Adam, Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1 (13 page)

“I’m scared.” Her voice was muffled.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m with you.”

“All right.” She squeezed him hard enough to surprise him. “If they tell me to leave, you have only yourself to blame.”

He released her then walked hand in hand to his father’s room. Pa was awake and Mama was changing the bandage on his shoulder. She smiled at them.

“Long day yesterday for you two? I didn’t see you at breakfast.”

Eve blushed, the pink stain in her cheeks surprising, given how much she’d endured in her life. She could still be embarrassed. Yes, she was the woman he thought her to be.

“We have something to tell you.” Adam squeezed Eve’s hand.

She let out a shaky breath and started speaking. Half an hour later, his mother had wept into her handkerchief for Eve and his father’s expression had turned to one of fury.

“This man Wade is in Tanger right now?” Pa’s voice had dropped to a harsh whisper. “Is he scrawny with pale skin and dark hair?”

“That’s him.” The memory of his sneer made Adam want to punch something.

“I watched him going up toward the church yesterday when I was peering out the window. Wondered if the preacher finally got a live one to save.” Pa’s frown deepened. “You need to find out what he wants and what he’s doing here.”

“Yes. I’ve got Jesse and Spencer working on information. Clint is watching him. We’re gonna find a way to get rid of him. For good.” Adam sat in the chair in the corner and pulled Eve onto his lap. She resisted at first but then sank into his hold. The emotional toll of telling her story twice in less than a day had exhausted her.

“You need to tell Zeke. He’ll want to know.” Pa looked at Mama. “She stays with you if she’s not with Adam. I’ll not leave her unprotected.”

Adam knew he’d been right. His parents treated her as if she was part of their family, which she now was. He squeezed her waist as she sniffed.

“We need to keep an eye on Rose and Bella too. They need to stick close to the house.” After Pa spoke again, Eve stiffened. “Don’t you begin to think any of this is your fault, young lady. You did what you had to do. Let us do what we need to do too.”

“Thank you.” She trembled in Adam’s arms. “I don’t know what else to say.”

Mama got to her feet and pulled Eve up too. “You’re a Sheridan now, honey. We protect our own.”

Eve’s gaze met his as his mother hugged the stuffing out of her. He smiled and blinked away the sudden stinging in his eyes. They saw what he did. She was a victim of circumstance, a fighter, a survivor.

She was also his wife. For now and for always.

“Go talk to your men; then come back. I won’t make you tell Zeke, but I think you’ll regret it if you don’t.” His father always let his children make their own mistakes. He didn’t tell them what to do, but he sure liked to strongly suggest.

No matter what, they would keep Eve safe. Adam wanted to start his marriage in truth. They couldn’t do that until the last specter of Eve’s past was vanquished.

It was time to get rid of Wade.

C
hapter Twelve

A
dam left Eve at the house with his mother and went in search of his cousins. The day was nearly half over when he walked through Tanger. The sun was high in the sky, the heat of early summer hanging in the air. The streets were busy with people, wagons and horses. A few dogs barked somewhere and two people argued in raised voices.

Jesse and Tabitha were staying with Uncle Zeke. If Adam was lucky, he’d find them there and not his uncle. No matter what Pa had said, Adam wasn’t ready to involve the fierce lawman in this business. He was afraid Eve’s past crimes might come back to haunt or harm her.

He knocked on the door to the large white house and waited until the door opened. Jesse flung the door open and gestured for Adam to enter.

“Where the hell have you been? It’s been an entire day since you borrowed my horse. I know you brought him back to the stable, but you didn’t come by this morning. Jesus, I was worried.” Jesse wasn’t one to be angry, but he was definitely frustrated. “We’ve got a problem.”

Adam entered the house quickly, to find Tabitha prowling the dining room. She had a matching frown for him. “It’s about time. We were about to go searching for you.”

“I had some things to take care of. I’m back now and I’ve got to be at the mill in an hour. I’ve got a delivery coming in.” Adam knew he was straddling the line between Eve and taking care of his family’s business. “Before you tell me anything, Pa said he saw Wade going toward the church last night. Odd move for a man like that. Now tell me what you’ve found.”

“Wade isn’t his real name. I sent a few telegrams to some folks I know in Austin at the courthouse and found his real name is Eugene Dolan. He was released from prison a month ago and found his way here.” Jesse opened up a journal full of his neat handwritten notes. “He was convicted of robbery and served almost five years. He made no friends in prison and was a regular at the infirmary.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. He’s something of a bottom dweller.” Adam sat across from his cousin.

“He sent two telegrams this morning. I managed to find out to who but not what the telegram said. The telegram operator takes his job seriously. If I pushed him any further, he was going to talk to Zeke.” Jesse shook his head. “Until you tell me different, I’m keeping him out of this.”

“Thank you.” Adam was more concerned about whom Wade was talking to. “Who did the telegrams go to?”

“One went to a Michael Gonzalez. The other to an Alexander Smith in Galveston. Gonzalez is a rancher outside Austin. The other man doesn’t exist and the telegram is still sitting at the office.” Jesse turned the page. “Dolan has been holed up at the hotel, other than going to send the telegrams and paying a visit to the Ruby Slipper.”

Adam wasn’t surprised to find the man had gone to the whorehouse. Wade struck him as a man who would never have a woman stay with him unless she was forced to or paid to.

“What about Gonzalez?” Adam knew, whoever he was, the man was bad news for Eve.

“He owns a good-size outfit, runs about ten thousand head. Been in his family since the Republic. Good man, by all counts.” Jesse closed the book. “Spencer came by last night, but he wouldn’t tell me what he knew.”

From Jesse’s expression, he was not happy about Spencer’s reticence to speak. Adam could only surmise the information was not good. Since it was Monday, Spencer was at the ranch he worked at.

“He said he’d come by tonight, but he was none too happy to find you missing.” Jesse looked at Tabitha. “It appears your wife spent some time with my sister and now she’s not talking either.”

Adam glanced at Tabitha in surprise. “Did she tell you anything?”

“She’s my friend, so I’ll keep her confidence. But I would like first shot at that son of a bitch who is haunting her.” Tabitha touched the butt of her gun. “Men who use women need to be taught a lesson.”

“Pity the man who finally marries you.” Jesse quirked one brow.

“Shut up.” Tabitha punched her brother in the arm. “I’m going to see Eve.” She left the room with her head held high. She was a strong woman who never shied away from voicing her opinion, very much like her mother in that regard.

“How is it living with two women like that? I don’t know what I’d do if Rose decided to wear britches and carry a pistol.” As much as Adam respected his cousin, she was an unusual female.

Jesse snorted. “You know that’s why I don’t live at the ranch anymore. I stay in town most nights, in my own place.”

“Smart man.” Adam was grateful for his family, no more so than now. “Thank you for doing this.”

“I’d do anything for you.” Jesse smiled.

“Good. I want you to do something for me, but you can’t tell anyone.” Adam’s idea had blossomed when he left his wife at home. She wouldn’t have to know it was him, but he wanted this for her. Eve needed to feel safe and he would do what he could to help her.

* * * * *

Eve dumped the bucket of dirty water outside and wiped her forehead on her sleeve. The last two days had been full of tension, full of sweet moments with Adam and full of hard work. She wanted to show her new family how grateful she was for their support and protection.

She scrubbed every window and floor in the house until they shone in the sun. Mrs. Sheridan kept telling her it wasn’t necessary, but Eve had much to pay them back for. The family had rallied around her, protected her and kept her secrets from all others.

She spotted Adam behind the mill, checking the waterwheel. With a smile, she walked toward him, eager to kiss her husband. It had been nearly a week since the wedding and she’d become accustomed to sharing her life with him. That fact alone surprised her. She had been alone for so long she’d expected she would always be that way.

“Enjoying married life?” Wade’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She knew if she screamed, Adam wouldn’t hear her above the river. Wade might try to hurt Adam or one of her sisters-in-law. Or, God forbid, her father-in-law still recovering in his bed.

“What do you want?” She refused to look at him, although she knew he hovered somewhere near the trees at the edge of the river.

“Oh, cara mia, you know what I want. Your mouth on me, for starters. I miss it.” He chuckled at his disgusting humor. “What I really want is to skin you alive for sending me to prison.”

Her heart pounded in fear. “I didn’t send you to prison. A court did.” She edged closer to the house.

“You can run, but you can’t hide. I know where you live.” His voice slid down her skin like a snake coiling around her, tightening its grip.

“He’ll kill you.”

“He can try.”

“Why? Why can’t you just leave me be?” She stomped her foot in frustration, her hands fisted. “I never asked to be part of your schemes. You took me hostage; you drugged me and whored me. I hate you for everything you did.” Tears clogged her voice, but she wouldn’t let them fall. He didn’t deserve a single one.

“Too bad. We don’t always get what we want.” Wade tut-tutted at her. “You owe me.”

“I owe you nothing but a knife in the heart. I’ve got a nice sharp one to use for the job.” She ground her teeth together in fury. For the first time she wasn’t afraid of him. She was angrier than she had been in her life. “Leave Tanger and never come back.”

“Not yet, cara mia. Not yet.”

She waited for him to come forward, to taunt her more, but when she turned to look, he was nowhere to be seen. Her heart beat even harder for the unknown. He could appear and disappear at will. He was right—he did know where she lived. Eve needed to find a way to get rid of him for good, but how? She had no money and only a few things to her name.

For the first time in her life, she would need to rely on someone. And she knew just who.

Adam and his family.

She had always been alone, relying on her wits and charm to get her what she needed. Turning to someone else was foreign to her, but in her heart she knew it was the right thing to do. Eve had to tell Adam what happened.

* * * * *

Eve walked into her room to gather her things. Until now she hadn’t moved into Adam’s bedroom and she decided it was time. He would no doubt approve.

The small collection of beautiful stones lay on the window, still winking in the moonlight that came through the glass. He’d given her little pieces of himself and it charmed her. She picked up the black one and wondered if he knew how dark her soul was and if he knew what he was getting into by keeping her as his wife.

A soft knock interrupted her musings. She set the small rock down and went to the door. “Who is it?”

“Adam.” He kept his voice at a whisper.

Her heart galloped into motion. She opened the door and peered out at him. “Is everything all right?”

“No, it’s not.” He held out his hand. “My wife is missing. I was hoping she’d join me in bed tonight.”

“I was thinking the same thing.” She almost blushed at the sentiment. “Mr. Sheridan, you are forward.”

“Only because I want her by my side when I go to sleep and when I wake up. Not only when I sit in a rocking chair or eat my meals.” He pulled her closer. “I need you. Please stop living in this room and move in with me.”

His warm breath tickled the skin on her neck as he leaned over to kiss her ear. The day’s growth of whiskers gently scratched at her cheek.

“What do you say, Eve?”

She closed her eyes and reveled in the chills marching up and down her spine. Her nipples pebbled beneath her blouse.

How could she say no to that? Why would she, since she’d already decided the same thing? But the memory of Wade intruded and she sighed against his neck.

“Before we do that, I need to tell you something.”

He stiffened. “What’s wrong?”

“Wade came by the mill today and made threats. I know you—”

“Stop right there. I don’t want to talk about that piece of shit right now. We’re watching him and making plans to rid Tanger of his presence.” He pulled her closer. “Right now I want to move you into my room and enjoy being married.”

Relief washed through her at her confession and his response. She hadn’t realized how freeing it was to trust someone.

“What took you so long?” She wrapped her arms around him and had to bite her lip not to squeal as he swept her up. He carried her down the hallway and into his room. She’d been in there before, of course, but now it was an invitation to join him for good.

He set her on her feet and then turned to close, and lock, the door. She glanced around, seeing his things through new eyes. He had a collection of rocks on his windowsill too. She smiled at the sight.

“What’s your favorite color?” He sat on the bed and pulled her into the vee of his legs.

“Green. I love the color of the new leaves in spring and thick grass beneath my feet.” She sighed as he nibbled on the flesh of her breasts through the shirt. “That’s one reason I love the mill. Everything behind it by the river is so rich and green.”

“I don’t want to talk about the mill.” He suckled on a nipple through the fabric. She stifled a moan as a shaft of desire went straight down her body to her pussy. It pulsed in response.

“What’s your favorite color?” she managed to get out though her voice was breathy.

“Blue. Like your eyes.” He tugged on her skirt. “Like this garment I want off your body.”

“Take it off,” she challenged him.

He used both of his large hands to slowly slide her skirt and drawers down her hips. He kissed every inch of skin he exposed, until he reached the core between her legs. At that, he licked. One long stroke and her knees wobbled.

Mercy.

“You taste good, sweetheart.” He made quick work of discarding the rest of her clothes. She stood in front of him, totally naked while he was totally clothed.

It should annoy her, but it didn’t. Instead it excited her. She reveled in the scrub of his clothing against her bare skin, the rub of his calloused fingers on the most tender skin between her legs. He lapped at her every few seconds, sending her arousal through the roof.

“I don’t think I can stand much longer.” She pulsed with every beat of her heart. His thumped against her leg, steady and strong.

He scooped her into his arms and laid her on the bed with a gentleness she’d not expect for a man as large as he. His gaze swept her from head to toe, lingering on her breasts and pussy.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

She reached for him. “Funny, I thought the same thing when I saw you with your shirt off.”

He chuffed a laugh. “I am the farthest thing from beautiful.”

“Then take off your shirt and let me see you.” She wanted him to do something. Anything. “Don’t leave me here all heated up.”

He whipped off his clothes in record time, then joined her on the bed. Eve took her time caressing him, her fingers tangling in the hairs on his chest. By the time she reached his straining cock, they were both breathing hard. She cupped him and squeezed. He groaned and pressed his forehead to hers.

“More.”

His fingers dipped into her pussy and stroked her nubbin in time with her stroke on his staff. She closed her eyes when he latched on to a nipple and bit down.

His name burst from her lips. “Adam!”

He climbed over her and guided his cock to her center. As he pressed into her, inch by delicious inch, he met her gaze. She saw the pleasure spread across his face; his pupils darkened, and he let out a shuddering breath.

“Yes.”
She grabbed his back and pushed against him. “Please.”

He thrust into her, rubbing and tickling, then out and in again. She squeezed him with her inner muscles. He went deeper still, touching her womb. She shivered at the sensation.

“More.”

Faster, faster still. He found her nipple again as he moved. The man was talented in more ways than one. Her pleasure wound tighter and tighter, coiling inside her as she pushed against him and he thrust into her.

“Now, now, now,” he chanted.

She let herself go, flying through the air as she reached her peak, an explosion of color and light. She spread her wings and found a place where she belonged. In his arms, together as one.