Mary Connealy > Quotes

“The decent, strong person had to do decent, strong things like love unlovable people and keep peace even when it wasn't easy.”
― Mary Connealy, Doctor in Petticoats

“We're married. I will protect you. I will die for you. Better than that. I will live for you.”
― Mary Connealy, Sharpshooter in Petticoats

“Of course she'd told him she would, but if the man hadn't registered her sarcasm, then he wasn't making full use of his ears.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“To my way of thinking, no one can live in the grandest cathedral on earth, the Rocky Mountains, and not know that there's someone bigger than man in charge of the world.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“I don't reckon men are supposed to think," Sally said philosophically, as the pile of hemp rope grew at her feet. "That's why God gave 'em big muscles.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“True treasure is inside your heart - it's a soul that is at peace with God. So live your life for God. Not for your parents or yourself. Streets of gold are for the next life.”
― Mary Connealy

“The man was a lunatic who somehow could tap into sanity when he looked her in the eye. What did that man make her? A human straightjacket?”
― Mary Connealy , Doctor in Petticoats

“...death grip. Life grip was really a better way to describe it.”
― Mary Connealy, Deep Trouble

“Rafe hadn’t been around women much, but since he’d gotten married to one of the little critters, he’d noticed they seemed to have to say out loud every thought in their head. Including stuff everybody already knew. It’d snowed. Today it was real nice. It was called weather. What was there to talk about?”
― Mary Connealy, Over the Edge

“Are they supposed to cry so much and giggle every second when they're not crying? They never quit finding something so funny that I thought it'd break my eardrums a few times.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“I've seen too much of the beauty of the Lord's creation to ever doubt the Almighty.”
― Mary Connealy, Now and Forever

“He rubbed the ugly, jagged scar that ran from the corner of his eye to his hairline just above his ear. He was glad he had it. A lifelong reminder of that awful day”
― Mary Connealy, Out of Control

“Good idea. I'll do it.”
― Mary Connealy, Sharpshooter in Petticoats

“Is there a baby?” Her eyes went blank, as if he’d spoken the question in Apache. “A baby,” he repeated, “on the way. Is that why you hid out in my wagon? To trap me?” She gasped. Daniel heard the boys gasp, too, though he doubted they knew what he was really asking. She knew all right, because she unwound from the little ball she’d curled herself into and slapped him hard across the face. The boys all jumped, but they stayed under cover. Smart boys. She packed quite a wallop for a little thing. His face burned. His temper rose. Her chin began to quiver. The sparkle in her eyes blazed into fire. She pulled her hand back to paste him again. He caught her hand with a smart slap of flesh on flesh, surprised at how furious he was. He should have been sorry. He should have been begging her pardon for asking such a thing. But he wasn’t. And her anger might be over getting caught rather than being insulted. “Sorry, Mrs. Reeves, but that’s no answer.” The sting on his cheek came out in his voice. She jerked against his grip. He held fast. She raised her other hand—this one clenched in a fist—and he caught that, too. He leaned close. “You are well and truly trapped, Mrs. Reeves. Just like I am.”
― Mary Connealy, Calico Canyon

“beautiful. “But if we get out of here and you’re . . . uh . . . old and—” ugly—“sixty years old or something . . .”
― Mary Connealy, Out of Control

“beautiful woman. Beautiful? That thought cleared his head. “Uh . . . you’re not fifty or sixty years old,”
― Mary Connealy, Out of Control

“When the good Lord put a burden on his heart, he listened.”
― Mary Connealy, The Accidental Guardian

“And....and well, I can't be kissing a man. that's a good way to get tangled up...in forever”
― Mary Connealy, The Accidental Guardian

“Chance planned to live in such a way that his son would grow up to be a strong, wise, honorable, faithful man. And the only way Chance knew to teach that was to be such a man himself.”
― Mary Connealy, The Boden Birthright

“So now the sky was falling.
Maybe the end of the world. Maybe Jesus coming again.
That suited her.
White lights shot across the sky. She lost count. She stood and watched through Sidney's telescope and felt. For the first time in a year she wasn't ice cold all the way to her soul. It was as close as she could be to free in her stronghold of a home.

Logic told her that the world probably wasn't coming to an end. That would be too easy. She hadn't had an easy day in her life.

She pulled the telescope away from her eye and watched white slices of heavenly light. Content with the goosebumps of fear, her spirits rose. Assuming the world wasn't ending, she'd come to a good place out here. Her children were safe. She was safe-- bitterly lonely but safe.”
― Mary Connealy, Sharpshooter in Petticoats

“The pain was on the surface, so it took all his will to reach upward. But maybe that's what God asked of man. To reach upward even when it's hard.”
― Mary Connealy, Her Secret Song

“Trace, the lengths you've gone to in taking care of us is nothing short of heroic. You are a blessed miracle from God, you and your men. You saved us and now you care for us. It's the Bible's very definition of a Christian.~ Deb”
― Mary Connealy, The Accidental Guardian

“Well, yes,” Daniel said. “We did spend the night together, but—” “Daniel,” Grace gasped in horror. Daniel looked away from the parson, his skin now fully flaming red. “Well, we did. Do you want me to add lying to the parson in on top of having you in bed…I mean, sleeping together…I mean, having you here without your clothes…I mean…” Daniel lapsed into silence. “Pa brung her home to be our ma, but he tried her out for the night and he decided to return her,” Mark said.”
― Mary Connealy, Calico Canyon

“Sally said with wide-eyed innocence, “I think you’re pretty too, Pa.” Clay seemed taken aback for a moment, then he smiled down at Sally and chucked her under the chin with his gloved fist. “Well, thank you darlin’. I reckon that’s about the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“He set her down and held her steady until he was sure she wasn’t dizzy, then he turned on the girls, growled at them, and charged. They squealed and ran, but they didn’t run out of the room. They just dashed around in circles, colliding with each other. Clay snagged Mandy first, and while he held her and tickled her with his whiskery face, Laura toddled up and latched on to his leg. Being careful not to shake her loose while he dragged her around after the others almost made it a fair fight. He grabbed Beth when she danced too close, then, with his hands full, Sally jumped on his back. By the time they were done, Clay was flat on the kitchen floor, buried under three sets of petticoats and one soggy diaper. He remembered his first impression when he’d regained consciousness in that awful shed, that he’d died and he was surrounded by angels. He hadn’t been far from wrong.”
― Mary Connealy, Petticoat Ranch

“Are you carrying my child?” Grace dropped her hands. In the darkened bedroom, moonlight streamed in through the cracks in the shuttered window. Her tears ran unchecked down her face. “Quit crying. I can’t abide a woman’s tears.” He tightened his grip on her shoulder. “How could I know such a thing?” she whispered. “I wasn’t even aware that…well, what I mean is, I’ve never had a mother to explain things. And…for a child to begin…I’ve never given it a thought.” “You’ll know because your…” Daniel fell silent. He had to force the words past his throat. “Y-your…uh…lady’s time—” He lapsed into silence. She gasped. “I’ll not discuss such with you, sir.”
― Mary Connealy, Calico Canyon

“You really pounded him, Ma,” Ike said. He dropped a heavy hackberry branch and ran over and threw his arms around her, nearly knocking her farther down the hill. Abe slammed into her from the other side, thus balancing her again. The rest of the boys swarmed her. “Wow, Ma, we saw you beating that man up. I never knew you were tough like that.” Mark looked up at her, his eyes shining with admiration. Grace thought of all the times she’d tried to get this little scamp to respect her when she was teaching school. Apparently all she’d needed to do was get in a fistfight on Mosqueros’s Main Street and he’d have behaved.”
― Mary Connealy, Calico Canyon

“You came for me. You saved me.” She clung to him and shuddered from fear. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “We got through it.” Red brushed her hair back off her forehead and chucked her under the chin so she’d lift her head from where it was burrowed against his chest. “You were so smart, Cass honey. So brave and strong. You saved yourself. I’m so proud of you.” Confusion warred with doubt. She shook her head slightly. “No. I was so afraid. I was such a coward. Running and hiding like a stupid—” “Cass honey,” Red interrupted softly. “Yes, Red?” Her eyes flickered to his lips and back to his eyes. “Shut up.” Red kissed her. It worked. She shut up. Then he pulled away from her. His lips were moist from her kisses. She knew because she couldn’t quit glancing at them to see if he might be going to kiss her again.”
― Mary Connealy, Montana Rose

“She'd learned so many ways to be modest, it had become a source of pride.”
― Mary Connealy, Now and Forever

“I thought it was a wife’s place to obey. And I like a mouthy,rude woman with her own ideas and her own emotions. I want you to have a coat as prickly as a porcupine and a hide as thick as a buffalo and a spine as solid as the Rocky Mountains. I don’t want you doing a single thing you don’t want to do. I can’t be happily married to a woman who doesn’t nag me a little. All this polite, ‘Yes, Red,’ and ‘Whatever you say, Red,’ is making me crazy. You work on it and I’ll tell you when you’re finally doing it enough.”
― Mary Connealy, Montana Rose