by Lori Wick
to be argued with. Liberty obeyed automatically. "Stay
put!" was the next order before Slater started up the ladder.
Liberty stood in shock. It took her a moment to realize she
was not up there to take care of Griffin. Would Slater really
know what to do? All cowboys carried guns, and she had
originally found Slater with one, but did that mean he
knew how to use it? In the next moment more shouting
came to Liberty's ears, and without thought she climbed
the ladder. She had just reached the top when she heard
Griffin's voice.
"I've got him, Slater. Do you have the whip?"
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"Yes. How do we get him down that ladder?"
"We don't There's a stairway at the back here."
Liberty stepped across the roof then, and both men
spotted her.
"We've got him, Lib," was all Griffin had to say.
"Good."
Slater, on the other hand, was speechless. He could not
believe she'd come up that ladder. He opened his mouth to
say something but closed it again. Now was not the time.
They had a drunk to put in jail, but in his mind, the incident
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was not over.
'3' Sr
"I take it Leonard's moved into town, since he's still
here?" Liberty asked Griffin.
"Smiley tells me that he lives out a ways, but when he
gets lonely, he brings his whip to town for a drink."
"Smiley needs to get smart and have his bouncer take
the whip away from Leonard while he's still in his right
mind."
"I'll have to tell him," Griffin said. "In fact, I need to
head over there right now and confirm what happened.
Can you stay here for about 30 minutes?"
"Sure."
"All right. Thanks for your help, Slater. I'll be back long
enough to check on him and then I'll come home."
"All right."
Both Liberty and Slater watched Griffin leave. Liberty
walked to the cell and looked in to where Leonard was
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sleeping off his bottle before turning back to Slater. His
look gave her pause. Indeed, after seeing the intensity of
his gaze, she stopped a few paces short of the desk and
stood very still.
Slater wasn't still at all. With the reach of one long arm,
he hooked a finger in the bandana Liberty had knotted
around her neck and pulled her toward him.
$
earn
the bandana and his finger still holding Liberty captive,
Slater spoke when their faces were scant inches apart
"I thought I told you to stay put at the bottom of that
ladder."
Liberty looked hesitant before her chin rose just a little.
"Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you can handle
it"
Slater's eyes narrowed, his finger still in place.
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"All right," he began, his voice saying he would let it
go this time. "But just for the record, Liberty Drake, I can
handle a gun."
Liberty nodded, her eyes on the ones that watched her
so sternly. She stood still while he removed his finger and
even when he brushed that finger gently across her chin,
but her heart was trying to beat a hole in her rib cage.
"How long did Griffin say he would be?" Slater asked.
"Thirty minutes."
'Til stick around and walk you back.*
"All right. Slater?"
"Yeah?"
"How did you happen to be in the alley?"
Slater explained where he'd been, and Liberty worked
hard to quell an emotion she'd never before experienced:
jealousy. For a moment, all she could see was Betsy Caron's
face. Betsy was a good friend--a remarkably sweet
woman--but Liberty had a hard time seeing her with
Slater. Liberty almost shook her head. She had no right to
picture Slater with anyone. His life was not her business.
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"Did I hurt your neck just now?" Slater asked.
"No," Liberty said with some surprise. "Why did you
ask that?"
"You got so quiet all of a sudden."
"I'm not hurt. I was just thinking, and before I forget to
say it, thank you, Slater, for going up and helping Griff."
"You're welcome. I was glad to do it." I would do it all
the time if I could just figure out a way.
"Where'smywhip?" was suddenly slurred from the
cell, and both Liberty and Slater heard a thump. Investigating
the noise confirmed to them that Leonard had rolled
onto the floor. Liberty began to get the key, but Slater's
voice stopped her.
"I would leave him there. He'll be stiff in the morning,
but this way he won't fall off again and possibly hurt him-
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"All
right/' Liberty said, but she couldn't help but
notice the way he spoke. He was so confident, more so than
she would have thought he would be. Her mind recalled
the way he had climbed that ladder going to Griffin's
defense, seemingly without a qualm. Was there something
they were all missing?
"Okay, Libby/' Griffin called as he came back through
the door. "Oh, Slater, you're still here."
"I told Libby I would walk her home."
"Well, be my guest. I'm going to make sure Leonard is
settled and then head home myself."
"He fell off the bunk," Slater put in. "He's probably
safer there."
Liberty nodded. She knew that if Leonard woke and
caused a fuss, someone would just head to Griffin's house
and shout him out of bed.
"Thanks again, Slater," Griffin said.
"You're welcome."
Slater and Liberty headed out the door then, both a
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little quiet. Slater was still thinking about the way Liberty
seemed to withdraw from him just before Griffin returned,
Every, Little Thing About You 95
and Liberty was still speculating on the way Slater handled
himself. Griffin, staying back at the jail for a few minutes
longer, reminded himself not to start matchmaking when
clearly he was no expert.
Slater woke early. It was still dark out, but his body told
him he was done sleeping. Thankful for an untroubled
night, he rolled to his side, lit the lantern, and reached for
his Bible. He was still studying Nehemiah's life, wanting to
keep up with Pastor Caron, but he was also spending time
in 1 Corinthians. The early church was teaching him a great
deal. Slater was now in the seventh chapter and began to
read there. Reading verse one, he was ready to move on but
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got no further. Slater read it a second time.
Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is
good for a man not to touch a woman.
Slater felt his breath leave him in a rush. The verses
right before this had spoken of the sacredness of the body.
Because a believer was bought with a great price--God's
blood--his body was God's temple.<
br />
So what were you thinking in the alley last night, Rawlings?
You knew immediately that it wasn't a man, and as soon as you
figured out it was Liberty, you hugged her and held her as if you
had the right. Slater rolled to his back and looked at the
ceiling.
She was so soft and smelled so good, but she's not mine, Lord.
I've got to apologize to her. I've got to put things right. I can't
have intimate thoughts about her. It's wrong. You have better for
me. As You do Liberty. She was so quiet as I walked her home. I
can only imagine how offended she must have been.
Slater was sincere in his confession and planned to
make amends, but his heart was still heavy. He had a
feeling that it would be until he could go next door and ask
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to speak to the woman who occupied his thoughts so much
of the time.
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B-
"Here, let me try," Liberty said, as she worked on the
button on Zach's pants. He had to leave for school soon.
"The problem is, Zach," she continued, panting a little, "if
it's this hard for me, how will you ever get them off to use
the privy at school?"
"I don't know/' the little boy worried. "Should I
change? Do I have time?"
"Let me work the hole for a few more seconds," Liberty
suggested. "Maybe that will loosen it"
"I even soaked those/' Kate said as she put a platter of
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eggs and toasted bread on the table. "New denim pants
should be outlawed."
"Now you try," Liberty encouraged Zach.
She was still watching him as he tried to unbutton and
button his pants when his mother said he had to eat. Zach
had just taken his place at the table when Liberty heard a
knock at the door. Laura, fork in hand, began to rise.
"I'll get it," her older sister said. Liberty went through
the house, opened the front door, and found Slater on the
porch.
"May I see you a moment, Libby?" Slater said as soon
as he saw her, relieved that she had answered the door.
"Certainly. Come in."
Slater cleared his throat. "I think out here might be
better."
At a complete loss as to what could be going on, Liberty
joined him on the porch and shut the door behind her.
She watched Slater turn his hat in his hands and waited.
"I acted inappropriately last night, Libby, and I want to
tell you I'm sorry."
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Liberty's mind raced but she came up blank
"I grabbed you in the alley and should have let go as
soon as I knew it was you. I didn't, and that was wrong of
me."
Every Little Thing About You 97
Liberty had forgotten all about it, but she was suddenly
standing in his arms again. He was taller than she was, and
his arms had been very gentle. The recollection was not
unpleasant.
"I hope you can forgive me."
"Of course, Slater. Don't give it another thought."
Slater studied her eyes to see if she truly was all right
and then nodded. It was so tempting to tell her how sweet
she was and how lovely she'd been to hold, but that would
have canceled everything he'd just said.
"I hope in the future you won't be afraid to be around
me or untrusting of me because of the way I acted."
Liberty's mouth nearly fell open, but she saw the pain
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in his eyes and knew she had to make him understand.
"You don't feel threatening to me, Slater, not in the
least. And as for the hug in the alley, I had forgotten about
it, but I can honestly tell you that I wasn't offended." Quite
the opposite were the words in her head, but she wisely held
them, along with Slater's eyes, as she looked up at him.
Slater thought he could get lost in her gaze. She was so
sweet, and unless he missed his guess, she had not objected
to the hug. Slater was on the verge of asking when the
verse came to mind. She was not his.
"I was reading in 1 Corinthians this morning about the
fact that a man shouldn't touch a woman, and I realized
what I'd done."
Liberty nodded. "I know the verses, the ones that go on
to say that each man should have his own wife and such."
Slater nodded but realized he hadn't kept reading; he
would have to do that.
"Thank you, Libby," Slater said.
"Thank you, Slater."
Slater put his hat on but still stood for a moment. He
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had to get to work--it wasn't wise to be late--but it was
certainly hard not to stay and talk with this woman.
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"Are you and Griffin still coming to dinner tonight?"
Liberty asked, working not to read anything into the look
he gave her.
"I wouldn't miss it," Slater told her before forcing his
eyes away and admitting that he had to get to work.
Take care," Liberty wished him and then watched as
he left the porch, hoping he would turn so she could wave.
He did that just before he disappeared around the corner.
Liberty went back inside, a smile on her face as she thought
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about the evening to come.
^--5*
"I have something I need to thank you for," Liberty told
Duffy over lunch that very day.
"What's that?"
"Do you remember when I told you I'd fallen into a
slump in my Bible study and prayer time?"
"Yes, I do remember."
"Well, you told me that I had lost my wonder over the
cross, and you know what? You were right."
Duffy smiled. They had been planning to go to lunch
all week and were now at the hotel, just the two of them at
a quiet corner table.
"So what did you do?"
"I began looking at those passages that cover Christ's
death, and I realized I wasn't thankful, not deeply
thankful, for the sacrifice God made on my behalf. I was
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saved when I was so young, Duffy, that ifs too easy to take
it for granted. I've been thankful and, I think, more obedient
lately because my focus has changed."
"That's great news. I've been reading in the book of
Revelation. There's so much to come, Lib, and we can't
waste a moment in sin; ifs just not worth it."
The waitress came with their lunch. They ate in silence
for several minutes, but Liberty had something more on
her mind and could wait no longer.
Every Little Thing About You 99
"Slater was over first thing this morning," Liberty told
him. "Right after you left."
"Oh?" Duffy's coffee cup went to his mouth. "Something
wrong?"
"He thought so," Liberty said, watching Duffy's brows
shoot upward.
"But you didn't?"
Liberty gave a quick rundown on what had happened
in the alley. She ended by saying, "I honestly didn't think
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<
br /> anything of it, Duff. I didn't even remember it until he
brought it up, but thaf s not my biggest problem."
Duffy waited, but she didn't tell him. Finally he asked.
"Whatis,Ubby?"
"I enjoyed it," she said so softly that he almost missed it
Duffy's eyes lit with tenderness. "I'm going to say
something that may surprise you, Libby girl. I'm glad."
"Why, Duffy?"
"Because it could have scared you, and I wouldn't want
you to have that kind of memory. I don't know who the
Lord has for you, and Slater was right, he had no business
hugging you, but your response was normal. If it causes
your thoughts to wander where they shouldn't, that will be
very hard for you. But God made us to enjoy one another.
I would not have chosen for it to happen, but now that it
has, it's good to know that you'll enjoy your husband's
embrace someday."
"I think about him a lot," Liberty admitted. "You're
right, we don't know who the Lord has, but Slater is the
first man I've even been able to imagine. Is that bad,
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Duffy?"
"Not if you handle it well. You can't be in a hurry, no
matter what your emotions or body says. If God has a plan
for the two of you, He will reveal it in His time. Neither you
nor Slater should rush or push the point"
Liberty smiled at her stepfather. He was a gift to all of them. The subject shifted soon afterward to various topics--dinner that night, the barn raising on Saturday,
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and eventually the baby and how Liberty could help Kate
take it easy from time to time. The tender light in Duffy's
eyes caused Liberty to pray and ask God to let this child be
healthy and live to fill their hearts for many years to come.
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L-S'"
%r
Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Slater knew there was much more to chapter 7 than the verse he'd
read that morning and the one now, but for the moment he
stopped.
It was late at night, and he had just gotten home from
next door and an evening full of good food, fellowship, and
fun. Liberty Drake was one of the most special women he'd
ever met She was bright and talented. Slater smiled when
he remembered her at the piano. She was compassionate
and caring--he smiled again over the way she helped
Duffy with the kids so Kate could put her feet up. And the
whole family had made him feel welcome, even when
Griffin had to leave right after dinner to go on duty.