Devils on Horseback: Nate Read online

  “Does he admit that he’s my father?”

  “Yes he did. After we figured out it was Rodrigo and that lawyer, Potter, the fool Rodrigo ran after shooting O’Shea.”

  “Did you get hurt?” The last thing she needed was to have Nate wounded. He’d become the anchor in a world of confusion and hurt and anger.

  “No, I’m fine, but he’s hurt pretty badly.” He looked back at O’Shea.

  Elisa was surprised to see that the older man was not only pale, he swayed in the saddle.

  “Why is he here? Why didn’t you take him to the doc in town?”

  Nate tucked her under his arm and walked toward the horses. “He wouldn’t let me. His first and only thought was to make sure that you were all right.”

  She pulled away from him. “I can’t. I can’t. It’s too hard, Nate.”

  “It’s all right. I’m right here with you, honey. I’m right here.” He held her hand, interlacing their fingers.

  She gripped him tight enough that he winced, but he didn’t make a sound of protest, as if he knew she needed to hang onto him as much as possible.

  The thunder of hooves interrupted the conversation with O’Shea before it could start. When a rifle shot sounded, Nate threw her to the ground. Blinded by the dust they kicked up, all she could do was listen. She couldn’t move with a two hundred pound weight keeping her pinned to the hard dirt. She heard a grunt and a curse, then the sound of a body hitting the ground. More shots rang out.

  “Hell, he killed Joe,” O’Shea grumbled from somewhere nearby.

  Elisa figured Gideon had pulled O’Shea off the horse. Both Nate and his friend moved like lightning, fast and decisive.

  Gideon spoke only a single word. “House.”

  Before Elisa knew it, Nate was half-dragging, half-carrying her to the house. His body continued to protect hers, like a human shield. She had no idea how he moved without actually standing or getting on all fours. The very idea of Gideon doing the same thing to O’Shea and his rounded belly made a hysterical laugh bubble in her throat.

  When they arrived at the house, Nate reached up to open the door, then shoved her inside. She rolled like a hedgehog, landing near the table in the kitchen. She heard a slam and another round of cursing then all four of them were in the house.

  “How many?” Gideon asked from his position near the side window.

  Nate scooted over to the front window and peered out. “At least twenty.”

  “Another ten over here.”

  Thirty men?

  “Who the hell is out there?” Elisa started to stand, but Nate jumped on her in a flash, pushing her back toward the floor.

  His dark eyes were sharp and wide, nostrils flaring, a sheen of perspiration covering his face. “Rodrigo and his men are out there gunning for us. He’s not looking for revenge, he wants us dead. We’re the only ones who know what he’s done. If he can kill us and make sure O’Shea is dead, there’s no one who can point a finger.”

  Elisa had been confused and scared, but this made all that back away. In its place came pure fury.

  “Let’s kill that son of a bitch instead.”

  Nate looked surprised, then a small grin appeared on his face. “I love you, Elisa Taggert. Stay down until we figure out what to do, please.” After giving her a quick kiss, he scuttled over to Gideon.

  Elisa frowned. At least he’d said please. For now, she’d listen to what he had to say, until she decided not to.

  Bullets continued to slam into the house, shattering windows and creating a racket that would wake the dead. Elisa considered going over to O’Shea, but for some reason, she didn’t. She told herself it wasn’t fear that kept her away, but she knew that was a lie.

  O’Shea represented everything that went wrong in her life, from the moment of conception. Too many questions whirled around in her brain, not to mention the fact that her stomach was as tight as a fist.

  “Please come here, Elisa.” Nate gestured and Elisa gratefully crawled over to him.

  Anything to avoid thinking so much.

  “Zeke, Lee and Jake are likely waiting for our signal. As soon as we start firing back, they’re going to hit them from the other side. You sure you want to do this?”

  “Damn sure. I’ve been hunting for this family for three years, before that I always went with Da.” She was proud of her skills with weapons. Gave her a boost of confidence.

  “Is there ammunition in the house?” Gideon was loading a rifle in his lap, a Henry rifle.

  “Where did you get that sixteen shooter? Isn’t that a Yankee weapon?” She’d never seen one and wanted to try it.

  Gideon’s gaze chilled her. “I earned it. Now is there ammunition in the house?”

  “For the pistols and the rifles. I don’t know how much there—”

  “Get the bullets and whatever weapons you have. Bring them here.” Gideon set the now-loaded rifle down and pulled the pistol from the holster on his hip.

  Elisa opened her mouth to tell Gideon to go to hell, but Nate’s hand on her arm stopped her.

  “Please do it, honey. We need to get an idea of what we’ve got.”

  She nodded and went to retrieve everything from beneath her bed. It all used to be kept in her parents’ room, but after Da left, Elisa took possession of the weapons. God knew her mother was useless with them. She stuffed two full boxes, and one half-empty box of bullets into her shirt, then grabbed the two rifles and headed back.

  When she got back to the men, O’Shea had joined them. She refused to look him in the eye. Instead she focused on Nate and setting out what she’d retrieved. He chuckled when she pulled the boxes out of her shirt.

  “What? I didn’t have a sack to carry them.”

  Gideon even cracked a small smile. “Thank you, Miss Taggert.”

  They quickly counted everything and divided them by three. Elisa was pleased the third shooter was her and not O’Shea. As they each gathered their supply of weapons and ammunitions, O’Shea finally spoke.

  “You turning her into a gunman?”

  Elisa leveled a glare at him. “You have no right to tell me what to do.” She was startled to realize that she had the same chin as he did.

  “You’re my daughter.”

  She pointed a pistol at him. “Don’t you call me that. You haven’t done a damn thing for me all my life so—”

  “I gave your mother money every month. Hell, I gave you that damn Arabian you ride. Your mother wouldn’t let me see you. I tried to help you after she died, but you would have nothing to do with me.” He wheezed and drew in a shaky breath.

  “I’m supposed to believe you?” Her heart clenched hard enough that her damn toes hurt.

  He pulled a stack of envelopes from his pocket. They had tattered edges and were stained with fresh blood. “Melissa’s letters. Read them.”

  “Don’t take offense, O’Shea, but now is definitely not the time for this,” Gideon interjected. “Those men out there aren’t going to give us much more time before they burst in here.”

  “You’re right.” O’Shea pressed them into Elisa’s hands. “You keep these, read them when you can.”

  Elisa glanced at Nate who looked sympathetic. “Later, honey.”

  Gideon pointed at Elisa. “Take the post in the back. Nate, you stay on the east side of the house.”

  Elisa wanted to protest, but a window broke and another bullet flew past her head and embedded into the wall behind her. She decided to listen to Gideon, for the time being.

  “What about me?” O’Shea grumped.

  “You can hardly hold your head up much less a gun. Just sit there and stay out of the way.” Gideon knew how to give orders.

  Elisa crawled over to her post, ready to defend her life and her ranch. She gritted her teeth and pulled up every pinch of courage she had.

 
Time for battle.

  * * * * *

  The familiar sound of bullets echoed from outside the house. Nate had to keep swallowing back the coffee he’d had for breakfast that threatened to make a reappearance. He was distressed to realize his hands were shaking. The promise he’d made to himself to never kill a man again hung over his head.

  This time he’d have to break it. It wasn’t just kill or be killed. It was saving the woman he loved and his best friends. He could see Elisa as she crouched by the window.

  “On my signal, start firing back,” Gideon called from the front of the house.

  Tension coiled inside Nate. He wiped his clammy hands on his trousers and his forehead with his sleeve. The rifle felt heavy in his grip, too heavy, but he lifted it to his shoulder and waited.

  “Now!”

  Nate peered out the hole in the window at the men milling around outside firing. He sighted carefully then squeezed the trigger. The man flew off his horse, landing in a cloud of dust. He heard Gideon and Elisa firing, then more gunshots from the tree line. Within moments, six men outside went down.

  Rodrigo’s men started shouting to each other and soon half a dozen of them were firing at the trees. Jake, Lee and Zeke must have heard the shots from inside the house and joined in. Thank God.

  Minutes felt like hours as the firing continued nearly nonstop. The ammunition pile by Nate’s side dwindled until only a handful remained. Nate took his time aiming and realized his sharpshooter skills hadn’t waned with disuse. He was still as deadly as he ever was.

  “I’m down to ten bullets,” Elisa called. “You have any magic left in that head of yours, Captain?”

  Gideon grunted. “I’m down to fifteen. No magic, but I damn sure hope Zeke does.”

  Elisa shouted in pain and Nate dropped the rifle. He crawled toward her as fast as he could. The sight of blood dripping down her arm made his vision swim.

  “Jesus, Elisa!”

  “It’s just a graze. I’m fine. Wrap it up with your neckerchief or something.”

  He felt panic clawing at his back as each drop of blood fell to the wooden floor. “I used it on your fa— on O’Shea.”

  “Then use mine. Just make it fast.” She squeezed her eyes shut and held her hand like a tourniquet on the wound.

  Nate tried three times to get the knot undone on the cloth before Gideon pushed him out of the way and easily untied the neckerchief.

  “She’s going to bleed to death before you figure this out. Snap out of it, Nate.”

  A sharp slap to the face brought Nate back from the dark place he’d tumbled into. He stared into Gideon’s blue eyes. “Jesus, I’m sorry, Gid.” He trembled with the emotions battering him.

  Gideon shook his head. “It’s all right. We’re on borrowed time from the devil anyway. Might as well spend it trying to fight the old son of a bitch.”

  “You two are crazier than bed bugs.” Elisa picked up the rifle and went back to her post.

  Nate wiped blood off his lip where his teeth had cut in from Gid’s slap. “It looks bad, Gid. I’ve only got a couple shots left.”

  Gideon frowned. “Me too.”

  “Hello the house!” Rodrigo shouted from outside. “I’ve got someone out here who wants to say something.”

  Nate and Gideon looked at each other with equal expressions of surprise. They scuttled back to the front of the house and looked out the windows from their posts.

  Jake was on his knees in front of Rodrigo, half his face covered with blood. Rodrigo had him by the hair, a rifle shoved in his ear.

  “Oh my God,” Nate gasped.

  “Don’t you listen to him, Gideon,” Jake called. “I’ll come back from the grave to haunt you if you give in to this idiot.”

  Rodrigo kicked him in the kidneys and Jake fell to his hands. Gideon crawled toward the door and Nate shook his head.

  “Don’t.”

  “I can’t let him die like that, Nate.” Gideon’s voice was full of pain and fury.

  Nate glanced back at Elisa. “Neither can I.” He grabbed the door handle and pulled.

  “Nate!” Gideon lunged at him, but Nate moved too fast.

  A dozen guns pointed at him. He could hear Elisa and Gideon shouting from inside the house. All he could focus on was his friend in pain, risking his life because Nate asked him to. There was no way on God’s green Earth that Nate would let Jake suffer.

  “Let him go.”

  “Ah, the smooth talker.” Rodrigo kicked Jake. “I had a feeling we might see each other again.”

  “If you kick him one more time, I’ll kill you myself.” Nate kept a tight rein on the fury that threatened to overcome him.

  “Big words for a man who could die if I blink.” Rodrigo smiled that charming grin that probably got him untold things in his lifetime.

  “There are four rifles trained on your head at this very second, Rodrigo. All I need to do is move my hand a certain way and your brains decorate the dust behind you.” Nate clenched his fists and willed the control to stay for just a bit longer.

  “Why did you come out here, fancy boy?” Rodrigo waved his pistol around. “Why couldn’t you just let us kill the boy and the little bitch and go away with money in your pockets from O’Shea?”

  “My friends and I may work for whoever will pay us, but that doesn’t mean we’ll kill for them. You’ve murdered at least two people and an entire herd of cows to get your hands on O’Shea’s money. That ends here and now. Today is your last day, Rodrigo.” Nate took a step forward. “The Devils are going to stop you.”

  “What Devils? What are you talking about?” Rodrigo glanced around. “That redhead is some kind of bruja, but I don’t think she called up no demons.”

  Nate’s smile was as cold as Rodrigo’s heart. “You’re looking at one.” He raised his right arm and let loose a rebel yell that would do Lee proud.

  Nate dropped to the ground and grabbed Jake by the collar. Bullets sang around them, kicking up dust and dirt. Confusion and chaos surrounded them as Nate pulled his friend toward the house. A sharp sting on his ass told him at least one bullet hit its mark.

  The sounds of more horses made his heart sink. Jake gained momentum and together they made their way toward the front door. When they were close enough, Gideon reached out and yanked them in.

  “Oh, shit, I’m hit,” Jake cried out. “Son of a bitch. My leg!”

  “It’s Daniel and the sheriff.” Elisa appeared next to them, her face aglow with excitement. “I see them coming. He’s got at least fifteen men with them.”

  “Thank God.” Nate rested his forehead on the floor, breathing in the dirt and dust like it was the sweetest ambrosia.

  “As for you, I’ll talk to you later about that stupid thing you just did.” Elisa punched him in the arm hard enough to knock him over.

  Gideon snickered and Jake managed a strangled chuckle.

  “Shut up.” Nate crawled toward the window, grateful for Daniel’s insistence on not listening. Without that kid and the sheriff, he didn’t think they would have survived the day.

  It wasn’t a good day to die.

  They continued to shoot from inside the house, but sparingly. In the melee, they didn’t want to shoot one of the men who’d come to assist them. Rodrigo’s men began to fall in earnest. Within ten minutes, those who hadn’t run off were in custody.

  Except Rodrigo.

  “Where is he?” Gideon called.

  “I don’t know. I don’t see him.” Nate ran toward the back of the house, where there was only one small window. As he came around the corner, he ran full force into someone. They both grunted and Nate fell backwards with the other person on top of him.

  He stared up into Rodrigo’s furious gaze. Blood dripped from wounds on his face and arm.

  “I worked for years to get close to that old man.
Did everything he asked me to, scraped and bowed like a slave. And you took everything.”

  Too late Nate realized the pressure on his neck was a knife. Damn, he walked into this without his usual careful actions. He’d so wanted to have the opportunity to marry Elisa and see her grow big with his child.

  Pain came first as the knife started to slide across his skin, then it stopped and Rodrigo let loose a scream that made Nate’s ears ring. Elisa stood above them, blood covering her hands. Rodrigo clutched at his back and rolled off Nate.

  “You stabbed me, you bitch.”

  Rodrigo lunged to his feet, knife in hand and ran toward Elisa. She whipped her gun out of its holster and shot him between the eyes. Blood, brain and bone spattered over Nate. The urge to vomit overwhelmed him, and he turned on his side and retched.

  Elisa’s strong hands rubbed his back. “It’s all right, Frenchie. I got him. He’s gone.”

  Nate wasn’t afraid of dying. It was the killing that did him in. Elisa would understand that as soon as the full impact of what she’d done settled on her shoulders. He wiped his face with his sleeve and got to his knees.

  Their arms wrapped around each other and Nate felt the return of sanity.

  “You’re bleeding like a stuck pig. We need to get you some bandages.” She squeezed his behind. “Hell’s bells, they shot you in the ass? Those bastards.” Elisa pulled back and looked him in the eye. “We did it.”

  “Yeah, honey, we sure did.”

  He noticed Gideon in the doorway with a bloody Jake by his side. “Doctor’s office anyone?”

  They all laughed, breaking the tension.

  “Let’s let the sheriff take care of the rest of these sons of bitches. We need to pile in the wagon and get to town before half of you die on me.” Gideon and Jake disappeared from view.

  “I love you, Nate.”

  Elisa’s soft voice made Nate’s heart hiccup. “What?”

  “You heard me. I love you, stupid man. Now tell me you love me before I punch you again.” Her blue eyes brimmed with emotion, everything from love to fear to relief.