How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Lavender's handsome in the NASCAR way, and if I was old enough I'd snatch him up and marry him before sundown. I've asked him plenty of times already, starting the day I turned six. (4.24)
Mo is totally head over heels in puppy love with Lavender, Dale's handsome nineteen-year-old brother. Instead of being speechless in front of him, though, Mo constantly asks him to marry her. What a plucky girl.
Quote #2
"I think I know what you mean about Miss Lana."
He looked up at me, his expression suddenly as fragile and vulnerable as a new fawn. "You do?"
"Yes, sir," I said. "I miss her too." (4.90-92)
The Colonel is a pretty closed-off guy when it comes to his emotions, but Mo knows that he's actually sensitive deep down inside. And just like her, he loves Miss Lana more than anything.
Quote #3
For the first time since Lavender walked through the door, Miss Rose actually looked at me. Her face softened, and she reached up to brush the hair from my eyes. "Sometimes I think you love Lavender near as much as I do," she said. (5.131)
Mo loves Dale's family (minus his mean dad) just as much as she loves her own. After all, if she's going to eventually marry Lavender as planned, she has to be a part of the family, right?
Quote #4
"Me too," I hesitated, staring toward my dark bedroom. "I can leave my door open tonight if you'd like. That way I can hear you, if you need me."
I caught the flicker of a smile in his dark eyes. "That might make me feel better," he said. "Perhaps I'll sleep on the sofa. That way it will be easier to find me if I call." (7.12-13)
The Colonel isn't sleeping on the sofa because he's scared for himself, he's sleeping there so that he can keep an eye on Mo. He may not shower her with verbal affection all the time, but he obviously loves her a lot.
Quote #5
She kissed my face. Her kisses are as soft as rose petals. "I missed you too, sugar," she said. "And for future reference, your summer curfew is eight p.m. Sharp. And the Colonel and I didn't have a fight, exactly." She sighed. "What is it with that man?" (8.19)
Love is complicated sometimes. Even though Miss Lana loves the Colonel wholeheartedly (and vice versa), they sometimes have a hard time understanding each other. But she knows that he'll always come back home to her when he's ready.
Quote #6
What happened next will live on as one of the great moments in history: Lavender smiled, bent down, and kissed my face.
My first kiss! And it was from Lavender! (18.38-39)
This is all Mo's ever wanted: Her prince charming is kissing her on the cheek, and even though it's totally platonic, Mo is beyond thrilled. A kiss on the cheek is a pretty big deal when you're eleven.
Quote #7
Miss Rose sailed across the kitchen, her green eyes worried. "Oh, Mo," she said. "I'm so sorry." Her arms closed around me, and my eyes filled with hot, frightened tears.
I sobbed like a first grader.
"We'll find Miss Lana," she said, smoothing my hair. "Don't worry. We'll find her." (18.82-84)
It's a good thing that Dale's family loves Mo like she's one of their own. When the Colonel and Miss Lana go missing, she's going to need a family of some sort to lean on while Detective Starr searches for her guardians.
Quote #8
"Why would anybody want to take Miss Lana? I mean, she's nice but she drives the Colonel so crazy he stays away half the time." He glanced up from the scrapbook. "I mean that in a good way," he said. "I love Miss Lana."
"I know. I love her too." (19.26-27)
Everyone in town is reeling from Miss Lana's kidnapping, not just Mo. After all, she runs the café that serves as the hub of their community, and they just want her to come home safe and sound.
Quote #9
I will always love your mother for letting you go, Soldier, and I will always love you for holding on. (20.50)
The Colonel isn't a terribly emotional man in person, but when he writes Mo a letter about how he found her, he gets a bit sappy. It's obvious that he loves her very much and is glad that she floated down the creek and into his arms.
Quote #10
"She's right here," Starr said, stepping aside.
Miss Lana ran toward me, her arms open.
"Thank God," the Colonel murmured as her arms wrapped around me. "Thank God." (27.92-94)
The relief that Mo and the Colonel both feel when they find Miss Lana alive and unharmed is palpable. She's the center of their universe, and they can't imagine a life without her. It's true love for sure.