Every Little Thing About You (Yellow Rose Trilogy 1) (32 page)

remembered a time when her brother wouldn't allow her

to speak to him.

"I don't even know him anymore," Liberty muttered to

herself in rage. She wasn't even watching where she was

headed and suddenly realized she was on the way back to

Bernie's. Another angry spark lit inside of her.

Take a woman off without even letting her gather some

things! Well, I'll just do it myself. I'll take things to Bernie and

make her the most comfortable prisoner we've ever had. Leave it

to a man not to understand.

Every Littk Thing About You 235

Liberty all but stomped into the house and began

searching for things Bernie might want. Her emotions spialing

completely out of control, she carried on in a fury.

The few times she let her mind tell her she was wrong, she

pushed the thought away. At the moment she thought she

might never speak to her brother, or any man, ever again.

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S* S'* ^"

"The sheriff asked me to come by and tell you to ring

the school bell right on time, Miss Winters. The shooting's

over."

"Oh, thank you, Deputy Rawlings. I appreciate your

stopping."

The couple was standing on the school steps. Slater had

knocked and been ready to go in, but Miss Winters had

suddenly come out and nearly run into him,

"I've got coffee on," she said. "It's a cold morning; may

I bring you a cup?"

"Yes, please," Slater said sincerely. He was cold--very

cold. They had been out early and then stood in the cold.

Then, just after he'd gotten back inside the jailhouse,

Griffin had sent him out to the school.

"Here you go," Miss Winters came with two mugs; she

had also slipped into her coat.

"Thank you. This is good," Slater told her as he took a

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sip. "I just remembered that you were coming out to do

something. I should drink this and let you get back to

work."

"Oh, I just have to hang a sign, I shouldn't have come

out without my coat in the first place."

"Do you want some help?"

"I'd love some," she admitted, looking very young and

in need of a rescue. "The last time I tried to pound a nail, I

hit my hand."

"We can't have that." Slater put his mug aside. "Just

show me where you want it"

236 lori wick

The next few minutes were filled with hilarity as

Slater's cold hands fumbled with the nails, dropping two

of them and moving too slowly to catch them before they

disappeared into the spaces between the boards. He and

Miss Winters were laughing so hard at one point that they

couldn't even work. Slater ended up leaning against the

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building to catch his breath, laughing once again when the

schoolteacher commented that it didn't feel that cold anymore.

Across the field, just coming out of Bernie's house, Liberty

took in this scene and froze in her steps. She had gathered

two bags of items for Bernie, but in the process her

anger had cooled. Now, watching the man shq loved as he

laughed and enjoyed the company of another woman, all

anger left her.

There's probably a perfectly good explanation for what I'm

seeing, Liberty thought, reason having once again returned. And if I hadn't been so het up about coming here, I wouldn't have seen them together at all

Turning slowly back inside, Liberty replaced the items.

By the time she came out the front door again, the steps of

the schoolhouse were empty and all was quiet. Liberty

climbed into Morton's saddle and turned toward home,

wishing she'd repented sooner and was already back in the

warmth of that house. She also hoped that Griffin would

forget that she wanted to talk to him. She had changed her

mind.

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3-%r

"Hi/' Griffin said kindly as he came to the house just

before lunch. "Did you still want to see me, Lib?"

"No," his sister said honestly.

Griffin stared at her as she sat at the kitchen table and

calmly frosted a batch of molasses cookies. She had never

been secretive with her feelings, but something wasn't

right.

Every Little Thing About You 237

"Are you sure?" he tried again, but Laura came into the

room.

"Hi, Griff!" she greeted him with a huge smile. Griffin

swung her up into his arms for a hug. He could see that she

wanted to talk, and most of the time he let her, but not

today.

"I need to see Libby. You go find Mam."

"All right," she agreed with such a wistful little face

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that Griffin had to harden his heart, but he felt compelled

to get back to Liberty. He was ready to launch into a discussion

the moment he sat at the table with her, but Liberty

started first.

"Tell me, Griff. Have you ever known women who control

the people around them, even their husbands, by

pouting or getting angry?"

"Lots of them."

"Me too," Liberty nodded, "I was upset with you when

you put Bernie in jail. I even went to her house to get some

of her things so she would be more comfortable, but then I

realized where I was. I was at Bernie's house: the woman

who shoots at a tree every year because a man left her. I've

never known Bernie to say she was wrong or do anything

more than whine about how miserable she is. It suddenly

became very clear to me why Daryl left."

Griffin studied her. Unless he missed his guess, she'd

had a hard morning but was doing better now.

"You're not like Bernie, Lib. I hope you know that."

"But I could be," Liberty said quietly, her eyes on the

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cookie in her hand. "I didn't see it until today. I've always

had things my way, Griff, so there's never been a need to

fight you, but today I wanted to argue and interfere. Thaf s

not the same as covering for you."

Griffin's heart swelled with love for her. "You're one in

a million, Libby."

Liberty smiled over the compliment, her own heart

swelling a bit. She was very content right now that she had

not made a scene. It had taken several hours for her to calm

238 lori wick

down completely, but she didn't have to apologize to

Griffin or Slater over anything she said.

In the next few minutes, Griffin explained to Liberty

why he'd locked Bernie up, and Liberty thought his views

were very sound. She returned the kiss he placed on her

cheek when he went to find Laura and Mam, thanked him,

and went on with the frosting.

She was very glad she didn't have to repent to Slater,

but her heart was not quite as settled where that man was

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concerned. Liberty was finding that not knowing exactly

where she stood was terribly unsettling. Each day was

filled with thinking of him, praying for him, and wondering

where he was, what he was doing, and if he thought

of her in return. Today's thoughts, however, were also full

of Shotgun's pretty young schoolteacher.

gr

"I'm so sorry, Libby/' Mrs. Mills said for the fifth time,

tears coming to her eyes. "How awful for you. I'm surprised

you even want to set foot in here again."

Liberty smiled at her and said honestly, "Nothing has

changed, Mrs. Mills."

The living room looked remarkably different than it

had a week ago. Everything was spotlessly clean, but it

wasn't hard for Liberty to picture the way it had been.

"He was really quite devious, wasn't he, Mrs. Mills?"

Liberty said thoughtfully.

"Yes. I haven't been comfortable with him for the last

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few visits, so I began to travel when he came. It was just a

month back when I returned to find things covered with

dust. Davis had a reason, but I was so put off with the mess

that I didn't listen very well." The woman looked at the

floor. "I wouldn't have guessed what he was up to in a

hundred years."

"Griffin told me he's had a meeting with all the neighbors

and that you've had secure locks put on all the doors."

Every Little Thing About You 239

"Indeed, I have. I don't care if he is family, I'll not have

him use my home to store stolen money--or come again

for that matter."

Liberty nodded, thinking about the few facts they had.

Mrs. Mills had told them where Davis lived, and Griffin

had been in touch with the law there, but they hadn't heard

of any significant bank robberies. The bags of money Liberty

had seen had been part of a large job.

"Griffin told me that dozens of cases go unsolved every

year," Mrs. Mills said. "I fear this might be one we'll have

419

to live with."

"Will it make things awkward for you when you see your husband's family?" Liberty asked.

"No. We're so spread out these days, and in truth, my

brother-in-law and I are not on good terms. He doesn't like

the way I've never settled down. As if every woman must

be dominated and ruled by a husband. Well, some of us

just won't be!" These last words were said with an indignant

sniff, and Liberty had all she could do not to ask Mrs.

Mills how she'd become a Mrs. when she felt that way. Or

maybe that was it: She had been ruled and dominated in

her marriage and was glad to have the man gone. Liberty

wondered if the older woman might explain, but someone

knocked on the door just then. Liberty was sitting with a

perfect view of that portal and couldn't stop the thundering

of her heart when she saw that it was Slater.

"Why, Mr. Rawlings," Mrs. Mills nearly gushed.

"Come in."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mills. I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all. Libby is here visiting me. Come right in."

Slater's hat had come off, and he gave Liberty a smile

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as he took the chair his hostess indicated.

"What can we do for you, Mr. Rawlings?" Mrs. Mills

asked.

"Actually, I just came by to ask Libby if I could see her

home."

240 * lori wick

For all her seemingly negative ideas about marriage

and men, Mrs. Mills beamed at them.

"Of course, what a wonderful idea. Libby and I were

just visiting--something we can do anytime."

Liberty didn't remember too much more as she found

herself embarrassed, not only by Mrs. Mills' obvious efforts

to put them together, but by her own thoughts about Slater

and Miss Winters. But she did suddenly find herself outside

with Slater, that man taking the reins of both horses in

one hand and leading the way.

"I hope that was all right, Libby. I hope I didn't interrupt."

"Not at all. How did you know I was there?"

"I have the rest of the day off, so I went to your house

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