Lorraine Heath > Quotes

“Life is a journey, Frannie darling," Feagan had once told me. "Choose well those with whom you travel."
As always, I've followed Feagan's counsel.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“He took the hand that wasn’t holding the bou­quet of wildflowers and stared at it, holding it so tightly that she thought he might crack her bones. Then his hold gentled. He slipped a gold ring onto her finger and lifted his gaze to hers.

“I’m not a brave man; I’ll never be a hero, but I love you more than life itself, and I will until the day I die. With you by my side, I’m a better man than I’ve ever been alone. I’m scared to death that I’ll let you down, but I won’t run this time. I’ll stand firm and face the challenge and work hard to see that you never have any regrets. You told me once that you wanted to share a corner of my dream. Without you, Amelia, I have no dream. With you, I have everything I could ever dream of wanting.”

Tears burned her eyes as he glanced back at the preacher. “I’m done.”

-Houston to Amelia as his wedding vow.”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Destiny

“You don't care what people think," he said.

She couldn't tell from the way he emphasized the words if he was asking a question or making an observation. Still, she felt obliged to answer.
"Of course I care. To a certain extent we all care, but we can't care to the point that we live in fear of others' opinion, that we allow them to change who we are. We must be willing to stand up and defend what represents the very core of our being. Otherwise what is the purpose of individuality? We'd be nothing but imitations of each other, and I daresay we'd all be rather boring.”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“Sometimes having the dream makes you more content than having the reality.”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“Stay."

The strangled word, spoken in anguish, tore at her heart, ripped through her resolve. She swiped at the tears raining over her cheeks and slowly turned, forcing the painful truth past her lips. "I can't stay. I can no longer give you what you want. I can't give you a son."

Dallas stepped off the veranda and extended a bouquet of wildflowers toward her. "Then stay and give me what I need."

Her heart lurched at the abundance of flowers wilting within his smothering grasp. She shook her head vigorously. "You don't need me. There are a dozen eligible women in Leighton who would happily give you a son and within the month there will be at least a dozen more—"

"I'll never love any of them as much as I love you. I know that as surely as I know the sun will come up in the morning."

Her breath caught, her trembling increased, words lodged in her throat. He loved her? She watched as he swallowed.

"I know I'm not an easy man. I don't expect you to ever love me, but if you'll tolerate me, I give you my word that I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy—"

Quickly stepping forward, she pressed her shaking fingers against his warm lips. "My God, don't you know that I love you? Why do you think I'm leaving? I'm leaving because I do love you—so much. Dallas, I want you to have your dream, I want you to have your son."

Closing his eyes, he laid his roughened hand over hers where it quivered against his lips and pressed a kiss against the heart of her palm.

"I can't promise that I won't have days when I'll look toward the horizon and feel the aching emptiness that comes from knowing we'll never have a child to pass our legacy on to…"Opening his eyes, he captured her gaze. "But I know the emptiness you'll leave behind will eat away at me every minute of every day."

-Dallas and Dee”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Glory

“I would rather be a cripple and have your love for all of a single moment than to live as I am without ever having it.”
― Lorraine Heath, Waking Up With the Duke

“Within the shadows of honor, courage often walks in silence.

-Engraved on the monument Clay built”
― Lorraine Heath, Always to Remember

“When I was a boy, I went to war searching for glory. I didn't find it.
I came here, thinking I'd find glory if I built a ranching empire or a thriving town.
Instead I discovered that I didn't even know what glory was, not until you smiled at me for the first time with no fear in your eyes...

A hundred years from now, everything I've worked so hard to build will be nothing more than dust blowing in the wind, but if I can spend my life loving you, I'll die a wealthy man, a contented man.

-Dallas to Dee”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Glory

“Love isn't found in words, Kate. It's found in quiet moments, a look, a sigh, a smile, a gladness." She sighed. "And very often, it's shown with sacrifice.”
― Lorraine Heath, Just Wicked Enough

“Have you ever wanted something so badly that you would do anything, believe anything in order to acquire it?”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“He wrapped his hand around hers, pressed a kiss to the heart of her palm, and held her gaze. “I’ve got a one-room cabin, a few horses, and a dream that’s so small it won’t even cover your palm. But it sure seems a lot bigger when you’re beside me.”

The moonlight streaming through the window shimmered off the tears trailing along her cheeks. “I’ve always wanted a dream that I could hold in the palm of my hand,” she said quietly.

-Houston and Amelia”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Destiny

“It’s difficult when you love someone whom you know on some level is wicked.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“Have you ever loved anyone?"
"You mean besides my mum?"
Luke was dumbfounded as he stared at Jack. He knew his friend's story. "She sold you when you were five."
Jack shrugged. "Doesn't mean I didn't love her. Just means she didn't love me.”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“If he wasn't angry, he certainly did a good imitation. His voice was clipped and as hard as stone. She wrung her hands together. "I love you. Clay."
"No, you don't."
Meg felt as though he'd just slapped her. "Yes, I do. When you leave this town, I'll go with you."
Narrowing his eyes, he studied her. "Will you marry me?"
"Yes."
"Will you give me children?"
"If I can. Kirk and I were never able to conceive, but if I can have children, I want to have yours."
"In this town that we move to, wherever it is, will you walk down the street with me?"
"Of course."
"Holding my hand?"
"Yes."
"And the hands of my children?"
"Yes."
He unfolded his arms and took a step toward her. She wanted to fling herself into his embrace, but something hard in his eyes stopped her.
"And what happens, Mrs. Warner, when someone you know rides through town and points at me and calls me a yellow-bellied coward? What will you do then? Will you let go of my hand and take my children to the other side of the street? Will you pretend that you haven't kissed me, that you haven't lain with me beneath the stars?" With disgust marring his features, he turned away. "You think I'm a coward. Go home."
"I don't think that. I love you."
He spun around. "You don't believe in that love, you don't believe in me."
"Yes, I do."
He stalked toward her. She backed into the corner and bent her head to meet his infuriated gaze.
"How strongly do you believe in our love?" he asked, his voice ominously low. "If they threatened to strip off your clothes unless you denied our love, would you deny our love?"
He gave her no chance to respond, but continued on, his voice growing deeper and more ragged, as though he were dredging up events from the past.
"If they wouldn't let you sleep until you denied our love, would you deny our love so you could lay your head on a pillow?
"If they stabbed a bayonet into your backside every time your eyes drifted closed, would you deny our love so your flesh wouldn't be pierced?
"If they applied a hot brand to your flesh until you screamed in agony, would you deny our love so they'd take away the iron?
"If they placed you before a firing squad, would you say you didn't love me so they wouldn't shoot you?"
He stepped back and plowed his hands through his hair. "You think I'm a coward. You don't think I have the courage to stand beside you and risk the anger of your father. I'd die before I turned away from anyone or anything I believed in. You won't even walk by my side."
He looked the way she imagined soldiers who had lost a battle probably looked: weary, tired of the fight, disillusioned.
"You don't believe in me," he said quietly. "How can you believe in our love?”
― Lorraine Heath, Always to Remember

“If I go to hell for this—”
“I’ll be there as well. I’ll dance with you,” he promised.”
― Lorraine Heath, Between the Devil and Desire

“There's a difference between being good and doing bad things. Sometimes, a person does something because he doesn't have a choice. He might not like what he did... but it doesn't make him bad.”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Glory

“Austin stood. “All right, I will.” He walked to the door and stopped, his hand on the latch. He gazed back over his shoulder. “That woman you love . . . Do I know her?”

Houston forced himself to meet his brother’s gaze. The boy only knew one woman, if he didn’t count the whores in Dusty Flats. “Yeah, you do.”

“She never left your side, not for one minute.”

“She should have.”

“Well, I’m not learned in these matters, but I’d like to think if a woman ever loved me as much as that one loves you ... I’d crawl through hell to be by her side.”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Destiny

“No matter how bad things get, Frannie darling, they can always get worse and they can always get better. Expect worse and you’ll never be disappointed.Expect better and you’ll always have something to look forward to.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“Oh, Papa, I've done something terribly silly. I've fallen in love with someone, and he loves another. The strange thing is, as much as it hurts, I only want him to be happy. And if she'll make him happy, I want him to have her.”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“Why couldn't women understand that hate could not hurt if there was no semblance of love?”
― Lorraine Heath, Passions of a Wicked Earl

“What are you doing?" she asked.

Grimacing, he considered returning his mouth to hers and kissing her until she forgot the question and his strange behavior, but he had to know the truth. Dammit, he had to know. "Amelia told me that her toes curl when Houston kisses her. I was just trying to see if your toes curl when I kiss you."

She turned a lovely shade of rose and rolled her shoulders toward her chin. "My whole body curls when you kiss me."

"Your whole body?"

She nodded quickly."Every inch."

"Well, hell," he said as he settled his mouth greedily over hers with plans to keep her body tightly curled for the remainder of the night.

-Dallas and Dee”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Glory

“To take from life what you can, while you can.”
― Lorraine Heath, Between the Devil and Desire

“What do you want want to be remembered for?" she asked tartly.
He slowly shook his head. "I just want to be remembered.”
― Lorraine Heath, Just Wicked Enough

“You look beautiful.”
“Anyone can appear beautiful in the shadows.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“You worry me, Catherine. You seem to think you're quite invincible.”

“I'm well aware that I'm not. But I'll not spend my life cowering. That would be no life at all.”
― Lorraine Heath, In Bed with the Devil

“She angled her chin proudly. “Very well. If you insist.
I’ve come to invite you to my wedding.”
He shook his head sadly. “That I cannot do, my
love.”
“But it shall be the talk of London. I want you there.
Desperately.”
He gazed out to the sea. “I never thought you to be
cruel, Tess. I can deny you nothing. But please don’t
ask this of me.”
“But if you’re not there, my dear, dear Leo, then
however shall I marry you?
She watched as the shock of her words rippled
over his beloved features.
“Me? But you always said no when I asked for your
hand.”
“I was a foolish woman. Lynnford was the love of my
youth. And as we have talked these many weeks as
we’ve not been able to talk in years, so we
discovered that neither of us is the person that each
of us fell in love with. We were holding onto someone
who no longer exists.” She took a tentative step
toward him. “You love me as I am now. And I shall love
you always. Marry me, Leo. For God’s sake, marry
me.”
― Lorraine Heath, Waking Up With the Duke

“The melody drifted into an aching silence. Austin lifted his head, and she saw his tears, trailing along his cheeks, glistening in the moonlight.

She slipped from beneath the blankets, her bare feet hitting the cold floor. "What were you playing?" she asked reverently, not wanting to disturb the ambiance that remained in the room.

"That was my heart breaking," he said, his voice ragged.

She felt as though her own heart might shatter as she took a step toward him. "Austin—"

"Don't stop loving me, Loree. You want me to learn what those little black bugs on those pieces of paper mean, I'll learn. You want me to play the violin from dawn until dusk, hell, I'll play till midnight, just don't stop loving me."

She flung her arms around his neck and felt his arms come around her back, the violin tapping against her backside. "Oh, Austin, I couldn't stop loving you if I wanted."

"I do know how to love, Loree. I just don't know how to keep a woman loving me."

"I'll always love you, Austin," she said trailing kisses over his face. "Always."

She felt a slight movement away from her as he set the violin aside, and then his arms came around her, tighter than before. "Let me love you, Loree. I need to love you."

-Austin and Loree”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Splendor

“It was easier to break promises when they weren't voiced.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“When Sterling’s eyesight did finally fail him completely, we were
up in years, content to sit in our garden and reflect on what a
wondrous and exciting life we’d led. He did not see my hair fade into
silver. For him it was always a vibrant red. I watched him age
gracefully and with dignity. He leaned on me much more than he
did his walking stick, which was how it should be, because when I
needed him most, he was always there for me. Each day I thought I
could love him no more than I already did—and the following
morning I was always proven wrong, for I awoke loving him just a
little bit more.”
― Lorraine Heath, Surrender to the Devil

“Maybe in time, once your feelings for Dee deepen—"

"That's my problem, Houston. I think I've fallen in love with her and I've got no earthly idea how to make her love me."

-Dallas and Houston”
― Lorraine Heath, Texas Glory