Every Little Thing About You Page 3
Slater thought fast; two nights on that bunk was having
an effect. Nevertheless, he still said, "I'm not very fresh for
church."
"I'll get some extra water to you.*
"I'd need my saddlebags."
"I can get out what you need."
39
Slater saw it for the olive branch it was. There was no
denying that this man had been more than fair. Slater knew
he was being stubborn about paying.
"I'd appreciate that" was all Slater said before turning
to the bunk to eat the food and drink the coffee that arrived
on the tray.
"I'll be back in about an hour," Griffin said as he went
out the door. Not anticipating trouble, he certainly hoped
to learn a little more about the man who at present was
quite the mystery. Griffin guessed Slater to be in his
midtwenties, but there was a worldliness about him that
made the sheriff think he knew his way around. That
wasn't all. From time to time Griffin also saw regret in
Slater's light blue eyes and wondered what plagued him.
He hadn't honestly thought Slater would accept the offer
to attend church--not many did when they learned they
had to be cuffed--but Griffin was pleased nonetheless.
Riding home, Griffin let himself in the back door of his
own house and began to ready himself for the day. He
never relished wearing his guns with a suit, so he opted for
40
dean denim pants, a nice shirt, and a narrow tie. He shaved
carefully, looking forward to the service but also to possibly
catching sight of Tess. He was sorry he'd missed her
Every Little Thing About You 27
the day before. He didn't know if going to her house for
dinner was wise, but saying no to the invitation would
have been easier if he could have spent a few minutes with
her. Now he found himself wanting to accept the invitation
just to see her.
His heart sighed with the quandary of it all even as he
moved through the house to leave. Having someone love
him had never been part of his plan; loving her back was
even less so. With a prayer for continued wisdom and
kindness, he mounted his horse, Tess on his mind until he
arrived back at the jailhouse to help Slater with his saddlebags.
%s
41
Griffin watched Slater take his Bible in cuffed hands.
The sheriff nearly shook his head in wonder as he directed
Slater out the jailhouse door. A little more of the mystery
was solved. Whether or not this man had accepted the
words of Scripture and claimed them for his own, he was clearly under some type of conviction. No wonder he zoos so angry, Griffin thought as he waited until the service started
and then escorted his prisoner to the corner of a rear pew.
The congregation was on their feet joined in prayer, which
allowed Griffin to bring Slater in unobtrusively.
The men sat down with the rest of the worshipers when
the pastor closed the prayer, and Griffin saw Liberty rise
from the other side of the church to head to the piano. He
glanced at the man beside him and saw that he'd noticed
as well. A mischievous thought passed through Griffin's
mind, a hunch he had to try out. He spoke when Slater
glanced at him.
"She looks different in a dress, doesn't she?"
For several heartbeats Slater frowned at the sheriff in
confusion before his eyes flew back to the woman at the
piano. He stared in disbelief. Could that actually be the
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deputy? Slater had all he could do to keep his mouth dosed.
t-
m--
^J^V
w-**
28 lori wick
Looking utterly feminine in a bright yellow dress, Liberty
readied herself at the keys, completely unaware of
Slater's scrutiny That man took in the way she'd swept her
hair off her neck, thinking he'd never seen her without a
hat. The dress had long, fitted sleeves, and Slater was surprised
by how small her arms and shoulders were; there
was never a hint of form in the baggy clothes she wore. The
neckline of the dress was rounded with white lace, and it
looked as though she had a locket at her throat. Slater had
to tear his eyes away when Griffin handed him the hymnal.
He didn't know the song at all but did his best. Anything
to keep his mind on why he was there.
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Slater suddenly gave up and began to pray the way he
should have prayed two days before. He stopped trying to
sing and poured his heart out to God, confessing his pride
and anger. He knew when the song ended but was not
quite ready to open his eyes. Not until Griffin leaned over
and asked if he was all right did he open his eyes, his heart
feeling pounds lighter with the load lifted.
Why do I fight everything You want me to do? Slater asked
the Lord when three other people stood and moved to the
front, not toward the piano, but toward the pastor. Slater
thought they were going to sing until he saw that Liberty
had left the piano bench.
"We have a little skit for you this morning/' Pastor Ross
Caron told the congregation as his wife, Felicia, their
daughter, Mayanri, and their son, Tanner, came forward.
Pastor Caron had a way with drama, and his parishioners
were accustomed to his putting a Bible passage or an illustration
into skit form.
Tanner and Mayann went off to the right side of the
church, but Felicia stood right in front of the pulpit, a
44
mixing bowl and spoon in her hands. Ross came onto the
scene from the side.
"Felicia, have you seen Mayann? I asked her to bring
me those notes I have upstairs. She's been gone for 20 minutes."
Every Little Thing About You 29
Felicia shook her head, her arm cradling the bowl as
she stirred. "I asked her to bring the clothes in off the line,
but when I looked out a minute ago, nothing had been
done."
Ross walked away shaking his head. Felicia kept up her
stirring for a moment and then set the bowl aside. "I guess
I'll have to do it myself," she said as she walked to the side
of the room.
Ross came back to the center now, and on his way, he
stumbled and righted himself.
"What in the world? Mayann, where are you? I just
tripped over your skates. You left them right in the hall.
Mayann!" he tried again, but when he received no answer,
he shook his head and went back the other way.
45
As soon as he was gone, Mayann and Tanner walked
slowly across the front.
"You mean it?" Mayann asked. "You want me to be in
charge of the money?"
"Yes," Tanner told her. "You're good with numbers,
and we want to be sure that all the proceeds go to the new
hymnals."
"I'd love to do it. I can't wait to tell my folks."
Ross and Felicia came back to the middle then, and
Mayann wasn't long in joining them.
"You'll never believe what happened!
" Mayann nearly
shouted. "I've been asked to be in charge of the hymnal
money. Isn't that great?"
"The hymnal money?" Ross said with surprise. "That fund is growing fast, Mayann. That's a large responsibility. I'm not sure you can do it."
"Yes, I can," she told her parents. "I've always been
good with numbers."
"But there's more to it than that, Mayann," her mother
put in. "You've got to be responsible with the account book
and all the receipts."
46
"I will be," the girl assured her parents, who looked at
her for a moment.
30 lori wick
"Where are the sermon notes I asked you to get me?"
Ross finally questioned her.
Mayann's hand came to her mouth.
"Did you fold the laundry when you got it off the line,
Mayann, or just throw it in the basket?"
"Oh, no!" she said. "I forgot all about that."
"You also forgot where your skates belong. I tripped on
them."
Mayann hung her head. Ross ended the skit by saying,
"We've got some work to do."
Slater took in the words of each actor, impressed with
the idea and point that was made. He was staring straight
at the pastor when that man stepped behind the pulpit and
asked, "How good is your reputation? Mayann's wasn't
very good with her parents, was it? That wasn't a complicated
skit Anyone could figure it out. But the message
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needs to hold a lot of weight with all of us. How good is
your reputation? How good is my reputation? Can the
people of this congregation come to me if they feel I'm
wrong, or do they fear I'll be angry and send them away?
Can I come to you and know that you'll listen to me? Is
your reputation that good?
"As we look again in our Bibles at the life of Nehemiah,
we see that his reputation was excellent. Let me give you
just a few examples. Nehemiah is saddened by sin as we
see in chapter 1, verse 4, and his first response is to pray
and recognize God's greatness, verse 5. He's humble, verse
6; repentant, verse 7; and he claims God's redemption,
verse 10. Go to chapter 2 and see that he's bold, a trusted
worker, organized, discreet, tactful, and gives credit where
credit is due."
Pastor Caron looked up from his Bible and notes. "I
don't know about you, but I can learn from this man."
So can I, Slater thought. He realized he'd never even
read the book of Nehemiah. The Texas Ranger who had led
him to the Lord had urged him to study in the New Testament.
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Beyond that, Slater had spent so little time in church
Every Little Thing About You 31
that his training had been very limited. Trus was one of the
reasons he'd walked away from his job.
Slater had let his mind wander further than he
intended. Surprised when everyone stood for the closing
prayer, he didn't have a chance to bow his head. Since the
sheriff was already leading him outside, he had all he could
do not to drop his Bible with cuffed hands. He looked forward
to getting back to the jail and paying his way out He
was surprised again when Sheriff Drake did not return him
to the jail.
"Then what did you do?" Liberty asked Laura, their
faces dose as the little girl sat in her sister's lap.
"I just looked away," Laura told her, working not to let
her voice quiver.
49
"You did well," Kate inserted from her seat nearby.
"I'm glad you didn't pinch back."
Laura nodded and looked down at the dark bruise on
her arm. One of the other children at church had pinched
her.
"I didn't cry," Laura told them, "but I think Zach
wanted to."
"Zach loves you," Liberty put in. "He hurts when you
hurt."
"I love Zach too."
Liberty kissed her sister's soft temple and hugged her
dose. Laura had always treated Liberty like another
mother--both children did--and their mother had never
done anything to alter that
"All right, Laura," Kate instructed after she kissed her
youngest daughter too. "Will you please help me get things
ready for dinner?"
Laura nodded.
"Please take your dolls off that chair. Your brother
brought a guest today."
50
* i*
32 lori wick
"Who is it?"
"You'll meet him when he gets here. Where is Zach?"
"I think he's outside."
"Please go tell him we're almost ready to eat."
Griffin and Slater, both sitting in the parlor, listened to
this last sentence in silence. Slater had not uttered a word
since Griffin had led him from the church, and Griffin had
done little more than lead him up the street, into the front
door of a two-story home, and to a satin-covered chair in a
very comfortable room, where he now sat.
Not thinking that the sheriff was inclined to visit, Slater
let his eyes roam the walls. Clearly a woman lived here.
Family pictures were displayed on tables and walls; lace
curtains graced windows and doilies sat on the arms of
upholstered furniture. And everything was freshly dusted.
51
"We're ready," a female voice called from the other
room.
Griffin stood and approached Slater. "This is my
family," he told the prisoner. "I think you'd be more comfortable
without the cuffs, and I think I can trust you, but if
I'm wrong, I won't hesitate to take you out."
Slater nodded, knowing the man had no choice. Slater
only wished he had his wallet so he could lose the cuffs for
good. It was a relief to rub his wrists once they were gone,
and his enjoyment of that caused him to forget that he
might see the sheriff's sister. When he walked into the
dining room and saw her, he had all he could do not to
gawk. If he'd thought her lovely across the church, he
didn't know what to think now. Why hadn't he noticed
before the deep hazel of her eyes or the red highlights in
her hair?
"Duffy--" Griffin's voice brought Slater back. '"Ms is
Slater Rawlings. He's a guest of the jailhouse right now."
"Hello, Slater." Duffy shook his hand and took over.
"This is my wife, Kate, my daughter Liberty, my son Zach,
52
and my younger daughter, Laura."
Every Little Thing About You 33
"Thank you for letting me join you," Slater said quietly,
taking the chair Griffin indicated. Heads bowed and Duffy
prayed. Slater looked up after the close, an ache in his
throat for his own family. He was glad that the bowls of
food were immediately passed.
"Will she go to hell?" Laura suddenly asked.
"What?" Her father turned to her, a spoonful of
mashed potatoes frozen in his hand as he looked at her in
astonishment.
"We didn't explain to you, Duffy," Kate put in, not
looking at Liberty, who had her hand over her mouth, her
eyes brimming with merri
ment. "Someone pinched Laura
at church."
"I see," Duffy said quietly, now in the same state as his
stepdaughter. He made himself finish with the potatoes
and pass them on, then turned to Laura, all the while
working to keep a straight face.
53
"Did you say it was another girl?" Duffy clarified.
Laura nodded. "I can't tell names unless you tell me to,
or if s gossip."
"All right," Duffy nodded over being reminded of his
own rule. "This little girl might be lost, Laura, but not
because she pinched you. It was wrong of her to pinch you,
but she would only go to hell if she never accepted Christ's
forgiveness in her life. Do you understand?"
Laura nodded again, and Duffy went back to his food.
Slater glanced around the table and noticed the way all
the other adults were busy with their plates as well. He
watched Liberty and Griffin share a glance, but other than
Liberty's eyes sparkling, she gave nothing away. He
wished he could keep watching her. From where he sat, she
and Zach were very clear.
Griffin spoke up with a tidbit of news that Zach thoroughly
enjoyed, and that seemed to get the conversation
ball rolling. Slater remained very quiet and forced himself
not to stare or wolf down the delicious food, both of which
were strong temptations.
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34 * lori wick
"Who's for pie?" Kate asked after a time.
No one declined. An apple pie came to the table that
was so mounded with fruit that it had a hump in the
middle. Slater had decided not to speak, but after tasting
this pie, he could not contain himself; it was the best he'd
ever had.
"This is excellent," he said quietly.
"Libby made it/' Kate said, smiling down the table at
her.
Slater welcomed a reason to look at her, but she was not
looking his way. He stared for several bites of pie, and she
eventually looked up, but he couldn't read her expression.
Regret knifed through him. She wouldn't see him as anything
more than a two-bit drifter, and he had no one to
thank but himself. It was almost a relief to have the meal
end and Griffin tell him they had to be on their way.
^* 3'
55
"If you'll give me my wallet, I'll get the ten dollars for
you."
Griffin looked at the man he'd just uncuffed and
nodded. He went to the safe, opened it, and removed the
rest of Slater's things. The moment Slater had his wallet, he