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She stormed into the room and stood at his bedside, her hands on her hips, her blue eyes shooting sparks. There was a silly grin on his face and he had the audacity to add insult to injury by following that with a yawn. "Deviant!" Emma hissed. "Jealous, Miss Emma?" "Hardly, Mr. Fairfax." "I think you are," he countered matter-of-factly. "You're breathing fire, and Callie's got to be the reason." Emma"
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Linda Lael Miller |
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cf8ad57
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So you do care about me, just a little?" "Just a very little," Emma said primly, sitting up straight and smoothing her skirts. "We'll see how little you care," Steven told her, his eyes slipping from her mouth to her breasts and back again, "when I've got these damn sheets off my middle." "You presume a great deal, Mr. Fairfax. It just so happens that my interest in you is no more than ordinary Christian charity." Steven smiled a slow, leis..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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b6fe593
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Emma set the tray across his lap, he made no move to pick up his spoon or fork. "It's been a long day," he said with a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure I want to make the effort to eat." She sank into the chair beside the bed. "But you must eat," she replied. "You'll never get your strength back if you don't." Steven lifted one shoulder in a dispirited shrug and looked away. After drawing a deep breath and letting it out again, Emma reached for hi..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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b9ce855
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Some instinct told Steven who the ladies' man was even before Chloe spoke. "You've been so curious about Mr. Fairfax, Fulton," she said, in an idle tone. "Here he is." The banker. Steven got to his feet, not as a gesture of courtesy, but so the man couldn't look down on him. "Fulton Whitney," the banker said by way of introduction. His tone was grudging. Steven didn't put out his hand, or speak. He was wondering what kind of polecat would c..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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92d7f1e
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So you'll be leaving now, I suppose," the banker said, breaking the strained silence. "I don't imagine a man like you cares to stay in one place too long." Steven folded his arms. "Until just a few minutes ago, I figured on riding out," he answered. "Now I'm not so sure." Color blossomed in Whitney's pasty cheeks. "What possible reason could you have to stay?" "Just one. Her name is Emma." The banker stared at him with undisguised contempt,..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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16e0b3f
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I see things haven't changed much," he drawled, resettling his hat. "Good day, Miss Emma." Emma gave a strangled cry and would have stomped on his instep if she hadn't been afraid she'd break his foot. She didn't mind hurting him, but there was always the chance that Chloe would take him back into the house again Color stung her cheeks. "Get out." Steven's hazel eyes danced. "I guess I'd better. The way you were clinging to me just now... w..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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ebbda2c
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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 her breasts to her cheeks. A full sixty minutes had passed since she'd seen him go up Chloe's stairs, and it was plain enough what he'd been doing. When she didn't speak, Steven walked over to the counter she was standing behind and laid his h..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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51081f5
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I'd like you to have supper with me this evening," he called out, in jovial expectation of her ready agreement. Emma walked circumspectly toward him, so that she wouldn't be forced to shout her refusal for the entire town to hear. "Fulton," she said in a moderate tone, "we have already discussed this matter. And I've told you that I think you and I have spent entirely too much time together." He looked more annoyed than disappointed. "I wou..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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8ea674b
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How are you feeling?" she asked in the same tone she used on summer afternoons, when some of the town's children came to sit beside the lake with her and listen while she read stories. He ruined everything by saying, "I don't like your hair that way. It makes you look like a spinster." Emma couldn't help bristling. "Did it ever occur to you that I might want to look like a proper lady?" "Why?" grumbled Steven, reaching for his book. "I don'..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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f466199
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You are no longer welcome in this house," she said pleasantly. His smile didn't waver, but he took off his disreputable old hat. "Is that any way to treat a law-abiding citizen of Whitneyville, Miss Emma?" "If I should encounter one," Emma said stiffly, "I'll be sure and deal with him kindly." Steven chuckled. "You're a saucy little hellcat," he said, strolling toward her. "And I've got half a mind to kiss you again." Emma"
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Linda Lael Miller |
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b4eab32
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Why are you here?" Emma bit out the words, frustrated beyond all bearing. "Because I forgot to thank you for looking after me when I was hurt, for one thing," Steven answered. Emma knew there was more. She folded her arms and snapped, "And for another?" He reached out and traced the outline of her lips with his fingertip. "For another, Miss Emma," he went on, his eyes laughing even though his mouth was serious, "I wanted to let you know you..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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051c0e4
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She started slightly when someone settled into the pew beside her, forcing her to move over. Lily's brown eyes narrowed when she recognized Caleb Halliday. The major was dressed in a crisp blue uniform, his boots were polished, and he held his campaign hat respectfully in his lap. He glowered down at her for a moment, as though she'd taken his seat, then turned his gaze toward the front of the church. Once or twice during the next hour Cale..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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94c5386
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You delight in making a fool of me," she accused in a furious whisper. "Not true," Caleb replied smoothly. "But I do like watching the sparks catch in your eyes when you realize you've just been had. May I walk you home, Miss Chalmers?" "Certainly not. In fact, I would deem it a great favor if you would simply stop bothering me, Major."
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Linda Lael Miller |
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cd72693
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Come on a picnic with me," he said. It wasn't an invitation, but an order. Color pulsed in Lily's cheeks, and she blinked, astounded at the man's arrogance. "I don't think that would be proper," she replied when she'd recovered a little. "After all, we hardly know each other." Caleb sighed and replaced his hat. "And you obviously mean to see that we never do." He sounded resigned and slightly wounded, and in spite of herself Lily was sorry ..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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d82237e
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To keep him from finding out that he'd pleased her, she turned on the hard, narrow seat to glance behind her. Sure enough, a picnic basket was wedged into the narrow space. Tentatively she lifted the lid, and the scent of fried chicken tantalized her. She couldn't help an appreciative little "ummmm," even though she was annoyed that Major Halliday had been so confident of her response to his invitation. Caleb grinned. "So you like chicken, ..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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2a9c1da
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If you're courting me, Major Halliday," she said, "it is only fair to tell you that I have no intention of marrying. Ever." He unsettled Lily completely with a chuckle. "I'm not courting you," he answered, with such assurance that Lily was stung. "But you'll never make a spinster," he added. "I will," Lily insisted through her teeth. Caleb stopped the buggy and, with the black leather bonnet hiding them from the prying eyes of Tylerville, c..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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c4f64f6
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The banker isn't good enough for you," he said, carefully inspecting one of Chloe's china shepherdesses as he spoke. His blithe confidence nettled Emma, and so did the tantalizing scent of bay rum he'd brought with him. He was completely disrupting the sanctity of that parlor where Emma had always felt so safe. "But you are?" she inquired, raising one eyebrow. "Yes." "You're a drifter--an outlaw!" Steven's gaze never left hers. "Until now I..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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09f11bf
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You can't work for Big John with your ribs bound!" she protested, when she'd recovered somewhat. "How will you ride?" "I'm glad you're concerned about my well-being," Steven replied in a voice meant to carry beyond the fence, where two women were strolling by, pretending not to notice that Emma Chalmers was entertaining the much-talked-about stranger. "I wish you'd just go away and leave me alone!" Emma reached for the screened door, and th..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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bdadfb0
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Lincoln's heartbeat picked up a little, the way it always did when he rounded that last bend in the road and saw home waiting up ahead. Home.
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Linda Lael Miller |
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d6d050e
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How can dreams be secondhand?" Lissie asked, sounding both skeptical and intrigued. Addie flipped on the headlights, watched the snowflakes dancing in the beams. "Sometimes people give up on them, because they don't fit anymore. Or they just leave them behind, for one reason or another. Then someone else comes along, finds them, and believes they might be worth something after all."
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Linda Lael Miller |
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c735e7f
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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. It's cowardly." He smiled, his hands resting lightly on the sides of her waist. "Persistence is an admirable quality. Perhaps you've noticed that I have it, too." Lily was desperate for a barrier to throw between them; she was beginning to ..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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3581843
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You little idiot. How the hell do you propose to plow fields, fend off Indians and outlaws, and build a house all by yourself?" Lily was wounded. "Maybe I won't be by myself," she said, wanting to hurt him in the same way he'd hurt her. "Maybe I'll meet a soldier at Fort Deveraux--one who wants to be a farmer. We could get married, and I wouldn't be alone." She started to turn away from him, intending to go back to the buggy, but he grasped..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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def9c5a
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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't want to." He spread his hands. "Well, then?" "But I am afraid of your power over me," Lily went on. "Sometimes I think you could make me do anything." "Has it ever occurred to you that you might have the same kind of power over me?" Lily sh..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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ddd920d
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Alas, the question was too big for a man in the process of dying, alone and far from home.
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Linda Lael Miller |
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87a29bb
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The thing about love is you always end up losing it.
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Linda Lael Miller |
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632a895
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the natural spillway where the branch and the
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Linda Lael Miller |
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94e5bd6
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Echo:"The thing about love is you always end up losing it." Cora: "Oh but what you miss if you wont take the chance."
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Linda Lael Miller |
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c8e5e1e
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Rance gave them both a Shawshank glare, no redemption included
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Linda Lael Miller |
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07b9bee
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No matter what the future holds even if, God forbid, Conner dies in his prime, or leaves me, or whatever else that fates might throw at us it would be worth it because once you've loved someone the way I love Conner, once someone loved you the he loves me, once you've loved and been loved that way nothing and no one can ever take it away. Whether it last 5 minutes or 50 years that love becomes a permanent part of you.
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Linda Lael Miller |
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9a8f206
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I shall have to drink poison if we are taken captive and forced to live in a harem.
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Linda Lael Miller |
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c7a214c
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It was a gift. The
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Linda Lael Miller |
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with his arms resting across the back. "We're witnesses,"
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Linda Lael Miller |
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No," Jack struggled to quip, "but"
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Linda Lael Miller |
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cfcd718
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Sandy laughed, and I realized that I liked her, in spite of everything. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, Sonterra obviously thought she was hot. But that didn't mean she and I were automatic enemies, duty-bound to compete. That was not my typical approach to life and femininity, and I suspected it wasn't hers, either.
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women
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Linda Lael Miller |
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25f3d8f
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To Jacob, bleeding into the ground, in the midst of an endless war, that goal seemed more distant than ever, hopeless, even impossible. And still, had he been able, he would have fought on, died not just once but a thousand times, not for the country as it was, but for the noble, sacred objective upon which it had been founded--liberty and justice for all. Whatever the cost, the Union must hold together. So much hung in the balance, so very..
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Linda Lael Miller |
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f6789e5
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See that you mind your manners, that's all. No gentleman will buy the cow when he knows he can get the milk for nothing." Lily managed not to roll her eyes until she'd turned her back on Mrs. McAllister and stepped into the hall again. Caleb had come right out and admitted that he had no intention of "buying the cow"--he only wanted to rent it. Lily"
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Linda Lael Miller |
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adcaa54
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How's your arm?" she asked, to hide the fact that she was feeling suddenly and inexplicably shy. It was as though she hadn't given her body to this man beside a creek only a short time before, or relieved herself within his hearing. "It hurts like hell," he answered, but there was suppressed amusement in his voice. He drew her close, his uninjured arm beneath her, and gave her bottom a brazen squeeze. "Oh, for a bath and a bed, Miss Emma. I..
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Linda Lael Miller |