Devils on Horseback: Gideon, Book 5 (8 page)

“Please, ma’am, we just want to be on our way. You can keep the knife.”

“That’s my knife.” Chloe wasn’t giving an inch.

“Not now, Chloe,” he snapped.

“It’s about all I have left from my brother. He gave it to me before he went to war.”

“It’s just a thing. You have your memories.”

“Says you. I don’t want to lose the only thing I have left of him.”

“That’s enough, Chloe.” Gideon turned until they were nose to nose. “Let her have the knife. It’s not worth your life.”

Chloe’s green eyes sparked like sun on a lake. She was obviously mad, but it wasn’t at him, rather at their situation. He understood that, but she had to stop and recognize hanging on to something for sentimental reasons was going to get her a one-way ticket to a hole in the ground.

The woman broke her silence. “You surely sound married, but there ain’t no ring on her finger.”

“Had to sell it to leave Georgia.” The lie rolled off his tongue too easily. “We wanted to start fresh in Texas and had no money to get here. It doesn’t mean we’re not married, just that we don’t need a ring to feel married.”

Thankfully Chloe stopped poking him with her sharp elbow.

“That’s right romantic of you, but I don’t believe it.” The old woman gestured with the shotgun. “Now get up in the seat of the wagon. I don’t care how you get up there, just do it.”

Gideon wanted to shout at the heavens at the stupidity of the request, but he didn’t. Chloe didn’t have the sense to do the same.

“Where do you think we’re going to go?” Chloe snapped. “I swear to all that’s holy, if you don’t let us go right now, you will live to regret it. We have to follow that trail, or we’re going to lose it.”

She was right, of course, and Gideon didn’t want to chastise her for caring about her family or what happened to them. This stranger had put them at risk because of her distrust and inhospitable way of treating people. He wanted his horse back and his things, but most of all, he wanted to get Chloe’s family back safely. It was a promise he’d made to her whether or not he actually said the words.

“Get a move on. Get up in that seat before I show you how sharp your woman’s knife is.” The woman jammed the shotgun into his side. “Which way they headed?”

“North. We were tracking them when we heard a wagon.” Gideon sucked in a breath at how damn hard she shoved that gun in his back. “We told you we thought you were them, which is why we were in the brush waiting.”

The woman tutted. “Lies, lies, lies.”

Gideon started to climb into the wagon without the use of his hands, not an easy task. He leaned forward to prevent himself from falling on Chloe, but the seat dug into his chest as he tried to climb up higher.

“I can’t get up there without using my hands.” Gideon puffed out a breath.

“Figure it out, soldier boy. I ain’t letting the two of you out of my sight.” The woman was either younger than she appeared or fast as lightning. She was already in the wagon, pointing the gun at his face. He had only a second to wonder why she called him soldier boy.

Chloe growled from behind him. She had scaled the wagon enough to be almost on top of him. “Move it, Blackwood.” She bent toward him and used her shoulders to push him just enough to get up on the seat, then scrambled up beside him.

They both breathed heavily as their gazes met. Fury and fear warred in her eyes, and he understood she needed him to find a way to follow her family, no matter what.

“How am I going to drive the wagon if my hands are tied? You’ve got a pair of horses here. I need to be able to hold the traces, or we’ll end up dead in a ditch.”

“Just set still a moment and I’ll tell you how.”

Something tugged at his foot. When he glanced down, he saw the woman under the seat tying their feet together. His left foot was now attached to Chloe’s right.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m going to loose one of your hands and one of hers. You can’t get far tied together, and you’ll have to figure out a way to drive the wagon with each other.” She cackled as she made quick work of loosing the knot on his right and Chloe’s left hands. This was the knot the woman had tied herself, obviously a slipknot she’d expected to undo. He was going to grab the woman, but she had the shotgun firmly situated at the base of his back. If his attempt failed, she could literally cut him in two.

With a slam of the shotgun barrel on his spine, she sat back. He couldn’t see her without turning around. Chloe’s left hand was a fist on her leg. The knuckles were white, nearly bloodless.

“Don’t lose them, Gideon.” Her whisper was harsh but full of emotion.

“I won’t.” He picked up the traces and handed her half. “I promise.”

They started off in the opposite direction they had been headed. It would mean another delay in finding the Ruskins’ wagon. He had to find a way to turn around or risk losing the trail completely.

* * * * *

As the afternoon wore on, the tension grew tighter with each passing minute. Chloe had never experienced such red-hot rage for someone, not even the damn Yankee bastard who’d stolen their last sack of corn when they’d been starving. This woman had destroyed the likelihood of tracking her family.

Chloe didn’t cry much, but the possibility she would never see Granny or the girls again brought tears to her eyes. She turned her head and watched the trees go by until she had willed the tears away. The wagon trudged on with the two of them driving the team of sorry-looking nags. To her surprise, Gideon’s right-hand method complemented her left, and they drove together with ease. Of course it required her to be hip to hip with him, their tied hands resting on his knee. His leg was exceptionally strong and hard—there wasn’t much about Gideon Blackwood that was soft.

His face seemed to be set in granite now, and she could see he was controlling his anger through iron will. While she gritted her teeth and cursed every two minutes, he stared straight ahead, a rock beside her on the wagon seat.

“What are we going to do?” she whispered harshly.

“I’m thinking,” was his cryptic response.

“Think faster.”

“You two better stop jawin’ up there. I ain’t gonna let you get away from me until I know exactly what you was doing at my wagon.” The hideous woman leaned forward, unleashing a fresh waft of rancid body odor.

“Fine, we won’t talk, just move back where you were.” Chloe breathed through her mouth to avoid the stench.

“Why? You conspirin’ to do somethin’?” She leaned even closer, and Chloe’s eyes began to water for a different reason.

“No, because you smell like an outhouse that ain’t been cleaned in two years,” Chloe snapped.

“Well, la-di-da, ain’t you the fine lady? I don’t like bathing, but that don’t mean nothin’. I’m smart and got this here wagon full of goods to sell to settlers.” The woman cackled again. “You two ain’t got nothin’ but an old knife and the clothes on your back.” She pressed the barrel of the shotgun into Chloe’s neck. “Now who’s a better person?”

Chloe didn’t answer, because she enjoyed having her head attached to her body. The peddler woman was completely loco. She would probably shoot them and leave their bodies by the side of the road for the vultures to pick at. Not a chance Chloe would let that happen.

Two excruciating hours passed before they stopped. Chloe had a feeling the woman had to relieve herself, and unfortunately, so did she. They all climbed down out of the wagon, with Gideon having the hardest time since they were now tied together at the ankle and wrist.

If it had been a different day, a different situation, Chloe might have laughed at the sight of him inching down like an old man. The peddler woman got annoyed with him and poked him in the back.

“Hurry up there, soldier boy. I ain’t got all day.”

He stopped and turned to look at her. “Why do you call me that?”

Her gap-toothed grin was feral. “Ain’t that what you are? A soldier boy? I could see it in your eyes and the way you move. Cain’t hide that from Annie. Them soldiers are usually desperate. They trade me favors for things.” She leaned in closer to Gideon, and Chloe saw beneath the dirt and grime. The woman was barely older than she was! Then she pressed her breasts into Gideon’s arm.

Chloe wanted to tear that bitch to pieces.

“I am not that desperate.” He started climbing down again.

His barb, however, hit its mark. The woman snarled and grabbed for Gideon. It was Chloe’s opportunity.

In a blink, she twisted away as far as she could, then kicked out with all her might. A crack resounded when her boot connected solidly with the woman’s arm. The gun flipped until it was pointing up.

Gideon moved like lightning. Chloe couldn’t even focus on him—he was a blur. When it was over, he held the gun, she was safe at his side, and their captor lay on the ground screeching and clutching her arm.

“I knew you was a soldier boy the second I laid eyes on you. That bitch of yours broke my arm.”

“Good. You deserve it for kidnapping us and forcing us to tie each other up.” He pressed the gun against her head. “Now tell me why.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Gideon pulled the hammer back. “Oh, I think you do. How much did they pay you to waylay us?”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open. “What the hell are you talking about?”

He pointed at the peddler. “I think whoever took the girls and Granny paid her to stop us from following. How much was it? Or did they get between your legs too?”

The woman snorted. “I ain’t gonna admit to nothing.”

Gideon leaned down to whisper to Chloe. “Get our hands untied, then our feet.”

She wanted to muster up some annoyance at him for bossing her around, but she found herself glad he’d been there. Life had turned itself inside out and upside down. She was comforted by his smarts and his presence. What if Gideon hadn’t been there when everything had gone horribly wrong? It was a bit like eating crow, but Chloe admitted to herself that she needed him.

Chloe untied them in a flash, glad of her calloused fingers against the rough rope. She had to use her teeth to get their hands untied. Other than his cheek twitching, Gideon showed no reaction to having her mouth on his wrists.

“Now tie her up.”

With something like vengeful glee, she did as he bade. The stench was even worse close up, and the crazy woman tried to bite her a few times. She even howled as the rope tightened around the injured arm. Chloe wondered if she was hurt at all, based on how many times the woman bared her teeth and snarled like an animal caught in a trap.

“Now, we’re going to do you the courtesy of leaving you by the side of the trail while we take your wagon and head back the way we came. If you’re lucky, we won’t send the law after you for at least a day.” Gideon squatted down and stared at her eye to eye. “I will make you a promise. If I ever see you again, I won’t hesitate to kill you. Your actions may have caused harm to two innocent little girls and their grandmother, not to mention what you’ve done to my wife. I don’t forgive, and I never forget.”

Chloe had seen him angry, annoyed, amused and focused, but she wasn’t prepared for the coldness in his eyes. They were sharp enough to cut glass, even sent a shiver up her spine. He showed the world a mostly patient, helpful gentleman, but inside him was a controlled animal waiting to go to battle. This must be what the woman saw—the soldier boy beneath the curly brown hair and pretty blue eyes.

The peddler woman spit at him. “Big words, especially when I’m tied up.”

“I could dig a hole for you instead.”

The woman’s breath caught. His threat was real enough to make Chloe more than glad he was on her side.

“Bastard.”

“No, my parents were actually married.” Gideon poked her with the gun. “Now walk toward the woods.”

Her eyes widened, and she glanced at Chloe as if expecting an intervention. Slim chance of that happening.

“You cain’t take my wagon.”

“Oh yes I can and I will. We need something with wheels to catch the sons of bitches we’re chasing.” Gideon rose like an avenging angel, his eyes shooting sparks of fury. “Now
move
.”

His tone didn’t leave a smidge of room for arguing. Neither did the way he held the gun, with a sureness that told her he had spent a good deal of time in his life with a weapon. Chloe scrambled out of the way and watched as the woman shuffled toward the woods, her expression promising retribution. It didn’t matter though—they would never see her again, and she was certain Gideon would hold to his promise. If they happened to cross paths with the woman, he would kill her.

“Get in the wagon, Chloe.”

Again, she obeyed without a peep. Later on she’d have to speak to him about bossing her around so much. She got herself settled on the seat and held the reins. Gideon watched the woman until she was at least fifty yards away, then glanced up at Chloe. His smile was not a happy one.

“Now let’s get this thing turned around so we can find your family.”

Chloe wanted to whoop and crow like a rooster, but she kept that locked away for now. He was focused on the right task—finding her family. He took hold of the lead horse and led him around in a circle until they were pointing back the way they came. Then he climbed on the side and hung on as the wagon began to move. He kept the shotgun pointed at their kidnapper, never moving from his post until they were long out of sight.

Chapter Five

Gideon was furious. Not only had he allowed the stranger to keep them tied up and captive for a good portion of the day, but Chloe had changed their circumstances instead of him. It was his job to be the one doing the rescuing and planning, not hers. Yet he had hesitated to do what needed to be done because he was afraid she would get hurt.

Now the idea made him nearly snort. She was not only fearless, she was smart and quick as hell. They’d been tied together, yet she’d managed to injure the peddler woman, maintain her balance and give him the opportunity to disarm their enemy. It was damn embarrassing, frustrating and impressive.

After they were far enough away to be safe for now, he climbed up into the wagon and sat beside Chloe. He set the shotgun in front of them on the floor and held out his hands. She just raised one brow.

“What makes you think I’m gonna let you drive?”

Gideon gritted his teeth. “Because I’m the man here.”

“I’d say we’re equal partners, Blackwood. We were a team back there, and you’re gonna have to let me hold the reins now and again.”

It made sense, of course. Logic over emotion and all that, but he didn’t give a shit about logic. He just wanted to feel as if he was in control, even if he wasn’t.

“For right now, just hand it over.”

She must have seen something in his expression, because she sighed dramatically and gave him the reins. Gideon wondered if she were humoring him but didn’t want to take that thought any further. Right now he would focus on the trail ahead of them and getting back to where they had been as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the team was old and plodded along slower than he thought possible. They would need some fresh blood to pull this wagon, or they would never catch the people they chased.

They moved along at a snail’s pace, the sound of the merchandise in the wagon behind them clanking and banging together as the wheels hit dips in the trail. It was a strange kind of music—one he did not want to get used to hearing. He planned on getting rid of the wagon as soon as they found the Ruskins. For now he would endure it and its hideous stench.

“Do you think we can find our way back to the packs we left behind?” Chloe’s voice was surprisingly calm.

“Maybe, but with all the shit in this wagon, we don’t need any supplies.”

She murmured something he didn’t quite catch. Five minutes later, she apparently could not control her tongue any longer. “I want that pack back. It’s likely all we have left of our things, and I don’t want to show up on my aunt’s doorstep with nothing but dirty drawers and bugs in my hair.”

“This is the same trail we followed west. If we keep going, we’ll end up where we were this afternoon.” He could almost feel her grinning at him. “But there’s no guarantee we’ll find the exact spot, and we can’t afford to be poking around in the woods.”

She nodded. “I understand that, and I would probably say the same thing. But in this case, I can find the spot.”

“How is that possible? It was a bunch of trees with no distinguishing landmarks.” Gideon thought maybe she was trying to trick him into searching for the packs. There was no chance she could find a bush in the middle of the thick woods they had left them in.

“Distinguishing landmarks? You sure do talk fancy.” She shook her head. “I cut an X in the tree bark.”

“You did what?”

“You heard me. I marked the tree with my knife when you was getting captured.” Chloe sounded so damn smug, his annoyance notched up further.

He told himself not to react, to let her have her moment of triumph. Overall, Gideon was the better soldier, even if she’d been the one who freed them from their captivity. She was a young woman, cocky and sure of herself. There was no reason for him to get riled up.

But damned if he didn’t.

Before he even realized what he was doing, Gideon dropped the reins and yanked her close to him for a bruising kiss. It was a clashing of lips, teeth and tongue, different from their midnight sex. This was primal, elemental and overwhelming. Perhaps it was because they had faced danger together and escaped. He knew he was lying to himself, but thinking wasn’t an option at the moment.

In fact, he could hardly breathe.

The salty taste of her lips gave way to the sweetness of her mouth. The hot, wet recesses beckoned him until he was so deep he couldn’t distinguish where she ended and he began. His dick hardened in an instant, pressing against his trousers, eager to find release with Chloe. To his shock, her hand started pulling on the buttons to free him. He was about to stop her when she spoke.

“Please, I need. Now.” It was a fractured thought but one he understood.

He yanked at the offending buttons until the evening air hit his overheated skin. Her hand surrounded him, and he groaned into her mouth. Thank God she wore drawers with a slit. The ugly dress bunched around her hips. Chloe straddled him, never breaking the kiss, and soon he was poised at her entrance, which was already wet with arousal.

It was wrong, it was foolhardy, it was loco. He couldn’t stop if someone put a gun to his head.

Gideon had never been as aroused or as hard as he was at that moment. She sank onto his length, inch by inch, her tightness surrounding him, embracing him. He gripped the seat beside him until the wood almost splintered under his fingers. It was only through sheer force of will he did not come in the first five seconds. She was perfectly made for him, as if someone had engineered her tiny body to accept, welcome, enclose his.

“Ohhhhh,” she breathed against his lips. “It’s even better than last night.”

Damn straight it was. Gideon guided her up and down a few times, and then she took control again. Her pace increased quickly until all he could do was hang on to her hips and try not to find his release too soon. Blood raced around inside him until his heartbeat became the only thing he heard.

The sounds of the forest around them ceased, and the air became still. The world held its breath as Gideon and Chloe moved together as one being in an ancient rhythm, hearts thumping, breath catching. Sliding against one another, their moans echoing softly into the dense forest.

Her pussy began to twitch, and he knew her release was imminent. He surrendered control and let himself fly with her. Her soft, keening cry reached his ears as he shouted. The pleasure coursed through him with the force of a mule kick, stealing his breath and stopping his heart, until stars exploded behind his eyes. His fingers dug into her hips as her fingers did the same to his shoulders.

It was the most powerful orgasm of his life.

Every inch of his body trembled with the force of their joining. She rested her forehead against his, her breath mingling with his choppy gusts.

“I didn’t know.” Her voice was huskier than normal.

“Know what?” His sounded like rusty metal.

She sat up and looked into his eyes. “What it felt like to have your man call your name like that.”

Gideon’s throat closed up as he studied her guileless green eyes. It was true whether or not he wanted to accept it. He had shouted her name when he came, something he’d never done in his life. Not once.

That’s when he knew he was in trouble.

Chloe hoped he couldn’t tell she was trembling. The movement of the wagon likely hid the fact she could not stop shaking. The first time she’d been with Gideon, it had been dark and mostly about feeling new things. This was at sunset, on a wagon seat, and she’d ridden him like he was a horse.

What made her off-kilter, though, was when he had said her name. Granny hadn’t told her much about what men did or what happened to them during sex. Chloe figured out on her own that men made noises when they found their pleasure. He called her name this time.
Her
name. What did it mean? She wished Granny were there to ask.

Instead she sat next to him and tried to look as though nothing was wrong. The truth was far from that though—everything was wrong. There was no use getting riled up when there wasn’t a thing she could do to change what had happened the last two days. Done was done.

“Where did you mark them?”

She started at the sound of his voice, slid sideways and got a few splinters in her behind. “Jesus Christmas!” She took a deep breath and tried to stop acting like a fool. “Mark what?”

He pursed his lips and appeared to be controlling his temper. She knew personally those lips were much softer than they appeared.

Stop thinking about his dang lips
.

“The trees, Chloe. You said you had marked them with your knife.”

“On the bark.”

His eyes narrowed. “I realize it’s on the bark. What I’m asking is did you mark them high, in the middle, on the roots?”

Chloe wished she were anywhere but that very spot. Vibrations echoed between her legs, his seed was on her thighs, and he was treating her like she was an idiot. Instead of letting her temper and her pride overtake her again, she turned away from him. If she wasn’t looking at him, perhaps she could regain some semblance of self-control.

“I made an X at eye level.” She wasn’t surprised to hear her voice had grown huskier. Emotions were not something she welcomed or relished, and they were surrounding her at the moment.

“Low on the tree.”

She opened her mouth to repeat
eye level
but realized the marks were low on the tree, comparatively speaking, that was. Her short stature was always a source of annoyance, especially around men who were as big as trees.

“Yep, I reckon you’re right.” The words were pulled from her throat.

“Start looking, then. It’s almost too dark to see, and I’m pretty sure we’re near where we started with the peddler.” He gave orders, again, and held the reins so nonchalantly she wanted to smack him. Wasn’t he as affected as she was by what they had just done? If not, then why?

She had no one to ask and no answers to the million questions in her mind. She focused on what she could do—find the trees she’d scored. As the minutes passed, she grew worried they wouldn’t find the packs in the dark, much less Granny and the girls. She must have been fidgeting on the seat.

“Is something biting you?”

She glanced at him. “Why?”

“You’re dancing over there like an army of ants is biting at you.” His scowl made his eyebrows touch like two caterpillars kissing.

She ignored him. After all, she could fidget if she wanted to. He was not her real husband, and he had no say in what she did. Maybe annoying him would become a game until, well, until they lost control again. That couldn’t,
shouldn’t
, happen another time. It didn’t stop her traitorous body from warming to the idea. Was she turning into a wanton? Granny didn’t warn her about that. In fact, Granny didn’t warn her about a lot of things.

Like how her skin tingled at his touch, or how she throbbed before, during and after joining with him, or how his lips had blazed a trail of fire across her. Now she was beginning to fidget, and it wasn’t because of ants.

“More ants?”

She wanted to smack him. “If you have to know, I’m just worried is all.”

Liar
.

“Me too.” He tried again in vain to get the horses to move a bit faster. They did not respond to his call or the traces lightly smacking their rumps. “I can’t make these nags into stallions no matter how hard I try. We’ll just have to keep moving and hope we find something.”

That something turned out to be the trees she had scored. The night air was cooling things off, but anxiety and stress made sweat trickle down her back as she squinted at the forest. At first she thought she was seeing things because she wanted so badly to find the marks. Then she grabbed his arm, surprised again by how it felt to touch such a muscular man. She shook off the feeling.

“Stop the wagon. I think I see something.”

Before he could even react, she jumped out and ran toward the trees. She nearly wept when she saw the X she had swiped with her knife hours earlier. Her finger traced the letter as she worked at swallowing the lump in her throat. They were back on track, back to where their detour started, and now they could pick up the trail of the Ruskin wagon.

The sound of clanking drew her attention, and she saw Gideon had retrieved their packs already. He was staring into the back of the peddler’s wagon and shaking his head. Finally more in control of her runaway emotions, Chloe stepped over to where he stood.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s right?” He gestured to the wagon. “There is so much junk in here I can’t even figure out what most of this stuff is.” He pushed aside a pile of what appeared to be burlap sacks to set down their homemade packs. “I wouldn’t put these any farther in or we’ll never see them again.”

Gideon climbed in, and she squawked in protest. “What are you doing now?”

“Looking for more weapons.”

“Oh.” Made sense to her and she wondered why she hadn’t thought of it. “Can I help?”

“I don’t think there’s room in here for me to change my mind, much less room for a sprite like you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That just means I can move around easier in there, and faster too. Now if you get out, I can get in and search before it’s completely dark.”

Gideon wasn’t happy about her logic, but he must have agreed with it, because he climbed down out of the wagon. He obviously didn’t like being wrong or letting her be correct. The thought made her want to smile, but the time just wasn’t right for that. She dug around, encountering more smells, sights and surprises than she cared to. Her hands were sticky and dirty by the time she had found six knives, a rusty pistol and a shotgun. She handed each one to Gideon as she located them.

“Any ammunition for these?”

She felt a little foolish not looking for the shells and bullets, but she didn’t want him to know that. “I’m looking for them now.”

Chloe had to hold her breath a few times as she dug through the accumulation of shit the old woman had packed in the wagon. There didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to her organization of things, so every nook and cranny had to be searched. The good news was Chloe did find ammunition, even some for guns they hadn’t found.