Every Little Thing About You (Yellow Rose Trilogy 1) (4 page)

"When's lunch?" he asked rudely,

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"As soon as it arrives."

Liberty had gone back to the paperwork, and Slater

saw that he would get nothing more. Ignoring the voice

that reminded him he knew better than to act this way, he

26 lori wick

stretched out on the bunk and lay still until the noon meal

arrived.

"I'm headed to church this morning," Griffin said to

Slater as he gave him breakfast on Sunday morning. "Til

have to cuff you, but you can join me if you've a mind to."

Slater thought fast; two nights on that bunk was having

an effect. Nevertheless, he still said, "I'm not very fresh for

church."

"I'll get some extra water to you.*

"I'd need my saddlebags."

"I can get out what you need."

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Slater saw it for the olive branch it was. There was no

denying that this man had been more than fair. Slater knew

he was being stubborn about paying.

"I'd appreciate that" was all Slater said before turning

to the bunk to eat the food and drink the coffee that arrived

on the tray.

"I'll be back in about an hour," Griffin said as he went

out the door. Not anticipating trouble, he certainly hoped

to learn a little more about the man who at present was

quite the mystery. Griffin guessed Slater to be in his

midtwenties, but there was a worldliness about him that

made the sheriff think he knew his way around. That

wasn't all. From time to time Griffin also saw regret in

Slater's light blue eyes and wondered what plagued him.

He hadn't honestly thought Slater would accept the offer

to attend church--not many did when they learned they

had to be cuffed--but Griffin was pleased nonetheless.

Riding home, Griffin let himself in the back door of his

own house and began to ready himself for the day. He

never relished wearing his guns with a suit, so he opted for

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dean denim pants, a nice shirt, and a narrow tie. He shaved

carefully, looking forward to the service but also to possibly

catching sight of Tess. He was sorry he'd missed her

Every Little Thing About You 27

the day before. He didn't know if going to her house for

dinner was wise, but saying no to the invitation would

have been easier if he could have spent a few minutes with

her. Now he found himself wanting to accept the invitation

just to see her.

His heart sighed with the quandary of it all even as he

moved through the house to leave. Having someone love

him had never been part of his plan; loving her back was

even less so. With a prayer for continued wisdom and

kindness, he mounted his horse, Tess on his mind until he

arrived back at the jailhouse to help Slater with his saddlebags.

%s

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Griffin watched Slater take his Bible in cuffed hands.

The sheriff nearly shook his head in wonder as he directed

Slater out the jailhouse door. A little more of the mystery

was solved. Whether or not this man had accepted the

words of Scripture and claimed them for his own, he was clearly under some type of conviction. No wonder he zoos so angry, Griffin thought as he waited until the service started

and then escorted his prisoner to the corner of a rear pew.

The congregation was on their feet joined in prayer, which

allowed Griffin to bring Slater in unobtrusively.

The men sat down with the rest of the worshipers when

the pastor closed the prayer, and Griffin saw Liberty rise

from the other side of the church to head to the piano. He

glanced at the man beside him and saw that he'd noticed

as well. A mischievous thought passed through Griffin's

mind, a hunch he had to try out. He spoke when Slater

glanced at him.

"She looks different in a dress, doesn't she?"

For several heartbeats Slater frowned at the sheriff in

confusion before his eyes flew back to the woman at the

piano. He stared in disbelief. Could that actually be the

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deputy? Slater had all he could do to keep his mouth dosed.

t-

m--

^J^V

w-**

28 lori wick

Looking utterly feminine in a bright yellow dress, Liberty

readied herself at the keys, completely unaware of

Slater's scrutiny That man took in the way she'd swept her

hair off her neck, thinking he'd never seen her without a

hat. The dress had long, fitted sleeves, and Slater was surprised

by how small her arms and shoulders were; there

was never a hint of form in the baggy clothes she wore. The

neckline of the dress was rounded with white lace, and it

looked as though she had a locket at her throat. Slater had

to tear his eyes away when Griffin handed him the hymnal.

He didn't know the song at all but did his best. Anything

to keep his mind on why he was there.

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Slater suddenly gave up and began to pray the way he

should have prayed two days before. He stopped trying to

sing and poured his heart out to God, confessing his pride

and anger. He knew when the song ended but was not

quite ready to open his eyes. Not until Griffin leaned over

and asked if he was all right did he open his eyes, his heart

feeling pounds lighter with the load lifted.

Why do I fight everything You want me to do? Slater asked

the Lord when three other people stood and moved to the

front, not toward the piano, but toward the pastor. Slater

thought they were going to sing until he saw that Liberty

had left the piano bench.

"We have a little skit for you this morning/' Pastor Ross

Caron told the congregation as his wife, Felicia, their

daughter, Mayanri, and their son, Tanner, came forward.

Pastor Caron had a way with drama, and his parishioners

were accustomed to his putting a Bible passage or an illustration

into skit form.

Tanner and Mayann went off to the right side of the

church, but Felicia stood right in front of the pulpit, a

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mixing bowl and spoon in her hands. Ross came onto the

scene from the side.

"Felicia, have you seen Mayann? I asked her to bring

me those notes I have upstairs. She's been gone for 20 minutes."

Every Little Thing About You 29

Felicia shook her head, her arm cradling the bowl as

she stirred. "I asked her to bring the clothes in off the line,

but when I looked out a minute ago, nothing had been

done."

Ross walked away shaking his head. Felicia kept up her

stirring for a moment and then set the bowl aside. "I guess

I'll have to do it myself," she said as she walked to the side

of the room.

Ross came back to the center now, and on his way, he

stumbled and righted himself.

"What in the world? Mayann, where are you? I just

tripped over your skates. You left them right in the hall.

Mayann!" he tried again, but when he received no answer,

he shook his head and went back the other way.

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As soon as he was gone, Mayann and Tanner walked

slowly across the front.

"You mean it?" Mayann asked. "You want me to be in

charge of the money?"

"Yes," Tanner told her. "You're good with numbers,

and we want to be sure that all the proceeds go to the new

hymnals."

"I'd love to do it. I can't wait to tell my folks."

Ross and Felicia came back to the middle then, and

Mayann wasn't long in joining them.

"You'll never believe what happened!" Mayann nearly

shouted. "I've been asked to be in charge of the hymnal

money. Isn't that great?"

"The hymnal money?" Ross said with surprise. "That fund is growing fast, Mayann. That's a large responsibility. I'm not sure you can do it."

"Yes, I can," she told her parents. "I've always been

good with numbers."

"But there's more to it than that, Mayann," her mother

put in. "You've got to be responsible with the account book

and all the receipts."

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"I will be," the girl assured her parents, who looked at

her for a moment.

30 lori wick

"Where are the sermon notes I asked you to get me?"

Ross finally questioned her.

Mayann's hand came to her mouth.

"Did you fold the laundry when you got it off the line,

Mayann, or just throw it in the basket?"

"Oh, no!" she said. "I forgot all about that."

"You also forgot where your skates belong. I tripped on

them."

Mayann hung her head. Ross ended the skit by saying,

"We've got some work to do."

Slater took in the words of each actor, impressed with

the idea and point that was made. He was staring straight

at the pastor when that man stepped behind the pulpit and

asked, "How good is your reputation? Mayann's wasn't

very good with her parents, was it? That wasn't a complicated

skit Anyone could figure it out. But the message

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needs to hold a lot of weight with all of us. How good is

your reputation? How good is my reputation? Can the

people of this congregation come to me if they feel I'm

wrong, or do they fear I'll be angry and send them away?

Can I come to you and know that you'll listen to me? Is

your reputation that good?

"As we look again in our Bibles at the life of Nehemiah,

we see that his reputation was excellent. Let me give you

just a few examples. Nehemiah is saddened by sin as we

see in chapter 1, verse 4, and his first response is to pray

and recognize God's greatness, verse 5. He's humble, verse

6; repentant, verse 7; and he claims God's redemption,

verse 10. Go to chapter 2 and see that he's bold, a trusted

worker, organized, discreet, tactful, and gives credit where

credit is due."

Pastor Caron looked up from his Bible and notes. "I

don't know about you, but I can learn from this man."

So can I, Slater thought. He realized he'd never even

read the book of Nehemiah. The Texas Ranger who had led

him to the Lord had urged him to study in the New Testament.

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Beyond that, Slater had spent so little time in church

Every Little Thing About You 31

that his training had been very limited. Trus was one of the

reasons he'd walked away from his job.

Slater had let his mind wander further than he

intended. Surprised when everyone stood for the closing

prayer, he didn't have a chance to bow his head. Since the

sheriff was already leading him outside, he had all he could

do not to drop his Bible with cuffed hands. He looked forward

to getting back to the jail and paying his way out He

was surprised again when Sheriff Drake did not return him

to the jail.

"Then what did you do?" Liberty asked Laura, their

faces dose as the little girl sat in her sister's lap.