“Her expression turned serious. "In another life, I could love you."I watched her for a moment, staring into her glassed-over eyes. She was drunk, but just for a moment it didn't seem wrong to pretend she meant it."I might love you in this one.”

“Abby touched her palm to my cheek. "You know what, Mr. Maddox?""What, baby?"Her expression turned serious."In another life, I could love you."I watched her for a moment, staring into her glassed over eyes. She was drunk, but just for a moment it didn't seem wrong to pretend that she meant it."I might love you in this one.”

“Mary, is it ok if I love you?" Joey asked.Tears filled Mary's eyes and she laid her hand over her lips for a moment. "That would work just perfectly, Joey, because I love you too.”

“After another moment's silence she mumbled that I was peculiar, that that was probably why she loved me but that one day I might disgust her for the very same reason.”

“She was asleep. In my car.I stood next to the passenger side for a minute, looking down at her. The sun made her skin seem translucent and bloodless. For a moment, it didn't matter why I was falling in love with her. Just that I was.”

“You...you loved her, didn't you, Pa?”Theodore sighed, and kept staring at the horses' rumps. “Oh, I loved her, all right,” he answered. “A man sometimes can't help lovin' a woman, even if she's the wrong one.”