Quotes from Mary Connealy

Maizy swallowed hard, a motion that almost strangled her in this blasted dress, and she nodded.

The devil is who torments good folks in the night. He whispers doubt in your ear. He stirs up anger. He picks at any little mistake you've made, or thinks you've made, and blows it up big. That's Satan, stirring and stirring trouble, like a pot he's trying to boil over, hoping he can spill sin through your soul and slop it all over the people around you.

But in the moonlight your eyes glow like there's a fire burning in you. It's as if you were born to spread warmth and love.

Maizy went to work. Knowing Rylan was watching her made her conscious of every move. She tried to stand in a more ladylike way, though heaven only knew exactly what that was. Her dress choked her a bit less when she stood straight, so she tried to think of being ladylike as a way not to strangle.

The man had the intelligence of the average fence post, the personality of a wounded warthog, and the stubbornness of a flea-bitten mule. Grace silently apologized to all the animals she'd just insulted.

I was also struck by how John wasn't really alone out there because he knew had God with him. My pa was a believer, but we never went near a church or talked much about faith or owned a Bible. That Bible I found was an anchor to hold on to. It reminded me God was with me in the wilderness.~ Trace

A man don't always have to change the land. He can find a way to fit in.

Because she was praying so hard when she felt a twist of fear about his leg, she decided it was God putting the notion in her head. She'd get the boot off while Rylan was unconscious.

Just rest another minute, Cass. You needed to cry those tears. You've been through a terrible time. Just let me hold you.

When they did, she wore a dress, but she grumbled the whole time.

He clutched his hands into a ball, praying, Why, God, why? I've been a faithful servant and served my church well. So why do You feel the need to test me? Actually, punish would be a more apt description.

The truth was he'd overreacted that day because he didn't like running into her. Sure, there was danger from wild bulls and grizzlies in the area—though Rylan hadn't foreseen the two tangling. But the real reason it upset him to find her was she wasn't exactly safe from him. Oh, he'd never physically harm her, but he might end up spending time with her and talking and learning all about her.