by Lori Wick
settled things with Shotgun's sheriff. He then began to fill
his pockets with his possessions.
"Where will you head from here?" Griffin asked after
he'd sat on the desk, his legs dangling down the side.
Slater looked to the window. "I don't know. I like
Shotgun, especially the church. Maybe I'll stick around."
Griffin nodded. "What took you so long to decide?"
Slater shook his head. "Stubborn-mule pride, and I just
quit my job. Ten bucks is a lot of money."
"What do you do?"
Slater looked him in the eye. "I was a Texas Ranger
until last month."
Every Little Thing About You 35
56
Griffin's brows rose as a dozen more questions rolled
through his mind. When did a man question and when did
a man leave a person his privacy? Griffin thought of one
safe inquiry.
"Did the church service this morning have anything to
do with your decision?"
"It had a lot to do with it. There's nothing like hearing
about Nehemiah's qualities to make me see how short I
am."
"I felt that same way."
Slater threw his saddlebags over one shoulder and
started to say thank you. Griffin cut him off.
"Have you got a place to sleep tonight?"
Slater's mouth quirked. "You mean other than the
woods?"
Griffin smiled. "I live next door to my mother and
Duffy. You're welcome to one of the bedrooms.''
Slater nodded. "Thank you."
"If I'm not there when you get in, use the back door and
take any bedroom upstairs."
57
"I'll plan on that"
"One more thing," Griffin said. "The hotel gives a full
plate of food for 15 cents. It's not fancy, but if s always hot
and filling."
Slater's hand came out. "Thank you, sheriff."
"You can call me Griffin."
Slater nodded, shook the man's hand, and went to the
door. It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, the sun shining, but
the breeze was cool as he walked down the street. Slater
held his expectations at bay, but on the way to church that
morning he thought he'd spotted a bathhouse. It might not
be open, but he had to give it a try. If that didn't work, he'd
get Arrow from the livery and ride out until he found a
deep spot in the creek.
"that you, slater?" griffin called when he heard the
back door open after 8:00 that night.
"Yeah. I couldn't tell if you were here or not."
Griffin appeared at the doorway, a lantern in his hand.
He set it on the kitchen table, noticed Slater's slicked-back
hair, and grinned.
58
"If I'd known you were looking for a bath, I'd have told
you to use my tub."
Slater shook his head. "The bathhouse was closed, and
I couldn't find any privacy on the creek. I had to wait until
after dark. That water is cold."
"Come on through here," Griffin invited. He led the
way to the living room where he'd been cleaning a gun.
This room had gas lighting that cast a warm glow to every
corner but didn't penetrate the dark curtains over the windows.
The house had looked dark and deserted when
Slater rode up. He had taken the liberty of stabling his
horse in the back and letting himself in.
"How far did you ride up the creek?"
"About a mile. It's pretty country."
"I think so. Did you get some supper?"
"The hotel. I'm not crazy about lamb, but I've had
worse. By the way, do you live alone? Should I be watching
not to scare the life out of someone?"
"No, I'm on my own. This was Duffy's mother's house.
I moved over when she died."
59
"Duffy's not your father?"
37
38 lori wick
"No. My father died when I was a kid. Mam married
Duff about two years later."
"And had Zach and Laura."
"Yeah," Griffin smiled. There was little that got to his
heart faster than his little brother and sister. He suddenly
remembered Laura's question at the table and chuckled.
Slater had thought of it too. "Unless I miss my guess,
she's something of a character."
"Laura? Yes. She makes me laugh every time I talk to
her."
"I thought your sister would choke."
"Libby's like another mother to Laura but with very
little discipline; Mam and Duffy see to that. It's the same
with Zach."
60
"He seems like a bright young man."
"He's better read thart some adults my age. He has a
sensitive heart too."
Slater wanted to ask if Griffin would marry and have
his own brood, but he knew it wasn't his affair. The pretty
blonde who had come into the jailhouse was clearly
willing. Slater wondered if Shotgun's sheriff was holding
back for some reason.
"I was in bed late and up early," Griffin suddenly said,
finishing his work and putting it aside. "I hope you won't
mind if I turn in."
"Not at all. I was hoping to turn in soon."
The men said their goodnights, but Griffin ended up
showing Slater to the most comfortable room. He told him
to come downstairs if he needed anything and left him
alone with the lantern. Slater climbed into bed, intent on
reading the whole book of Nehemiah. But he only got
halfway through. He was asleep just five seconds after
turning down the lantern.
61
-
Every
Little Thing About You 39
Pulling the belt on her dressing gown tightly around
her, Liberty slipped out of the house on Monday morning
and dashed across to Griffin's house. She had left her
revolver in his kitchen--he had volunteered to clean it for
heiv-but she didn't know if he'd gotten to it or not. She
was headed to the office this morning and didn't want to
forget.
Liberty slipped in the back door and groped around
until she had the lantern lit. Griffin was a fairly light
sleeper, and Liberty hoped she could get out without disturbing
him. She was still looking for the gun when she
heard him at the door.
"Sorry, Griff," Liberty spoke while facing the counter.
"I just thought I'd better get my gun before I head downtown."
"Why would you leave your gun here?" Slater asked
before he thought.
62
Liberty had only just laid her hands on the weapon. She
spun so fast that Slater blinked. The gun was up and aimed
at his chest
"When did you get out?"
"Yesterday, right after lunch."
"What are you doing here?" Her voice was deadly
calm, the gun completely steady.
"I just got up." Slater was a little sleepy but waking fast
"Where's my brother?"
"Probably asleep."
"If you've hurt him--" Liberty began, but Slater cut her
off, having just remembered the night before.
"You'll what?" he asked mildly. "Shoot me with a gun
that has no bullets?''
/>
"How do you know whether or not it has bullets?" Liberty
asked, still not dropping her guard or the weapon.
"Because thaf s the gun I watched your brother clean
last night, and somehow I don't think he loaded it"
40 lori wick
63
Liberty didn't answer. He was probably right, but until
she saw Griffin...
"What's up, Libby?" the man of her worries asked as he
came in behind Slater. He summed up the scene in a
moment, leaning against the opposite wall to address her.
''I asked him to spend the night."
Liberty slowly lowered the gun, feeling foolish.
"Fix your robe, Lib," Griffin said softly, and Liberty fell
completely apart. She nearly dropped the gun as she set it
aside, only to scoop it up the moment she'd drawn the
front of her dressing gown back together. She was on the
verge of leaving when she realized what she'd done. Liberty
made herself turn back and meet Slater's eyes.
"I'm sorry."
He was not given a chance to reply. Liberty quietly
thanked Griffin for cleaning the gun and hurried back out
the door.
The kitchen was very quiet on her exit. Slater had his
eyes on the door but looked over to see Griffin staring at
him, his expression one of complete puzzlement.
64
"I've never seen her so rattled," he said, almost to himself.
"She must have been embarrassed." Slater's hand went
to his bare chest. "It never occurred to me that you might
have company this early in the morning, or I'd have stayed
in my room."
"Well," Griffin shrugged, "she lives next door, and we
all kind of come and go as we please." Griffin paused and
looked at his guest. This man was nothing like he had first
figured. The line about being a Texas Ranger could all be a
farce, but Griffin didn't think so. Something inside of him
wanted to reach out. "If you find work, Slater, and want to live here, you're welcome. If that ends up being the case, I'll warn the family."
Slater, who had been praying about that very thing,
nodded his head and thanked Griffin.
"How did you sleep?" the law officer wished to know.
Every Little Thing About You 41
"Very well. The bed and room are comfortable. Can we
set up some type of rent system if I find work here in
65
town?"
"That would be fine, but I'm not worried about it right
now."
Slater nodded, taking him at his word on that subject
but quite certain there was something else on the man's
mind. Slater felt it was best to leave him with his thoughts.
"I'll clean up now/' the visitor said.
"Sure. There's water in the bucket there."
Slater used the pitcher that sat close by, filled it, and
exited the room. He wasn't gone a second before his head
came back around the door frame.
"You dean Liberty's gun?"
Griffin laughed before he said, "It's my own fault. I did
it for her once, and she liked it so well, I've been roped into
it ever since. She's the fast hand and I'm the gunsmith."
"Where did she learn to draw?" Slater couldn't help
asking.
"Our father. He worked with both of us from the time
we were small, but Liberty was different. She took to handling
weapons like a kitten takes to its mother. For as long
66
as I can remember, it's been as natural as breathing for her."
Slater suddenly felt out of words. After a look at his
host to see if he expected a reply, Slater turned and made
his way upstairs. This was a most unusual situation, and
he didn't know how he felt about it. The family he'd met
yesterday had been warm and caring. But if they cared,
how could they put one of their women in such a dangerous
position? Slater did not understand. It made him
uncomfortable, but at the same time he wanted to know
them better. He wished to be invited into their home as a
guest, not a prisoner. For this reason alone, he held his
tongue about the things that confused him. Maybe in time
it would be clear.
Slater stepped in front of the mirror, the one that sat over
the washbowl in his room. He scowled at his reflection. His
42 lori wick
desire to grow a beard was waning. His hair was just light
enough that the attempt only made him look unkempt.
Knowing he needed a trip to the barber anyway, he opted
67
to leave the beard until he got downtown.
A shave and a haircut, and then off to find work.
'3'" ^"
Liberty stood in her bedroom, her brow drawn into
serious contemplation. At the moment she wondered if she
would ever comfortably walk into her brother's house
again. She shook her head, thinking she had never been so
surprised. The sheriff's office, the saloons, and even the
streets of Shotgun were places she had to be on guard-- never here at home and never at Griffin's. Now all that felt as though it had changed. Liberty worked at not being
angry at her brother or the blond cowboy who had wandered
into town.
"Libby," her mother called from down the stairs,
"should I put some pancakes on for you?"
"Yes, please," Liberty called back. She hurried to button
the baggy shirt she'd put on before placing the vest over
the top. She didn't bother to look in the mirror; it was easier
that way.
68
Oh, stop it! she chided herself. What do you care what you
look like right now? You have a job to do! People are counting on
you. But it wasn't quite that simple. For some reason the
blond cowboy's eyes kept coming to mind. He had looked
at her when she arrested him, and even in the jail, but the
eyes he'd turned on her at the dinner table the day before
had been entirely different.
"If s just that if s never happened before," she said
softly, her feet leaving the last step and turning toward the
dining room. "Everyone else in town is used to seeing you
both ways."
"Were you talking to us, dear?" her mother asked.
"No, just to myself."
Every Little Thing About You 43
Kate took in Liberty's face and felt concern. Duffy must
have seen something too because he asked from his place
at the table, "Are you all right, Lib?"
Liberty thought of the way she'd held a gun on her
brother's houseguest that morning. It would have been
69
easy to say no, she wasn't all right, but she wasn't up to
explaining right then.
"I'm just thinking," Liberty told them.
Kate and Duffy let it go, but both were watchful.
"Can I go to work with you today, Libby?" Laura
asked.
"Don't talk with food in your mouth," her mother corrected.
Laura swallowed with great show and asked again.
"Not today, Laura. If Griffin is with me you might come
sometime, but if I'm on my own and needed, you'd be left
by yourself."
"I could sit at the desk."
"Thaf
s true, but I would want someone with you."
"Zach has a desk at school, and Mam has one in the
kitchen."
Liberty only smiled at her before looking at her parents/
who had been taking in the whole exchange. Zach's going
off to school had been very hard for Laura, and the year
had just begun. Duffy and Kate had been talking about getting
her a small desk for Christmas, and it seemed that
70
might still be a good idea.
Liberty tucked into her food, all the while listening to
Zach tell about the book he was reading. Liberty remembered
reading that very book when she was about his age
and almost shook her head at the difference. Zach was
most impressed with the way the boy had worked to earn
money to buy his teacher a present; Liberty remembered
little but the girl in the story and the way she took care of
her baby sister. She chalked it up to the difference between
the genders and then remembered the incident from the
morning.
44 lori wick
"We're still quite far apart/' she mumbled to herself as
she headed out the door for work.
$ %r
"Shave and a haircut?" the barber asked solicitously,
now that Slater was in the chair.
71
"Yes, please."
"You're a polite one," the man with the razor commented
as he laid Slater back and began to lather his face.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"No reason, but I don't often see young cowboys stopping
to help ladies with their bags or children when their
dog runs off."
Slater's eyes went to the large windows that overlooked
Main Street.
"You don't miss much, do you?"
The barber grinned unrepentantly. "Nope."
Little more was said as the barber got down to business.
Slater had slept well but felt himself relaxing under
the man's capable hands. He still had gainful employment
on his mind and suddenly realized whom he could talk to.
"Any work to be had in town?" Slater' asked as the
barber started on his hair.
"What do you do?"
, "A little of everything, I guess."
The barber looked at him in the mirror for a moment.
72
"Hank Hathaway's boy just left for the bright lights of
Austin. Hank builds houses. He might be looking for a
hand."
Slater's brows rose. It had been a while since he'd
worked with a hammer, but he didn't think he'd forgotten
any of the basics.
"Do you know where I might find him?"
"A few blocks over. He's puttin' a covered porch on the
