Jake, Devils on Horseback, Book 2 (4 page)

After stepping inside, they weren’t too disappointed because the expectations had been low enough to begin with. Phineas might have considered this a house, but it was a hovel with four walls and a roof, just barely livable. There was evidence of mice and other critters, a few tick mattresses that had seen better days, two lanterns, a battered cookstove, one table but no chairs, and a vase with purple wildflowers in it.

It was the wildflowers that threw Jake for a loop. Someone had come between the time they spoke to Phineas and when they arrived, no more than three hours, and put the flowers there. He doubted Elmer or Phineas would have made the effort. Flowers were the mark of a woman, and his stupid heart hoped it was the one woman who’d completely captured his attention.

Gabrielle
.

Jake hadn’t been able to shake the image of the woman out of his mind. She was no shrinking violet for sure. Gabrielle stood nearly his height, with the darkest eyes he’d ever fallen into. Her hair was dark, thick and long in the braid that swung on her back, with unruly curls escaping the tight plait. His hands itched to feel it, knowing it would be like silk sliding through his fingers. He shifted uncomfortably in his trousers as arousal bubbled deep within his gut. Jake took his eyes off the flowers to try and gain control of his wayward thoughts.

“Well it smells like shit, it looks like shit, I’d say it’s on par with a Yankee prison camp.” Lee laughed without humor. “Maybe Jake can find one of his honeys to clean the place.”

Jake ignored him and opened the door wide to pull in as much fresh air as possible. The smell of ancient piss in the building was enough to make his eyes water. Gideon checked the mattresses while Zeke investigated the shadowy corners. Lee, as usual, stood by and complained. There was going to come a time when someone would take offense at so much negativeness and kick his ass six ways to Sunday. Nate had done it once back in Grayton a few months ago. Jake had watched with grim satisfaction, now he could only stand by and listen. He truly felt bad for his friend for losing an arm, but he’d meant what he told Lee about not using his arm as an excuse.

Life was for the living, for the here and now, not for the past and ghosts. If only Jake could follow through on his own advice instead of sinking down into the black pit of hell his mind had become. Ghosts had become his constant companions, pulling him back from life each time he tried to escape. He ran a shaking hand down his face and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to succumb to his self-made torture chamber. After a few more minutes, he felt in control again, desperate to find something to do besides think.

Jake went to the back of the house and found a small hinged opening six feet off the ground. It wasn’t a window, but it was something. With some effort, a few splinters, and more than a handful of curses, he got the damn thing open. Dust coated his face, went up his nose and all over his clothes. Apparently the previous tenants were too short to reach the small door or they didn’t care for fresh air because that thing hadn’t been opened in decades.

He coughed and waved his hand in front of his face to clear the air. The sweet scent from the meadow behind the building gave him some relief until he noticed the purple wildflowers. Acres and acres of them covered the ground. Jake had a mental image of lying down in those flowers with Gabrielle, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of the blossoms.

Dammit, couldn’t he keep his mind on something other than Gabrielle Rinaldi for more than five minutes? What the hell was wrong with him?

“Sometimes I forget what beauty is.” Gideon’s low voice made Jake jump a foot. His gut clenched so hard, a burst of bile coated the back of his throat. With considerable effort, he managed to swallow the whimper. He hadn’t even heard his friend coming, a very bad thing considering Jake was wanted by the U.S. Army, even if the charges against him were falsified. Gideon looked out on the meadow full of flowers with a wistfulness Jake had never seen from his friend before.

“I know what you mean.” Jake breathed in deeply, pulling some of the innate perfection of the blossoms into himself. “I often wonder if beauty exists beyond the simplicity of nature, ’cause man sure as hell ain’t beautiful.”

After a shared moment of silence, they glanced at each other and smiled. Jake shook his head.

“Pretty soon you’ll be convincing me to spout poetry too.” Gideon snorted and slapped Jake on the back.

Jake waggled his eyebrows. “I can teach you how, you know. Ladies love a poem now and then.”

“That’s all right, I’ll leave that to you.” Gideon held up his hands. “I ain’t good with the ladies, and some bad poetry won’t help.”

“Are you two going to help us get this pigsty clean or not?” Zeke called from the corner. “I’d like to be able to at least sleep here tonight without any mouse shit stuck to me.”

They all chuckled then got to work making the house livable. Jake used the word house with a grain of salt, because it was more a shack than anything, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. After forty-five minutes, and a cloud of dust thick enough to kill a horse, they called a halt to the cleaning.

“We need to get down to Elmer’s and meet all those ladies Jake promised we’d service.” Zeke raised one blond eyebrow. “I don’t think even he can handle twenty-five of them at once.”

Jake burst out laughing. “No, I’ve had three at once, but twenty-five is beyond my limits.”

Lee stared at him, his brown eyes wide. “You’ve had three women at once?”

With a wink, Jake headed for the well pump beside the building. “Ask me another time and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Behind him, he heard Lee ask his brother if Jake had been serious. Whether or not he was ashamed of it, Jake had been telling the truth. He’d indulged in the pleasures of the flesh as often as possible. It was the one thing he was really good at, besides thieving, and it got his mind off what a lousy hand God had dealt to Jake. Practice in sensual pleasures had honed Jake’s skills to an art form. Lee had no idea the kinds of ecstasy he could have with two women or even three. One woman was likely all he could handle until he got a lot more experience. Jake suspected his friend had only been with a woman a couple of times during the war, and absolutely none since he’d lost his arm.

The four of them washed up quickly, although there was still plenty of dirt left on their clothes even after a dunking in the cool well water. It couldn’t be helped and they were late for their meeting with the Tanger ladies. When they arrived back at Cindy’s, the crowd had grown in size. There had to be at least thirty-five if not forty women waiting. They stood around chatting amongst themselves, creating a noise not unlike a beehive.

Jake glanced at his friends and noted identical expressions of grim determination with a smidgen of fear. He swallowed the chuckle that threatened to escape and dismounted.

“Good afternoon, ladies.” He smiled widely. “I’m so glad to meet so many of you.”

Lots of the ladies nodded and murmured a greeting. He saw distrust mixed with hope in their eyes and prayed he and the Devils would be able to help them. One woman in particular, a tall blonde, stared at him with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. She was about forty if he had to hazard a guess, in nice store-bought clothes. He’d do well to figure out who she was.

“We’re going to go inside and we’d appreciate it if you could come see us one at a time. That way we can give each of you a fair shake.” Jake and the Devils stepped inside.

Elmer stood just inside the door with a scowl on his face. “What are you doing, Sheridan?”

“I figured it was a good place for the ladies to speak with us. You are first on the list, Elmer.” He shook the older man’s hand. “We’re going to do our damnedest to find Cindy.”

Elmer nodded with a jerk and walked toward the tables. “You might as well set up here and talk to the ladies. I’m gonna go upstairs.”

With that, he left the Devils alone in his empty restaurant.

“That is one odd man.” Gideon looked out the window. “I guess we’d best get started so we can get finished.” He sounded like a man set to climb the stairs of the gallows.

Jake punched him in the arm. “Relax, Gid. They’re only women.”

* * * * *

An hour later, Jake took back what he’d said to Gideon. The women hunted like a pack of wolves. They didn’t come in the restaurant one at a time, they came in five or six at a time and surrounded them. Jake began to get the feeling they had a plan after the first two groups grilled them about their lives, habits, origins, likes and dislikes, even their mothers’ names.

Almost as if they were being sized up for a specific purpose. Jake knew what it was by the time the third group tumbled in and Gabrielle’s mother was in their midst along with the tall blonde who’d speared him with her gaze earlier.

Jake’s guard went up when Mrs. Rinaldi focused on him.

“Mr. Sheridan, this is Veronica Marchison, she owns the store in town with her husband, Matthew.”

Veronica looked the four of them over with something akin to dislike. “Gentlemen.”

Her stare was just as intense as it had been earlier, leading him to wonder exactly why Mrs. Marchison made his instincts stand at attention. “I’m pleased to meet you, ma’am. What can I do for you?”

Mary leaned in close, her face as cool as the water he’d used to wash with. “The mill has only been working at half capacity for six months. My husband…well he can’t work and we don’t have anyone to fix it.”

“Oh yes, poor Sam.” Veronica sounded anything but sympathetic. “Such a tragedy. I see you men are busy. I just wanted to come by and meet you.” She walked away, leaving a general feeling of unease in her wake.

As Mrs. Marchison left, there was a commotion at the door and a certain dark-haired woman shoved her way past the others. When Gabrielle came into view, this time his smile was genuine.

“Miss Rinaldi.” He gestured to her mother. “Your mother was telling me you need some help at the mill.”

“Gabby, I’m surprised to see you here.” Mrs. Rinaldi didn’t look too happy to see her daughter.

Gabrielle threw her mother a murderous glance. “While it’s true we need someone to help us fix the wheel at the mill, we don’t have any money to pay you.” She leaned in closer and the scent of woman washed over him, pulling him deeper into Gabby’s snare. “My father was hurt earlier this year and we haven’t been able to fix it properly, but we can’t take charity.”

Jake’s heart pinched at the pain in her eyes at the mention of her father. A very primal pulse of possession grabbed hold of him. He wanted,
needed
to help her, no matter what.

Gabby
.

“I’d be happy to help you fix the mill and it won’t cost you anything. I can come by the day after tomorrow in the morning. Does that sound good?” The smile on his face began to hurt.

“Mama, you know we—” Gabby was no match for her mother. She grabbed her daughter by the arm in a grip that made Jake wince.

“That’s perfect, Mr. Sheridan. We’ll see you the day after tomorrow.” Mary ushered Gabby out of the restaurant before she could get another word in. There was obviously some conflict between the Rinaldis that started long before the Devils came to Tanger. Jake’s gaze followed the tall beauty out the door and into the street until he couldn’t see her anymore. Gideon poked him in the side.

“If you’re going to daydream, at least pick a pretty one.” He frowned at the crowd. “And help us get through these women’s requests. I think one of them wanted to take my measurements for a suit.”

Jake shook his head, amazed that Gideon didn’t think Gabby was pretty. If she got any more beautiful, Jake might have to become a lovesick idiot. Her mother, however, didn’t strike him as a particularly nice person.

It took almost two hours to speak to all of the women who’d come to the restaurant. By the time the crowd thinned, the Devils had half a dozen pages of jobs to complete. Phineas better have enough money to pay them for all the work. While Zeke looked over the papers, a lone woman walked into the restaurant as three others were walking out. They stuck their noses in the air and gave her a wide berth.

From the bright blue dress, artfully curled red hair and face paint, Jake knew in an instant she was a soiled dove. At last a woman he could be himself around without worrying about how he looked, sounded or what he said.

“Good day, ma’am.” Jake gestured to the chair in front of him. “Can I help you?”

The other Devils watched as she sashayed across the restaurant. None of them said a word.

“Hey there, Red.” She sat down and the scent of French perfume and woman surrounded Jake. Familiar, comfortable smells that alleviated some of his tension.

“Hey there yourself, pretty lady. My name is Jake, and these are my friends Gideon, Lee and Zeke.” The others nodded as they were introduced. “What can we do for you?”

“Pleased to meet you fellas. My Name is Lucy Michaelson. I, ah, own the saloon in town.” She fiddled with the lace on her cuff. “I heard y’all were helping womenfolk out.”

“Yes, we sure are. Do you need some help, Lucy?” Jake saw deep weariness in her brown eyes. Years of bad choices had a way of wearing a body down. If he had to guess, she couldn’t have been older than twenty-eight, however she looked forty.

“Those da—awful raiders shot up my saloon and took both my girls with them. Sons of bi—guns even took two cases of whiskey.” Her eyebrows went down into an angry V. “That idi—Mayor Wolcott refused to even talk to me about it and that witch Veronica won’t extend me any more credit to buy whiskey through the store. Folks treat me as if my problems ain’t the same as theirs, like I deserved what I got.”

“I understand everyone’s suffered a loss.” Jake had heard the story of prejudice and hard knocks too many times before from fallen women. In the eyes of society, once a woman took that first step toward making a living on her back, there was no return.

“That’s the truth. Sam Rinaldi is one of them. He’s a good man, the best in town.” A smattering of warmth flashed through her eyes. “It’s a da—darn shame what they did to him. All I want is some help getting the saloon fixed up. My bartender ain’t been right since the raiders took Trixie and Elsbeth, not that a seventy-year-old man is ever quite right. I lost most of my business when the war started, but now those raiders have stopped it completely.” She leaned forward and Jake was struck by the desperation in her eyes. “I’m going to run out of money in less than a month. As it is, I’m eating but two meals a day and they’re not too filling.”