103
" Don’t be silly, Sarah.” Nic smiled wanly at her friend. “I have no one but myself to blame for my clumsiness.” “I feel terrible. Lori does, too, because the reason I forgot about the library is because she and I were arguing. We made you a cake.” “Butter pecan?” “Yes.” “In that case, it was your fault, but being the wonderful friend that I am, I forgive you. Can I have a piece of cake now?” Sarah scratched the boxer behind the ears. “Not until after your supper.” “You are such a mom.” “Yeah, well, you are too, aren’t you? That’s why you can’t have cake before supper. Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition.” With "
― Emily March , Angel's Rest (Eternity Springs, #1)
104
" The bedrock of one’s character doesn’t change.” They’d reached the corner and turned toward the park at the end of the block. Celeste continued, “However, Mac, dreams, wishes, and desires are something different. Some change over time. Others stay consistent throughout life. Tell me, dear, what do you know of Ali’s dreams, wishes, and desires today? "
― Emily March , Heartache Falls (Eternity Springs, #3)
105
" By suppertime the following day, Nic was ready to declare the honeymoon officially over. Her husband was a tyrant. First he demanded she hang a Closed sign on the clinic door and refer her patients to the vet hospital in Creede. No amount of calm, collected insistence that she could still perform her job while on crutches moved him. Next he refused to leave the bathroom while she hung her head over the toilet for her daily dose of morning sickness. Even if she did appreciate his steadying hands at her waist and his help keeping her hair out of the way, that didn’t mean she shouldn’t have control over who accompanied her to the bathroom under what circumstances. Finally, when she mentioned her intention to go to Cavanaugh House after supper for a meeting Celeste had requested, he took it upon himself to arrange for the meeting to be moved to Nic’s house without even asking her if she cared. “Of all the nerve,” she grumbled as she sat in the overstuffed chair in her living room, her injured leg propped on an ottoman, flipping through the mail he’d brought in from the mailbox moments before. The worst part of it was that she knew he was right about just about everything. "
― Emily March , Angel's Rest (Eternity Springs, #1)
106
" Welcome to our home and to Eternity Springs, Ms. Timberlake.” “I’m Ali.” “Ali, then. I’m Nic, and I’d get up, but my dictatorial husband has threatened me with torture if I rise from my chair in the next hour.” Alison grinned and repeated, “Torture?” Gabe nodded. “We had a discussion about bad disco music this morning. I promised to sing ‘Dancing Queen’ if she doesn’t behave.” “I rest my case,” Nic said. “As long as you rest your ankle and my back, that’s all I care about,” he fired back before offering to take the visitors’ coats. Celeste laughed. “Ah, acting like old married folk already, I see. "
― Emily March , Angel's Rest (Eternity Springs, #1)
107
" Something hard and brittle glittered in Gabe Callahan’s eyes. He had a drink in his hand and danger oozed from his pores. Suddenly Nic felt more like Red Riding Hood than one of Santa’s elves. She licked her dry lips, then held out the package. “Merry Christmas.” When he didn’t move to take the gift, she set it down on the table beside the door and waited. A muscle jerked at his temple. Finally, just when she thought he’d never speak, he asked, “Why are you here?” She smelled the alcohol on his breath. She opened her mouth intending to invite him to Christmas Eve services, but as their gazes caught and held, different words emerged. “I didn’t want you to be alone,” she told him. “I don’t want to be alone. It’s Christmas.” “Christmas,” he repeated after a long moment, the word sounding like a curse on his lips. His gaze never left hers as he tossed back the rest of his drink, then set the empty glass on top of the package she’d brought. “What Christmas is, woman, is hell.” He moved toward her and she instinctively backed away until the door was at her back. His voice sounded low and gruff and a little slurred as he added, “And I’m feeling like the damned devil himself.” Then he kissed her. His "
― Emily March , Angel's Rest (Eternity Springs, #1)
119
" What happened to you—losing your family, twice—that’s not right. I think you need to be here. I think you need to be with me. With …” She reached for his hand and placed it atop her womb, pressing lightly. “Us.” Gabe felt movement beneath his hand and closed his eyes. He felt as if he were standing at the peak of Murphy Mountain and a breath of wind would push him over the cliff. Nic continued. “Like it or not, Callahan, the twins and I are your family now. When you are ready for us, we’ll be waiting.” It was, he thought, the perfect thing to say. This was why he’d confided in her. Why he trusted her. When it came to wounded souls, Nicole Sullivan Callahan had a healer’s touch. "
― Emily March , Angel's Rest (Eternity Springs, #1)