Devils on Horseback: Nate Page 20
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
Newsletter: eepurl.com/fd822
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.
eBooks are not transferable.
They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
11821 Mason Montgomery Road Suite 4B
Cincinnati OH 45249
Devils on Horseback: Nate
Copyright © 2015 by Beth Williamson
ISBN: 978-1-60928-816-7
Edited by Sasha Knight
Cover by Kim Killion
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Original Publication: 2007
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: December 2015
www.samhainpublishing.com