Every Little Thing About You Read online

  "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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  9b

  '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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  66 lori wick

  "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

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  if this man left town the next day, she would never completely

  forget him.

  %r fy

  "It looks good, Hank," Griffin complimented the old

  man, who grunted but still mana
ged to look pleased. He

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  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

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  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

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  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

  was also out of time. Griffin was taking the cuffed man

  away. After taking the whip from his hand and thanki
ng

  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

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  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."

  Duffy shook his head. For all Liberty's rather quiet