Tags:
Fiction,
General,
Romance,
Historical,
Western,
Love Stories,
Texas,
Christian fiction,
Religious,
Christian,
INSPIRATIONAL ROMANCE
she
156
calmed, he turned her to face him but did not let her out of
Every Little Thing About You 91
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.
157
"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?"
158
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92 lori wick
"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
159
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
160
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.
$
earn
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.
161
"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
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