“She’s my wife. Back off, jarhead,” he tossed back over his shoulder. Jared laughed, and it wasn’t a mean laugh. Cassie bit back a grin as he stepped back, giving Mitch room to turn around before stepping right back into his personal space. His smile was knowing and totally awesome. “Actually, she’s Cassie. She’s nobody’s wife, because the loser she was married to wasn’t smart enough to know just how awesome his wife was when he had her. So if that’s you, I’m sorry, bud. And I’m guessing it is, because only a moron who’s never served in uniform would call someone a jarhead. You gotta be a Marine to use that term, and only to another Marine. You fail on both points, but try harder next time.”
―
Cora Seton,
SEALs of Winter
“Heroes aren’t people who are somehow unafraid in a crisis—heroes are the people who feel afraid and still do what needs to be done.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Rescues a Bride
“The only thing I can’t figure out is why you still eat the food your captors fed you. Why don’t you hate it as much as you hate them?” Fila glanced down at her plate. It contained a strange mixture of Afghan and Mexican dishes. She held up a flatbread. “This isn’t Taliban food—it’s Afghan food. It’s my mother’s food. I grew up eating it before I was ever captured. To me it means love and tenderness, not hate and violence.” “Taliban, Afghan—it’s all the same.” She waved the bread. “No, it’s not. Not one bit. Afghan culture is over two thousand years old. And it’s a conservative culture—it’s had to be—but it’s not a culture of monsters. Afghans are people like you, Holt. They’re born, they grow up, they live and love and they die just like we do. I didn’t study much history before I was taken, but I know this much. America’s story is that of the frontier—of always having room to grow. Afghanistan’s story is that of occupation. By the Russians, the British, the Mongols—even the ancient Greeks. On and on for century after century. Imagine all those wars being fought in Montana. Foreign armies living among us, taking over your ranch, stealing everything you own, killing your wife and children, over and over and over again.” She paused to catch her breath. “Death is right around the corner for them—all the time. Is it any wonder that a movement that turns men into warriors and codes everything else into rigid rules might seem like the answer?” She still wasn’t sure if Holt was following her. What analogy would make sense to him? She wracked her brain. “If a bunch of Californians overran Chance Creek and forced everyone to eat tofu, would you refuse to ever eat steak again?” He made a face. “Of course not!” “Then imagine the Taliban are the Californians, forcing everyone to eat tofu. And everyone does it because they don’t know what else to do. They still love steak, but they will be severely punished if they eat it—so will their families. That’s what it’s like for many Afghans living under Taliban control. It’s not their choice. They still love their country. They still love their heritage. That doesn’t mean they love the group of extremists who have taken over.” “Even if those Taliban people went away, they still wouldn’t be anything like you and me.” Holt crossed his arms. Fila suppressed a smile at his inclusion of her. That was a step in the right direction even if the greater message was lost on him. “They’re more like you than you think. Defensive. Angry. Always on the lookout for trouble.” Holt straightened. “I have four sons. Of course I’m on the lookout for trouble.” “They have sons, too.” She waited to see if he understood. Holt shook his head. “We’re going to see different on this one. But I understand about the food. Everyone likes their mother’s cooking best.” He surveyed her plate. “You got any more of that bread?” She’d take that as a victory.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Rescues a Bride
“Brian watched them bicker. This was too much fun. It was like launching a hand grenade into a wasps’ nest. “You’re” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“But women were trickier than terrorists, he reflected. At least to him.” ― Cora Seton, The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride
“wasn’t the case; they still wanted control of the ranch. Cass is a loving soul with a heart as big as Montana, but she’s cautious, too. I’ll wager she’s beginning to think there isn’t a man” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“years ago, much to everyone’s relief. His daughters had liked those about as little as they liked the overseers. He’d hoped when he dispensed of the guardians, the girls would feel they had enough independence, but that wasn’t the case; they still wanted” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“Why did she figure so little in everyone else’s thoughts?” ― Cora Seton, A SEAL's Oath
“ways. Instead, they’d fallen head over heels in love, and rumor had it Autumn was pregnant with Ethan’s baby. Talk about taking chances. Jamie liked Autumn,” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Wins a Bride
“Find a good woman. Make her your everything—your life. Then you will know peace no matter” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Airman
“she’d posed for her wedding photo. The only thing missing was her father. She still remembered how gently Brian had told her he wouldn’t be coming. How he’d held her while she cried. She remembered how he’d whispered over and over that he’d never leave. The way that Brian cherished her was already changing the way she felt about the world. Her father might not be here today, nor her mother, but she was still surrounded by family. Friends. A community she was proud to be a part of. Cass swallowed hard. She was happy. So happy. The music swelled. Wye and her sisters straightened and got in line. “Ready?” Jo asked. Cass’s phone erupted from the side table in a burst of tinny music, and she wondered who on earth could be calling now. Everyone she knew in the world was sitting outside waiting for her. “Ignore it,” Lena urged her. “We have to go.” Something made Cass reach for it, though, and when she saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat. “It’s the General.” Her sisters stared back at her. “Answer it,” Wye said. She grabbed it from Cass’s hand, swiped to accept the call and held it to Cass’s ear.” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“Home,” Mason confirmed. “I got a letter from Great Aunt Heloise. Uncle Zeke passed away over the weekend without designating an heir. That means the ranch reverts back to her. She thinks we’ll do a better job running it than Darren will.” Darren, their first cousin, wasn’t known for his responsible behavior and he hated ranching. Mason, on the other hand, loved it. He had missed the ranch, the cattle, the Montana sky and his family’s home ever since they’d left it twelve years ago.” ― Cora Seton, The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride
“The one time he’d balked at Claire’s plans, she’d nearly decked him, and for the first time Jamie realized he was a little afraid of the woman he wanted to marry. He” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Wins a Bride
“It suddenly occurred to Bella that she was fighting all the time. Fighting her memories. Fighting her feelings of inadequacy. Fighting the thought that she could never atone for her past failures.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“Turn the weapons of your enemies so they point at their own hearts.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“Damn it, couldn’t a man get a moment to think things through before people” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy's E-Mail Order Bride
“It was past seven o’clock in the evening and she’d already done a full day of appointments and surgeries.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“If you want to catch a rabbit, don’t bait your trap with a bear.” “I’ve” ― Cora Seton, Cowboys of Chance Creek Vol 0-2
“You’ll find a way to turn things around, and even if you don’t, you’ll be all right, because in the end it’s the people in our lives, not the things we own, that make life worth living.” ― Cora Seton, Cowboys of Chance Creek Vol 0-2
“Heroes aren’t people who are somehow unafraid in a crisis—heroes are the people who feel afraid and still do what needs to be done.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Rescues a Bride
“The only thing I can’t figure out is why you still eat the food your captors fed you. Why don’t you hate it as much as you hate them?” Fila glanced down at her plate. It contained a strange mixture of Afghan and Mexican dishes. She held up a flatbread. “This isn’t Taliban food—it’s Afghan food. It’s my mother’s food. I grew up eating it before I was ever captured. To me it means love and tenderness, not hate and violence.” “Taliban, Afghan—it’s all the same.” She waved the bread. “No, it’s not. Not one bit. Afghan culture is over two thousand years old. And it’s a conservative culture—it’s had to be—but it’s not a culture of monsters. Afghans are people like you, Holt. They’re born, they grow up, they live and love and they die just like we do. I didn’t study much history before I was taken, but I know this much. America’s story is that of the frontier—of always having room to grow. Afghanistan’s story is that of occupation. By the Russians, the British, the Mongols—even the ancient Greeks. On and on for century after century. Imagine all those wars being fought in Montana. Foreign armies living among us, taking over your ranch, stealing everything you own, killing your wife and children, over and over and over again.” She paused to catch her breath. “Death is right around the corner for them—all the time. Is it any wonder that a movement that turns men into warriors and codes everything else into rigid rules might seem like the answer?” She still wasn’t sure if Holt was following her. What analogy would make sense to him? She wracked her brain. “If a bunch of Californians overran Chance Creek and forced everyone to eat tofu, would you refuse to ever eat steak again?” He made a face. “Of course not!” “Then imagine the Taliban are the Californians, forcing everyone to eat tofu. And everyone does it because they don’t know what else to do. They still love steak, but they will be severely punished if they eat it—so will their families. That’s what it’s like for many Afghans living under Taliban control. It’s not their choice. They still love their country. They still love their heritage. That doesn’t mean they love the group of extremists who have taken over.” “Even if those Taliban people went away, they still wouldn’t be anything like you and me.” Holt crossed his arms. Fila suppressed a smile at his inclusion of her. That was a step in the right direction even if the greater message was lost on him. “They’re more like you than you think. Defensive. Angry. Always on the lookout for trouble.” Holt straightened. “I have four sons. Of course I’m on the lookout for trouble.” “They have sons, too.” She waited to see if he understood. Holt shook his head. “We’re going to see different on this one. But I understand about the food. Everyone likes their mother’s cooking best.” He surveyed her plate. “You got any more of that bread?” She’d take that as a victory.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Rescues a Bride
“Brian watched them bicker. This was too much fun. It was like launching a hand grenade into a wasps’ nest. “You’re” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“But women were trickier than terrorists, he reflected. At least to him.” ― Cora Seton, The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride
“wasn’t the case; they still wanted control of the ranch. Cass is a loving soul with a heart as big as Montana, but she’s cautious, too. I’ll wager she’s beginning to think there isn’t a man” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“years ago, much to everyone’s relief. His daughters had liked those about as little as they liked the overseers. He’d hoped when he dispensed of the guardians, the girls would feel they had enough independence, but that wasn’t the case; they still wanted” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“Why did she figure so little in everyone else’s thoughts?” ― Cora Seton, A SEAL's Oath
“ways. Instead, they’d fallen head over heels in love, and rumor had it Autumn was pregnant with Ethan’s baby. Talk about taking chances. Jamie liked Autumn,” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Wins a Bride
“Find a good woman. Make her your everything—your life. Then you will know peace no matter” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Airman
“she’d posed for her wedding photo. The only thing missing was her father. She still remembered how gently Brian had told her he wouldn’t be coming. How he’d held her while she cried. She remembered how he’d whispered over and over that he’d never leave. The way that Brian cherished her was already changing the way she felt about the world. Her father might not be here today, nor her mother, but she was still surrounded by family. Friends. A community she was proud to be a part of. Cass swallowed hard. She was happy. So happy. The music swelled. Wye and her sisters straightened and got in line. “Ready?” Jo asked. Cass’s phone erupted from the side table in a burst of tinny music, and she wondered who on earth could be calling now. Everyone she knew in the world was sitting outside waiting for her. “Ignore it,” Lena urged her. “We have to go.” Something made Cass reach for it, though, and when she saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat. “It’s the General.” Her sisters stared back at her. “Answer it,” Wye said. She grabbed it from Cass’s hand, swiped to accept the call and held it to Cass’s ear.” ― Cora Seton, Issued to the Bride: One Navy SEAL
“Home,” Mason confirmed. “I got a letter from Great Aunt Heloise. Uncle Zeke passed away over the weekend without designating an heir. That means the ranch reverts back to her. She thinks we’ll do a better job running it than Darren will.” Darren, their first cousin, wasn’t known for his responsible behavior and he hated ranching. Mason, on the other hand, loved it. He had missed the ranch, the cattle, the Montana sky and his family’s home ever since they’d left it twelve years ago.” ― Cora Seton, The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride
“The one time he’d balked at Claire’s plans, she’d nearly decked him, and for the first time Jamie realized he was a little afraid of the woman he wanted to marry. He” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy Wins a Bride
“It suddenly occurred to Bella that she was fighting all the time. Fighting her memories. Fighting her feelings of inadequacy. Fighting the thought that she could never atone for her past failures.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“Turn the weapons of your enemies so they point at their own hearts.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“Damn it, couldn’t a man get a moment to think things through before people” ― Cora Seton, The Cowboy's E-Mail Order Bride
“It was past seven o’clock in the evening and she’d already done a full day of appointments and surgeries.” ― Cora Seton, The Cowgirl Ropes a Billionaire
“If you want to catch a rabbit, don’t bait your trap with a bear.” “I’ve” ― Cora Seton, Cowboys of Chance Creek Vol 0-2
“You’ll find a way to turn things around, and even if you don’t, you’ll be all right, because in the end it’s the people in our lives, not the things we own, that make life worth living.” ― Cora Seton, Cowboys of Chance Creek Vol 0-2
