Devils on Horseback: Gideon, Book 5 Read online

  “Five dollars.”

  It was a small fortune for just examining Chloe, but Gideon wasn’t going to argue. He handed the man payment and rose to his feet. Exhaustion made him lose his balance, and he grabbed onto the doorjamb for support.

  “I’m going to find the hotel then be back for my wife.” He pointed at the cash in the older man’s hands. “That should buy me at least another half an hour in your exam room while I find a place for her to rest.”

  The doctor nodded tightly then walked toward the door. “Hotel’s down past the bank. Big two-story building.”

  With that Gideon left the doctor’s house, sucking in fresh air like a tonic to cure his ails. He jumped up on Thunder and made his way down the street to the hotel. Some folks said hello, others nodded at him. Westville reminded him a bit of how Tanger was now, and a wave of homesickness hit him hard, snatching his breath.

  He could scarcely believe it had less than a week since he’d left and already it felt like years. Once he returned, he wouldn’t venture far again. He’d wasted time searching for where he belonged and what he was supposed to be doing with his life, and it was right there in front of him.

  Now at the edge of nowhere with the bad men a fair piece ahead and a stubborn woman at his side, what he most wanted was to go home. To Tanger. He knew where he belonged now.

  * * * * *

  Chloe handed the doctor the empty glass of whatever concoction she’d just swallowed. “Where is my husband?” She frowned at the doctor, her brain a little muddled.

  “I told you he was going to the hotel.”

  “Without me? Why would he do that?” She couldn’t believe Gideon had left her there with the strange old man who smelled like horses. She hadn’t been separated from Gideon since they started on their perilous journey.

  “All I know is he paid me five dollars and said he would be back after he got the hotel room.” The doctor stared at her without blinking.

  Five dollars? Gideon paid this man five dollars to take care of her? What had he been thinking? The doctor hadn’t done anything worth one dollar much less five. She thought Westville was a good place, but there was one bad apple in the barrel, that was for sure.

  “How about you bring me to where he is?”

  “I don’t provide that kind of service to my patients. You’ll have to wait until he returns.” With that, the silver-haired man left. He gave her the shivers, and she was glad to see his back end leave the room.

  She sat there, breathing hard, her leg still throbbing, and got madder as time ticked by. Didn’t Gideon think he should tell her where he was going? He owed her the common courtesy to let her know when he was going to strand her at the creepy man’s house. She didn’t even have her gun or knife. Gideon had stripped it off her when they arrived and left her helpless.

  She didn’t like it one bit.

  As soon as she heard his familiar tread in the hallway, her fear began to fade, and her annoyance intensified. He poked his head in and she started on him before he even had a chance to get in the room.

  “How dare you leave me here, Gid?” Instead of roaring at him, her words came out soft, ending on a pitiful note that made her cringe.

  “Ah, honey, I didn’t leave you.” He scooped her up and walked out of the doctor’s house. “I was just looking for a place to rest our heads tonight.”

  She wanted to be angry but found she was more hurt instead. Of course that just made her angry all over again. It was a tug-of-war with her emotions, and she lost no matter what happened. Gideon had turned her into a simpering idiot.

  He slipped her up onto the saddle, then mounted behind her. His strong arms surrounded her as the gentle rocking of the horse soothed her. It was comfortable, familiar, perfect. She could get used to being there easily. She belonged with him, feeling his heart beat and his warm breath on her neck. What had the doctor given her? She was a little light-headed and definitely sleepy.

  “The doctor made me drink something.” She could hardly understand herself.

  “Probably laudanum for the pain and to relax you. Don’t worry, Chloe, I won’t let anything happen to you.” His voice sounded far away.

  “I’m mad at you.” She tried to focus on his face, but it was so hard she closed her eyes instead.

  “I know you are.”

  The horse stopped, and she nearly fell out of the saddle. He gripped her tightly.

  “Now I’ve got to get you down without breaking your leg or my head.”

  Chloe kept breathing in his scent, the familiarity making her feel safe. She opened her eyes long enough to see him contorting himself into an awkward position with one foot on the ground, the other half on the saddle. It would have been funny if she could laugh, but her mouth didn’t work right.

  He must’ve found his balance, because soon she was in his arms again as he carried her up a flight of stairs. Flowery wallpaper followed her up.

  “Di’ I fall ashleep?” Chloe’s tongue had decided not to work either.

  “Yes, you did. Just sleep, honey, I’ve got you.”

  The feeling of warmth, safety and love washed over her as she snuggled into the soft bed beneath her. Even her leg didn’t hurt anymore. Best of all, she could still smell Gideon and knew he was there, just as he’d promised.

  After taking care of the horse and grabbing their gear, he went back to the room to find Chloe fast asleep. He had no idea how much laudanum the doctor had given her, but it was enough to knock her on her ass. Gideon stared down at her as she slept like an angel. It apparently took a dose of a heavy drug to make her sleep that way, but they both needed the rest. Being with her put him on edge, or maybe it was his own reaction to her. The last few days had felt like a year with all the shenanigans and almost unbelievable happenings.

  He sat on the chair in the corner, and the wood complained about his weight. There was no way he was going to able to sleep on it, which meant either the floor or the bed. His obvious choice was the bed, but that meant being in close proximity to Chloe all night. That might hinder his ability to sleep at all. However, he couldn’t stay in the chair.

  He crept over to the bed, then climbed in beside her on top of the blanket. As she snored softly, he watched her sleep. There was less than ten years between their ages, but he felt much older, more bitter about life. Chloe was full of righteousness and didn’t ever stop to think about what she was doing, only that she knew it was the right choice.

  Is that what he’d been missing? The hunger for life, for doing what was right and for living life rather than existing? He had been guilty of hanging on to the past, for not following the path laid out in front of him. He was afraid of the unknown, of becoming the man he could be. As a spoiled boy and young man, he’d done nothing of consequence. As an army captain, he’d led his men and survived the war with them. As just a man with nothing but his friends, he had struggled against himself. It almost seemed pitiful to think about it now.

  The past was past, and his stubbornness kept him from moving on. It took a stubborn, outspoken, alluring, curly-haired loco woman to drag him from the ditch he’d been hiding in. He brushed the hair back from her face, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  As he lay down beside her, he had the sudden realization it was the first time in his life he was going to sleep all night in bed with a woman.

  * * * * *

  The sun streamed through the windows, filling the room with bright light. Chloe felt like someone had stuck a wet sock in her mouth. She tried to swallow but couldn’t muster up enough spit to do it. A heavy weight lay across her waist, and someone snored in her ear. It took her a few more seconds to recognize Gideon.

  She was in a bed. With Gideon. In a strange room.

  What the hell had happened?

  She searched her memory and found a smattering of images from the day before. The horse, her leg, a grum
py doctor, then nothing. She didn’t even remember the room, much less agreeing to sleep in a bed with him. Not much different than a bedroll, but it was a bed. That was what a husband and wife did, not two strangers who happened to collide in the middle of nowhere, their fates entwined by cruel reality.

  The doctor had given her some kind of medicine to make her sleep. She didn’t usually cotton to taking anything, but she’d been in too much pain to protest at the time. It was a damn dirty trick he’d played on her, and she had a feeling she knew who was behind it.

  “Get off me, Blackwood.” She pushed at his arm, surprised by how heavy he was when he was dead asleep. “I said, get off me!” This time she shouted at him, her voice echoing in the room, bouncing off the bright white walls.

  He was up in an instant, gun in hand, shirt off. She stared at the wide expanse of chest, the whorls of hair around his flat nipples that led down his stomach to his manly parts. A pink scar stood out on his side, a new one, judging by the look of it. Other scars peppered his skin here and there, but they were years old and whitened by age. Holy God, the man’s beauty made her entire body clench. If she wasn’t so mad at him, she’d ask him to bed her.

  “You tricked me.”

  He set the gun down gently onto the chair in the corner. “I did no such thing.”

  “You gave me something to make me sleep.”

  “No, the doctor did. I just carried you here.” He ran his hand down his face. “Jesus, woman, you sure know how to wake up a man.”

  She looked at his trousers, and Lord have mercy, his cock was clearly hard as it strained against the fabric. Her body heated, growing wet with need. She tried to shove away the arousal, but it was insistent and powerful. Her frustration overwhelmed her, and her temper let loose.

  “I can’t believe I let myself do this. Granny should have stopped me.” She shook her finger at him. “You were not the man to give myself to for my first time! You’re a devil of a man, and I regret the day I crawled into the wagon.”

  “What?” His brows slammed together. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me. I shouldn’t have done what I did. It’s only caused me trouble and strife since I lay with a man, with you! I could have gone to my grave without knowing how it changed a person to be with a man.” She pointed at his crotch. “That truly is a one-eyed snake, and I wish I’d never known what pleasure it brings.” Chloe stood with some difficulty, her knee screaming in protest. She faced him with her hands on her hips, wearing only her brand-new chemise and a hefty scowl. “I can’t even look at you without wanting to tussle in the sheets with you.”

  In seconds, his expression changed from shock to sizzling anger. She realized too late what she had blurted out. Damn sure couldn’t shove the words back into her fool mouth. Oh boy, she had stepped in a pile of horse shit for sure.

  “What was that you just told me?” He stepped toward her, and she took a step back. “Did you just tell me your grandmother knew you bedded me?”

  His voice made her ears hurt, so she clapped her hands over them.

  “Oh no, you will hear what I have to say.”

  “The folks at the mercantile can hear what you have to say.” She looked around for an escape but found none. He blocked the door with his bulk.

  “Not funny, Chloe. Not funny in the least.” He loomed over her. “You tricked me. You and your cackling granny tricked me. I can’t believe I was about to…” His eyes narrowed. “Did you just tell me you were a virgin before we met?”

  “No, I never said that.” Oh hell, she hadn’t meant to let that slip.

  “Not exactly those words, but you just told me I was the first man you’d lain with.” He tugged at his hair as his face registered a hundred different emotions. “I can’t believe you did that. Jesus, Chloe, I thought I was, I mean, that we had something. It was all a lie. One big fat lie.”

  She couldn’t deny it. Heck, she didn’t even have an excuse. Granny convincing her to follow her instincts wasn’t a very strong reason. Chloe could have not gone through with it, but she had. No, she’d gone ahead and done exactly what he accused her of—seducing him because she wanted to. Then again, it had been the right thing to do, no matter the consequences. She’d never known what it meant to be close to another person, to experience such joy and pleasure in his arms.

  “It wasn’t all a lie.” She did feel real things for Gideon, emotions she didn’t even know she had.

  “What part?” He paced back and forth, looking angrier by the second. “What part wasn’t a lie?” Gideon leaned toward her, his nostrils flaring, his eyes full of fury and pain.

  Her hand shook as she reached up to touch him. He jerked back, pulling her heart right along with him. Agony radiated out from her chest, dragging her down into the depths of misery. Chloe could hardly get in a breath as she told herself not to cry.

  “What part, Chloe?”

  “I-I like you.” It was such a silly thing to say, not even true either. She did more than like him.

  He snorted. “Does that excuse what you did? Chloe, I took your virginity. Do you know what that means? It means you just got yourself a husband. A real one this time.”

  She stared at him, her mouth open as his words settled in her brain. “Husband?”

  “I don’t make it a habit of bedding virgins. If I had, I’d have been married by now.” Gideon leaned in until they were nearly touching noses. “You will marry me.”

  It was what she wanted. Her heart did a funny jig at the thought, but when she opened her mouth, something else entirely happened.

  “No.”

  If she’d thought he looked surprised before, it was nothing compared to his expression now.

  “Did you just say no?”

  “Yep, I said no. I ain’t marrying you because you think you have to.” She shook her head even as her heart cracked, and she knew he was slipping through her fingers. “No husband that’s forced is gonna ever love his wife.”

  Gideon’s harsh breathing filled the room as he stared at her. She held her ground, unwilling to be shackled to a man who felt obligated to make her his wife. Chloe never expected to marry for love, but she would not marry because of a man’s guilt.

  “I can’t believe you said no.”

  “Well, believe it because I said no. We need to get moving since we wasted the whole night here in this town.” She sat on the side of the bed, trying to ignore him.

  “The doctor said you have to rest a couple of days.” He stood over her, attempting to intimidate her with his size.

  “I don’t care what the damn doctor said. I’m leaving whether or not you like it.” Her knee was sore, hell, her whole body hurt, but she had gotten up on both feet. She’d work out the kinks and be right as rain in no time. The doctor was a fool.

  “A horse fell on you yesterday, Chloe. You need to recover.” He put his hand on her arm.

  She shook it off. “I need to find my family. You can either help me or get out of my way.” Chloe wanted to hit him, push him, get him out of her line of vision. If she didn’t, she might do something stupid like tell him she changed her mind about marrying him. His scent surrounded her and she could hardly think straight for being distracted by this intense, intelligent man who had changed her life.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.” He frowned at her as she hobbled across the room. It took great effort not to show him how difficult it actually was.

  “Good thing you don’t have to think about it, then. It’s my decision, Blackwood.” She managed to pull on her dusty clothes, wishing she had time to at least brush off the dirt. No time to worry about vanity—pursuing her family was more important.

  “You are an infuriating woman.” He was gritting his teeth hard enough she thought she saw sparks coming from his mouth.

  “I don’t even know what that word means.” She sucked in a breath as th
e skirt slid up her bruised thigh. Closing her eyes, she pictured the girls and Granny and ignored the pain as best she could.

  He fussed like an old woman as she finished dressing, hovering behind her and huffing. She was nearly ready to run away, pain and all. Heading for the door, she saw her neatly stacked belongings. The sight stopped her in her tracks. He’d taken care of her and their things. He truly was a good man, and he had offered to marry her, which meant he was an honorable man.

  Chloe knew she owed him her life and a good deal of respect. He could have left her days ago, but he didn’t. She sighed from the bottom of her toes, then decided to do the right thing even if she didn’t want to. “Will you carry our things downstairs?”

  “You’re crazy.” He sounded angry, but he still picked up their things and opened the door. “I am only doing this because I know you will leave without me. You’re a stubborn woman, Chloe Ruskin.”

  “I reckon I’ve heard that a time or two.” She did not want to talk about her faults, however plentiful they were. “Let’s get a move on.”

  She made her way out the door and to the top of the stairs. There was nothing to hang on to, just an open set of stairs to the lobby. She leaned against the wall and stepped down slowly as if she were a toddler learning to use her feet. Gideon pushed past her, set their things on the floor below, then came bounding back up the stairs two at a time.

  “You are going to send me to an early grave.” He picked her up and carried her the rest of the way down the stairs.

  Chloe was grateful he’d done it, but she wouldn’t tell him that. It would give him too much satisfaction.

  “I could’ve made it.”

  He snorted. “Not if you wanted to leave today.”

  “Hmph. You’re turning into a bully again.”

  “I’m trying to take control of our situation because right now it’s a rogue cannonball and I have no idea where it’s going to hit next.” He set her gently onto a wooden chair in the corner, then piled their things on the floor beside her. “Now sit here while I go see about getting you a new horse.”