“Ellen Louise, you've done the sensible thing all your life. Now's the time to follow your heart.""What if I do that and he still turns me down?""What if you don't and you never know?”

“Dang it, Chance. You been here one day and you killed a man and split another one's skull open. I got enough to do without you adding more work."Chance kept his tone level. "He drew on me.""Why were you over in the Badlands in the first place?""You know why."Bowie glared, then lowered his voice. "Think you can get through a day without killing someone?""Don't know. It's early yet.”

“You saved our lives, back there."He leaned his mouth a few inches from hers. "You want to show me your gratitude?"Ellie moved closer and rested her hands on the great expanse of Chance's broad chest. His mouth twitched in what might have been an unpracticed smile that shot straight through her like a ray of sunlight. She gave him the tight smile she saved for difficult guests, then whispered to him."Not if you were the last man in Texas.”

“If you've gone along with Morgan's plan enough to get this note, then I presume you're planning to go through with it. Let me give you some friendly advice about the toys in this case. First, if you don't know what it is, don't even think about using it. Second, if you don't know how to use it properly, don't even think about using it. (Hint: You don't know how to use the crop, the flogger, or the paddle, even if you think you do.) Third make sure Morgan always has a way to signal she wants to stop, and respect the signal if she gives it. And last but not least, if you ignore my advice, I'm going to come over there personally and kick your ass! Don't think because I'm gay I can't do it. Respect and treasure the power she's putting in your hands, and don't abuse it. (Dominic)”

“Don’t cheat people out of loving you, and love them back - right where they stand. And if they turn away, let you down, leave you feeling mocked… Well, you’ll survive the true fools of the world. You’ll grow wise from the experience, if you don’t hide yourself away. Live with your heart wide-open. The one thing you must know, to avoid falling into cynicism, is this: Be careful of asking for nothing at all - because that's what you'll end up with.”

“You have touched my soul, and I have seen your heart, and I know I am forever changed by the essence of you.”

“If you have survived an abuser, and you tried to make things right… If you forgave, and you struggled, and even if the expression of your grief and your anger tumbled out at times in too much rage and too many words… If you spent years hanging on to the concepts of faith, hope, and love, even after you knew in your heart that those intangibles, upon which life is formed and sustained, would fail in the end… And especially, if you stood between your children - or anyone - and him, and took the physical, emotional, and spiritual pummeling in their stead, then you are a hero.”