pretty strong, but Brad and Jack were both taller, broader, angr...
Now that he’d seen her, he knew what he’d long suspected. He was far from over her. *
Nobody ever won a race by standing at the starting line.
Luke, I love you. I promise that each day I have you in my life, I will show you my love. Noah’s eyes drifted to Ellie’s and a smile played about his lips as the bride and groom spoke. Shelby, I love...
Love someone else? Joe repeated. I’m such a screwup… You love someone? It’s wrong, that’s all. I had no business… Paul. You love someone? Yeah. I was a real horseshit best friend for years. Vanni. I j...
If there’s a break in the filming, I’ll be up for a visit. And I’ll call you when I get there. Muriel, stop being reluctant and sad. You want this and I want it for you. You’re good, that’s why you’re...
I told you, he said. I gave you my word, my commitment, that I’d stand by you, wouldn’t let you down. I’ll love you forever, never let you down, stay with you from now on. I couldn’t have made love to...
I think you’ve just about exceeded your limit for small talk, Sean. And you’re fidgeting. Either you have to go to the bathroom or you have something to tell me. She squinted at him. Are you wearing m...
I guess I need a fresh start, she informed him. I’d like to go back to eighth grade and redo everything.
I admit I was stupid. Oh, mija, you don’t know what I’d give to start over. He leaned toward her and said, If I had a woman like you in my life, I think I would know what I had. She laughed at him. Go...