Every Little Thing About You

306 Pages·2014·11.06 MB·English

by  Wick Lori

everylittle.qxd 11/30/07 11:26 AM Page 1
®
everylittle.qxd 11/20/07 3:49 PM Page 2
Scripture references are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota
This is a work of fiction. Characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s
imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
or to events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
EVERYLITTLETHING ABOUTYOU
Copyright © 1999 Lori Wick
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-2240-1
The Library of Congress has cataloged the edition as follows:
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wick, Lori.
Every little thing about you / Lori Wick.
p. cm. — (Yellow rose trilogy ; 1)
ISBN0-7369-0104-3
I. Title. II. Series: Wick, Lori. Yellow rose trilogy ; 1.
PS3573.I237E9 1999
813'.54—dc21 99-18882
CIP
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quota-
tions in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America.
08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 / BP/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 3
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 4
Acknowledgments
o
o o
What a time it’s been. This book has been with me for liter-
ally years. I was ready to begin writing in 1992, but the Kens-
ington Chronicles came along. They in turn led to other works,
so Texas was shelved for a time. But because of that, the Yellow
Rose Trilogy has taken on better form and dimension, and I think
the books might be better than the first drafts in my mind.
All this to say, I’m so excited to finally put this first book
down on paper. The people I need to acknowledge have patiently
helped me come to this point. Ahuge thank-you goes to:
Phil Caminiti.Your wisdom as we walk through the book of
Mark has been invaluable to me. Thank you for your insight, love
of the Word, and humble desire to be more like Jesus Christ.
Thank you for teaching the student, not the lesson. My world is a
bigger place because of you.
Denise Caminiti. The time in your Bible study has been a joy
and a delight. I love your honest approach and easy agenda.
Thank you for your patience with me and for never failing to
show me love and acceptance. I consider you a friend so dear.
The women from Bible study. If I try to name all of you, I will be
sure to miss someone. Please allow me to thank all of you for your
love and kindness. I learn so much from you and Thursday morn-
ings are a highlight of the week for me.
The elders’wives at BECC.Thank you for what you’ve shared
and taught me. I am privileged beyond measure to know and fel-
lowship with you. Thank you for your hunger and humility and
the way you bring glory to God.
My own precious Bob.You hung in there, Wickie! This book
was put on the back burner so many times, and still you waited
in silence. Thank you for being patient and for cheering the
loudest along the way.
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 5
Did I laugh before you were born?
Not quite so often, I’m sure.
Did I know about a mother’s love before you?
Not by half.
Keep growing, keep trusting,
and never forget that I love you.
For my Tin Man.
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 6
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 7
Prologue
September 1881
Austin, Texas
THEMIDAFTERNOONSUNbeat down unmercifully as the
cowboy, a Texas Ranger, rode into town. Heat waves shim-
mered on the horizon, and the blowing dust caused the
horse’s eyes to squint as Slater Rawlings tethered the dark
roan animal to the hitching post. Other than seeing that the
horse could reach the water trough, Slater gave little heed
to Arrow’s comfort. For weeks the rider had been working
on the courage to tell his boss about his decision, and now
it was time to do the job. It was a relief to arrive at the
Austin office and walk in the door.
ooo
“Why can’t you do both, Slate?” Marty Bracewell asked
one of his best rangers just 15 minutes later. “Why does this
faith thing mean you have to leave?”
“It’s not my faith—just as it is, Brace,” the younger man
tried to explain. “And it’s not the job itself. It’s the travel.
I’m tired of tracking and being out on the trail. I want to
settle in someplace for the winter, possibly longer.” What
Slater Rawlings didn’t try to explain was the need to get to
church on Sundays—the ache inside of him for fellowship.
Brace, whose life was the Rangers, would never have
understood.
7
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 8
8 • LORIWICK
“You’ll be back,” Brace said with confidence, the desk
chair creaking as he leaned back with ease. “It’s in your
blood, just like it’s in Dakota’s. You’ll be back.”
Slater didn’t even reply. He stood, lifting his hat to his
head.
“Take care, Brace.”
“I’ll do that. You do the same. I want you coming back
fit.”
Not only did Slater not reply to this, he didn’t even look
back as he placed his badge on the desk. With a hand to the
doorknob, he quietly let himself out. Just moments later he
was back astride Arrow and headed out of town. With a
thought of how cool the hills would be, he headed west.
everylittle.qxd 9/10/07 9:58 AM Page 9
One
October 1881
Shotgun, Texas
FRIDAYAFTERNOONSWEREnormally quiet. Saturday nights
were a little more rambunctious, but most days and evenings
in Shotgun were peaceful. It was for this reason that Liberty
Drake was surprised to be needed. Being called out of the
sheriff’s office to one of the saloons was the last thing she
expected, but Shotgun had laws about carrying firearms into
the saloons or after sunset, so she had a job to do. She
strapped on her holster and followed Jep, the saloon
owner’s 11-year-old son, down the street. The boy ran, but
Liberty walked, not apathetic, but not certain she needed to
be out of breath when she arrived.
And indeed, things were quiet when she pushed
through the swinging doors of the Brass Spittoon. Jep’s
father, Gordie, nodded his head to a table in the corner. Lib-
erty took in three men. Two were daytime regulars, but the
blond was a stranger. There wasn’t even a drink in front of
him, but Liberty had no choice.
“Excuse me,” Liberty began politely, waiting for the
man to look at her. “I need you to surrender your firearm
to me. Shotgun has outlawed firearms in the saloons and
after dark.”
Slater looked up at the woman beside him. She was
dressed in baggy men’s clothes, which did nothing to hide
her gender, and he could only stare. Was that really a sheriff’s
badge on her vest? His hesitation cost him. With a move so
9