Every Little Thing About You (Yellow Rose Trilogy 1) by Lori Wick

she
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    calmed, he turned her to face him but did not let her out of
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    his arms. He bent again to catch her ear. "What are you
    doing in this alley?"
    "Leonard is drunk again," she spoke against his chest
    "He's on the roof with his whip."
    "Where's Griffin?"
    "Up there with him. He wanted me here."
    Slater sighed. Her voice was so pragmatic. Didn't
    anyone know this wasn't normal?
    "What does he expect you to do?"
    "Just to keep watch if something should happen, or if
    he calls."
    Slater sighed again, this time over his emotions. Even
    in what was sure to be her deputy outfit, she smelled so
    nice, and holding her, even loosely in his arms, was
    nothing short of delightful.
    "How do I let Griffin know that I'm here to help?"
    Slater, making himself concentrate, asked.
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    "I don't know. He wants me to stay quiet."
    "Put it down!" The shout came from overhead, and
    Liberty scrambled loose and ran, Slater right behind her.
    They both heard Leonard's drunken wailing and the crack
    of the whip as they raced up the alley. Liberty, knowing the
    town well, ran for a ladder at the side of the bank building.
    She started to climb but found herself lifted by the waist
    and set back on her feet.
    "Give me your gun!" Slater said in a voice that was not
    to be argued with. Liberty obeyed automatically. "Stay
    put!" was the next order before Slater started up the ladder.
    Liberty stood in shock. It took her a moment to realize she
    was not up there to take care of Griffin. Would Slater really
    know what to do? All cowboys carried guns, and she had
    originally found Slater with one, but did that mean he
    knew how to use it? In the next moment more shouting
    came to Liberty's ears, and without thought she climbed
    the ladder. She had just reached the top when she heard
    Griffin's voice.
    "I've got him, Slater. Do you have the whip?"
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    "Yes. How do we get him down that ladder?"
    "We don't There's a stairway at the back here."
    Liberty stepped across the roof then, and both men
    spotted her.
    "We've got him, Lib," was all Griffin had to say.
    "Good."
    Slater, on the other hand, was speechless. He could not
    believe she'd come up that ladder. He opened his mouth to
    say something but closed it again. Now was not the time.
    They had a drunk to put in jail, but in his mind, the incident
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    was not over.
    '3' Sr
    "I take it Leonard's moved into town, since he's still
    here?" Liberty asked Griffin.
    "Smiley tells me that he lives out a ways, but when he
    gets lonely, he brings his whip to town for a drink."
    "Smiley needs to get smart and have his bouncer take
    the whip away from Leonard while he's still in his right
    mind."
    "I'll have to tell him," Griffin said. "In fact, I need to
    head over there right now and confirm what happened.
    Can you stay here for about 30 minutes?"
    "Sure."
    "All right. Thanks for your help, Slater. I'll be back long
    enough to check on him and then I'll come home."
    "All right."
    Both Liberty and Slater watched Griffin leave. Liberty
    walked to the cell and looked in to where Leonard was
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    sleeping off his bottle before turning back to Slater. His
    look gave her pause. Indeed, after seeing the intensity of
    his gaze, she stopped a few paces short of the desk and
    stood very still.
    Slater wasn't still at all. With the reach of one long arm,
    he hooked a finger in the bandana Liberty had knotted
    around her neck and pulled her toward him.
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    the bandana and his finger still holding Liberty captive,
    Slater spoke when their faces were scant inches apart
    "I thought I told you to stay put at the bottom of that
    ladder."
    Liberty looked hesitant before her chin rose just a little.
    "Just because you have a gun doesn't mean you can handle
    it"
    Slater's eyes narrowed, his finger still in place.
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    "All right," he began, his voice saying he would let it
    go this time. "But just for the record, Liberty Drake, I can
    handle a