Devils on Horseback: Gideon, Book 5 (18 page)

“After the doctor looks at him.” She wasn’t about to let them risk his life to hear the entire almost unbelievable story.

Zeke raised one brow and turned to look at Gideon. “She’s a smaller version of you, Captain.”

Three of the men chuckled. Gideon narrowed his eyes at them.

“Shut up, all of you. Now is not the time to make jokes.” When he looked at Chloe, she saw the pain lines in his face and the exhaustion in his eyes. However, his voice had been hard and sharp, one she’d heard before, but this time it made all the men obey. He did have a captain’s tone, and he obviously still commanded his men. “Zeke, you and Lee take these two over to the sheriff’s office. Jake and Nate, come with me to the doctor.”

Chloe wondered for a moment if married life would be a series of orders she would endure. Then Gideon surprised her once more.

“Chloe, honey, will you come with us to the doctor?” Gone was the commanding man, and in his place a soft lover.

She melted like hot grease on a skillet inside, but outside she merely shrugged. “I reckon I don’t have anything else to do right now.”

“I like her. She certainly has the captain tamed.” Jake winked at her, and Chloe had to look away, or she’d embarrass herself by smiling at the charming man.

These people would break down her defenses before she knew it. She couldn’t let that happen too easily. Granny and the girls were her first responsibility.

Granny was surprisingly quiet, sitting with the sleeping girls on either side of her in the back of the wagon. Chloe’s heart ached for them, for what they had endured at the hands of Adam and Tobias. She needed to talk to her, but Gideon’s safety came first. The wide-eyed girls had been well-behaved, and Chloe grew even more worried. Once he was safe, she would take care of finding out what had happened to them. None of them appeared to be injured, aside from wrists rubbed raw from ropes.

When they arrived at the doctor’s house, Granny waved Chloe away, apparently content to wait in the wagon. She had obviously heard everything that went on with Gideon but still said nothing. The entire business with the man had Granny’s approval from the start, and now that he’d proposed, she was quiet as a mouse.

Something was definitely wrong.

The doctor was no less grumpy than he had been the first time they visited him, but she didn’t have to endure his doctoring either. It was the middle of the night, and he was not at all pleased to have a patient. Gideon’s bloody appearance made him admit them immediately. This time she sat in the parlor while Gideon’s friends carried him into the examining room. She should have gone in with him, but the truth was she needed a chance to think. The idea of being in the examining room again made her skin crawl. Chloe did not like doctors, especially this one.

Unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance to be alone. Jake and Nate appeared in the parlor after she sat down. The redhead still had bloodstains on his shirt from stitching up Gideon, and she could barely look at him. It was Gideon’s blood, spilled by her brother.

Her stomach flipped upside down again.

“Don’t run. I promise we’ll behave.” Jake sat on the edge of the dusty settee while Nate stood near the doorway, looking just as neat as he had before.

“I will behave in any case, Chloe.”

“Fine.” She wanted to go check on her family but also wanted to simply be still for a few minutes.

“Chloe, I know it’s been a rough week for you. Gideon actually warned us not to bother you.” Jake had a beautiful smile. “But we’re worried about you too. Are you all right?”

She forced herself to smile. “I won’t be until I know he is.”

Jake laughed. “Now she sounds like Zeke. A woman of few words.” He winked at her again, and she looked away. They were talking to her as if they knew her, as if she were already part of their family. A lump blossomed in her throat.

“Stop teasing her. Let her take a few moments to gather her thoughts.” Nate appeared formal on the outside, but she saw concern in his eyes, and she was grateful for it. “She’s been hurt too.”

Her concern for Gideon became an ache in her chest, intense enough that she barely remembered the pain in her leg. She couldn’t just sit there and do nothing. Maybe Granny needed her. She got to her feet, ready to escape, when both of the men rose too.

“Where are you going?” Jake’s tone wasn’t accusatory, but it was definitely not a casual question either.

“I need to get out of here. My feet are itching to move.” She was jumpy, unsure of herself and about to run like a scared rabbit.

Jake took her hand, his cool and calloused. “Please don’t run away because of us. We are worried about Gid, and we tend to be a little, ah, overwhelming when that happens.” He gestured to the settee. “Please, sit down before Gid has our heads for chasing you off.”

She contemplated leaving the building, but then she wouldn’t know how Gideon was doing, and that might just drive her completely loco.

“No more questions?”

Both of them nodded. She was grateful for the reprieve. This time when she sat down, they moved to the opposite corner of the room, talking quietly. She managed to sit still and maintain her dignity while her mind whirled in circles. One horrible thought was followed by another. After ten minutes, the silence was bothering her. She knew she appeared fickle to the two men, but Chloe needed to talk.

“You know, when the wheel broke on our wagon, I never thought I’d meet someone like Gideon. No one wanted to help us until he came along.” She remembered clearly the moment she first saw him, how her entire body leapt to life at the sight of the broad-shouldered man on the horse. He caught her eye from that very second. Strange how life brought them together, and how many obstacles had been thrown in their path after that first meeting. “Then he was there to help me when somebody took the girls.”

“He’s got more honor than anyone I know.” Nate’s voice was full of pride.

“Me too.” Chloe almost choked on the half sob, half laugh that exploded from within her. She felt so blessed to have found him, to love him, yet so scared of what it all meant.

“No matter what happens, we’re here for you and Gideon. Think of us as your family now.” Jake’s smile had been tucked away. “Do you want us to go with you to talk to the sheriff?”

She had a feeling they wanted to talk about Adam and Tobias, but she had no answers for them. “No, I ain’t ready for that yet.”

“I can understand your reluctance.” Nate touched her hand. “Let us know when you are.”

Chloe’s throat closed up at the way they’d simply accepted her. These were good folks, better than her own family.

“He wants to see you.” The doctor appeared in the doorway, waving his hand impatiently. “He’s a worse patient than you, if that’s at all possible.”

Chloe got to her feet and managed not to run out of the building although she wanted to. There was no need to be afraid, yet she was. He’d asked her to marry him, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t change his mind or worse.

“Down the hall on the left.” The doctor disappeared into the back of the house.

The walk down the hall seemed longer than it should, as her mind turned over all the possibilities of what could happen. The door was slightly ajar, a glow coming through the crack. Her hand shook as she pushed it open far enough to slip in.

Gideon lay on the cot, surrounded by white sheets and bandages. He looked incredibly pale as though he’d lost some of his life along with the blood. It spooked her badly to see him like that. He’d been strong every moment she’d been with him, and now he was weak and wounded.

His eyes were closed, his lashes dark smudges on his cheeks. She studied him for a moment, wondering how God thought to put this man in her path, to collide with him, truth be told. They clashed, fought, argued, and still managed to fall in love.

Love.

Gideon had told her days before that he loved her. She’d struggled against it, not able to tell him how she felt. Then, when he’d been bloodied and perhaps dying, she’d finally admitted her love to him. It had been liberating and at the same time, terrifying. Words she couldn’t take back, another bell she couldn’t unring. For better or worse, she had confessed her deepest secret, and a lightning bolt didn’t strike her down, his love had.

“You about done ogling me?” His voice was rough and rusty, not his usual deep tone.

She somehow didn’t blush at his question; instead she ignored it and perched on the side of the bed. He took her hand, which was warm and so alive. A rush of emotion washed over her, and her eyes pricked with tears.

“Don’t cry for me, honey. I’ll live.”

She couldn’t explain what made those damn tears appear, and she wished they’d go back where they came from. However, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride, and she was still on foot. Chloe shook her head and pushed back against the emotions swirling through her.

“I ain’t crying for you.”

“Good to know. I wouldn’t want to be the one who made you cry.” He squeezed her hand.

“You’re not, so don’t worry.” His humor allowed her self-control to take over again. “You in pain?”

He tried to shrug but managed only to wince. “Some.”

“Doc give you something for the pain or do I need to?” She remembered too vividly how it felt to be in pain and have the laudanum in her system. Gideon deserved a dose of that himself.

“Yes he did, no need to take revenge.” He knew her too well already.

She stared into his blue eyes, lost in the depths. “You make me crazy.”

“You make me want to get drunk.”

“You boss me around too much.”

“You argue too much.”

This time when she laughed, he smiled at her, and the beauty of it made her breath catch. “I love you, Chloe Ruskin.”

She had held back much of herself, had spent so long worrying about her family, and his softly spoken words broke the dam within her.

“I love you too, Gideon Blackwood.”

Chloe finally let the walls fall away and gave her heart and soul to Gideon Blackwood. As she laid her head beside his on the cot and let his warmth seep into hers, she knew she’d found where she belonged.

* * * * *

Gideon woke to the sound of someone clearing his throat. He cracked his eyes open to find all four of the Devils standing over him. If he was a lesser man, he might have been afraid, but he knew they were just checking on him.

“I’m still alive, so go back home.”

Zeke scowled deeply. “Not funny, Captain. We came to help you, and we’re not leaving. I will travel home with you by my side or not at all.”

“My sentiments exactly.” Nate crossed his arms and joined in the staring.

“He needs to stay in Tanger.” Lee sat on the only chair in the room, his back against the wall.

“I’d be happy if he did.” Jake grinned at him. “Now that he’s found himself a woman, I think we can count on it.”

Gideon was glad of their loyalty, but sometimes it was too much. “You ought to be nicer to me. I’m wounded.”

They all laughed, finding humor in his feeble excuse. He’d definitely been wounded much worse and gotten up on both feet to fight before a bandage ever touched him too. The thought of being taken care of by Chloe while he healed, however, made him almost glad he’d been wounded.

“I’ll stay in Westville until Chloe is ready to leave.” Gideon pushed up into a sitting position slowly, glad the room didn’t spin anymore. The laudanum must have worn off. “Zeke, what happened to Adam and Tobias?”

“They’re in the jail. The sheriff wired the district judge. He’ll be here in a couple of days to decide whether or not to hold them over for trial.” Zeke shook his head. “Shame that two good Southern boys turned rotten.”

“What about Chloe? How is she doing?”

“She’s fine. We made her lie down in the parlor. She’s in there snoring now, so we snuck in to see you. That little woman is a fierce guard dog.” Jake patted his leg. “When you’re ready, we’ll take you over to the hotel and get out of this doctor’s cave. He isn’t the nicest sort, is he?”

“No, but he patched Gid up.” Lee got to his feet. “He would’ve had some trouble if he hadn’t.”

Gideon stared at them one by one, noting the furtive glances between them and what they weren’t saying. “Why are the four of you really here?”

“We’ve never seen you act like you do with her.” Zeke jerked his thumb toward the door. “Can she be trusted?”

Gideon swallowed the bark of annoyance that threatened to pop out of his mouth. Zeke was only concerned about Gideon, not talking badly about Chloe. After all, Zeke didn’t know her or anything about her other than her brother and cousin were potential murderers.

“Yes, with my life.”

“Good enough for me,” Jake piped up. “Besides, I like her.”

The rest of them murmured their assent. The knot in Gideon’s stomach loosened. “I’m going to marry her.”

“We heard.” Nate smiled. “Unusual place for a proposal. The bloody needle dangling from your shoulder will live in infamy.”

Gideon laughed. “At least she said yes.” He grinned, letting the memory of her softly worded
I love you too
float through his memory.

“About time too. We were getting tired of the bachelor in the family.” Lee punched his good shoulder lightly. “I thought I’d be the last one to get hitched.”

“I’m glad for you, cousin. Really glad.” Zeke squeezed his arm.

“Wait until the women hear about this.” Jake chuckled. “Your wedding will be a regular town event. You bringing her grandmother and the two little girls with you?”

“I want to, but I haven’t talked to Chloe yet.” He thought about what the three of them had been through and wondered just how much damage the Ruskin boys had done. As soon as he could, he’d find time to talk to Granny.

“A family.” Nate smiled and shook his head. “Another family to take care of.”

“Ah, but this is different.” Gideon pointed at his friend. “These ladies aren’t lazy good-for-nothings who whine all the time.”

That started a tussle between the two of them, and within minutes they were all laughing and smiling like crazy men. Gideon looked around at his family and knew they had all finally conquered the damage done to them during the war. He was whole again.