Rocky 3 Quotes

I don’t need a happily ever after, J, I just need the ever after part. The adjective can be whatever. Up and down ever after, sometimes rocky ever after, crazy ever after—I don’t give a shit. As long as you stick around, we’ll just do the best we can, day after day.

His fingers curled around her neck and he put his forehead to hers before sharing, “I remember, Rocky. I remember everything. I remember every… fucking… thing.

There's no time like the present, No present like time. And life can be over in the space of a rhyme. There's no gift like friendship And no love like mine. Give me your love to treasure through time.

Our rocky ledge overlooking the valley. Perhaps a little less green than usual, but the blackberry bushes hang heavy with fruit. Here began countless days of hunting and snaring, fishing and gathering, roaming together through the woods, unloading our thoughts while we filled our game bags. This was the doorway to both sustenance and sanity. And we were each other's key.

Let's stick together." "Well, you're going to have to wait here for me there: I'm going to the bathroom." "But how long are you going to be?" "Oh, three hours?" "Rocky . . .

The best part, however, was watching Rocky eat a pile of custard-filled, hot fudge-topped profiteroles. He could swear, after the third bite, she was going to have an orgasm and, watching her, he nearly had one.

Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades's palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell. But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn't deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn't stand seeing Hazel in pain. "We'll rescue him," he promised her. "We have to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death.

And reading is a wonderful thing for the mind. I have not been many places in my life. But in books, I have traveled all over the world.

We gotta have a toast." Rocky on her pins, Peabody used the table for balance. She managed to raise her glass without spilling more than half its contents on Eve's head. "To the best fucking cop in the whole stinking city, who's gonna marry the sexiest sumbitch I, personally, have ever laid eyes on, and who, because she's so goddamn smart, has seen to it that I'm perman'ly attached to Homicide. Which is where any half-blind asshole could tell you I belong. So there." She downed the rest of her drink, fell backward into her chair, and grinned foolishly. "Peabody," Eve said and flicked a finger under her eyes. "I've never been more touched." "I'm shit faced. Dallas." "The evidence points to it.

I lost Ike,' Aunt Josephine said, 'and I lost Lake Lachrymose. I mean, I didn't really lose it, of course. It's still down in the valley. But I grew up on its shores. I used to swim in it every day. I know which beaches were sandy and which were rocky. I knew all the islands in the middle of its waters and all the caves alongside it's shore. Lake Lachrymose felt like a friend to me. But when it took poor Ike away from me I was too afraid to go near it anymore. I stopped swimming in it. I never went to the beach again. I even put away all my books about it. The only way I can bear to look at it is from the Wide Window in the Library.

The great Rocky Mountains, softly shaded in gray, were submerged in a sea of fluffy white clouds, feathery wisps enveloping the peaks like a kingdom of the air.

When posing for a photograph, spinsters should avoid looking desperate or deprived. A serene smile will show that your circumstances are by choice and not for lack of beauty or character. -Miss Gertrude Hasslebrink, 1878

I am not deceased.” He gains his feet, his talons digging into the rocky soil. Relief pricks at my eyes, and my vision wobbles. “Do not dehydrate on my account,” he lectures. “It takes more than weather to fell me.” His golden gaze drops to my knee. “Wish I could say the same for you.

Still, it was up to her to lure her victim to the rocky shore of loss by appealing to his vanity and challenging his manly pride.She smiled at herself in the mirror. "It isn't perfect, but 'twill have to do." "Och,miss! Ye look as pretty as a princess." Mary opened the door and stood to one side. "Careful going down the stairs; yer pa pried up a board in the third step." "On the steps? Someone could get injured." "So he's hopin'." Sophia frowned. "I'll have Angus fix it. I want MacLean to hate the house, not die in it." "Men never think,miss. 'Tis a sad fact 'o life." "Tell me about it," Sophia muttered. "Wish me luck. I've heard a lot about MacLean,none of it good.

I care about you, and I want you safe. But you do realize that this is bigger than either of us, don’t you?

Trouble found him everywhere he went.

But when I fail, it fires me up to get back at it and do better. And you haven’t even failed, because you haven’t tried to compete yet.

Fear of failure is a powerful thing. But what you don’t see ... is that failure allows you to grow. To get better. To learn. It is a part of life. And it’s a good thing.

But a male voice pleaded from behind, 'Don't.' Varian appeared from the rocky path, gasping for breath, splattered with blood. Amren smirked. 'Like a hound on a scent.' 'Don't,' was all Varian said. 'Unleash me,' Amren said, ignoring him. 'Let me end this.' I began shaking my head. 'You- you will be gone. You said you won't remember us, won't be you anymore if you're freed.

I turned. It took me a moment to grasp it. What I saw. Rhys was sprawled on the rocky ground, wings draped behind him. He looked like he was sleeping. But as I breathed in- It wasn't there. The thing that rose and fell with each breath. That echoed each heartbeat. The mating bond. It wasn't there. It was gone. Because his own chest... it was not moving. And Rhys was dead.

Igneous was huge and...well, rocky. He moved around the streets like a small iceberg and, like an iceberg, there was more to him than immediately met the eye. He was known as a supplier of things. More or less any kind of things. And he was also a wall, which was the same as a fence only a lot harder and tougher to beat. Igneous never unnecessary questions, because he couldn't think of any.

Their gazes locked,he said,"I made a mistake." "Confusing your wife with a goat?" What was that he had thought about the difficulty of having a wife who was a truthsayer? He took a breath,let it out slowly, and sent with it a prayer. "There was a time-a brief time-when I considered you might be guilty." Truth. Rycca smiled. She freed her hands, cupped them to his face,and rose on her toes to touch her mouth to his. "What is that for?" he asked, caught between relief and bewilderment. Likely she would always keep him so off balance and likely he would always be glad of it for truly fortune smiled upon him. A great knot seemed to be untangling in his chest. "For believing me." "I only briefly didn't," he repeated. "No,I mean for believing I am a truthsayer." "And you know that because-" She laughed and took his hand again. "Because you are a wise and canny man, Lord Dragon. You could as easily have insisted you never even flirted with the thought that I might be guilty and thereby saved yourself what must surely have been an uneasy moment for a husband." He was slightly stung but not too much, for her ready forgiveness was as a balm over all else. "Generally speaking, I do tell the truth for its own sake." "I never thought otherwise. And I would be as truthful with you. Last night, I realized suddenly that I was not afraid. All things considered, that was rather ridiculous but it was how I felt nonetheless." The knot was definitely gone. Indeed, a great warmth seemd to suffuse him. If a woman who had every reason to fear Vikings could be tied to a punishment post by her own Viking husband and not be afraid, that could mean only one thing. "You trust me." "And you trust me." At that moment, looking down at her, his face held nothing of the mighty warrior and jarl. He looked instead like a boy handed the world. She wanted only to give it to him again and again. "I would say," Rycca murmured, "that for a rocky beginning, we are managing well enough." It was an incongruously happy note upon which to discuss a dead man.

Colorado and Wyoming are America’s highest states, averaging 6,800 feet and 6,700 feet above sea level. Utah comes in third at 6,100 feet, New Mexico, Nevada, and Idaho each break 5,000 feet, and the rest of the field is hardly worth mentioning. At 3,400 feet, Montana is only half as high as Colorado, and Alaska, despite having the highest peaks, is even further down the list at 1,900 feet. Colorado has more fourteeners than all the other U.S. states combined, and more than all of Canada too. Colorado’s lowest point (3,315 feet along the Kansas border) is higher than the highest point in twenty other states. Rivers begin here and flow away to all the points of the compass. Colorado receives no rivers from another state (unless you count the Green River’s’ brief in and out from Utah).Wyoming’s Wind River Range is the only mountain in North America that supplies water to all three master streams of the American West: Missouri, Colorado, and Columbia rivers.

And- there's another surprise.' He pointed with a healed hand toward the Cauldron. 'Someone fish out dear Amren before she catches cold.' Varian whirled toward us. But Mor was sprinting for the Cauldron, and her cry as she reached in- 'How?' I breathed. Azriel and Varian were there, helping Mor heave a waterlogged form out of the dark water. Her chest rose and fell, her features the same, but... 'She was there,' Rhys said. 'When the Cauldron was sealing. Going... wherever we go.' Amren sputtered water, vomiting onto the rocky ground. Mor thumped her back, coaxing her through it. 'So I reached out a hand,' Rhys went on quietly. 'To see if she might want to come back.' And as Amren opened her eyes, as Varian let out a choked sound of relief and joy- I knew- what she had given up to come back. High Fae- and just that. For her silver eyes were solid. Unmoving. No smoke, no burning mist in them. A normal life, no trace of her powers to be seen. And as Amren smiled at me... I wondered if that had been her last gift. If it all... if it all had been a gift.

I'm sorry.' It was those two words that shattered me. Shattered me in a way I didn't know I could still be broken, a rending of every tether and leash. Stay with the High Lord. The Suriel's last warning. Stay... and live to see everything righted. A lie. A lie, as Rhys had lied to me. Stay with the High Lord. Stay. For there... the torn scraps of the mating bond. Floating on a phantom wind inside me. I grasped at them- tugged at them, as if he'd answer. Stay. Stay, stay, stay. I clung to those scraps and remnants, clawing at the voice that lurked beyond. Stay. I looked up at Tarquin, lip curling back from my teeth. Looked at Helion. And Thesan. And Beon and Kallias, Viviane weeping at his side. And I snarkled, 'Bring him back.' Blank faces. I screamed at them, 'BRING HIM BACK.' Nothing. 'You did it for me,' I said, breathing hard. 'Now do it for him.' 'You were human,' Helion said carefully. 'It is not the same-' 'I don't care. Do it.' When they didn't move, I rallied the dregs of my power, readying to rip into their minds and force them, not caring what rules or laws it broke. I wouldn't care, only if- Tarquin stepped forward. He slowly extended his hand toward me. 'For what he gave,' Tarquin said quietly. 'Today and for many years before.' And as the seed of light appeared in his palm... I began crying again. Watched it drop onto Rhys's bare throat and vanish onto the skin beneath, an echo of light flaring once. Helion stepped forward. That kernel of light in his hand flickered as it fell onto Rhys's skin. Then Kallias. And Thesan. Until only Beron stood there. Mor drew her sword and laid it on his throat. He jerked, having not seen her move. 'I do not mind making one more kill today,' she said. Beron gave her a withering glare, but shoved off the sword and strode forward. He practically chucked that fleck of light onto Rhys. I didn't care about that, either. I didn't know the spell, the power it came from. But I was High Lady. I held out my palm. Willing the spark of life to appear. Nothing happened. I took a steadying breath, remembering how it had looked. 'Tell me how,' I growled to no one. Thesan coughed and stepped forward. Explaining the core of power and on and on and I didn't care, but I listened, until- There. Small as a sunflower seed, it appeared in my palm. A bit of me- my life. I laid it gently on Rhys's blood-crusted throat. And I realised, just as he appeared, what was missing. Tamlin stood there, summoned by either the death of a fellow High Lord or one of the others around me. He was splattered in mud and gore, his new bandolier of knives mostly empty. He studied Rhys, lifeless before me. Studied all of us- the palms still out. There was no kindness on his face. No mercy. 'Please,' was all I said to him. Then Tamlin glanced between us- me and my mate. His face did not change. 'Please,' I wept. 'I will- I will give you anything-' Something shifted in his eyes at that. But not kindness. No emotion at all. I laid my head on Rhysand's chest, listening for any kind of heartbeat through that armour. 'Anything,' I breathed to no one in particular. 'Anything.' Steps scuffed on the rocky ground. I braced myself for another set of hands trying to pull me away, and dug my fingers in harder. The steps remained behind me for long enough that I looked. Tamlin stood there. Staring down at me. Those green eyes swimming with some emotion I couldn't place. 'Be happy, Feyre,' he said quietly. And dropped that final kernel of light onto Rhysand.

Dark ancillary thoughts emerged: could either of them live without the sustaining excitement of this work, the knife-edge bustle of the street, the adrenaline high of stealing secrets from an implacable foe? What would their retired life be like? Would they look at the snowy Rockies from the porch of a log cabin? Or eat breakfast on a white balcony overlooking Biscayne Bay? Or throw another log on the fire in a cozy New England farmhouse? A conjugal dream or a constricting nightmare? Could either of them survive retirement? Gable always said that spooks dried up and died when they left the Game. Most Russian defectors went around the bend away from the Rodina; they missed the Motherland, the black earth, and the pine forests. Could he do that to her, to himself? Jesus, maybe he had scared himself straight, maybe she’d see the light too. Maybe they would move to the next chaste and professional level of superasset and sagacious handler, coolly taking care of business against Vladimir Putin and his predatory kleptocracy. Maybe.

Nah-uh! Bad one!” everybody moaned. “No way,” said Frank. The note shot out of his mouth and landed smack-dab in the middle of Rocky’s desk. Slobber City! “Gross!” yelled Rocky. Mr. Todd passed out the quizzes. Mr. Todd cleared his throat. “Question number one: How many times did I wear a purple tie to school this year?” Everybody shouted answers. “Ten!” “Twenty-seven!” “One hundred!” “Four!” “Never!” called Jessica Finch. “Never is correct!” said Mr. Todd. “Number two: How long did it take our class to go around the world?” “Eight days!” said Frank. “Eight and a half days,” said Judy. “Too easy. Let’s skip ahead. Here’s one. This is big. Really big. We’re talking MUCHO GRANDE!” “Tell us!” everybody shouted. “Can anyone — that means YOU, Class 3T — guess what I, your teacher, Mr. Todd, will be doing THIS SUMMER?” “Working at the Pickle Barrel Deli?” asked Hunter. “I saw you there.” “That was last summer,” said Mr. Todd. “But this summer, if you find me, you win a prize.” “We need a clue,” said Judy. “Give us a clue.” “Clue! Clue! Clue! Clue! Clue!” yelled the class. “Okay, okay. Let me think. The clue is . . . COLD.” Mr. Todd hugged himself, pretending to shiver. “Brrr.” Jackson waved his hand. “Refrigerator salesperson!” “Snow-remover guy!” said Jordan. “Polar-bear tamer!” said Anya.

By late January 2014, Tesla had completed the construction of a cross-country Supercharger corridor that would allow Model S drivers to get from Los Angeles to New York without having to spend a penny on energy. The electric highway took a northern route through Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Illinois, before approaching New York from Delaware. The path it cut was similar to a trip taken by Musk and his brother, Kimbal, in a beat-up 1970s BMW 320i in 1994. Within days of the route’s completion, Tesla staged a cross-country rally to show that the Model S could easily handle long-distance driving, even in the dead of winter. Two hot-pepper-red Model S’s, driven by members of the Supercharging team, left Tesla’s Los Angeles–based design studio just after midnight on Thursday, January 30. Tesla planned to finish the trip at New York’s City Hall on the night of February 1, the day before Super Bowl XLVIII, which would take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just across the state line. Along the way, the cars would drive through some of the snowiest and most frigid places in the country, in one of the coldest weeks of the year. The trip took a little longer than expected. The rally encountered a wild snowstorm in the Rocky Mountains that temporarily closed the road over Vail Pass and then provided an icy entrance to Wyoming. Somewhere in South Dakota, one of the rally’s diesel support vans broke down, forcing its occupants to catch a flight from Sioux Falls to rejoin the rest of the crew in Chicago. And in Ohio, the cars powered through torrential rains as the fatigued crew pressed on for the final stretch. It was 7:30 A.M. on Sunday, February 2, when the Teslas rolled up to New York’s City Hall on a bright, mild morning. The 3,427-mile journey had taken 76 hours and 5 minutes—just over three days. The cars had spent a total of 15 hours and 57 seconds charging along the way,

Despite her mistakes, God still cared, and she hadn't been forgotten or discarded because of them.

Maybe she had been wrong about coming to him for help. It wouldn't be her first mistake.

Jenna Zulauf loves spending her free time both indoors working out and outdoors experiencing all that Colorado has to offer. Her favorite past time is hiking with her 3 German Shepherds. Jenna Zulauf has summited 14ers with her dogs right beside her, exploring nature's peace, calm and serenity in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Life has a way of coming up on us fast until we look back and realize that we failed to treasure every moment.

Alex had been in that dream with her, and he was going to die, was prepared to die, to save her.

Pulse pounding in her ears, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak.

…he and Mackenzie had to walk the path through the valley that held more than shadows of death.

Sometimes the door God opened for a person to walk through had more to do with the greater good.

I’ll come for you when you least expect it.

I’m with you until the end, no matter what.

Makenzie’s words had chiseled through his armor and eaten away at his heart.

…the chaos of the world seemed bent on keeping them apart.

Life went on, even after mistakes left you scraping yourself off the ground.” “He was the exact right person at the exact wrong time.” “…why had their paths crossed twice—and this second time in such a spectacular way?” “The thing that estranged me from my family is the very thing that could save what’s left of them now.” “He glanced at MacKenzie. In her case, he was pretty sure someone had already stirred up the past, and he and MacKenzie had to walk the path through the valley that held more than shadows of death.” “Guilt and shame from her past invaded her thoughts and heart.” “Why couldn’t they have met by chance again or through God’s making it all work out for them? Like normal people. But really, neither of them was normal.” “And here we are…breaking all the rules to find a dangerous rule-breaker.” “These actions he’d taken with MacKenzie could break him or make him, but of course, it wasn’t about him. Sometimes the door God opened for a person to walk through had more to do with the greater good.

AMERICANS -- U.S. NAVY, ABOARD MINESWEEPER USS PELICAN (AM 49), MANILA BAY Alton C. Ingram, Lieutenant. “Todd,” Commanding Officer Frederick J. Holloway, Lt. (jg), Operations Officer. Oliver P. Toliver, III, Lt. (jg) “Ollie,” Gunnery Officer. Bartholomew, Leonard (n), Chief Machinists Mate, “Rocky,” Chief Engineer. Farwell, Luther A., Quartermaster Second Class, Top helmsman. Hampton, Joshua P., Electronics Technician 1st Class, Crew Whittaker, Peter L., Engineman 3rd Class, Crew Forester, Kevin T. Quartermaster 3rd Class, Crew Forester, Brian I., Quartermaster Striker, Crew Yardly, Ronald R., Pharmacist's Mate Second Class “Bones,” Crew. Sunderland, Kermit G. Gunner's Mate 1st Class, Crew. AMERICANS

GET DOWN!” Aston shouts. “INCOMING ON YOUR LEFT!” I dive to the dirt, covering my head. Five seconds pass. Then ten. “ANY TIME NOW!” Vane calls, lifting his head to scan the field. The wind spike blows past him, striking the rocky ground in a shower of dust. “DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST MISS?” Vane asks. “I TOLD YOU TO GET DOWN!” Aston shouts. “YOU’RE LUCKY I DIDN’T HIT YOUR GIANT SQUARE HEAD!” “I have a square head?” Vane asks.

No. My daughter walks with you. Choose your way carefully, yes? The trail ahead of you will be steep at times. At others, it may be rocky and narrow. You must be certain you go along a path that leaves room for her to journey beside you.

None were permitted on its barren, rocky slopes—save for the Illyrians, and only once a year at that. During the Blood Rite.

I never figured you for starting all this trouble. Tragic figure, that’s you. Following Rocky around with your little pink tongue hanging out, like a bitch in heat. It was a good role, Gaby, one you could a life around. I ain’t gonna forgive you for writing your own lines.

If the embryonic Titanide got all things practical and much historical from the foremother, it got everything else from the hindmother. Rocky wondered if he wasn’t prejudiced-being hindpregnant himself-but it seemed to him this was the most important part.

You will love life, my child. Most of the time.

She loves spectacle. It’s what attracted her to movies in the first place. It’s the basic reason she started the war, god help us all. Give her a good one, Rocky, and I’ll take care of the rest.

A majestic tidal wave of temper and domination, looking to break on my rocky shores. He would annihilate me.

A majestic tidal wave of temper and domination, looking to break on my rocky shores. He would annihilate me. Batter my jagged defenses until he’d smoothed all my hard edges and whittled me away to my foundations. He pretended to be a simple passing storm in the distance, but I knew the devastation he could wreak. I could feel it, not just in my bones, but in my core where fissures of lust uncoiled and warmed me from the inside out.

Zach’s Fanfare #2” (MFSB)* “Comeback Kid” (Sleigh Bells) “Monkey Gone to Heaven” (The Pixies) “Spaceman” (Harry Nilsson) “Going Down” (Freddie King) “I’m Bad” (Rocket to Memphis) “Pumped Up Kicks” (Foster the People) “Nobody Does It Better” (Me First and the Gimme Gimmes) “Skull & Crossbones” (Sparkle Moore & Dan Belloc and His Orchestra) “Switchblade Smiles” (Kasabian) “I Wanna Destroy You” (The Soft Boys) “Drain You” (Foxy Shazam) “T.O.R.N.A.D.O.” (The Go! Team) “Woman of Mass Destruction” (The Woolly Bandits) “Tough Lover” (Nick Curran and the Lowlifes) “(I’m Stuck in a Pagoda With) Tricia Toyota” (The Dickies) “Apache” (The Sugarhill Gang) “For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Metallica) “We All Go Back to Where We Belong” (R.E.M.) “Change Reaction” (David Uosikkinen) “Satellite” (The Hooters) “Fanfare for Rocky” (Bill Conti)*

She loved all the creatures of the farm. Each one, even a hen, was like a person to her, even more real than many of the real people she knew. Some were playful or bold, and some were shy. Some were gentle, and some were wicked. Some were smart, like Fido, and some were foolish, like the hens.

You pakeha,” she murmured, “all your streets must be straight and even. You tear them from the earth without hearing its groans. And yet the winding, rocky ways are the shorter ones if you take them in peace.

Rose carefully and gently pushed the growing pile of rosy-golden apples around each time another crate was dumped into the wagon. She waded carefully through the apples without lifting her feet, so she wouldn't step on a single one. Soon the whole wagon box was a sea of red and yellow, full almost to the top. She wanted to dive right in, it looked so inviting. She picked two of the reddest ones she could find, gave one to Mama, and they each took a bite. "Delicious," said Mama through a mouthful, the juice running down her chin. "If there were no other food in the world, I think I could live on apples alone." Hers was the sweetest apple Rose could ever remember eating.

The toothbrush Jasper bought Rocky was white and pink. Yes, his son was sharp. As a tack.

Are you telling me you want this? That you want to get married?” She arched a brow, and he couldn’t hold her gaze. For the first time in his life, Leo found himself truly nervous. Here was a situation he couldn’t hit, wrestle, or order into compliance. Baring feelings was all well and good, but talking about them sucked. But there came a time in a man’s life where he had to suck it up and gush, especially when he was a blind idiot for a while. “Would I be going through all this trouble if I didn’t want to get married? Listen, Vex, I know we got off to a rocky start. In my defense, you’re a little much for any man to handle. Not that I mind,” he hastened to add when her second brow shot up. “I like who you are, and I’m a big enough man to admit I might have reacted poorly when you declared I was your mate and that I couldn’t escape.” “I said what?” Again, she gaped in open surprise. Then laughed. Pretty damned hard as a matter of fact. He frowned. “Don’t you dare deny it, Vex. You had me all but in front a preacher within five minutes of us meeting. And it scared me. But you were right about us belonging together, even if it took me longer to realize it. You are the one for me, Meena. The chaos to balance my serenity. The colored rainbow to enrich the grayness of my current life. I want you, Vex. Catastrophes and all. I just hope, even after what I’ve done, and the fact I might sometimes have a stick up my ass, at least according to Luna, that you’ll forgive me and still want me too.” He ended his gush of words and stared at Meena hopefully, and a little fearfully, given she once again stared at him slack-jawed. Would she say something? She did, just not from her lips. No, Meena’s voice came from behind him. “Oh, Pookie, that has got to be the most beautiful thing I ever heard.” Either Meena had some mad ventriloquist skills or… Leo froze as he stared at the woman in front of him, a woman that he realized the more he stared was Meena and yet not. This one wore her hair in soft curls around her shoulders, a tiny scar marred the tip of her chin, and her scent… was all wrong. However, the body that jumped on his back and the lips that noisily kissed the flesh of his neck? That was his Vex. What the hell? “Who are you?” he asked. The Meena clone grinned and waved. “Teena, of course.” “My twin,” Meena added against his ear. “Identical twin?” “Well, duh. And it’s a good thing too, or I’d be a little miffed right now that you just said all those beautiful things to her.” “I thought it was you.” “Apparently. It happens a lot, which I totally don’t get. She looks nothing like me.” “I feel like such an idiot.” He tried to crane his head to see the Meena clinging to his back, but she slapped her hands over his eyes. “No, you can’t look. It’s bad luck.” “But…” “No buts. Although I will say yours looks awfully delicious in those pants. But it will look even better when it’s naked and wearing my teeth marks.” “Vex!” “I know. I know. Don’t start something we can’t finish. Consider yourself warned, however. As soon as that priest says I do, your ass is mine. All mine.” Such a low, husky promise. “Come on, Teena, you are just in time to help me get into my gown. Can you believe my Pookie arranged all this?” The pride in her voice made him smile, but he did have to shake his head at the whole twin sister thing. With one last kiss on his neck, Meena whispered, “See you in a little bit, Pookie.

Sometimes when Rose was reading, she would catch a whiff of the musty smell of her book. She put her nose down in the fold and inhaled deeply so that wonderful smell, the smell of adventure in faraway lands, would fill her up. She rubbed her hand across the pages to feel the velvety surface of the paper. When she closed her eyes, her fingertips could even feel the words that were printed there, each letter raised just a little, almost like the special language that her blind aunt Mary could read. To Rose, a book was as real and alive as if it breathed and walked and spoke.

I shut the car door as quietly as possible and quickly maneuvered to the front porch, climbing the steps two at a time, and rushing to the door. I knocked. Loudly. Several times. And then I waited. My heart was lodged in my throat so I tried to swallow past it. I couldn’t show weakness. I needed to be tough. I can be tough. I nodded, shifting from one foot to the other. I can be real tough. You can’t be a sissy and make fifty loaves of bread in a day. That’s a lot of kneading. I’m tough as nails. I’m basically the Rocky Balboa of bakers. I’m unstoppable! Aint nobody gunna— The door swung open. I jumped back a half step. My voice failed me.

Could you imagine the hassles if they all use different words?” “I’d rather not, thanks.” “Aye, well, a bit of a rocky start, but we’re here. And I’m dying for a bath. Damn it’s hot.” “I’m just looking forward to sleeping in a bed that doesn’t rock.” I knew, the moment those words came out of my mouth, that I shouldn’t have said them, for Karish looked at me with the most evil glint in his eyes. “I’ll have to see what I can do to change that, won’t I?” Just what I needed. Karish degenerating into using innuendo on me. I thought he’d lost that habit.

A large flat screen hanging from the wall is playing Rocky Horror Picture Show, and two girls and a guy are singing “Time Warp” at the top of their lungs.

Cragg said, 'Come on, Rocky. I'm not getting

parked in the dimly lit back. He parked close and got out as Jasper and Rocky got

Where’s the pizza?” Something warm and furry came and leaned against my right leg. I reached down to pet Rocky, a black lab who was going gray around his eyes and muzzle. “Rocky wants to know where the pizza is, too.” “He’s the reason the food is in the kitchen. Last time we kept it out here on the picnic table, he helped himself to half of a large bacon pepperoni pizza and then he threw up in my mom’s closet. She was cleaning dog barf out of her shoes for days.” I squatted down and rubbed Rocky’s ears. “I bet you were framed, huh, buddy?” He leaned into the ear rub and sighed. “I bet it was the cat, wasn’t it?” He sighed again like he was agreeing with me. “Nice try, but there isn’t that much barf in a cat,” Trevor said.

But that was still the problem. When you loved someone, eventually that person would be wrenched away from you. Either now or when you were both gray and wrinkled - or any moment in between.

She wasn't normally given to talking over much, but something about this man made her want to step forward and poke his chest. Move into his space and push until she cracked the grumpy facade he wore like porcupine quills.

Sometimes it seemed Faith saw the parts of him he did his best to hide. But the biggest wonder was that his weaknesses didn't push her away. Instead, she pressed in harder.

Travel Bucket List 1. Have a torrid affair with a foreigner. Country: TBD. 2. Stay for a night in Le Grotte della Civita. Matera, Italy. 3. Go scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Queensland, Australia. 4. Watch a burlesque show. Paris, France. 5. Toss a coin and make an epic wish at the Trevi Fountain. Rome, Italy. 6. Get a selfie with a guard at Buckingham Palace. London, England. 7. Go horseback riding in the mountains. Banff, Alberta, Canada. 8. Spend a day in the Grand Bazaar. Istanbul, Turkey. 9. Kiss the Blarney Stone. Cork, Ireland. 10. Tour vineyards on a bicycle. Bordeaux, France. 11. Sleep on a beach. Phuket, Thailand. 12. Take a picture of a Laundromat. Country: All. 13. Stare into Medusa’s eyes in the Basilica Cistern. Istanbul, Turkey. 14. Do NOT get eaten by a lion. The Serengeti, Tanzania. 15. Take a train through the Canadian Rockies. British Columbia, Canada. 16. Dress like a Bond Girl and play a round of poker at a casino. Montreal, Quebec, Canada. 17. Make a wish on a floating lantern. Thailand. 18. Cuddle a koala at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Queensland, Australia. 19. Float through the grottos. Capri, Italy. 20. Pose with a stranger in front of the Eiffel Tower. Paris, France. 21. Buy Alex a bracelet. Country: All. 22. Pick sprigs of lavender from a lavender field. Provence, France. 23. Have afternoon tea in the real Downton Abbey. Newberry, England. 24. Spend a day on a nude beach. Athens, Greece. 25. Go to the opera. Prague, Czech Republic. 26. Skinny dip in the Rhine River. Cologne, Germany. 27. Take a selfie with sheep. Cotswolds, England. 28. Take a selfie in the Bone Church. Sedlec, Czech Republic. 29. Have a pint of beer in Dublin’s oldest bar. Dublin, Ireland. 30. Take a picture from the tallest building. Country: All. 31. Climb Mount Fuji. Japan. 32. Listen to an Irish storyteller. Ireland. 33. Hike through the Bohemian Paradise. Czech Republic. 34. Take a selfie with the snow monkeys. Yamanouchi, Japan. 35. Find the penis. Pompeii, Italy. 36. Walk through the war tunnels. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. 37. Sail around Ha long Bay on a junk boat. Vietnam. 38. Stay overnight in a trulli. Alberobello, Italy. 39. Take a Tai Chi lesson at Hoan Kiem Lake. Hanoi, Vietnam. 40. Zip line over Eagle Canyon. Thunderbay, Ontario, Canada.

Global researcher and thought leader Marcus Buckingham said, “Childhood either enables you or stunts you; it doesn’t create you.”3 Your childhood may have given you a rocky start, but it doesn’t make or break you.

have to be as fast as I can and shoot something to take back before I freeze to death. I had hoped not to have to withstand another winter up here in the Wind River Mountains of the Rockies but circumstances had decreed otherwise. This year though I hope to get away to somewhere lower and hopefully warmer. I’ve been trapping up here now for too long although it’s been better since I met Chipeta. Before that it was lonely on my own but change will have to come once the warm weather returns and we can figure out what to do next.

This is the only place in the whole Rocky Mountain front where you can go from the Great Plains to the summit of the mountains without snaking your way up a mountain face or going through a tunnel. This one feature had more to do with the building of the West than any other factor. I don’t diminish the importance of the Oregon Trail, but here you had everything going for you. This point hasn’t been made before.

Jules popped up next to him to pour a cup of coffee and kiss him on the cheek. “The puppies are fine with Hugh. We trust him to babysit the kids. The health inspector might close the viner down, but the puppies will be okay.” “I thought you weren’t going to let me babysit the kids anymore after the cat incident,” Hugh said. “That’s Otto,” Jules corrected before rushing off to serve another table. “Hey,” Otto said mildly. “I didn’t find the cat. If I hadn’t gotten it down, Dee would’ve climbed up herself.” Theo shrugged slightly as he took a drink of his coffee. “She’s just kidding. You’re still our second pick after Grace.” “What about me?” Hugh complained. After giving Hugh a flat look, Theo turned back to Otto. “Like I said, you’re still our second pick.

Theo’s been teaching me to shoot.” Jules allowed her hoodie and coat to drop back into place, covering the gun. “He said I’m a natural.” “She’s a good shot,” Theo said without looking away from the display. He picked up several folding knives and handed them out. Even though Otto already had his, he accepted another. He had a feeling that it would be a good time to carry a spare. Unfolding her knife, Grace examined it before closing it again and slipping it into her pocket. “I’m not. I’m terrible. Hugh, tell Otto how terrible I am at shooting.” There was an underlying tension to her voice, to all their voices, that told Otto they were eaten up with worry for Sarah. Grace’s attempt at joking sounded forced, and he knew she was trying to distract them from the dangers they were all facing. “She’s bad,” Hugh agreed. “I’m not getting better, either,” Grace admitted. “Every time we go to the range, I get fewer and fewer holes in the target. It’s a little annoying, especially with Straight-Shooter McGee over there.” She jerked her thumb at Jules, who gave a tight smile.

She fished out a folding knife and flashlight before holding the pack out toward Grace, careful not to jostle the cat. “Can you take Bob down?” “Bob?” “Otto’s cat.” “Oh.” Grace gave a small choke of a laugh as she pulled off her crossbow before easing her arms through the straps. “I thought you’d named your favorite pack or something.

The crowd closed around Aaron. “Hurry!” Sarah said, bouncing in the seat with impatience as they headed back toward the action. “We’re missing it!” “Bloodthirsty,” Otto called back to her, but from the tiny bit of his profile that she could see, it was obvious that he was grinning.

Too excited to hold it in, Sarah blurted out, “We’re going to Vegas to get married!” “Congratulations!” Handing the carrier over to Hugh, Grace hurried up the steps and hugged Sarah. “When?” “Now.” “Now?” At the echo of their previous conversation, Sarah laughed. “Yes, now. The pass is open, so we’re leaving while Gordon is still willing to watch Bean and Hortense.” “That’s great.” Hugh shook Otto’s hand and gave Sarah a one-armed hug as the puppies yipped in their carrier. At four weeks old, the pups were getting big—and even more adorable. “We could go, too.” Hugh gave Grace a hungry look. “Have a double wedding.” She made a big show of pretending to consider it and then shook her head. “I’m having too much fun dating you.” “C’mon, then, girlfriend.” Hugh ushered Grace into the house. “Let’s leave the lovebirds alone.

When my dad died, I kind of felt the same way. We had a pretty rocky relationship, to be honest. And when he died, it was like I was grieving for the end of something that didn’t exist, or grieving for the end of the chance that it might exist at some point, rather than for a person. You know?

On our unnamed alien hero’s home world, Vonnadoria, mathematics has transformed his people, giving them the ability to create a utopian society where knowledge is limitless and immortality attainable. But when Cambridge professor Andrew Martin cracks the Riemann hypothesis, opening a door to the same technology that the alien’s planet possesses, the narrator is sent to Earth to erase all evidence of the solution and kill anyone who had seen the proof. He struggles to pass undetected long enough to gain access to Martin’s research. But as he takes up the role of Professor Martin in order to blend in with the humans, he begins to see a kind of hope and redemption in the humans’ imperfections, and he questions his marching orders. Mathematics or not, he becomes increasingly convinced that Martin’s family deserves to live, forcing him to confront the possibility of forgoing everything he has ever known and become a human. TOPICS AND QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. In the preface, our narrator explains his purpose and asks his people back home to set aside prejudice in the name of understanding. How is this plea to his fictional reader also directed at us, the actual readers? What prejudices must we set aside to understand our alien hero? 2. Our hero’s entrance into human life is . . . rocky, at best. How did his initial impressions of human life—noses, clothes, rain, and Cosmopolitan—shape the rest of his journey? Which of his first disconcerting realizations did you find the most surprising? 3. Starting with the possibility that the purpose of humanity is to “pursue the enlightenment of orgasm,” our hero is constantly seeking the solution to the meaning of human life. What does he

Yeah, Jules told me this is another ‘friend from school,’” Theo said. Hugh gave a bark of laughter. “She’s not even trying anymore.” “She doesn’t have to,” Theo admitted, and Otto could tell he was trying not to smile. “She knows that I know she’s never met this woman before in her life. Saying that this new…houseguest is an old friend is Jules’s way of asking me not to investigate her.” “I wouldn’t care, except that someone’s always trying to blow up these women,” Hugh said with a dramatic sigh.

Every time someone new shows up in town, you grill that person until she wants to run away and never come back.” Crossing her arms, she leaned against the counter. “It’s the worst welcome wagon I’ve ever seen, and you’re not doing that to Sarah.

Are they at it again?” Grace said as she walked in from the hallway. “Yes.” Ty, one of the twins, covered his eyes. “You guys shouldn’t do this in front of me and Tio. We’re still children.” “You two kiss so often, I’m surprised your lips haven’t permanently fused together,” Grace said as Hugh grabbed her hand, reeling her toward him and pulling her into his lap. “I’d like my lips to become permanently fused to yours.” Hugh teasingly nuzzled Grace’s neck, making her laugh.

Yeah?” Hugh sounded hopeful that Grace was going to spill some details, but Otto had a feeling he was about to be disappointed. “Yeah. Too bad you’re never going to meet her.” Hugh, who’d sat forward in anticipation, flopped against the back of his chair. “What? Why? Do I embarrass you? Are you embarrassed for me to meet your friends?” As she filled her glass from the tap, Grace gave a small shrug, shooting Hugh a sideways look. “Of course you do, and of course I am, but that’s not why you’re not meeting Sarah. You guys will pick on her.” “Will not.” “Will too.” “Will not.” Otto cleared his throat, knowing from experience that Hugh and Grace could go on like that for hours.

Otto stopped worrying about not saying something and started worrying that he would say something mortally embarrassing that would make her hate him forever. The seconds ticked by, the faint chatter coming from the kitchen and the low hum of the wind outside pressing against the house the only sounds. Neither looked away. “Wow. This is awkward,” Grace said. “Otto, when I said you weren’t allowed to interrogate her, I didn’t mean to ban all polite conversation. You can, you know, tell her it’s nice to meet her or make some comment about the weather.” She paused, and silence dropped over them again.

There will be no digging,” Jules stated as she pulled a chair from a nearby table and plopped down next to Theo. “Hey, sweetness. I’m on break so you can kiss me now.” Theo gave her a smile and obliged.

Otto likes Sarah.” Mouth open, Otto stared at Theo. He’d expected Hugh to spill the beans, but Theo? “What the hell?” Looking completely unrepentant, Theo laid an arm over the back of Jules’s chair and picked up his coffee mug with his free hand. “I would’ve just told her later.” “That’s true,” Jules said, leaning forward with the same gossip-loving expression as Hugh.

They stared at each other, frozen, until Hugh clearing his throat made both of them jump. “Any day, lovebirds,” he called. “Grace and a Tattered Hearts marathon are waiting for me at home. If I’m not back soon, I know she’s going to start without me. She’s rude like that.

This is my home.' Grace’s tone had softened a little, though. 'Jules, Sarah, and the kids were here. I needed to find out what was happening, to help if I could.

Curling her fingers around Theo’s wrists, Jules leaned in to kiss him lightly. “I love you.” “Okay, okay, okay.” Hugh broke into the tender moment. 'You both love each other and complete each other and would climb every mountain for each other. We get it. Enough with the kissy-kissy. Tell us what happened.

Otto closed the door behind them, and then turned back to see Theo eyeing him curiously. “Thanks. I have…well, a question.” “Okay. Ask.” Theo half sat on the table behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. Viggy lay down next to him, his head resting on his front paws. Theo’s smirk looked a little too Hugh-ish for Otto’s liking. There was a reason he’d gone to Theo with this and not Hugh. 'Well?

She’s staying at my place so that she’ll be safe from Jovanovic. What if she thinks…? How do I let her know that she doesn’t have to…?" He trailed off again with a grunt of frustration. “You don’t want her to think that she has to put out as payment for staying with you,” Theo said baldly, and Otto winced. It sounded as bad out loud as it had in his head. “Yes.” “Just tell her.” Otto shifted uncomfortably. “I tried. It doesn’t come out right.” “You don’t want me to—” “No!” Otto raised his hands in horror, cutting Theo off in mid-sentence. "No. I’ll do it. I’ll talk to her.

It was different from before, but she still shifted a little, unsure if she liked the attention or not. It was a lot to get used to. “I’ll make them for you,” he said. “You’ll like my pancakes.” “I’m sure I will.” The words were out, thick with innuendo, before she could think twice. Hugh was grinning ear to ear, and Grace tossed a balled-up napkin at him. “See? That’s how normal people flirt,” she said. “There’s no yelling involved.” Hugh caught the napkin. “If I were normal, you wouldn’t love me so much.” Eyeing him for a long moment, Grace finally shrugged. “Not a lie.

Giving the people around them a sweeping look, Grace obviously understood the situation. “I’m going to the bathroom.” She stood up. “Sarah? You coming?” Sarah popped out of her seat, falling in next to Grace, but Otto caught her hand, halting her. “You’ll have to go one at a time,” he told her. “There aren’t any stalls. It’s just a single bathroom.” Hugh started to laugh. “They’re not going to the bathroom to actually use it,” he said. His forehead furrowing in the way it did when he didn’t understand something, Otto looked at Hugh and then back at Sarah. “They’re going to the bathroom so they can have some privacy when they talk about us.” Glancing at Sarah, Hugh amended his words. “You, buddy. They’re going to the bathroom to talk about you.

Grace’s eyes got huge even as her voice lowered to a whisper. “Are you guys having sex?” “Not yet.” “Not yet?” Grace’s smile grew until it curved her mouth up wickedly. “So why are you blushing? Have you kissed?” “Yes.” Her face got even hotter, but she couldn’t stop grinning. “Is Otto a good kisser?” “Really, really good.” Her smile matched Grace’s. “Amazing. The best. I don’t think there are words good enough to explain just how incredible he is.” Grace gave a laughing squeal and caught Sarah in a hug. “Yay! Kisses! Good kisses!” Laughing, Sarah hugged her back. Having a friend felt almost as nice as Otto’s kisses. They turned in a circle, squeezing each other and laughing, until they finally quieted enough to talk again.

But if I’d left—” “You shouldn’t have to leave.” He cut her off. “We’ll deal with this, with these people. Together. All of us. You have backup here. If you were running from strange town to strange town, you’d be alone.” The thought of that terrified Sarah, but she didn’t want to be selfish. She didn’t have the right to bring harm and possible death to these good people.

He smiled his usual slow smile, although it had a wicked edge she’d never seen before. Sarah was pretty sure she loved it. “You’re blushing.” “Oh.” She smiled back, and his eyes blazed with hunger. “I was thinking naughty thoughts.” Her heels bumped the first step, and she turned around to climb up the stairs. Crowding close behind her, so close that it felt like he surrounded her, Otto asked, “You going to share them?

Grady had a habit of disappearing for an hour or so in the afternoons. Grace’s theory was that he was watching Tattered Hearts.

Although still quiet, Hugh sounded like he was making an effort to sound casual. “What about you? Did you run into any trouble?” “Yes. You took the shovel out of my squad car,” Otto grumbled, keeping his voice low. “What? The town is being invaded, and that’s what you’re worried about?” Hugh led the way to a tiny shack that looked like an old-school outhouse. It even had a crescent moon carved into the door. As Hugh held the door open, Otto gave him a sideways look. Hugh snickered. “Go on in. Trust me.” “Trust you like I trusted you to put the shovel back?” “Why are you still going on about the shovel?

Alice!

ready by eight

Before he could change his mind, Marsden texted his Alpha. He made it a point to never text Stark because he was an asshole on a good day, but this was important. Do you see ghosts? Send. Thirty seconds later and Stark responded. Oh yeah, I see my dad all the time. He lives in our woods. Can you bring us Rocky Road ice cream? Lyndi is having a craving and I just got home. What? Get your own mate her pregnancy cravings. Send. I’ll pay you in hugs. Never mind. Fuck off. Send. On second thought…Are we just going to gloss over the fact that you see your dead dad in the woods? Send. I’ll introduce you sometime. He’s pretty boring. Mostly he just chatters about how worthless I am. Did you know ghosts can chew tobacco? Also, he told me there’s no chicken nuggets in hell. Fuck that. I’m going to church on Sunday if you want to go with me. Marsden pinched the bridge of his nose and prayed for patience. This was his Alpha. This was who was leading their Pack.