barn was quiet too.

  "If you've had enough," Griffin tried again, "throw the

  guns out ahead of you and come out of there with your

  hands up!"

  Slater and Griffin were both peeking out when the barn

  door slowly swung open, creaking like the stays in a tight

  corset A moment later a shotgun was tossed far from the

  454

  door, and out walked Ned. Behind him came Rush and

  Possum, Critter between them. That they had landed a few

  blows in his direction was obvious. He was staggering a bit

  and the men on either side of him were clearly keeping him

  on his feet. When Griffin, Slater, and now Price, who had

  come into position, stepped out with guns drawn, they

  dropped Critter on his face to put their hands in the air.

  Every Little Thing About You 259

  "Very nice, boys/' Griffin congratulated them. "Just

  step apart a little, not too dose to the gun, and keep those

  hands right where we can see them. Easy now, Critter,"

  Griffin said to him as he came to his hands and knees.

  There wasn't a single argument at this point, mostly

  due to the fact that Critter's mouth was too swollen for

  talking. The three men moved in on them, and in fairly

  short order, the four Potters were cuffed and loaded into

  the wagon. That was when Slater spotted him.

  To the side of a small outcropping of rocks stood

  Dakota. Slater told himself to stay calm, but even as he

  455

  thought it, he felt his temper rising. It didn't help to suddenly

  spot Liberty's horse.

  Seeing that he'd been spotted, Dakota started toward

  him. The men met halfway.

  "Where is she?"

  "Sitting behind the rocks."

  Slater's mouth tightened. "What happened?"

  "She got my gun away from me. I don't think she

  would have hurt me, but knowing how much she wanted

  out, Slate, I let her go. I'm sorry."

  "If s not you who needs to apologize," Slater gritted,

  coming around Dakota to head to the rock. He didn't know

  when he'd been so disappointed and angry. They should

  have had this out a long time ago, but even at that, Liberty

  should have known he just wanted her to be safe. Slater

  walked until he stood just a few feet from her. She was sitting

  quite still, her back against the rock, and finally looked

  up at him.

  "I can't believe you've done this," he said quietly. "I

  thought I knew you, Libby. I thought you were the one."

  456

  "Slater," she began softly, but he cut her off with a

  downward slash of his hand.

  "Don't talk to me." Slater uttered the very words he

  believed he would never say. "I don't want to hear any

  excuses right now. I wanted to marry you, Libby, but you

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  don't trust anyone but yourself. You're a law unto yourself.

  I'm just now seeing that."

  Liberty sat very still as he turned and walked away. She

  didn't know when she'd been in such pain. In a haze of

  misery, she heard the wagon start into motion and couldn't

  be sure if her brother and Slater's horses had left as well.

  She didn't even hear Dakota come up, but he was suddenly

  there.

  "I'll ride back with you, Libby/' he said.

  "You don't have to, Dakota."

  "I want to."

  Liberty nodded. In reality she wanted to be alone, but

  she saw that Dakota was offering his friendship. Liberty

  457

  came slowly to her feet and moved toward Morton. She

  had little interest in doing anything right now but made

  herself climb into the saddle and turn the horse toward

  home.

  Riding quietly beside her, Dakota took in her white features

  and searched for something to say. He hadn't actually

  heard Slater's words, but it wasn't hard to guess that they

  hadn't been too welcoming. It was on Dakota's mind to ask

  Liberty why coming had been so important, but she looked

  like a fragile piece of crystal to him right now. One move

  and she might break into a million tiny bits.

  "Dakota?" Liberty suddenly spoke, surprising him just

  as they hit the edge of town.

  "Yeah?"

  "I think I'll stop by and see Duffy."

  "Okay."

  "Thank you for riding back with me."

  "Anytime."

  Liberty pulled off a little then and moved Morton to the

  right side of the street. Dakota watched her stop in front of

  458

  the office and even as she sat for a moment and then slid

  out of the saddle. He wanted to leave her some privacy, so

  he forced himself to turn away. Not knowing quite what to

  do with himself, he went ahead to the jailhouse, thinking

  Every Little Thing About You 261

  he might be a help. He also thought his brother might need

  someone to talk to.

  ^

  Duffy heard the door open, but no one answered his

  greeting. He had his hands full of bottles at the moment,

  and then he needed to wash, so it took a minute for him to

  move into the other room. The last person he expected to

  see was his daughter.

  "Well, Libby. Whaf s up?"

  Liberty didn't look directly at him, and Duffy, ever the

  kind and sensitive parent, came and sat down on one of the

  chairs across from her. Only then did Liberty's eyes meet

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  his.

  "I've done it this time, Duffy/' she began.

  "Okay," Duffy said simply, wanting her to know he

  was listening.

  "I went someplace I shouldn't have, and I've ruined

  everything."

  Duffy didn't believe that but told himself not to be too

  hasty. "Can you tell me about it?" he asked gently.

  "I suppose I should explain everything, but for right

  now I just need you to know that I've been shot."

  "Where, Libby?" Duffy forced himself to remain calm,

  even as he took in her bloodless lips and glazed eyes with

  new understanding.

  "In the side. I think the, bullet must have ricocheted off

  a rock, but even at that, it bums something fierce. I never

  knew it would hurt like this." Duffy watched in amazement

  as she stood. "I'm going to head home now--I just

  wanted you to know."

  "This way, Libby," Duffy said softly, also having come

  to his feet. Letting the doctor in him completely take over,

  460

  he continued, "I need you to come back here and lie down

  on the table."

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  "I should help Mam with dinner," Liberty said in a

  strange voice, and Duffy knew that shock was setting in.

  She did as she was told, however, and a minute later Duffy

  was pushing aside her jacket and cutting away the bloodstained

  shirt at her left side. He worked to tamp down

  every emotion as he labored over her injury. That this had

  happened to one of his own--his precious Liberty--was

  turning out to be very hard.

  "Oh, Duffy," Liberty gasped as he cleansed the wound.

  The bullet had passed through, but it had made a mess.

  Duf
fy didn't answer her. He was a surgeon at work

  now, having to turn his emotions off almost to the point of

  indifference. He cleansed and stitched, not letting himself

  think about the possible infections that could set in and

  what they could do, and especially not letting himself think

  about who had let this happen, not letting his mind stray

  461

  to the woman he loved above all others or the child within

  her and the way this was going to affect them both.

  Almost an hour passed before the bleeding stopped. It

  was not an effusive wound, but loss of blood from

  someone as petite as Liberty scared him a little. She was

  silent now, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. In all this

  time she hadn't fainted or even closed her eyes. He had

  known she was strong but had not expected her to be able

  to speak so coherently.

  "Are you wrapping it?"

  "Yes."

  "So you're almost done?"

  "Yes."

  "I want to go home and lie in my own bed, Duffy."

  "You shouldn't move. I've got the bleeding stopped,

  but you need to lie still."

  Liberty shook her head. "I want you to help me home.

  I ache with things I haven't told you yet, Duffy. I can't tell

  you how much I need to go home."

  It was the first time he'd heard emotion in her voice,

  462

  and for some reason it scared him more than the wound.

  Every Littk Thing About You 263

  She was crushed about something that brought her more

  pain than a bullet wound. Duffy found himself unable to

  argue with her.

  "Give me a few minutes," he said. 'Til help you, but

  stay put for right now."

  Waiting for her to nod, Duffy went out back to hitch

  Cotton to the buggy. This all set, he slipped around to the

  front, grabbed Morton's reins, and took him to the back. By

  the time he came in the back door, Liberty was rising from

  the table. She stood, her hands leaning on the surface, her

  mouth open as she gasped for air.

  "All right," Duffy said, thinking to save the lecture for

  later. It was probably too late anyway; she most surely had

  started bleeding again.

  With an arm supporting her, he led her to the back

  door. Not until he maneuvered her into the buggy did he

  go back for his bag and to get the lamps.

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  g^ -gr

  The ride home was a complete loss for Liberty, For the

  next several minutes she didn't know where she was or

  what was going on around her. The pain had intensified,

  and when Slater's face moved through her mind, she

  wanted to be sick. She didn't remember the buggy jostling

  her much or even the walk up the steps, but she was suddenly

  in the kitchen, her mother's concerned face coming

  into view.

  "I just want to go to bed, Mam," Liberty said.

  Biting her lip to keep from speaking, Kate moved into

  Zach's view when she saw the blood on her daughter's

  coat.

  "Up you go," Duffy now said, not giving anything

  more than a swift glance at his wife. He would explain it all

  to her, but not until Liberty was in bed and his youngest

  children were out of earshot.

  464

  264 lori wick

  Not surprisingly--with a word to Zach and Laura-- Kate followed her husband and daughter. She told the children to stay in the kitchen and went to help Liberty settle

  in.

  "I want you to know/' Kate said, not looking at anyone

  as she eased Liberty's jacket from her shoulders and started

  on the buttons on her shirt, "that I've spent the entire afternoon

  and evening giving my children to the Lord. I won't

  say that I'm not upset, but I feel that God prepared me for

  this." Kate turned and stared into her husband's eyes. "All

  of this to sdy, I'm all right, and I don't want to be told to go

  lie down."

  m the process of pulling the covers down on the bed,

  Duffy calmly met her gaze but did not comment. He found

  Liberty's nightgown hanging on the back of the door and

  brought it to the end of the bed.

  "Sit down," he commanded his daughter, removing

  her boots after she'd lowered herself onto the mattress. He

  did not slip out of the room as the rest of Liberty's things

  465

  were removed but stayed to recheck her wound, which had

  started to bleed again, and keep track of Kate's reaction

  when she saw that her daughter had actually been shot.

  None of this took an extreme amount of time, and after

  padding the wound some more and laying an extra sheet

  on the bed, Liberty was finally lying with the covers close

  around her.

  "I should spank you," Kate whispered as she sat on the

  edge and held Liberty's hand, her eyes just now filling with

  tears. "Getting yourself shot. Of all things."

  Liberty only looked at her, and for a moment Kate was

  alarmed.

  "Liberty? I didn't mean that."

  "It's all right, Mam," Liberty said as she shut her eyes.

  "Ifsail right."

  Kate looked to Duffy, her^xpression fearful.

  "Sleep now, Lib," Duffy said, having just checked her

  side one more time. "And try to lie still."

  Every Little Thing About You 265

  466

  Liberty nodded against the pillow, and Duffy, with an

  arm around Kate, took her from the room. The lantern was

  still burning, but Duffy left it, knowing he would be back

  to check on her again soon, and probably all through the

  night.

  "We need to go back down, Kate, and tell Zach and

  Laura what's happened. We can't leave them sitting frightened

  in the kitchen."

  Kate could only nod. She had said she was all right but

  found herself shaking and very glad that her husband was

  in charge. They arrived in the kitchen to see Zach getting a

  glass of water for Laura. Kate went to help him. After she'd

  kissed his cheek and thanked him, they sat at the table

  where Laura was watching them with serious eyes.

  "Is Libby sick?" she asked.

  "Yes," Duffy told her.

  "She went to help Griffin today and got hurt," Kate

  filled in. Duffy had not heard the specifics but was not surprised.

  Zach's little face paled. "Is she shot?"

  "Yes, Zach," Duffy said. "And she hurts quite a bit, but

  467

  I think she's going to be fine."

  "Does she need water?" Laura wanted to know. "I

  could give her mine."

  "That's very kind of you, honey, but right now she just

  needs to rest."

  "Where was she shot?" Zach now asked.

  "In the side. The bullet is out, and I think she'll heal

  quickly, but she's going to need lots of rest."

  Their little faces were so sober. Kate could see that they

  were not going to eat another bite.

  "Why don't we go into the living room and read," she

  suggested.

  The children were still nodding solemnly when Duffy

  suggested, "I think we should go up and take a peek at

  Libby. She might be awake, an
d you can tell her you're

  praying for her and love her."

  266 lori wick

  Not for the first time, Kate thanked God for her husband's

  wisdom. The children's faces brightened instantly,

  468

  and they were swift to accompany Duffy upstairs. Kate

  brought up the rear and found herself fighting tears as

  Laura talked with her sister.

  "We're here, Libby. You don't need to be worried anymore.

  Zach and I are here to pray for you."

  Liberty's eyes, which had opened at the sound of their

  coming, now closed, but she smiled and moved her fingers

  in a little wave.

  "I love you, Libby," tenderhearted Zach said, his little

  hand coming up to touch hers.

  "I love you too, Zach. You too, Laura."

  "Okay," Duffy said now. "Why don't you go back

  down with Mam, and I'll join you in just a bit."

  The children left with a final glance at their sister. It was

  so hard to see her in bed. She was always the strong one.

  "Here we go," Kate said, keeping her voice as normal

  as possible.

  As their footsteps receded in the hall and Duffy

  touched her forehead, Libby opened her eyes.

  "Duffy?"

  469

  "I'm right here."

  "I've been so selfish. Please don't let Mam be upset Tell

  her to take it easy. If the baby doesn't make it because of

  me, I'll never forgive myself."

  Duffy was checking Liberty's side for bleeding, which

  seemed to have stopped, and didn't immediately speak.

  "We'll have to get a garment that opens on the side, Lib.

  This long nightgown ends up all bunched under you."

  "Duffy, didn't you hear what I said?"

  "I heard," he said quietly, as he settled the bedcovers

  back in place and a placed a hand on either side of her to

  look directly into her eyes. "But just as I want your mother

  to look after herself right now, I want you to concentrate on

  getting better. You've lost a good deal of blood, and you're

  not going to be jumping out of that bed in the morning."

  Every Little Thing About You 267

  Liberty looked up at him but didn't comment.

  "I'm going to go down now and spend some time with

  the kids and then put them to bed. Sleep if you can and lie

  470

  still. I could give you something."

  Liberty shook her head no.

  "All right."

  Duffy kissed Liberty's brow and slipped from the

  room, this time turning the lantern down a bit on his way

  out. He wanted to sit with her. He wanted to keep an eye

  on how much she moved in her sleep. But he knew that