Robyn Carr

“He stared at her and his smile slowly faded. He put his hands on his hips. He took a deep breath and felt tears gather in his eyes. “You’re all I need to be happy, Shelby,” he said. “You’re everything I need…”He actually surprised her. Her arms dropped from over her chest and she gaped at him for a second.“You’re everything,” he said. “It scares me to death, but I want it all with you. I want you for life. I want what you want, and I want it right now. Everything, Shelby. I want you to be the lead in my shoes that keeps me on the ground. The mother of my children. My best friend, my wife, my mistress. It’s a tall order.” He took a breath.“If you won’t quit, I won’t.”

“Shelby handed off her bouquet and faced Luke, taking both his hands in hers. And shebegan: “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 groomspoke.“Shelby, I love you. In each day of our lives together, I will show my love. And wherethere is injury, I will pardon without hesitation.”“Where there is doubt, Luke, I will have faith in you.”“In times of despair, you will be my hope.”“In times of darkness, I will find my light in you.”“When there is sadness, let me bring you joy.”“Luke, I will not so much seek to be consoled as to console.”“I will seek to understand, not just to be understood.”“I will love, not just crave love.”“I pledge you my heart, my life.”“And I pledge mine to you.”“I, Luke Riordan, take you, Shelby MacIntyre, to be wife, my best friend, my lover, my partner, the head of my family and other half of my heart. Forever.” He slid a ring on her finger.Shelby slid a ring onto his finger. “I, Shelby MacIntyre, take you, Luke Riordan, to be myhusband, best friend, lover, partner, head of my family and other half of my heart. Forever.”

“Struggling is mandatory. Suffering is optional.”

“You can't try. Trying is a struggle and doing is an act. You can't witness the act of trying, but you can see the results of doing. Trying brings on stress because not only do you have the problem, but now you have all this frustration with it not going away just because you want it to. It's kind of like being told not to think of pink elephants—impossible.What you have to do is stop. You say to yourself, this is over for now. I'm done fornow. Take your mind to another place and concentrate on that peaceful place. Deepbreaths. Go limp. Put your mind in another state. It takes practice, but it gets easier,over time.”

“I asked Phil Prentiss what he would do if they never got a baby and he said they’d die with a lot of excess love in their hearts….” “And let’s not,” Jack said. “Let’s spend every drop. On the kids, on our families, on your patients, on the town. On people we don’t know yet and the ones who have been our good friends forever. On each other. Let’s spend our last drop as we’re taking our last breaths.”

“But what if you don’t like Chico?” she asked him, her brow furrowed. “Will you be there? Because if that’s where you want to be, I’ll find plenty to like.”

“Are you all right to drive without me talking you home?” He laughed a little. “You know what? I can’t remember doing this before. Talking to a woman for over an hour on the phone.” “You can’t possibly expect me to believe that,” she said. “I know you’ve had a million women!” “Not like you, Jilly. I was always looking for women who would take me to bed. It never occurred to me to look for a woman who would take me to heart.”

“She had become the answer to prayers he hadn’t known he whispered.”

“When you lose your temper, you lose a friend. When you lie, you lose yourself.”

“You know, you own a bar and you don't keep alcohol at home," she said, breathless. "I could have had a shot--it sometimes slows labor.""We'll have some on hand for the next one.""You keep talking like that's gonna happen," she said. "How ridiculous.""I think my record speaks for itself. But Mel. I just want to make them, not deliver them.""I hear ya, buddy".....-Jack and Mel”

“Can't any of us stand up to those women?""Nope," said at least three men in unison.”

“Now Preacher might manage a bar and hang out with men primarily, but he was unaccustomed to fathers who pushed their children out of sight. Rudely, at that. In his crowd, families were appreciated. Most of his friends were married with children, and the children were a part of everything. The women were nearly worshiped.”

“Don't make love to your problems-- they'll never give you back the satisfaction you give them.”

“Why do I have to earn it by being good? Don’t you feel like bragging?”“It’s better when you beg,” he said, his voice low. “It’s always better when you beg.”

“I gotta call Vanni tonight, and tell her. I’ve got her all confused and totally furious…”“Paul, you can’t tell her on the phone,” Jack said.“But—”“Paul! She’s gonna hang up on you! And then the next time you show your face, she’s going to put a bullet in your head. And Walt will help her line up her shot.”

“I crashed," she said."It was a helluva crash. If you're going to go down, go down big. You should be proud." And then he smiled.He held her hand as it lay on her lap while she lifted her brandy to her lips with the other hand, trembling a bit. When it was gone, he said, "Come on. I'm putting you to bed.""What if I cry all night?""I'll be right here," he said.”

“Did we have some understanding? That I was going to follow your nonmedical orders? Because I don't recall that in my personal life, I'm obligated to do everything you tell me.""Guess you're not obligated to use your brain in your personal life, either.""I filled your truck up with gas, you old pain in the ass.""I didn't get caught in that piece of shit foreign job of yours, you obstinate little strumpet."And she laughed at him so hard, tears came to her eyes and she had to leave, laughing all the way back to her cabin. -Mel and Doc”

“She’d never been any kind of camper, never had been good at relieving a full bladder on a whim. Never had quite figured out that squat; it seemed like she’d always wet her right foot.”

“Do you agree with that About saying 'forever' and being sure? I do. Will you tell me when you think you're there? Sure. Good. June? Yes? I'm there. You go ahead and take your time.”

“Jack, there are only two of us here. One of us is going to push him out, one of us is going to catch him. Which job do you want?”(Melinda talking to her husband)”

“But you were concerned about making sure things, you know, didn't get serious.""Yeah, because I'm an idiot.”

“Marry me. You'll learn to love me, I promise.”

“Maybe we could, um, go sit in the truck?" he said, but even as he said it, it sounded so dumb. And not exactly the way he wanted her to remember a marriage proposal.”

“Tom. Tom, look at me. Has Nora agreed to marry you?""No, but she will because she has to.”

“Don't leave yet," he said, his voice hoarse. "Let me do something. Let me feed you. Hold you. Rub your shoulders. Change your oil. Anything, please.”

“Tom, how many children do you think I have to have before I figure out you get them by having sex?""Of course there would be protection," he offered."Tons of it.”

“I am not sleeping with you.""We could probably manage it, though. Without getting too involved.""No," she said."But why? I mean, if we're trusted friends? And it doesn't interfere with our responsibilities?""Did that line ever actually work for you?""I can't remember. But it probably did-it's brilliant.”

“I like the way you kiss-a couple of test kisses, then a huge kiss.”

“Daddy? Daddy, I know the baby is in the mommy‟s tummy and the baby comes out of the mommy‟s tummy, but, Daddy? How do that baby get in the mommy‟s tummy?”

“but when I got down to it, I was doomed without her. She's the breath in me.”

“We’ll make out for a while and you’ll feel better.”

“Until meeting you, I wasn’t looking for anything at all. Since meeting you, I’m kind of looking for a girlfriend.”

“Muriel, you're not a convenience. I'd walk across a mile of cut glass in my bare feet to hold your hand and talk to you for one hour. You're everything to me.--Walt”

“She has to agree to have me. It could take some time, but I’m confident I can trick her into it.”

“I didn’t want to cry in front of you.”He wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb.“I want you to cry only in front of me.”

“He shook his head again. 'I just can't figure out why anyone in his right head would bother these Virgin River women.''Yeah. Makes no sense.' Jack said.”

“He tends to go for girls who are-Shelby, honey? Put your hands over your ears for just a sec.” Back into the phone he said, “He likes the real slutty ones. Ow!” he yelled when he received a whop to the back of the head.”

“Whew,” he said. “You clean up good. You don’t look like the same girl.”She frowned right before she laughed. “Do women usually thank you for saying things like that?”

“What are you doing here?”All right, he was standing in front of an easel, holding a paint palette and brush. “Taxidermy?” he responded with just a touch of his own sarcasm.”

“Did you miss me?’“A little bit,” she said with a shrug.“You have tears running down your cheeks,” he said with a grin. “I think you missed me more than a little.”

“Maybe we’ll admit this thing we have is perfect, not worth messing around with. And stay together forever. If you’re interested, that is.”She glanced away. “I could think about that.”He buried his face in her neck. “Think fast”