by Lori Wick
"I think they should have been married," Laura stated,
and the occupants of the room stared at her.
"Who?" Griffin finally asked.
"Price and Miss Amy. He won't find a nice girl like her
in Austin."
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Zach looked at her as if she'd grown two heads, but the
adults in the room were all working not to laugh. Griffin
hugged her close so he could hide his face, and Slater
dropped his head down to check for stains on the front of
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his shirt. Liberty became very involved with her sewing.
"That's just dumb, Laura," Zach told her mildly. "Why
would Price want to get married?"
"Because it's fun/' Laura told him. "Mam and Papa
have fun, and when I marry Bobby Fossett, I'll have fun
too."
"Bobby Fossett is a whole year older than me," Zach
felt a need to remind her, his voice very logical.
"Well, Papa is older than Mam," Laura argued.
"I thought we decided that you weren't supposed to
talk," Duffy said as he came into the room and stood
looking down at his daughter.
"I had to set Zach straight."
Duffy looked at her sternly. "It's not your job to set
anyone straight, and you need to be quiet when your throat
is sore. Do you understand?"
Laura nodded, and Duffy turned away. Griffin was
behind him, but Slater and Liberty could not miss the way
his eyes lit with laughter and tenderness the moment Laura
could not see him.
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'we
"Do you have family, slater?" Duffy asked after he'd
taken a seat and they'd all talked a little more about the
day.
"I do. I'm the youngest of three boys."
"Are you from Texas?"
"Not originally, and in fact, my parents moved back to
St. Louis about five years ago. But my grandmother is still
in Texas, and so are both my brothers."
"What do they do?" Liberty asked.
"One is a Texas Ranger, and the other runs the family
ranch in Kinkade."
"So would you consider Kinkade home for you?"
"Yes. I was thinking about heading in that direction
when I found myself detained in Shotgun."
Liberty and Griffin both smiled at his dry tone.
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"Why have you stayed?" Duffy asked. This young man
seemed very straightforward, but he was living with Kate's
son, and it wasn't unusual to see his eyes stray in Liberty's
direction. Duffy wanted to take him at face value, but he
wasn't going to be heedless.
"Mostly the church. If I hadn't found work so easily, I
probably wouldn't have had much choice but to move on.
Griffin's hospitality was a draw too."
"Has he complained of your snoring yet, Griff?" Liberty
asked.
"If I could get up, you'd be in trouble," Griffin told her.
Laura had fallen asleep on him.
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"I can hear it," Slater admitted, "but it doesn't keep me
awake."
Liberty enjoyed sending a teasing look at her brother.
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"What did you enjoy about the church?" Duffy asked.
"The way your pastor preached from the Word, and the
way he didn't skip around the issues or make excuses. He's
obviously studied, and I learned quite a bit I've been
reading in Nehemiah all week, and I'm looking forward to
going back."
"There's a picnic," Zach told him, and Duffy looked
surprised.
"You were so quiet, Zach, that I forgot you were there.
I think you'd best head up to bed."
"All right. Are you coining?"
"Indeed, I am. Get changed and wash your face. I'll be
right along."
"Mam told me about the picnic," Griffin explained to
Duffy after Zach had kissed Liberty and Griffin and told
Slater goodnight. "Do you think she'll feel up to going?"
"I don't know," Duffy admitted. "She tells me she's
been tired lately. I think maybe she should stay home just
so she can rest."
"It's not the picnic itself, Duff," Liberty put in. "If s all
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the work beforehand. I can take care of it, but she can't
stand to lie around."
"I'll talk with her, Liberty," he said, sounding very
much like a doctor. "But it wouldn't hurt for either of you
to realize you don't need to bring enough food to feed the
entire congregation. Everyone brings food to pass, and we
always have an abundance."
Liberty nodded, knowing he was right. They always
brought food home. Liberty was still thinking about it,
even going so far as to figure out what she would make this
time--two or three dishes to share instead of the usual four
or five would be reasonable--when she realized she was
alone with Slater. Duffy had gone up to tuck Zach into bed,
Every little Thing About You 67
and Griffin had carried Laura to her room. Slater was
staring at her, his expression unreadable.
"That was rude of me," Liberty said. "I was thinking
and didn't realize we were alone."
"I don't need to be entertained," Slater said politely.
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The moment he said this, Liberty became thoughtful
again. She looked at Slater and made no pretense that she
was doing otherwise.
"If s terribly rude for a man to ask a lady what she's
thinking, but I must tell you I'm very tempted."
"I'll tell you," Liberty said. "I'm trying to figure out
which man is the real Slater Rawlings: the man who spent
48 hours in the jailhouse, or the man I see now."
Slater nodded, regret knifing through him once again.
"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for the way I handled
myself, Miss Drake. I was completely wrong. It's not
surprising that you don't know what to think of me."
Liberty was impressed with his humility and said, "I'm
glad you understand, but please don't think I'm looking
for something. I'm not watching to see you slip up or make
a wrong move, but it does take a little getting used to.
Everyone calls me Libby, by the way."
"I hope you'll call me Slater."
"That's an unusual name."
"A family name from my mother's side. My oldest
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brother is named after my father but goes by a nickname.
And my middle brother was named after the territory my
father always wanted to visit. My mother finally got her
way with me."
Liberty smiled at him and the story. Slater Rawlings
was so straightforward and courteous. People had come and gone over the years, and Liberty's family had helped out whenever they could. Some made more of an impression
than others. After she met Slater, he had glared at her;
just days later he teased her. For some reason the contrast
stayed in her mind. As Duffy and Griffin came back to the
room and suggested a board game, Liberty knew that even
68 lori wick
if this man left town the next day, she would never completely
forget him.
"It looks good, Hank," Griffin complimented the old
man, who grunted but still managed to look pleased. He
114
slapped the horse and set the wagon into motion.
Slater watched his boss for a moment, still amazed at
how few words the man said. Some days he worked them
both like there was no tomorrow, but not on Saturday. After
a few hours of work, Hank wanted to start the weekend
early. Griffin rode up just as they finished for the day.
"Don't tell me you'll actually be a man of leisure
today," Griffin teased Slater as he stacked some large
boards against the house, his final chore.
"Well, someone has to do it."
"What in the world?" Slater suddenly heard Griffin
exclaim. He looked to find the lawman watching a man
who was backing toward them. He had come around the
corner of the house, dearly watchful, and it took him some
moments to realize Griffin was approaching from the rear.
"What are you doing, Critter?"
"Nothing!" The younger man was instantly belligerent
"And you can stop tryin' ta pin things on me I didn't do.
Just leave me be. I won fair and square!"
Griffin's gaze narrowed as he watched him stalk away.
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He hadn't gone 15 steps before he was back to looking over
his shoulder and moving behind trees and houses.
"I think I'll check on Lib," Griffin said quietly.
"Mind if I come along?" Slater asked, his voice belying
the way his heart slammed in his chest upon the mention
of Griffin's sister.
"Not at all," was all Griffin said in return. A minute
later they both rode for downtown.
-fy
%r
Every tittle Thing About You 69
"Can you come?" old Davis Marks panted as he hobbled
into the jailhouse on Saturday afternoon. Liberty
immediately stood.
"What's up?"
"Guy with a whip. He says young Potter cheated in
cards, and he's mad. Potter made off, but this guy's still
cracking that thing and..."
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Liberty didn't wait to hear more. Checking her gun for
bullets, she jumped into Morton's saddle and rode for the
Crescent Moon Saloon at the far end of town. Slowing as
she neared and eventually dropping off Morton's back.
Liberty moved close to the window for a look. She was
glad to see he was at the rear wall. No one else was in sight,
but the man was talking wildly, which meant the others
were probably all against the walls, a wise place to be if the
whip was as long as it looked.
Seeming for all the world to be on an afternoon stroll.
Liberty walked down the boardwalk and through the
swinging doors of the saloon. She stopped inside, her eyes
scanning the room and summing up the situation. The
afternoon was growing long, and the saloon was already
getting crowded. A good 25 customers were backed away
from the angry man, who for a moment was in profile to
her.
"I want him found," he said, his voice low as he lashed
at a chair.
"Is he looking for Critter?" Liberty asked Smiley, who
117
tended the bar.
"Yeah, but Stumpy was at the table, and he said nobody
cheated."
The man turned suddenly, his eyes scanning the room.
"Don't nobody move until I find him."
"We'll find him for you, but you have to put the whip
down," Liberty told him, taking a few more steps inside.
The man seemed to notice her for the first time. He wasn't
a big man, but the bullwhip looked to be a dozen feet long,
and even with his staggering gait, he looked like he could
70 lori wick
use it. Crescent Moon's bouncer was against one wall, a red
slash on his face and one on his arm. The only disadvantage
to Shotgun's laws concerning firearms in the saloons
was the owner's inability to protect himself or his clientele.
"What did you say to me?"
"I said, put the whip down. No one wants to fight with
you. Just put it away." Liberty's voice held authority, but it
didn't carry like Griffin's. She wasn't sure she would get
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any response at all.
The whip suddenly cracked with terrific force, giving
Liberty her answer. Nevertheless, she held her ground.
"Do you know what I can do to you?" he started to say,
but Liberty drew and put a bullet past his ear.
"I want the whip put down," she said, her voice deadly
calm. She also heard riders but couldn't be certain that help
was on the way. She tried again. "Set it gently on the floor
and take a seat at the table there."
The man watched her suspiciously. He noticed that she
was holding a gun, but he still wasn't certain she had fired
the shot. He shook his head a little and went to sit down,
the whip still in his hand.
"What's his name?" Liberty asked of Smiley.
"I think Leonard something."
"Listen to me, Leonard," Liberty said as she
approached. "You need to drop the whip and kick it
toward me."
"You can't have my whip!" he stood with a roar as he
shouted, the whip going into action again. Liberty had
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stayed well back, and from the corner of her eye she caught
Griffin and Slater as they entered. Keeping her target in
view, she shot the hat from Leonard's head. That man
stopped in surprise, reeling a little in his boots. He turned
in a deliberate fashion when he heard the cock of a shotgun
from his other side.
"Put the whip down, or I'll take your arm off," Griffin
said, his tone telling everyone in the room that he meant it.
Slater had moved around and was coming at him from
Every Littte Thing About You 71
behind. When he drew close enough, he stepped on the
whip and waited. He certainly hoped the man would do as
he was told. It wasn't fun to shoot any man. It was
extremely hard to shoot a drunk, when your heart told you
he would act differently when sober.
"I want my whip," the man said pathetically, and Slater
was close enough to see it go loose in his grasp. He
removed the whip gently, the man having never seen him,
and stepped back against the wall, where he began to wind
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it into a circle. Griffin moved toward him, and Liberty
repositioned herself in case Leonard had more tricks up his
sleeve. Griffin was cuffing him when Slater reached her
side.
"Are you all right?" He dropped his head slightly to see
her face beneath the brim of her hat.
Liberty blinked in surprise. "I'm fine."
Slater nodded, but his heart smarted a little in his chest.
Did no one ever check with her? Was she ever frightened
or rattled? He had all he could do not to shake his head. He
would be treating this woman like a precious flower, not
like a gunman. He stopped the judgment going on in his
mind. It wasn't his place. He didn't have all the facts. He
away. After taking the whip from his hand and thanking
him, Liberty followed in her brother's wake.
$-
-
"And
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I hope yall can join us at the picnic," Pastor
Caron said after the closing prayer. "If you've never joined
us at one of our fellowships, just ask and someone will give
you directions to the Millers'. We picnic on the creek at the
back of their place. We'll gather for a blessing under the big
oak tree in about 30 minutes. I hope you can all come."
Slater stood, his Bible going under his arm and his hat
in his hand. He smiled at the two young ladies who kept
looking back at him and then moved out the door, wishing
72 lori wick
Every Little Thing About You 73
Griffin could have been there. Griffin said his mother usually
made plenty, but not expecting to be on his own, Slater
felt very awkward in just assuming he was welcome to
their food.
"Slater," Zach piped up, suddenly speaking from his
side.
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"Hi, Zach."
"Papa asked me to tell you that you can come with us."
"Oh, thank you, Zach. I'll do that."
The little boy smiled up at him, and Slater saw Griffin's
dark eyes.
"You can come with me, and I'll show you the wagon."
"All right."
Slater passed a group of young ladies--others had
joined the two who had smiled at him after the service-- and he would have been blind not to see their interest. Even if he had been blind, he would have still heard
someone say his name as he walked away. They all looked
sweet--nice girls--but his mind was elsewhere at the
moment.
"Thank you, Zach," Duffy said as soon as he and Slater
neared. "We weren't sure if you knew the way."
"Thank you, sir. I was hoping Griffin would get here,
but I don't see him."
"Maybe he'll join us later."
"We need to go by the house, Duff/' Liberty reminded
him.
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"All right. Laura, are you sitting down?"
The little girl's seat landed fast "Yes."
"Is your mother still not well, Libby?" Slater asked
from the seat beside her. The wagon had one wide seat. The
younger two children were in the back.
"She is feeling better but still tired. She was ready to
come, but Duffy put his foot down."
"You make me sound like an ogre," Duffy said, his
hands controlling the reins.
"I think the word Mam used was beast, Duffy; never
think of yourself as an ogre."