and take care of others so naturally. You take food to folks
in need, you check on the older women in town like a
loving daughter, you're like another pair of hands for your
mother, and you cherish Laura and Zach as if they were
your own.
"And each time I think of them losing you, I die a little
inside. That's what I wrestle with every time you put on
that gun. I want to take care of you, but with that gun you
505
don't need me." Saying this, Slater saw Liberty go pale and
wished he'd waited to speak of this.
"Libby/' Slater said urgently, taking in her stricken face.
"I'm sorry to have said this to you now. You've been hurt,
and I shouldn't have tried--"
Liberty put her hand out to stop him, and Slater took it.
She shook her head, and he held her hand in both of his
and waited. He also prayed, hoping she would tell him her
thoughts so he could make it right
"I've always protected the people and the town I love,
but you've given me much to think about, Slater. Don't
ever apologize for that"
Did that mean... ? Slater found himself thinking, but was
afraid to hope or ask the question aloud. It didn't, however,
change the strong urge to gently take this woman in his
arms and tell her he loved her. The thought was so powerful
within him that his face flushed. He could only stare
at her, which caused Liberty's own cheeks to redden before
she looked away, gently reclaiming her hand just as Laura
shot into the room.
506
"Libby, Mam wants to know if you want lunch in here
or in the kitchen. We're having pudding," she added, as if
this might be the deciding factor.
"I'll come to the table," Liberty told her, already
moving the quilt from her lap.
Every Little Thing About You 287
Slater stood, ready to help, but other than moving very
slowly, Liberty seemed totally normal. Slater wrestled with
the things he'd said. Had it been too soon? Her words and
actions would not indicate so, but he was still tempted to
worry. What Slater didn't know was how good it had been
for Liberty to be able to thank him. She didn't honestly
believe that they would end up married, but she wanted
him to know that he'd been a help in showing her how
untrusting she'd been.
"Slater," Kate asked once they were seated, "will you
pray for us?"
"Certainly. Father in heaven, we thank You for Your
love and grace to us, for Your protecting hand and mercy.
507
Thank You that Libby is able to be in the kitchen, moving
on her own. Thank You for Kate, Laura, and the baby, and
the special family You've put in this place. Thank You for
this wonderful food. I pray all this in Christ's holy name.
Amen,"
"You didn't thank God for yourself, Slater," Laura
noted as soon as her eyes were open.
"Didn't I?" Slater asked as he took a roll and passed the
basket to Liberty.
"No. Don't you thank God for you?"
"Well," Slater replied as he thought about this, "I thank
God for everything He's done for me. Does that help?"
"I think so," she said, her brow lowered in that intense
way he loved.
"You could thank God for Slater," Kate suggested.
Laura nodded, her mouth moving as she chewed but
again looking very thoughtful. She swallowed, opened her
mouth to say something about being thankful if Liberty
and Slater got married, but suddenly caught her big sister's
eye.
508
"Oh," she said softly, shutting her mouth.
"Oh, what?" Kate asked innocently.
Laura looked so uncertain that her mother dropped it
Not having to think long before understanding dawned,
288 lori wick
Kate went back to her plate without looking at Slater or
Liberty.
Liberty cast a sidelong look at her sister and one at
Slater. If he suspected anything, he was hiding it very well.
Suddenly Libby was tired. It was enough for her body
to work on healing without adding emotions to the mix.
But what else could she feel when Slater was in the room?
Her sigh was more internal than anything else, but heartfelt
nonetheless. She continued to eat, listening to what
Kate had to say about plans for the day but also asking God
to help her survive the emotions running through her.
Right now she didn't think she would.
509
fy %r
"You're grinning again today like you did yesterday,"
Griffin commented the next morning. "Are you planning
another long lunch?"
"No, I won't need much time," Slater said, still looking
like the cat with the cream.
"Going back to talk to her?"
"Talk to her?" Slater replied, looking surprised. "I'm not
going to talk, I'm going to tell her she has to marry me and
that's the end of it."
Griffin laughed. "I take it Dakota was on your trail
before he left."
"As if I needed him," Slater said with a shake of his
head. "But he did threaten to ask for me if I didn't do the
job soon. I wanted to ask her yesterday if she'll marry me
and let me take care of her."
"She's sure healing fast. Duff is very pleased."
"She looks wonderful," Slater said quietly, his eyes on
nothing in particular. Griffin couldn't stop his smile as he
510
studied the other man. He felt as though he'd waited a long
time for a Slater Rawlings to walk in the door. Slater was a
man who would love his sister and appreciate the woman
she was. Griffin understood now why Slater had never
v^ Every Little Thing About You 289
wanted Liberty to pack a gun. His own relationship with
Tess had been a big help to him on that too, and they were
both thankful that Slater had never stopped loving Liberty.
Both men were needed before Slater could get away for
lunch, but that didn't change Slater's thoughts, or Griffin's
for that matter. Just as soon as there was a break and Griffin
told Slater he could spare him, Slater went to the Petersons',
his mind on what he intended to say. Griffin watched
him go, somehow feeling a burden to pray for his sister.
She'd been through quite a bit since Slater Rawlings rode
into town. Griffin only hoped she was still thinking clearly
enough to know a good man when he was standing in
front of her.
511
Slater found Liberty in the living room again, this time
alone. She appeared to be hemming a dress. She did look
up to greet him but immediately bent back over her work.
This time he sat right next to her.
"What's this?" Slater asked, lifting the fabric a little.
"A dress of Laura's. Mam was smart enough to make it
big, but now the hem has to come down."
"She's growing fast. I can just see her in school this
fall."
"It'll be awfully quiet around here."
Slater
didn't comment. His eyes were on her profile,
and he stared until she looked at him.
Liberty was so surprised by the warm look in his eyes
that she didn't look away.
"Marry me," he ordered softly.
Surprised as she was, Liberty shook her head. "You
don't have to do this, Slater."
It took Slater a moment to figure out what she meant,
512
and when he did, he said. "Let me get this straight. I feel
guilty about the way I handled things at the Potters', so
now I'm proposing to make up for it?"
290 lori wick
"Something like that," Liberty admitted.
"So you don't love me?" he asked, putting everything
on the line.
1 didn't say that," Liberty said swiftly before going
back to her needle.
Silence hung heavily between them, and Liberty had all
she could do not to howl when she shoved the needle into
her thumb. Finally, she chanced a look in his direction and
found him still watching her, a tender smile on his face.
"So your answer is no?" he clarified.
"That's right."
A large smile crossed his features.
"What does that mean?" Liberty had to ask.
"If you're talking about the smile, I was just thinking of
how fun if s going to be to convince you." He leaned close
513
before adding in a whisper, "And don't forget, Liberty
Kathleen, I'm a very patient man."
Liberty's mouth swung open as he pushed to his feet,
bent to kiss her cheek, put his hat on, told her he would see
her later, and walked from the room. No one looking at
Slater Rawlings as he made his way back to the sheriff's
office would have believed that his proposal had been
turned down--least of all Griffin--who stood in anticipation
when he was back so soon.
"She must have said yes," Griffin began.
"On the contrary--she turned me down flat."
Griffin hesitated. The smile on the blond man's face
belied those words, but something told Griffin they were
true.
"Why did she say no?"
"Because she thinks I only asked out of guilt."
"Guilt about what?"
"The way I treated her at the Potter place."
Griffin was so stunned that he sat back down. He
thought for a moment and then offered, "Do you want me
514
to talk to her?"
Every Littk Thing About You 291
"There's no need," Slater said calmly. 'Til talk her
around/'
Griffin could see that he meant it and decided to leave
well enough alone. Not long after, he went home for his
own lunch, prayers for Slater and his sister filling his heart.
Slater, not at all sorry to be on his own, also thought of
Liberty and prayed for her. He could tell that her mind was
made up, but that didn't daunt him in the least. Indeed, he
smiled again now and rocked back on his heels, just
thinking about how swiftly she went back to her sewing
when he asked if she loved him.
"Oh, yes, Libby," Slater said to the empty office as he
sat down at the desk to get back to work. "I'll get around
you. Just see if I don't."
%r
515
"You're awfully quiet tonight, Lib," Duffy said that
evening. The children were in bed, and the three adults sat
in the living room. "How are you feeling?"
"All right. I moved a little suddenly today and
regretted that, but other than the itching, it's not bad."
"I noticed that when Slater was here today," Kate put
in, her head bent over some needlework, "he looked like a
man with a mission."
"He wants to marry me," Liberty informed them.
Both Duffy, who had been reading the paper, and Kate
froze and then looked at her.
"You don't seem too excited," Duffy mentioned carefully.
"I turned him down."
Kate could not control herself. Tears filled her eyes, and
she looked across at Liberty.
"I'm sorry, Mam," Liberty whispered. "I didn't know it
would hurt you."
"It's not me, Libby." Kate's voice was just as hushed. "I
thought you loved Slater,"
292 lori wick
516
"I do. I love him like I've never loved anyone, but I
think he just feels bad about what happened. I can't have
him thinking he's in love when all he feels is guilt."
Liberty's face held an expression her parents had never
seen before. She seemed so vulnerable that it shook them
terribly. Not for anything would they scold her or try to
convince her that Slater did in fact love her. They both
believed he did, but this had to come from her heart, not
theirs.
"Follow your heart," Duffy said, needing to voice the
words. "We think Slater is a fine man, but if you're
doubting, Libby girl, don't let anyone rush you anywhere."
"Thank you, Duffy."
Kate smiled at her. Her eyes were still suspiciously
moist, but she was able to agree with her spouse. "It's a big
step, Libby. A woman would be a fool to start out with
doubts."
Liberty nodded, but even as her mother said the word doubts, she began to struggle with her own. Maybe she was being too hard on Slater. After all, he'd showed her that he
517
cared long before the Potter incident.
"I think I'll head up," Liberty said, not needing to feign
exhaustion in an effort to be alone. She was remarkably
weary. As she readied for bed, Slater came to mind again.
Liberty thought how nice it would be to have him there,
talking to her or maybe helping with the buttons on her
dress or the pins in her hair. Tears poured down her face as
was too tired to do anything more than cry and ask the
Lord if she would ever survive this.
3-rfc
S'
"Did you say painting the fence out by the barn?"
Slater asked Kate just two days later.
"Yes "
Every Littk Thing About You 293
Slater stared at the woman, waiting for her to laugh in
518
jest. That didn't happen.
"Why is she doing that?" Slater asked.
Kate looked hesitant but eventually admitted, "I think
she needs to keep busy right now."
Again Slater thought. "Is that your way of saying she's
having second thoughts about saying no to me?"
Kate bit her lip. "I don't know that for certain, Slater,
but I think she prefers to be shot again rather than hurt you
or be hurt by you. She's going to have to keep busy to pull
that off."
Slater's eyes narrowed. He looked so much like Dakota
just then that Kate missed the older Rawlings terribly and
prayed for him wherever he was.
"I think 111 go out to see her."
"All right. Send Laura in if you need to."
The deputy nodded, thanked her, and moved out the
door. While he was still a way off, he spotted them, both
with their backs to the house, Liberty in an old dress, her
&n
bsp; right arm moving slowly with the brush, Laura talking sixteen
to the dozen beside her. Slater could see how easy it
519
would be to keep her back to him, so he circled the barn
and came up opposite Liberty, looking at her over the top
of the fence.
"Hi," he said, startling her a little.
"Hello," she said and smiled some, but the greeting
appeared strained.
"What made you decide to paint?"
'The fence has needed it for a while," Laura put in, and
Liberty smiled down at her.
"Does this hurt your side, Libby?" Slater asked.
"No. I couldn't do it if I was left-handed, but if s not
bad."
He wanted to ask what Duffy thought of the idea but
chose not to baby her.
"Laura," Kate called from the house, "Josie Frank is
here to see you."
294 lori wick
"Oh, Libby! Oh, Libby," the little girl flapped, "I have
520
to go."
"That's all right. Ill just keep painting."
Laura took off then, and Slater smiled as he watched
her dress and hair fly.
"She takes good care of you."
"Yes, she does."
They fell quiet then, Slater leaning against the fence as *v though he had all day, his whole head showing over the top as he watched Liberty work. She was starting to grow
nervous under his gaze and finally frowned, wishing she
could think of some snappy thing to say. Slater went first.
"I never thought about how cute you would look with
paint on your eyelashes and cheek."
Liberty shot a look at him and said, "Did you come by
for some special reason, Slater?"
"Only to tell you that I love you."
Liberty nearly dropped the brush.
"It's the silliest thing," Slater went on conversationally.
"You know I want to marry you and take care of you, but
not how much I love you. I get things switched around
sometimes."
521
Liberty began to paint as though she were under the
gun. She told herself not to look up but to get the job done
and get inside. She worked along steadily for some time
and finally chanced a glance at Slater. He was gone.
Liberty's head whipped around, but he was not in
sight. It was time to paint the lower half of the section she
was in, so Liberty dropped to her knees. However, the
brush didn't move for quite some time, and Liberty got
more paint on her face attempting to wipe away the tears
that she couldn't seem to stop.
S' "S"
Liberty told herself to breathe. She had survived not