“Jena took a seat on the sofa, and Cole found himself with another dilemma. Should he sit next to her or take the other chair? Such a decision shouldnt feel momentous, but it did. It felt as momento...”

“You dont like to talk to people, do you? I mean, slamming the door in my face was a clue that was hard to miss. Im perceptive like that.”

“How bout you, Jena? He leaned closer, speaking in an exaggerated whisper. We could go somewhere private. I know you probably got some scars from being shot, but you cant see a scar in the dark, rig...”

“Jena Sinclair had taught him a couple of things about himself in the past few minutes that he didnt want to know. First, sometime in the past five years, a deep fatigue had wrapped itself around hi...”

“Hed danced around that story about why hed moved to Terrebonne more smoothly than an Olympic skater on ice.”

“Jena shook her head. Paul needs a life. Paul needs a woman, Ceelie said.”

“Stimulated by the juice, I believe, men have even been known to ride alligators.”

“You dont like to talk to people, do you? I mean, slamming the door in my face was a clue that was hard to miss. Im perceptive like that.”

“Living in a stupid country is living in a marsh! You are surrounded by the reptiles and the alligators! Refusing hell is the best path to eliminate the hell!”

“The storm is passing over us. Do you want to go to the bayou this night? he asked softly, separating her hair deftly and beginning to weave it into a thick braid. She loved the feel of his hands in...”

“Morning, ma'am. I'm looking for Tommy Mason. Is he around?" Polite and professional, that was Senior Agent Broussard."Lord, what's that no-good sonofabitch done now? Wait, you ain't a cop; you're a...”

“Neely McIntire," I said, clamping a sweaty hand behind her neck. "Friendship be damned!" Hayden yanked me forward. I had time to make a very girly sound before his lips began to move furiously over...”

“Problem is, though, sooner or later, physical pain, it's... it's manageable. See, real pain is emotional pain. That is the kind of pain that lasts.”

“Admitting pain humbles us to the reality of our personal histories and our present conditions. We no longer have to pretend we are something that we are not.”

“The world laughed at any attempts we made to exist in it without pain.”