Devils on Horseback: Nate (17 page)

“Was he the one who tried to kidnap me too?” Elisa remembered that awful time when she hid in the woods for half a day from the men who’d tried to take her.

“I didn’t know about that. Son of a bitch. I’m sorry that happened, Elisa.” He reached out again and touched her.

Elisa glanced down at the hand on her arm. Slowly she turned her hand until it was palm up, then slid it under his. He closed his hand around hers.

It would take time, but she’d taken her first step toward the rest of her life.

* * * * *

Nate paced outside the room, straining to hear what they were saying. Their voices were too low, though, and he wished for the hundredth time that O’Shea had not thrown him out. He heard a commotion out in the front of the doctor’s office, but ignored it. Elisa was more important.

When she stepped out of the room, he couldn’t tell if she needed him or not. “Are you all right?”

“Yep. We’ve made our peace.” She stepped past him and walked down the hallway.

“Wait, Elisa.”

She turned and he saw a slight trembling in her chin. That was all he needed to know. As natural as rain falling in spring, she went into his arms and fit beneath his chin. He stroked her back without saying a word, giving her the time to compose herself.

“Will you marry me?” He had intended to make a romantic proposal, but sometimes his heart didn’t listen to his brain.

She reared back and looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Is it because my real father is rich?”

It was Nate’s turn to narrow his eyes. “I’ve been living with next to nothing all my life. Why would money be important now?”

“Are you sure?”

Nate knew he’d found where he was supposed to be and the woman he was supposed to love. “Yes, sweet Elisa, I’m sure.”

“Well then, I guess I’ll marry you.” She sounded as if she was agreeing to swallow castor oil.

Nate didn’t care. He hooted and swung her around in a circle.

“Quit it, you’re making me sick.”

He set her back down and kissed her long and hard. When he finally released her lips, he grinned. “I love you, Elisa whatever-your-name-is.”

She finally cracked a smile. “I love you too, Frenchie.”

The commotion in the front of the office grew louder. Gideon was shouting. Nate grabbed Elisa’s hand and ran toward the melee.

The scene that greeted them made Nate’s entire body clench. Captain Nessman stood nose to nose with Gideon. Four blue coats were positioned near the door. Behind Gideon, Jake lay on a cot, his head swathed in bandages.

“You are not taking him, Captain. He has done nothing wrong and I refuse to allow you to take him into custody.” Gideon rarely shouted, but now he was as loud as a brass band.

“Oh yes you will. Jacob Sheridan is my prisoner now. The judge granted me permission to bring him to Houston.” The Yankee bastard held up a folded piece of paper.

“He was shot and beaten today. He’s in no shape to go anywhere,” the doctor interjected. “I don’t care what that paper says.”

God bless Doctor Fredericks.

“These men are here to assist me if you resist.” Captain Nessman gestured at the soldiers, who looked entertained by the entire exchange.

“Captain Nessman,” Nate said crisply as he stepped forward. “I’d like to see the judge’s orders if I may.”

Nessman held onto the paper as if his life depended on it. “You may not.”

“Then you have no call to be here. If that’s a paper issued by a judge in the state of Texas, then I have every right to look at it.” Nate held out his hand, anger pulsing through him.

How dare the self-righteous son of a bitch continue to hound Jake over a fake charge of robbing a small general store? The entire thing was ridiculous.

Captain Nessman glared at the doctor. “You are to notify me when the prisoner is ready to be transported.” He pointed at Gideon. “You will hand him over to me at that time.”

“Like hell I will,” Gideon snarled.

Nate stepped between them before blows were struck. The last thing they needed was Gideon in jail.

“Captain Nessman, the point of taking him into custody is moot. He’s not fit to go anywhere but between the sheets until he heals.” Nate gestured to the door. “He’s not going to get better with all the shouting and hollering going on in here.”

Nessman looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. With a brisk nod to the doctor, he stomped out, followed by a blue trail of snickering privates.

“We need to get him out of here tonight.” Gideon looked at his friends in turn. “I can’t let that bastard take him.”

“He won’t. I promise you that.” Zeke touched Jake’s shoulder.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said he couldn’t be moved,” Doctor Fredericks threw in. “You’re going to have to wait at least one day before he can go anywhere.”

“Then we leave tomorrow at dusk.” Gideon glanced at Nate, then at Elisa, a question in his eyes.

Nate turned and held his hand out to Elisa. She stepped forward and planted her hand in his.

“I’m not sure I can leave with you. Elisa has agreed to marry me.”

The words dropped like stones in a still pond. Expressions ranged from surprised, to pleased, to shocked.

Gideon nodded. “I had a feeling. You fixing on staying here with her and the boy?”

Nate looked down at Elisa, the woman who held his future in her hands. “There’s a whole lot unsettled right now, and I can’t leave her. But, I can’t imagine being without the four of you.”

His eyes stung with tears at the thought of not being with the Devils anymore. Not a morning had gone by in four years that they weren’t together. It would be like losing his family.

“Well at least I won’t have to listen to the creak from the starch in his drawers anymore,” Lee drawled, a smirk on his face.

“And I won’t have to listen to you complain,” Nate countered.

Zeke, Lee and the doctor stepped forward to congratulate them. Gideon stayed where he was, staring at Nate. This would be the hardest part, saying goodbye to his best friend, his confidant, his brother.

He walked over to Gideon alone and held out his hand. Gideon glanced at his hand and pulled Nate into a hug instead.

“We’ll be back as soon as we can shake Nessman.” Gideon cleared his throat and wiped his right eye with his thumb. “I’m glad you found her. She’s, ah, just what you needed.”

“Thanks, Gid. I’ll be working on the legal side of getting Jake’s name cleared from here. I know O’Shea will help.” Nate’s throat was coated with unshed tears that fell down into his soul. “I’ll miss you.”

Gideon’s blue gaze grew suspiciously moist. “I’ll miss you too.”

They hugged again.

“Well, geez, Elisa, you may have to pry them apart with a stick,” Jake’s raspy voice interrupted.

Everyone laughed and Nate knew all would be well with his friends. He’d make a life with Elisa and keep his friends in his heart.

The next day, the Devils were packed to leave before the sun set. Nate bade them all goodbye and hugged each of them, even Lee, who made the grand gesture of hugging him back. O’Shea had given them five hundred dollars. It was enough to keep the four of them alive for a while.

Elisa stood behind them quietly, lending her support by simply being there. She could see Nate struggling to say goodbye. Her heart pinched for him, but it also rejoiced because she had a man who loved her, who was willing to do what he needed to stay with her.

The redhead Jake appeared at her side, his freckles standing out on the pale skin. “He’s a good man.” Although he was still swathed in bandages, he was ready to leave with his friends.

Elisa nodded. “I think so too.”

“Please don’t hurt him. Nate has always been a good friend and a better brother.” Jake’s blue eyes were serious, a condition she suspected didn’t happen often.

“I promise, I’ll never hurt him. At least on purpose.”

Jake pulled her into a quick hug. “Nate’s a lucky man.”

Elisa couldn’t contain her surprise. “You’re the charmer, aren’t you?”

“Guilty.” He winked. “And no more shooting at him, all right? We’d like him in one piece.”

“I swear, no more shooting at him.” She laughed, a bright spot in a day of ghosts and shadows.

Jake kissed her cheek then joined his friends, the hat hiding the bandage on his forehead. Just like that the four of them disappeared into the fading light of dusk.

* * * * *

Nate’s heart felt heavy as he watched them ride away. He turned to find Elisa on the sidewalk, waiting patiently. He put his arms around her, pulling her close and breathing in her scent.

“I’m going to miss them.”

“They’ll miss you too.” She lightly scratched at his back. “I suspect they’ll be back sooner than you think.”

“Let’s go home.” Nate pulled back and stared into her eyes. “Unless you want to stop at the preacher’s house and get hitched.”

Elisa’s eyes widened. “Today?”

“Why not, you have something else to do?” The more he thought about it, the better the idea sounded. “Today is a day of new beginnings. Let’s start again. Together.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Does that mean we get a wedding night?”

Nate laughed and swung her around in a circle. “Every night for the rest of our lives.”

As he held her close, Nate realized that he might have stumbled upon Grayton a poor, desperate man. Now he had riches beyond his wildest imaginings and a woman who lived in his heart.

Life began again in a tiny town in Texas for the first Devil from Georgia.

About the Author

Beth Williamson, who also writes as Emma Lang, is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of both historical and contemporary romances. Her books range from sensual to scorching hot. She is a Career Achievement Award Nominee in Erotic Romance by Romantic Times Magazine, in both
2009
and
2010
, and a semi-finalist in the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest.

Beth has always been a dreamer, never able to escape her imagination. It led her to the craft of writing romance novels, fueled by Reese’s and tenacious pursuit of the perfect story. She’s passionate about purple, books, and her family. She has a weakness for shoes and purses as well as bookstores.

Life might be chaotic, as life usually is, but Beth always keeps a smile on her face, a song in her heart, and a cowboy on her mind. ;)

Website:
www.bethwilliamson.com

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/bethwilliamson

Twitter:
twitter.com/authorbethw

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Look for these titles by Beth Williamson

Now Available:

Marielle’s Marshal

Branded

Endless Heart
(as Emma Lang)

The Malloy Family

The Bounty

The Prize

The Reward

The Treasure

The Gift

The Tribute

The Legacy

Hell for Leather

The Present

The Fortune

The Prospect

The Jewel

The Gem

Devils on Horseback

Nate

Jake

Zeke

Lee

Gideon

Private Lives

On His Knees

Coming Soon:

Devils on Horseback: Generations

Adam

Jesse

Clint

Elias

Spencer

Devils on Horseback: Millennium

Her Bucking Bronc

His Prairie Blossom

Her Dark Cowboy

His Dream Spirit

Don’t miss these other titles by Beth Williamson

Coming December 2015

Sometimes the universe has to turn your life sideways so love can find its way in.

Devils on Horseback: Generations
, Book 1

As the oldest of five, Adam Sheridan’s life is full of obligations. He longs to do something,
anything
, besides working his family’s flour mill in Tanger, Texas. His mama always says the universe moves in its own sweet time.

Apparently the universe was waiting for his wagon load of flour to overturn so he could meet the woman he was destined to love.

Eve Tate is a woman from nowhere with a shady past and an uncertain future. When she is left behind in Adam’s care, she reinvents herself again to be his perfect mate. Little does she know who she was will haunt who she tries to be.

And, just like the couples of old, Adam and Eve must find a way to live together—or lose everything they have.

Warning: Contains a redheaded man with a Texas-wide stubborn streak, and a chameleon-like woman with a heart that needs attention and a soul that needs redeeming. Foolishness, canoodling and deep abiding love result.

Rereleased December 2015

Haunted by war, a thief finds salvation in the arms of an angel.

Devils on Horseback
, Book 2

On the surface, Jake Sheridan is an easygoing man whose problems roll off him like water off a duck’s back. Truth is, Jake holds so many past demons inside him, he daren’t let them out for fear he’ll never get them all back in.

He and the Devils are hired to help rebuild a town ransacked by marauders. Everywhere they turn, they encounter secrets—enough secrets to turn the town to dust if they don’t uncover the truth.

Only one person in town isn’t glad to see them: Gabrielle Rinaldi, the miller’s daughter. A strong and independent woman who is used to being disrespected for speaking her mind, she makes no secret that she doesn’t believe hired guns are the answer to the town’s woes. Yet she finds herself drawn to the enigmatic and charming Jake.

In spite of himself, Jake falls hard and fast for Gabby. But she’s wary of handing her heart to a man who lives by his guns.

When tragedy strikes, Jake and Gabby must fight to find a way to save the town—and their hearts.

Warning: Get ready for a silver-tongued, red-haired Devil to meet his match in a miller’s daughter who will turn him upside down and sideways.