Roxanne Snopek

“I'll keep this necklace forever," said Samara, "as long as Jade and I can keep you forever too.”

“She tossed a handful of snow at his face, then shrieked as the wind whipped it back into her own.Red hooted. "Karma's a boomerang, sweetheart. Don't forget it.”

“Love comes in seemingly insignificant moments and if you’re not paying attention, you might miss them.”

“Bending the law is different from breaking, my lovely, strategically-challenged Francesca.”

“Consider me your rescuer, not your jailer," he said to Frankie, without looking at her. His gut told him that, on the criminal mastermind scale, this one landed closer to Tinker Bell than Lizzie Borden.”

“There are no supermoms. Eventually, you just have to hope your kid survives all your parental screw-ups.”

“I wonder if you could do me a favor," he said, angling his body away from Jade. From the corner of his eye, he saw her tip her head watchfully."What's that?" said Samara with a frown."There's a park across town that perfect for walking dogs. I love to go there on Sunday afternoons but, well, as it happens, I don't have a dog."A slow smile spread across Samara's face."You want to borrow Bob.""I understand it's a lot to ask. Dogs being as precious as they are and all. I know Jade could never part with Bob, even for a little while." then, he put his finger to his chin, as if the idea had just occurred to him. "You could join me if you wanted to. I guess.”

“What do you think?" she asked, snapping him out of his reverie. "How am I doing?"...He squatted down beside her. "You did a good job."Their knees touched but instead of pulling away, Sam held her position, pressing ever so slightly against him."Really." Her voice took on a teasing tone. "Or are you just saying that because I'm a drywall virgin and you want me to have good memories about my first time?”

“Life's too short to say no when love shows up at your door.”

“Once in rur-al Flathead coun-tyStood a cru-wel Christmas sceneDumped for slaugh-ter were the rein-deerWhen an elf did intervene.”

“Once his life had been like this. He applied strength and determination to a messy problem until the stickiness went away, strands of sense formed and suddenly a hopeless mess was transformed into something beautiful, delectable, something everyone wanted.Now, no matter how hard he tried, no one wanted what he had to offer.”

“I'm named after my father, Rudolph," he said, then shot her a stern look. "But if you connect that with my red nose --”

“She was licking something off the end of a wooden spoon. Red froze. His body reacted as if he'd walked in on her twirling half-naked on a pole....Frankie was intriguing. Unsettling. Challenging He wanted to figure her out. He wanted to play strip poker with her. He wanted to throw her on the couch and ---"A touch more oregano, I think." Frankie pointed the spoon at him.”

“I hope you brought your handcuffs," she added. "I won't go quietly.""I might use them anyway, for fun," he answered, remembering the sensation of her warm lips against his.”