Devils on Horseback: Zeke, Book 3 Page 19

  Lee brought him some clean clothes since all of Zeke’s were missing or encrusted with dirt. After his bath, he scrubbed his trousers and left them to hang on the line outside. Feeling as if he was a new person, Zeke went in search of Gideon and Lee. He was ready to face whatever Gideon had to say, no matter how bad it was.

  Of course, Zeke was wrong. He sure as hell wasn’t ready to hear what Gideon told him.

  He stared at his cousin, sure he’d heard him wrong. Blood thundered through his ears as he tried to make sense of it. “Say that one more time.”

  “Margaret is set to marry Byron on Friday morning. That young minister convinced Naomi to marry him next month, and the cowboys have almost destroyed Aphrodite’s without the law around to stop them.” Gideon fiddled with the tin mug in front of him. “I’ve tried to help, and so has Jake, but when there’s fifty of them and you don’t have a badge, ain’t nobody gonna listen.”

  It took Zeke a few moments to find his voice again. “What happened to Matthew Marchison?”

  “Somebody beat him almost to death. He’s been at the doc’s for two days hanging on.” Gideon shook his head. “Damn shame too. He’s a good man, no matter what his wife did.”

  Zeke pinched the bridge of his nose and swallowed back the tears that threatened. He’d left nine days earlier and it appeared Tanger had been turned on its head during that short time. He’d thrown away everything he had because of his lack of courage and conviction. It would take hard work and quite possibly a miracle to get it all back.

  “I need to get my job back.” He looked up at his brother and cousin.

  Gideon reached over and squeezed Zeke’s shoulder. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  Zeke swallowed the rest of the cold coffee in his cup. “Where’s Gabby?”

  “At the mill more than likely.” Gideon jerked his thumb north, towards the mill. “She’s been hunting for a new sheriff, but nobody wanted the job.”

  “Sure as hell I didn’t.” Lee scowled up at his big brother. “I ain’t no second-choice lawman.”

  Zeke had had no idea Gabby would ask Lee to be sheriff, but it made sense. Other than a missing arm, Lee had the best tracking skills of the Devils, and he was damn good with a gun. Zeke always puzzled everything out before acting, which could be good or bad depending on the situation.

  “You could’ve done it, you big baby. Don’t let your lost arm dictate your life.” Zeke strapped his gun belt on and squared his shoulders. Time to fight for what was his.

  * * * * *

  He found Gabby in the office at the mill, her head bent over a ledger book as flour particles floated on the air. Zeke had never quite understood the machinery that made the mill work, but he respected the hell out of Gabby for taking it over when her father was incapacitated. She had proved herself to be smarter and more capable than most men.

  It had taken him a while to come to that realization and even longer to let her know about it. The first step had been when she’d stood by his side after Allison had been murdered, ready to hunt down the bastard raiders with him. Gabby had really been the first woman to become his friend.

  She glanced up and smiled when she saw him. “You cannot know how glad I am to see you.”

  To his delight, she hugged him fiercely, a back-cracking one that made him smile. It had been too long since a friend hugged him and he found the experience to be very worthwhile.

  “I won’t ask what happened, but judging by the circles under your eyes, it wasn’t fun.” She sat back down and gestured for him to sit on the other side of the desk in the wood-slatted chair by the window.

  “I left to figure things out. Then I realized what an ass I’d been and came back. Gideon filled me in on what happened.” He shoved away the thought of Naomi marrying the fresh-faced minister. “I want my job back.”

  She leaned forward on her elbows and studied his face. “The town council might not approve.”

  “You’re the mayor, you can make a decision stick no matter what those old cronies say.” He hoped like hell he wouldn’t be at odds with the council, but he was determined to be sheriff again.

  “If I make you sheriff again, folks are going to look down their noses at you for what you confessed to in church.” She shook her head. “It’s going to be a long road to earn back what you lost.”

  Naomi’s image flashed through his mind. “More than you know.” He cleared his throat. “So what do you say, Mayor? I want to find out who hurt Matthew and put Tanger back to rights.”

  Gabby reached into her desk drawer and pulled out the sheriff’s badge. As she handed it to him, the complete rightness of it hit him square between the eyes. It might have cost him a great deal, but Zeke Blackwood finally knew where he belonged.

  * * * * *

  “He’s back.” Lucy sat beside Naomi as she ate a small dinner of ham and biscuits. The food sat like a rock in Naomi’s stomach. There was no need to ask who “he” was.

  “Since when?” She took off a bird-size bite of biscuit and chewed it, trying desperately not to crush it in her fist.

  “This morning. He walked in looking like he’d been wrestling a wild-eyed steer and lost, half-naked and dirty as hell. I heard tell he went straight to Elmer’s, then to the mill.” Lucy leaned in close. “I also heard Gabby Sheridan made him sheriff again.”

  Naomi swallowed the biscuit, although considering the tightness of her throat, she was surprised it went down at all. Lucy watched her closely so Naomi kept her shoulders straight and her eyes dry. Later on, she could figure out how she felt. For now, she would act as if Zeke was her past and that’s where he belonged.

  “I’m engaged to be married, Lucy. Zeke had his chance and he threw it away.” She dared her friend to refute the truth.

  “Zeke can be a horse’s ass, that’s for damn sure, but you can’t tell me you don’t love him. And I sure don’t think you should be marrying that preacher. He can’t do anything for himself, he’s needy and the boy clings to you like a cocklebur.” She stood and waggled her finger at Naomi. “Mark my words, you will regret marrying a fool like Gregory Conley.”

  Lucy left Naomi alone in the kitchen with her thoughts. They whirled around and around until her temples started to pound. She threw the rest of her dinner in the slop bucket and headed outside for a walk. Perhaps fresh air would help her sort everything out.

  She walked towards the cottonwood grove at the end of the street, the sun beating down on her uncovered head, giving her a taste of the summer heat. Naomi walked on, heedless of any discomfort.

  The truth was, she loved Zeke, but he’d broken her heart. It would take great effort to forgive him for choosing whiskey over her, even if he did come by to convince her. The fact he’d been in town for hours and hadn’t come to see her spoke volumes about what his priorities were, and she wasn’t one of them. He’d gone straight to get his job back.

  His actions drove the nail of pain deeper into her heart. She wished she loved Gregory at least a little, but her traitorous heart beat with a rhythm it hadn’t in more than a week.

  * * * * *

  Zeke ran back to the restaurant already feeling better. He had yet to see Naomi, but he wanted to get all the facts before he did. Until he had the rest of his life in order, he couldn’t deal with what his heart needed.

  Lee was washing dishes when Zeke came in. “Back already?”

  “I need you.”

  His younger brother stopped scrubbing and stared at him. “You need me?”

  “I want to find out what happened to Matthew and I need your help.” Zeke tucked his hands into his back pockets. “I know I’ve been a horse’s ass the last few weeks. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and I swear to you, I’m done with whiskey for good.”

  Lee looked at him with suspicion. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “I know and this time I really mean it f
rom the bottom of my pickled heart.” Zeke held out his hand to his brother. “Please, Lee, I need you.”

  It was important he apologize to everyone for his stupid behavior and bad choices, but his brother was the most important. It was Lee who had stuck by him through the worst of everything.

  “Fine, but if I even see you near a whiskey bottle I’m going to beat you until you can’t see straight.” Lee dried his hand on the towel next to the sink. “I’ll also be happy to leave these for Gideon.” His gleeful smile told Zeke that his brother had forgiven him.

  “Let’s go. We’ve got a mystery to solve.” Zeke found himself smiling again. It was time to hunt for a potential murderer.

  * * * * *

  They headed to the doctor’s to check on Matthew. Zeke felt alive for the first time since he’d left Naomi’s arms. He should have faced what was bothering him instead of running, but what was done was done. Now was the time to help a friend in need.

  Doctor Barham was a thirty-five-year-old single man with straight brown hair and glasses. He was friends with Gabby, so even though he was a little odd, the Devils were grateful to him for all he’d done to patch them up since they arrived in Tanger nearly a year earlier.

  The doctor opened the door and didn’t bother to disguise his surprise. “Zeke, I thought you’d left town.” He squinted at the badge. “Are you sheriff again?”

  “Yes, Doc, I’m sheriff again and for good. Can we come in?” Zeke kept his impatience hidden.

  “Of course, please come in.” He opened the door wide and the brothers stepped inside. “I’m afraid Matthew has not been coherent since he was brought in.”

  “Can you tell what happened to him?” Zeke hated the smell of the doctor’s office. Why did it always have to smell like blood? Reminded him too much of a battlefield sometimes.

  “He was beaten with something, likely a club or a heavy branch. Someone did a thorough job on him and it appears as though he did his best to cover his head, because he has multiple fractures on his arms, contusions and gashes on nearly every inch of skin, and his face is nearly unrecognizable.” Doctor Barham stopped with his hand on the door to the examining room. “I’m afraid I don’t hold out much hope for him.”

  Matthew had survived many things including his son’s death and his wife’s horrendous crimes. He was a tough man. However, the creature on the bed hardly resembled the shopkeeper. He was swathed in bandages with only a swollen left eye, the end of a nose and the bottom part of his right ear showing. The slow stain of blood appeared at the base of the bandages, letting Zeke know the man was still bleeding even through all that.

  “Jesus, he’s still alive?” Lee was his usual blunt self.

  “Yes, he’s alive, but barely. I don’t think he can hear us though.” The doctor stepped back into the hallway. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”

  Thankfully, he left the door open. Zeke wasn’t squeamish, but nobody liked to be in a sickbed room. He approached Matthew and knelt beside the bed. The only sound in the room was the man’s labored, rattling breaths.

  “Matthew, can you hear me? It’s Zeke Blackwood.”

  No response from the patient on the bed.

  “I’m going to find out who did this to you. I promise you that.”

  “You can’t—” Lee began.

  “Yes, I can and I will.” Zeke stood. “Nobody gets away with trying to murder someone in my town.”

  He started towards the door when a moan sounded from the bed. Zeke whipped around and stared at Matthew, then glanced at his brother, who looked as astonished as Zeke felt.

  “Matthew?” Zeke went back to the bed and lowered his ear towards the other man’s mouth. “I’m here.”

  “Love her,” Matthew whispered.

  Zeke frowned. Love her? What did that mean? He should find Naomi and finally tell her how he felt?

  “What did he say?” Lee demanded.

  “I think he said ‘Love her.’” Zeke got to his feet. “Which doesn’t make any sense.”

  “Not now, but maybe if we start looking into what Matthew was doing right before this happened, it might.” Lee was smarter than folks gave him credit for. “We need to talk to the preacher.”

  The last person Zeke wanted to see, but Lee was right. Gregory might know what his friend had been doing.

  “Fine, let’s go.” His stomach was already flopping like a fish, but Zeke headed towards the door again. “We’ll be back, Matthew. You keep yourself alive, y’hear?”

  The Blackwoods headed towards the church, one with enough enthusiasm for both of them. Zeke didn’t look forward to talking to the boy who’d taken his woman after he’d rejected her. He couldn’t hide any longer—it was time to be a man.

  They arrived at the church and went straight to the rectory house next door. On a Tuesday afternoon, he was more likely to be at home than in the church. Zeke couldn’t bring himself to knock so Lee did it for him.

  The sheriff waited with his hands fisted and his heart aching, but no one answered. They checked the church and it was empty too. He was grateful but annoyed. His determination to find out what happened to Matthew had hit a wall.

  “We need to go to the saloon. The preacher might be there. Besides we really need to look at where it happened.”

  Lee was right, of course, but didn’t know if he was ready to see Naomi.

  * * * * *

  They walked around behind Aphrodite’s, looking around at where Matthew was beaten. He didn’t know what they would find, but it was worth a look. Zeke’s stomach jumped around, hoping Naomi wouldn’t come outside, or perhaps he was hoping she would. He forced himself to concentrate on what he saw.

  “What are you doing?”

  Zeke whirled around to find Lucy behind him. She scowled at him, then at Lee. In contrast to her normal sexy dresses, she wore a plain navy blue dress with barely any cleavage showing, and for the first time since he’d known her, no face paint.

  “Nothing.” He was shocked enough by Lucy’s change to sound like an idiot.

  “Trying to find out who beat the shit out of Marchison.” Lee stood in the high grass at the edge of the clearing by the outhouse.

  She gestured to his badge. “So you’re sheriff again, I hear.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Zeke cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. “I needed to get my head situated on my shoulders before I came back.”

  To his surprise, she nodded and her expression softened. “I know exactly what you mean. Have you seen Matthew?” There was genuine concern in her voice.

  “Yeah, we did. Damn shame what somebody did to him.” Zeke tried to forget who might be in the saloon and focused on interviewing his witness. “What do you remember about that night?”

  Lucy looked up and tapped her chin with two fingers. “It was busy for a Sunday. The girls were running their tails off trying to keep up with the drink orders. Joe had to throw out one or two drunks, but those cowpunchers just kept getting rowdier by the minute.”

  “Anybody in particular causing problems?” Zeke figured one little piece of information might be enough to help them move forward with the investigation.

  “No, but that hotel man Ackerman was there playing cards again.” She wrinkled her nose. “He’s a bit of an ass.”

  “A bit isn’t strong enough.” Zeke made no bones about disliking the Yankee. “Did he do anything unusual?”

  “Not really. He’s been something of a regular since he came to town. Comes in and plays cards, never drinks and never gambles. The other cowboys use him to practice their card skills.” She snapped her fingers. “Aha! I remember now. When Matthew came in he had a long face so I asked him what was wrong. He said something about losing the lady he thought he could love.”

  Love her.

  Zeke could taste the clue on his tongue. “Did he say who it was?”


  Lucy frowned. “No, just that she’d chosen another man, one who didn’t have an ex-wife.”

  That left only ninety percent of the single men in the county.

  “Did he say anything else?”

  “No, but I remember him shooting daggers at Ackerman. I ain’t never seen Matthew have an unkind word for anyone, so it surprised me to see him do it.” Lucy nodded. “After that I lost track of Matthew until Joe came running in to say he’d found the poor man beaten half to death out here.” She glanced down at the grass. “Damn shame, that’s what it is. He’s one of the good ones.”

  In Lucy’s voice, Zeke heard what she did say. Matthew was a good man and she might have wanted him for her very own. Now it appeared he was going to die.

  “I’ll find out who did this, Lucy. I promise.”

  “You’d better stop making so many promises, Zeke.” Lee walked up gripping a three-foot-long branch with a dried brown substance on it. “Even if you have your brilliant brother to help you.”

  Zeke could have done a jig. “Damn, you found it! Let’s take a look and see if we can find anything on it that might tell us who swung it.”

  As he and Lee looked at the branch, the back door opened and closed with a bang. He heard Lucy murmur something then the door closed again.

  Zeke nearly jumped out of his skin when Naomi spoke from behind him.

  “Hello, Zeke.”

  Lee glanced at her, then back at Zeke. He stepped back with the wood in his hand. “I’ll be over yonder by the cottonwoods.”

  Zeke waited for the kick on his ass he deserved, but it didn’t come. He took a deep breath for courage before turning to face her. Naomi had circles under her haunted eyes and her face looked wan as if she hadn’t been sleeping. Even her normally vibrant blonde hair was a dull color.

  She was so beautiful it took his breath away.

  “Hey there, little one,” he managed to get out.

  “You’re back as sheriff, I see.” She pointed at the badge with a trembling hand. “Good thing too. Tanger needs you.”