“But in the moonlight they werelittle more than silhouettes. A reflection of her life. Amere shadow of what she’d expected it to be.”

“...at the end she’d be nothing more than a memory, if that.”

“He'd spent his life travelling the path of least resistance, taking the easiest of routes, searching for the quickest of solutions, and with Kate, he'd discovered more satisfaction was found in fighting for something, in striving to meet her expectations.”

“If she’d spun on her heel and left the room, Jack would have laughed at her retreat. And if she’d stayed, staring him down and trying to shame him into leaving, they’d probably still be standing there.”

“When Sterling’s eyesight did finally fail him completely, we wereup in years, content to sit in our garden and reflect on what awondrous and exciting life we’d led. He did not see my hair fade intosilver. For him it was always a vibrant red. I watched him agegracefully and with dignity. He leaned on me much more than hedid his walking stick, which was how it should be, because when Ineeded him most, he was always there for me. Each day I thought Icould love him no more than I already did—and the followingmorning I was always proven wrong, for I awoke loving him just alittle bit more.”

“She laid her palm against his bristled cheek. “You’re safe,” she whispered.“What the hell did you think you were doing?” he growled, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.“I was going to save you.”He threaded his fingers through her tangled hair. She’d lost her bonnet. She was damn lucky she hadn’t lost her life. “You little fool,” he rasped in a voice rift with emotion. “You brave little fool.”

“It seems melancholy weather.”“I prefer to think of it more as weather designed for reflection.”“You are the eternal optimist.”