Adam, Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1

by Beth Williamson

  “What about Gonzalez?” Adam knew, whoever he was, the man was bad news for Eve.

  “He owns a good-size outfit, runs about ten thousand head. Been in his family since the Republic. Good man, by all counts.” Jesse closed the book. “Spencer came by last night, but he wouldn’t tell me what he knew.”

  From Jesse’s expression, he was not happy about Spencer’s reticence to speak. Adam could only surmise the information was not good. Since it was Monday, Spencer was at the ranch he worked at.

  “He said he’d come by tonight, but he was none too happy to find you missing.” Jesse looked at Tabitha. “It appears your wife spent some time with my sister and now she’s not talking either.”

  Adam glanced at Tabitha in surprise. “Did she tell you anything?”

  “She’s my friend, so I’ll keep her confidence. But I would like first shot at that son of a bitch who is haunting her.” Tabitha touched the butt of her gun. “Men who use women need to be taught a lesson.”

  “Pity the man who finally marries you.” Jesse quirked one brow.

  “Shut up.” Tabitha punched her brother in the arm. “I’m going to see Eve.” She left the room with her head held high. She was a strong woman who never shied away from voicing her opinion, very much like her mother in that regard.

  “How is it living with two women like that? I don’t know what I’d do if Rose decided to wear britches and carry a pistol.” As much as Adam respected his cousin, she was an unusual female.

  Jesse snorted. “You know that’s why I don’t live at the ranch anymore. I stay in town most nights, in my own place.”

  “Smart man.” Adam was grateful for his family, no more so than now. “Thank you for doing this.”

  “I’d do anything for you.” Jesse smiled.

  “Good. I want you to do something for me, but you can’t tell anyone.” Adam’s idea had blossomed when he left his wife at home. She wouldn’t have to know it was him, but he wanted this for her. Eve needed to feel safe and he would do what he could to help her.

  * * * * *

  Eve dumped the bucket of dirty water outside and wiped her forehead on her sleeve. The last two days had been full of tension, full of sweet moments with Adam and full of hard work. She wanted to show her new family how grateful she was for their support and protection.

  She scrubbed every window and floor in the house until they shone in the sun. Mrs. Sheridan kept telling her it wasn’t necessary, but Eve had much to pay them back for. The family had rallied around her, protected her and kept her secrets from all others.

  She spotted Adam behind the mill, checking the waterwheel. With a smile, she walked toward him, eager to kiss her husband. It had been nearly a week since the wedding and she’d become accustomed to sharing her life with him. That fact alone surprised her. She had been alone for so long she’d expected she would always be that way.

  “Enjoying married life?” Wade’s voice stopped her in her tracks. She knew if she screamed, Adam wouldn’t hear her above the river. Wade might try to hurt Adam or one of her sisters-in-law. Or, God forbid, her father-in-law still recovering in his bed.

  “What do you want?” She refused to look at him, although she knew he hovered somewhere near the trees at the edge of the river.

  “Oh, cara mia, you know what I want. Your mouth on me, for starters. I miss it.” He chuckled at his disgusting humor. “What I really want is to skin you alive for sending me to prison.”

  Her heart pounded in fear. “I didn’t send you to prison. A court did.” She edged closer to the house.

  “You can run, but you can’t hide. I know where you live.” His voice slid down her skin like a snake coiling around her, tightening its grip.

  “He’ll kill you.”

  “He can try.”

  “Why? Why can’t you just leave me be?” She stomped her foot in frustration, her hands fisted. “I never asked to be part of your schemes. You took me hostage; you drugged me and whored me. I hate you for everything you did.” Tears clogged her voice, but she wouldn’t let them fall. He didn’t deserve a single one.

  “Too bad. We don’t always get what we want.” Wade tut-tutted at her. “You owe me.”

  “I owe you nothing but a knife in the heart. I’ve got a nice sharp one to use for the job.” She ground her teeth together in fury. For the first time she wasn’t afraid of him. She was angrier than she had been in her life. “Leave Tanger and never come back.”

  “Not yet, cara mia. Not yet.”

  She waited for him to come forward, to taunt her more, but when she turned to look, he was nowhere to be seen. Her heart beat even harder for the unknown. He could appear and disappear at will. He was right—he did know where she lived. Eve needed to find a way to get rid of him for good, but how? She had no money and only a few things to her name.

  For the first time in her life, she would need to rely on someone. And she knew just who.

  Adam and his family.

  She had always been alone, relying on her wits and charm to get her what she needed. Turning to someone else was foreign to her, but in her heart she knew it was the right thing to do. Eve had to tell Adam what happened.

  * * * * *

  Eve walked into her room to gather her things. Until now she hadn’t moved into Adam’s bedroom and she decided it was time. He would no doubt approve.

  The small collection of beautiful stones lay on the window, still winking in the moonlight that came through the glass. He’d given her little pieces of himself and it charmed her. She picked up the black one and wondered if he knew how dark her soul was and if he knew what he was getting into by keeping her as his wife.

  A soft knock interrupted her musings. She set the small rock down and went to the door. “Who is it?”

  “Adam.” He kept his voice at a whisper.

  Her heart galloped into motion. She opened the door and peered out at him. “Is everything all right?”

  “No, it’s not.” He held out his hand. “My wife is missing. I was hoping she’d join me in bed tonight.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” She almost blushed at the sentiment. “Mr. Sheridan, you are forward.”

  “Only because I want her by my side when I go to sleep and when I wake up. Not only when I sit in a rocking chair or eat my meals.” He pulled her closer. “I need you. Please stop living in this room and move in with me.”

  His warm breath tickled the skin on her neck as he leaned over to kiss her ear. The day’s growth of whiskers gently scratched at her cheek.

  “What do you say, Eve?”

  She closed her eyes and reveled in the chills marching up and down her spine. Her nipples pebbled beneath her blouse.

  How could she say no to that? Why would she, since she’d already decided the same thing? But the memory of Wade intruded and she sighed against his neck.

  “Before we do that, I need to tell you something.”

  He stiffened. “What’s wrong?”

  “Wade came by the mill today and made threats. I know you—”

  “Stop right there. I don’t want to talk about that piece of shit right now. We’re watching him and making plans to rid Tanger of his presence.” He pulled her closer. “Right now I want to move you into my room and enjoy being married.”

  Relief washed through her at her confession and his response. She hadn’t realized how freeing it was to trust someone.

  “What took you so long?” She wrapped her arms around him and had to bite her lip not to squeal as he swept her up. He carried her down the hallway and into his room. She’d been in there before, of course, but now it was an invitation to join him for good.

  He set her on her feet and then turned to close, and lock, the door. She glanced around, seeing his things through new eyes. He had a collection of rocks on his windowsill too. She smiled at the sight.


  “What’s your favorite color?” He sat on the bed and pulled her into the vee of his legs.

  “Green. I love the color of the new leaves in spring and thick grass beneath my feet.” She sighed as he nibbled on the flesh of her breasts through the shirt. “That’s one reason I love the mill. Everything behind it by the river is so rich and green.”

  “I don’t want to talk about the mill.” He suckled on a nipple through the fabric. She stifled a moan as a shaft of desire went straight down her body to her pussy. It pulsed in response.

  “What’s your favorite color?” she managed to get out though her voice was breathy.

  “Blue. Like your eyes.” He tugged on her skirt. “Like this garment I want off your body.”

  “Take it off,” she challenged him.

  He used both of his large hands to slowly slide her skirt and drawers down her hips. He kissed every inch of skin he exposed, until he reached the core between her legs. At that, he licked. One long stroke and her knees wobbled.

  Mercy.

  “You taste good, sweetheart.” He made quick work of discarding the rest of her clothes. She stood in front of him, totally naked while he was totally clothed.

  It should annoy her, but it didn’t. Instead it excited her. She reveled in the scrub of his clothing against her bare skin, the rub of his calloused fingers on the most tender skin between her legs. He lapped at her every few seconds, sending her arousal through the roof.

  “I don’t think I can stand much longer.” She pulsed with every beat of her heart. His thumped against her leg, steady and strong.

  He scooped her into his arms and laid her on the bed with a gentleness she’d not expect for a man as large as he. His gaze swept her from head to toe, lingering on her breasts and pussy.

  “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  She reached for him. “Funny, I thought the same thing when I saw you with your shirt off.”

  He chuffed a laugh. “I am the farthest thing from beautiful.”

  “Then take off your shirt and let me see you.” She wanted him to do something. Anything. “Don’t leave me here all heated up.”

  He whipped off his clothes in record time, then joined her on the bed. Eve took her time caressing him, her fingers tangling in the hairs on his chest. By the time she reached his straining cock, they were both breathing hard. She cupped him and squeezed. He groaned and pressed his forehead to hers.

  “More.”

  His fingers dipped into her pussy and stroked her nubbin in time with her stroke on his staff. She closed her eyes when he latched on to a nipple and bit down.

  His name burst from her lips. “Adam!”

  He climbed over her and guided his cock to her center. As he pressed into her, inch by delicious inch, he met her gaze. She saw the pleasure spread across his face; his pupils darkened, and he let out a shuddering breath.

  “Yes.” She grabbed his back and pushed against him. “Please.”

  He thrust into her, rubbing and tickling, then out and in again. She squeezed him with her inner muscles. He went deeper still, touching her womb. She shivered at the sensation.

  “More.”

  Faster, faster still. He found her nipple again as he moved. The man was talented in more ways than one. Her pleasure wound tighter and tighter, coiling inside her as she pushed against him and he thrust into her.

  “Now, now, now,” he chanted.

  She let herself go, flying through the air as she reached her peak, an explosion of color and light. She spread her wings and found a place where she belonged. In his arms, together as one.

  * * * * *

  Sunday came around again and the day was overcast. As Adam and Eve walked to Cindy’s Restaurant, a few drops of rain fell. They walked faster, eager to see the cousins. Jesse and Tabitha were to leave the next day. They had lives to return to and a week was all they could spare.

  As soon as they walked in the door and closed it, the other five got to their feet. The ever-present threat posed by Wade forgotten for one meal. Eve had spent less than two weeks with Adam and knew she loved him. This was where she belonged. The future beckoned and she wanted to hold on to it with both hands.

  The door banged open behind them and Eve jumped a foot in the air. When she turned, her hope for the future turned into ash in her hands.

  “You! Charlatan! Thief!” Michael Gonzalez had somehow arrived at the same location as she five years after she’d disappeared from his ranch. At his side was his sister, Matilda, a lovely, dark-haired woman with chocolate-brown eyes.

  She didn’t react to his accusation, except to move closer to Adam. He couldn’t protect her for long, but she would greedily accept it for now. This was the man she had set up for a crime, a man she’d lied to and tricked.

  Each of the cousins got to their feet, even Tabitha, who was dressed in a split riding skirt and wore a gun on her hip. She was a rough, tough woman whom Eve admired greatly.

  Adam stood in front of Eve, his hands fisted. “Who are you? And what gives you the right to come in here and insult my wife?”

  “Wife? She’s your wife?” Michael snorted. The man was at least ten years older than Adam, with black hair and equally dark eyes. “I pity you for marrying such a female. She stole from me five years ago and then disappeared with a thousand dollars in cash and one of my best horses.”

  Adam’s expression tightened at the other man’s words. Eve wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow her. Although she’d told him she was a charlatan, this was living proof. She could almost hear his heart cracking. It was all her fault, every bit of it. She’d been caught before, but, this time, she felt genuine pain at the loss of what she’d held so briefly. The air in the restaurant was charged enough the hairs on her arm stood up.

  Why now? Why couldn’t her past stay behind her? She was certain Wade had brought him here and she hated him for it.

  “Who do you think she is?” This from Jesse.

  “She went by the name Odette Paloma when I met her. I’m sure she has a different name now.” Michael was obviously a man to hold a grudge for a long time.

  “Her name is Eve Sheridan and she’s my wife. You need to leave. Now.” Adam’s voice remained calm, but she heard the rage beneath the words.

  “Where is the law in this town? She needs to be arrested.” Michael tried to step around the wall of cousins, but they closed ranks, protecting her.

  Eve didn’t deserve their loyalty, but she was glad of it. She needed time to explain things to Michael. He might not believe her, but she had to try.

  “My father is the sheriff.” Spencer moved toward the door. “I’ll find him and bring him back here.”

  “I’ll go with you. My sister will stay here and watch her.” Michael’s sister, Matilda, had been Eve’s friend.

  Could the situation get any worse?

  “Odette?” Matilda was a smaller version of her brother with long, luxurious black hair and a quick, intelligent mind. “Is that you?”

  Eve could have stayed hidden, but she didn’t. The situation was of her own making. It was time to stand and accept responsibility. What had the Sheridans done to her? Before, she would never have stepped forward and admitted her crimes.

  Adam watched her with pain in his blue gaze as she moved in front of him. She looked at the cousins and then at the woman in the doorway who held a shotgun in her hand.

  “Don’t say anything, Eve.” Jesse spoke fast and low in her ear. “Don’t hide, but keep your mouth closed and I’ll do my best to free you from the charges.”

  Eve had almost forgotten this particular cousin was a lawyer. She didn’t expect anyone to defend her, much less all of them. Her throat tightened with emotion. She wanted to fold herself back into Adam’s arms, to turn back the clock and find the bliss she had carelessly discarded.

 
Matilda shook her head. “When he told me you’d disappeared, I didn’t believe it. But here you are, alive and well, and cheating someone else.”

  “You have the wrong person. My wife’s name is Eve.” Adam’s voice had dropped to a husky growl. “Whatever you brother thinks she did, he’s wrong.”

  “He was wrong to trust her. Did you know she caught his attention by singing?” Matilda was too smart. “She has a lovely voice and was singing in church in the town where we live. Funny, isn’t it? A church.”

  Eve remembered that time. She was pretending to be a normal person, working as a waitress and singing in a church. It had all been Wade’s idea. When Michael had taken a shine to her, Eve had let her charm free. He hadn’t been perfect, and in her estimation had made a few business deals that could’ve gone better, but he didn’t deserve to be cheated by her or Wade. He’d wanted Gonzalez distracted so the man could be robbed blind.

  Eve should have stopped it before it went any farther. She’d known Wade would steal what he wanted. Now it was too late. She had found a man she loved, a family and home she already had become part of. She would lose all of it.

  Eve’s eyes pricked with real tears. Those emotions she’d been struggling with overwhelmed her. She turned away from Matilda’s accusing gaze, only to run into Adam’s. His jaw was tight and his face flushed.

  Eve had been given a precious gift, and as with everything good in her life, the wind and circumstance snatched it from her hands. When would she ever learn not to wish on a star?

  “What’s going on here?” Zeke stood in the doorway, big and well armed, the star shining on his chest. Spencer stood beside him, his gaze locked on Adam.

  “I told you. I want to press charges against this woman for theft. The man she worked with was convicted of the crime, but she got away.” Michael’s face twisted with anger.

  Zeke’s brows went up. “Why don’t we head to the sheriff’s office and sort this out?”

  Adam took Eve’s hand. “We’ll all go. I think you should locate a man named Wade. His real name is Eugene Dolan. He’s the reason Mr. Gonzalez is here.”