“If it’s all right with you, I’d like to talk to him.” Jake wanted to have a few uninterrupted minutes with Sam. “Since he was hurt in the first attack, he might know something we could use to track them, to stop them.”
Mary considered his words, or at least appeared to be anyway, but then she shook her head. “He ain’t here no more, Mr. Sheridan. I don’t think an Irishman with a shiny smile is gonna bring him back from the hell he lives in.”
Jake usually liked every woman he met, and he loved a lot of them. Mary Rinaldi proved there was an exception to the usual. She’d been unpleasant from the moment the Devils had arrived in Tanger. Perhaps it was her customary behavior, but it sure as hell didn’t make him want to be around her. She was a cold woman which made Jake wonder how Gabby could be so warm.
Gabby’s smile was genuine as she walked toward Marchison’s store. She said howdy to folks who’d never even given her the time of day, earning surprised glances. It didn’t matter, she felt great and needed to stop keeping it bottled up inside.
The night before, Jake had shown her what it meant to truly be free, to experience pleasure she’d never had. The redhead had climbed in and taken up residence in her heart. She wasn’t ready to shout out her love to the world, but it was there nonetheless.
As she walked up the steps to the store, her smile faded and the feeling of being watched crept over her. Things had been so different with the Marchisons when Christopher was alive, so much lighter. Nowadays, Matthew was more of a ghost than a man and Veronica, well, she continued to be as she always was—cold and unpleasant.
Today was no exception.
“Miss Rinaldi.” Veronica stood on the left side of the store, wiping down the canned goods. Her hair was in a tight bun, and her mouth in its usual thin line.
“Mrs. Marchison.” Gabby felt the other woman’s attention on her as she walked through the store picking up the items she needed.
“When will the mill be running at full capacity again? The small amount of flour you’ve sold me only lasts a week instead of a month.” Veronica set the rag on the counter and folded her arms, looking like a blonde vulture.
“The wheel is being repaired, so hopefully soon.” Gabby had only given half of the normal amount of flour to the Marchisons to sell. The rest was given independently to folks who didn’t have money to pay, so they gave Gabby their markers instead with the promise of payment when they could. Mrs. Marchison didn’t offer that option to patrons at her store and Gabby couldn’t let folks starve just to make an extra dollar.
“I don’t appreciate what you’re doing.” Veronica appeared beside her, startling Gabby.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
The blonde’s nearly colorless blue eyes were viciously cold. “You’re selling flour to people and undercutting my profits. Now you’ve got that fool Sheridan sniffing up your skirts like a lapdog.” Her mouth turned up into a sneer. “You’d better watch yourself, my dear. So many things can happen to an unmarried woman.”
Gabby should have said something, anything, but she was too shocked, too completely flummoxed by the venom in Veronica’s voice.
“Good morning, Gabby.” Matthew Marchison chose that moment to emerge from the back of the store. Gabby could have kissed him.
“Good morning, Mr. Marchison.” Gabby finished putting the needed supplies into her basket, pointedly not looking at Veronica.
“It’s nice to see you.” Matthew’s watery brown gaze touched hers before he totaled up her purchases.
“Thank you, it’s nice to see you too.” Gabby truly liked the man who might have been her father-in-law. Too bad he had to be married to such a bitch. “I’m glad to see your store hasn’t been hurt by all the terrible happenings.”
As soon as she said it, Gabby realized it wasn’t just a polite turn of phrase, it was true. The Marchison’s store was stocked full, no bare shelves or tables, as one might expect during hard times. It was unusual and made Gabby’s mind race with the possibilities of how it happened.
“We do all right.” Matthew managed a weak smile as he walked her to the door. “You tell your pa I said hello. I miss our weekly checker games.”
Gabby impulsively kissed him on the cheek. “I will and thank you, Mr. Marchison.”
She left the store feeling as if there was something important right under her nose, but she couldn’t see it. Whatever it was, she was glad to leave and be free from Veronica’s strangeness for another week. At least Gabby’s mother could be counted on to be the same every day. Even if she was cold and distant, she was constant.
The last thing Gabby expected to see as she walked home from Marchison’s was Jake talking to her mother. The sight, foreign and odd, made her almost trip and drop the basket she carried. It was the first time she’d seen Jake since they’d been intimate. A blush crept across her face at the memory of all they’d done to and with each other. She’d never felt so connected to another human being, as if she belonged in the circle of his arms as he did within hers.
He smiled when he saw her, although she could see darkness lurking behind it. Whatever they’d been discussing in her absence must have been serious. A chill crawled up her skin when she felt her mother’s stare. Gabby had existed in a strange world since her father’s accident, one of secrets and unspoken truths. Her mother kept to herself so much and didn’t even allow Gabby to take care of her father, telling Gabby that her presence upset him too much. After all, he’d been protecting Gabby when the raiders hurt him.
Guilt slipped over her heart and squeezed mercilessly. Her papa had always tried to protect her and for his trouble, he’d been tortured and almost killed. She swallowed the lump that rose in her throat and continued walking toward Jake and her mother. His smile widened and she saw genuine joy in his expression. That joy made her feel loved for the first time since the raids began.
To her surprise, she smiled back at Jake. Shaking the darkness from her back, Gabby waved and picked up her pace to reach them. Of course if she was entirely truthful, she was only hurrying to reach Jake. Gabby was more like a boarder in the house and the manager of the mill than part of a family. She and her mother usually ended up fighting or ignoring each other.
“Good morning, Jake.” She shielded her eyes from the sun behind him as it glinted off his red hair. “Mother.”
“Gabrielle, I’m disappointed.” Her mother’s angry tone was expected. “I found this man wandering upstairs in our house looking for you. Is there something you need to tell me?”
Gabby turned to Jake. “You were in our house alone?” What on earth for? Her general mistrust of men came back with a snarl, reminding her that she’d let her guard down. Perhaps Jake was a thief, perhaps all his friends were.
“I was looking for you, Gabby. Elmer told me something I needed to talk to you about.” He looked sincere. “I’m sorry, truly I am.” Jake took the basket from her hands. “Your mother was kind enough to help me answer my questions.”
Kind? Her mother had been kind? That was something new.
The moment that thought ran through her head, Gabby regretted it even if it was the truth. She’d never been one to be unkind or cruel, although she was direct. Times and circumstances had changed for everyone, including her.
“Thank you, Mama. I’ll just show Mr. Sheridan where the supplies are to fix the wheel.” She pasted on a smile for her mother. “Can you bring the basket in for me?”
Without a word, Mary took the basket and went inside the house, slamming the door behind her. It took Gabby more than a few moments to compose herself after the obvious hostility. Sometimes she thought her mother blamed Gabby for everything bad in her life, including the son she’d lost to a miscarriage and the husband who seemed to love the mill more than his wife.
Sometimes Gabby blamed herself too.
“Are you all right?” Jake cupped her cheek.
Gabby pulled away from him quickly. She couldn’t let herself get involved even deeper with Jake and open herself up for hurt and heartache. He obviously couldn’t be trusted, judging by the way he’d snuck into her house. She’d put her faith in men before and been burned enough to be overly cautious. In her heart, she knew Jake was completely different than Alvin, but her head took control and enforced practicality on her decisions.
There was a lot of resentment in town toward Gabby and her big mouth. Even after living in town for years, some folks still treated her as if she didn’t belong in Tanger. Getting involved with Jake would only fuel that fire.
Over the last few months, the world had shifted from normal, if not entirely blissful, to one of shadows and mistrust. Jake, although seen as someone dark, had turned out to be the only source of light for Gabby, until now.
She’d hurt him with her actions, as evidenced by the bewilderment on his face, like she’d slapped him instead of simply moved away from him. Gabby was again full of regret for the decisions her heart made to override her head. She never should have gone outside to meet Jake the night before.
“I’m sorry, Jake. I do things I shouldn’t and don’t always think first.” She resisted the sudden urge to take his hand in hers, needing warmth for her clammy skin. Gabby needed to guard more than her heart.
“It’s all right. I understand.” He sounded hurt but resigned.
Looking into his eyes, she knew he spoke the truth. He completely understood her confusion and pain. The connection between them grew stronger with each moment they spent together. She didn’t understand it and it scared her witless. Gabby had to stop this right here and now. Jake was a nice man, but her life was too full to make room for a drifter, an ex-soldier, maybe a thief, who had the power to tear her world apart. She had to keep him at a distance.
“Let me show you where the wood is, and we’ll put the stop in so you can get working.” She stepped away from him as quickly as she could. Gabby was in enough trouble already without adding to it. She’d need to stay away from Jake, for both their sakes. It appeared to her that he was struggling with whatever demons haunted his mind and heart.
As he followed her around the back of the mill, all she could think of was the fact that twelve hours earlier, they’d made love on the grass under her feet. She could almost feel the heat coming up from the blades, and her eyes pricked with tears. If only life wasn’t so complicated, so out of control. If only he’d come to town sooner, before she’d met Alvin, before the raiders had come, things would be different.
She could go on for hours and say “if only” again and again. The truth was, it probably wasn’t going to work between them.
What Gabby really needed to do was stop living with regrets and start living life again.
Chapter Six
Jake worked the entire afternoon on the waterwheel, his gut churning over all he’d seen and heard. Gabby’s rejection stung the worst, of course. The idea that she would treat him as if he was beneath her, as if he didn’t matter, brought on a bleak feeling that slid through him. So reminiscent of what he’d endured in the past, the darkness threatened to pull him down into the hell he’d escaped.
He hammered the nails into the wood with a vengeance. Each blow reminded him of just how poor his beginnings were, just how little he meant to anyone in the world except for the Devils. Gabby had found a playmate, someone to teach her a few new tricks, and now she was done with him.
Much as he’d like to deny it, it hurt quite a bit. The cloying humidity filled his lungs, making it hard to take a deep breath. After he was done for the day he’d jump into the cool river waters and wash off everything, perhaps even wash himself away if the current was strong enough.
“Need some help?”
Jake glanced down to see Gideon, hammer in hand, smiling up at him. He shook with the notion of what he’d been contemplating. Gideon might have seen something in Jake’s face, an inkling of what he had been thinking. God knew Jake struggled every day with dark thoughts, it wouldn’t do to let Gideon in on that secret.
“I’m coming up. Hang on.” Gone was the smile and in its place was a fierce protectiveness Jake had come to recognize was a part of Gideon’s personality.
As Gideon climbed up the waterwheel, Jake recognized it was always his friends who pulled him back from the brink of disaster. Whether it be prison, jail or the trappings of his own mind, the Devils were always there for him. In a sudden realization, Jake accepted the fact that these four men were his family in every sense of the word, even if they didn’t share a blood tie. They shared something much deeper, their souls.
Gideon reached him in minutes, the hammer stuck in the back of his trousers and a frown etched on his face. He squeezed Jake’s arm. “What happened?”
At Gideon’s softly worded question, Jake’s throat closed up and tears stung his eyes. He felt so weak, and useless, and unlike any man he’d ever met. Jake was a coward, someone who hid behind his friends and wallowed in the memories he couldn’t seem to forget.
“I made a mistake,” Jake said brokenly. “I trusted someone besides the Devils.”
“The woman.” Gideon nodded. “The black-haired one, right?”
Jake’s smile hurt, but he did it anyway. “I fell in love so fast and so hard, Gid. I couldn’t stop myself. Now, sh-she treats me as if we didn’t— I just don’t know what to think anymore.” He stopped and hugged the wood beside him so hard he knew he’d leave bruises. That was real enough, unlike whatever he’d shared with Gabby.
“I’ve done it myself, Jake. We all make that mistake at least once in our lives, sometimes more than that.” Gideon leaned closer. “There’s no shame in getting your heart involved, but don’t let it take your life.”
Jake often wondered if Gideon could read minds, because many times he knew exactly what others thought. In this case, it was startling enough to make Jake’s grip slip on the wood and he started to fall off the wheel, towards the dangerous currents below. The reality of death being close enough to leave a tang in his mouth woke Jake up like nothing else had.
Gideon grabbed his arm, keeping Jake from plunging down. He scrambled for his hold while his heart lodged in his throat. The damp wood smelled terrible but it sure as hell felt good.
“Thank you, Gid,” Jake got past his numb lips. “If you hadn’t been here—”
“That doesn’t matter. I was here and you didn’t fall.” Gideon gestured toward the ground. “Why don’t we climb down and have dinner over at Cindy’s. Zeke is up and around, raring to do something besides sit on his ass.”
Jake closed his eyes and breathed for a moment. Life was meant for the living, not those who wished themselves dead. Gifts he received each and every day should be enough to continue on. He was thankful for his friends, for the fact that they all survived the war, that Nate had found a good woman, and they had food, a place to sleep and employment. From now on, Jake would focus on living for the present and try to let go of the past and all the ghosts that accompanied him.
“Yep, let’s go get some vittles.” Jake’s smile was genuine. “I could eat a horse.”
Gideon smiled back and they both started climbing down.
Dinner turned out to be pot roast, potatoes and gravy, and surprisingly delicious. Elmer joined them, sitting next to Jake as if they’d formed a bond. Jake liked the old man, even for his gruff ways. During the meal Jake was telling the others about his discoveries in the Rinaldi house, when the mayor decided to pay a visit.
Phineas Wolcott waddled in, watch in hand, perspiration dotting his round face. He eyed the meal in front of the Devils and frowned. Every one of them stiffened in their chairs, ready to hear whatever bad news Phineas had come to deliver.
“Wolcott.” Gideon set his fork down. “Did you come to join us?”
“No, I didn’t,
Mr. Blackwood. I came to talk to you about something, in private.” He gestured at the door, apparently expecting Gideon to follow.
However, Phineas didn’t know the Devils very well. They stuck together no matter what happened.
“Whatever you’ve got to say can be said in front of all of us.” He nodded in Elmer’s direction. “Even he’s got a stake in this situation. It would have been nice if you’d spoken to us about the missing women, Wolcott.” Gideon crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze sharp and wary.
Phineas flushed an interesting shade of red and fiddled with his watch. “I didn’t think anyone would take the job if they knew the whole truth. Tanger is dying, Mr. Blackwood, and without its young women, the death will come that much quicker.”
“What is it you want to talk about, Mayor?” Zeke chimed in. “I’ve already taken a bullet for your town. We’re working as fast as we can.”
“I know, I heard about that and I was happy to hear that Margaret wasn’t taken. Although she’s a widow, she’s young and healthy, more than able to bear children.” Phineas opened his arms. “I wanted to talk to all of you, to see what you’ve accomplished since you’ve been here.”
Jake stood. The noise of the chair legs scraping the wood echoed in the room. Anger coursed through him at the way this fat little man was blithely going on about women as if they were cows for breeding. “It appears as though you’ve already got that information. Why don’t you tell us what you really want?”
Phineas let his mask slip for a moment and Jake saw the avarice and cunning creature who lurked behind the man. Jake wasn’t afraid, rather he was even more wary of exactly what the mayor of Tanger had in store for them.
“I was hoping we could discuss the terms of your employment, perhaps, ah, revise them.” Phineas smiled, or at least that’s what Jake thought it was.
Jake, Devils on Horseback, Book 2 Page 11
