Page 18 of Chasing Liberty

The men’s footsteps could be heard fading on the sidewalk.

“You should have let me have a talk with him,” Wyler said. His anger was showing in his harsh frown.

“He was drunk. I don’t put much stock in what Billy says.” She’d never liked the man. She could fire him tomorrow and behappy, but she lived by the sayingkeep your friends close and your enemies closer.

“Just so we’re clear, I’ll be keeping a close eye on him,” Wyler said as he lifted his head. “He just made a grave mistake.”

“Thank you, but he’s not worth it.” Liberty stared up at him, feeling a familiarzinginside her. He hadn’t been the first hand she’d found herself involved with, but there was something about him that set him apart from the others—something apart from the fact that he was her husband. He was tall, muscular, and had the deepest dimples she’d ever seen, the same ones he now flashed at her along with that infectious smile. Although she liked those things, something else got her every time. Not once had he tripped over himself or pretended to be something he wasn’t simply to gain her attention. She could think of far worse men to be married to—to be having a child with.

“Are they gone?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Wyler made no move to put some space between them and she wasn’t in any hurry to enforce distance.

“I guess the baby news was the last thing you expected when you came out tonight,” she said.

He blew out a heavy breath. “You can say that again. What’s it going to be, Liberty?”

“You’re not leaving me much choice, are you?”

He then stepped back as if the question jerked him back to reality. “Up until this point I’ve played by the rules,yourrules. I won’t force you into anything, but I won’t walk away.”

“You want us to live together as a married couple?”

He grimaced. “Wearea married couple. We’re no longer the hand and the boss’s daughter sneaking around in a hay loft, or in a marriage of convenience to satisfy your father. We’re on an even keel. We’re going to be parents. Money doesn’t make a man or woman a parent. Don’t take this away from me.”

“I’m not cruel, Wyler.”

He blinked. “You can be heartless.”

Her heart flittered. “I don’t want us to be angry with one another. That’s not my intention.”

He planted his hand on the back of his neck. “Is it possible for us to be partners in this?”

“That wasn’t part of the deal, cowboy.”

“No, it wasn’t, but neither was a baby. I want Willow Wild, but I want it to be rightfully mine. Not earned because I signed a marriage certificate. I want to be someone our child can be proud of.” He blew out a ragged breath. “I don’t want anyone being able to say that I kissed ass to get the place.”

She sighed, understanding where he was coming from. All her life she’d heard her father preach about pride in land and working hard to make a place your own. He never took any handouts. Never asked anyone for anything. People respected him and knew of Sagebrush Rose because Sam had made it what it was today. He’d instilled in his daughters the same value of hard work and pride in the land they called home. She guessed that was why he liked Wyler. He could see his strength and ethics.

“I already signed the deed over. The place is yours. Don’t allow people to get under your skin. I’ve had townsfolk smile to my face and talk about me behind my back. The land belongs to you.”

That frown dipped deeper. “You’re a real piece of work, Liberty.” He took off at a jaunt on the sidewalk.

Catching up to him wasn’t the easiest task. But she was determined. “I’m a piece of work for what?”

He finally stopped and faced her. “You must have had some clue how this conversation would go,” he growled the words.

She opened her mouth to respond when she heard a shrieked…

“Liberty Rose!”

She recognized the voice. Kaitlynn Stewart.

“And as if on cue,” Liberty said quietly.

The last person on earth she wanted to run into at this particular juncture would be the bubbly character with the evil personality. As kids, Liberty was always in trouble in church for pulling Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes’ braids. Liberty was made to sit out of the Easter pageant one year because Liberty tripped Kaitlynn and she scraped her knee. Interesting enough that no one saw her picking on Tommy Wolford because he stuttered. Every time Liberty saw the twat, she wanted to punch her because underneath that sparkling smile was a snake waiting to strike. “Hold onto your boots,” she whispered to Wyler just as Kaitlynn stepped onto the sidewalk.

The brunette flounced toward them, her ironed blue dress barely fluttered from all the starch. She walked like she had a broomstick stuck up her bottom.

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