Free Disorder in the House [How the West Was Done 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Karen Mercury

Garrett, who after all had probably finished inspecting the lumber and pissing a long time ago.
    “Hey, Private O’Rourke,” the boor shouted.
    Levi and Liberty stilled, tilting their heads to listen.
    “Is Liberty Hudson here? There’s been a major donnybrook down at the Cactus Club.”
    Levi touched his nose to Liberty’s, and they both giggled guiltily. He eased off her, standing upright and pulling her up by the hand. He was glad of this lunkhead’s intrusion, because he had much more fuss to endure to make himself presentable. Liberty only had to smooth down her skirts, tidy her hair, and remove the lupine blossoms from where they were stuck to her ass.
    Levi couldn’t resist one last bite to the side of Liberty’s neck. “I’m not finished with you,” he whispered, causing her to break into a fresh round of giggles.
    “Meet me at Vancouver House at eight o’clock. I have an idea.” She shoved him away toward the next room and called out, “I’m in here, Zeke!”
    Levi practically stumbled over his own erection, which had only gone down to half-mast. He felt roostered, light-headed, with a happiness he hadn’t felt in years—if ever—saturating his spirit. He navigated into the next room and leaned against the wall. He removed a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket as the lunkhead clomped into the house.
    “Oh, hey, Liberty. Yeah, there’s been a regular husking frolic at the Cactus Club. Harley needs you to come right away to help clean up. Seems that Earl Riser shoved Jack Hammer into the chile pot while it was on the fire. Well, Jack’s coat caught fire, so he ran into the back room to find some water. Only, Rusty Pipes handed him a jug of kerosene instead…”

Chapter Seven
     
    “This is what I wanted you to see.”
    Liberty held her breath as she gestured at the item sitting on her father’s desk. Levi Colter looked sideways at Garrett, questioning. Garrett looked back to his partner, also questioning.
    Finally, Levi asked, “A basket?”
    She knew that would be their response. Of course they’d be puzzled she’d asked them to Vancouver House just to show them an upside-down oval basket with a sharpened stick passed through one end.
    So she explained. “You see, my father was very interested in Spiritualism. I remembered this Oriental item that he always had, and I vaguely recalled it was named fuji in China and had something to do with spirit writing.” She moved to the bookshelf for the crowning glory of the demonstration. “I found that little planchette which was used to spell out words from beyond the grave. That stick would point to a letter. But I couldn’t recall the other part of the equipment.”
    “You told her,” Garrett muttered to Levi.
    Reaching up, she withdrew a wooden board from the middle of a row of books. “So I looked around and found this.” She carried the board to the desk and placed it next to the lamp and planchette. Proudly and reverently, Liberty said, “A talking board.”
    The wooden board was crude, to be sure. A very faded alphabet had been scrawled across its polished surface. “Yes” and “No” were also written in opposite corners, “Good-bye” across the bottom, and the phrase “Carpe Diem” was engraved in the middle.
    “I’ve heard of talking boards,” said Levi. “But I’ve never seen one. Do you know how it works?”
    “Well, that’s the part I can’t recall. My father has gone ahead to the next Hell on Wheels town for business, so I couldn’t ask him. I looked around in his bookshelf but couldn’t find any text that would explain.” She looked up at Garrett’s skeptical face. “I thought this might be a method where you could use your talents, but with the additional participation of the two of us, the spiritual force might be stronger.”
    Garrett tossed Levi a look that could melt ice. Levi held the talking board to examine it, and he gave Garrett an innocent look. “What?”
    Garrett said, “What did you tell