“The lack of energy struck unfairly keen when Mo bounced into the stables. "Just had to come by before I headed off to the hell of school.”

“Now you can introduce me to the hunk." Mo fell into step beside Keeley."I will if you can behave like you have a brain as well as glands.""It had nothing to do with glands, I'm just curious. Don't worry, I'm taking a page out of your book there when it comes to men."Keeley stopped at the door to the stables. "Excuse me?""You know, guys are fne to look at, or to hang around with occasionally. But there are lots more important things. I'm not going to get involved with one until I'm thirty,soonest."Keeley wasn't certain whether to be amused or appalled.Then she heard Brian's voice, the lilt of it. And he forgot everything else.”

“Keeley, Burke tells me your new trainer is a natural with the horses, with Travis and with cards as well.""And I hear he's gorgeous,too," Mo added."Where'd you hear that?" Keeley demanded before she could bite her tongue into two."Oh,the word gets around in our snug little world," Mo said grandly. "And Shelley Mason-one of your kids? Her sister Lorna's in my Worl History class, a huge, bore by the way. The class, that is, not Lorna, who's only a small bore.Anyway, she picked Shelley up last week from your place and got a load of the Irish hunk, so I heard all about it. Which is why I'm planning on coming over as soon as I can and getting a load of him myself.""Trevor, give your sister your pork chop so the can stuff it in her mouth.""Dad." Giggling, Mo snatched another fry. "I'm just going to look. So, Keeley, is he gorgeous? I respect your opinion more than Lorna Mason's.""He's too old for you," Keeley said, a bit more sharply than she intended and had Mo rolling her eyes."Jeez.I don't want to marry him and have his children."Travis's laugh prevented Keeley from snapping back with something foolish. "Good thing. Now that I've found someone who comes close to replacing Paddy,I don't intend to lose him to Three Acres.""okay." Mo licked salt from her fingertip. "I'll just ogle him.”

“She's the light. Before, you can fumble around in the dark or manage in the dim. You don't even know it's dim because that's the way it's always been. But then, she's the light. Everything changes. If the light shuts off, or worse, you're stupid enough to shut it off yourself, it's a hell of a lot darker than before.”

“After hell comes heaven.”

“She'd like to bounce me off the ceiling.""Oh aye,that she would, but she's not trying it at the moment.You're doing well, too." His gaze lifted until his eyes met Keeley's. "As natural at this as she is.Blue bloods, both of you.""Are we making history,Brian?""Bet on it," he told her and kissed Betty just above the nose.”

“You're a killer, Keeley.You'd tease a man to death."He didn't mean it as a compliment, but to her it was a revelation. "I've never tried it before. Now one's ever attracted me enough.You do,and I dont even know why."When she dropped her hand,he took her wrist. It surprised him to feel the gallop of her pulse there, when her eyes, her voice had been so cool, so steady. "Then you're a quick learner.""I'd like to think so.If I come to you, you'd be the first.""The first what?" Temper wanted to stir, especially when she laughed. THen his mind cleared and the meaning flashed through like a thunderbolt. His hand tightened on her wrist, then dropped it as though she had turned to fire."That scared you enough to shut you up," she observed. "I'm surprised anything could render you speechless.""I've..." But he couldn't think."No,don't fumble around for words. You'll spoil your image." She couldn't think just why his dazed expression struck her as so funny,or why the shock in his eyes was endearing somehow."We'll just say that,under these circumstances, we both have a lot to consider.And now,I'm way behind in my work, and have to get ready for my afternoon class."She walked away,as easily, as casually, Brian thought numbly, as she might have if they'd just finished discussing the proper treatment for windgalls. She left him reeling.he'd gone and fallen in love with the gentry,and the gentry was his boss's daughter. And his boss's daughter was innocent.He'd have to be mad to lay a hand on her after this.He began to wish Betty had just kicked him in the head and gotten it all over with.”