“Chloe Ruskin, will you marry me?”
Her mouth dropped open, and she wasn’t alone. All the Devils stared at him slack-jawed.
“Holy shit.”
“Did he just ask her to marry him?”
“Maybe it’s the blood loss.”
“Maybe it’s love.” Jake looked between them, and his grin grew as wide as the sky. “I think, fellow Devils, that we have ourselves a genuine case of true love.”
Chloe shook her head and started to back away. Gideon wasn’t about to let that happen. He grabbed her uninjured leg and crawled toward her, the bloody needle and thread dangling from his arm. A whoosh echoed through his head and the world tilted a bit, but he ignored it. All that mattered was Chloe.
“That blood’s not very romantic.”
“Didn’t you propose in a barn?”
“I think it was a jail cell.”
“Shut up, all of you.” Zeke hushed them up.
All Gideon saw was Chloe. All he heard was her heart beating in concert with his. He managed to press up against her and kiss her parted lips.
“Marry me. I love you, Chloe.” His voice broke on her name, his heart unable to contemplate life without the little curmudgeon who had taken up permanent residence in its chambers.
“I-I love you too.” She stuttered on each syllable. “B-but my kin tried to k-kill you.” She shook so hard her bones rattled together.
Chloe Ruskin was scared.
“Ah, honey, my kin is a bunch of crazy ex-soldiers who have drinking problems, missing limbs and surly dispositions. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your wife.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “Please, Chloe, say yes.”
Her breath puffed out in gasps as he held his until he thought he’d pass out from lack of air.
“Yes.” Her whisper was barely audible, but he heard it.
Gideon closed his eyes to keep away the tears that threatened at the joy he felt in that one little word. It marched through his body, leaving him trembling as much as she was.
The last Devil had finally found where he belonged. In Chloe Ruskin’s arms.
Over the course of two days, they rode slowly back to Westville as a group, Gideon in the wagon with Granny and the girls. Adam and Tobias walked behind them, tied at the wrist and to Zeke’s saddle. At night she hardly slept a wink, watching Gideon to make sure he didn’t die. Their journey was a relatively quiet one, except for Adam and Tobias complaining.
Chloe drove the team and listened for Gideon, making sure he didn’t sound as though he was in too much pain. She didn’t want him to fall out of the wagon if he passed out again. When she’d suggested it might happen, he looked at her as if she had grown a second head.
She might have laughed, but she was afraid he would be more offended. She wisely held in the unwanted mirth, swallowing it down amidst the emotions churning in her gut. She swung between joy, disbelief and misery. How could the most amazing thing in her life coincide with the absolute worst? Her brother was a monster, and his blood ran through her veins. What did that say about her?
How could Gideon ignore that? His family consisted of honorable men, albeit rough around the edges. The fact her family was a river of dirt should send him running the other direction. Yet he didn’t. In fact, the foolish man had proposed to her. It had nearly sent her running. He’d been sincere, and she’d seen the love in his eyes, heard it in his voice. Chloe should have said no, should have ignored the tug she felt in her heart every time she saw him.
But she couldn’t and she hadn’t. Chloe had said yes to his proposal, and now panic raced through her as the reality of marrying Gideon slammed into her. He came from a high-society family, was a good man who deserved more than the ignorant daughter of a dirt farmer with thieving murderers for kin.
Some of his family were noisy and talkative, while others were quiet. The four men were as big as Gideon, and together they were more intimidating than anything she’d experienced, which was saying a lot. She could imagine how formidable they had been during the war. They still were. Chloe liked the redheaded man, Jake. He smiled a lot, putting her at ease, as much as she could be at ease. He was also funny, earning sharp comments from the blond men, Zeke and Lee. The dark-haired, well-dressed man, Nate, was unfailingly polite and used words she didn’t understand.
This was the family she would be marrying into, and they not only scared her, they made her wonder if she should disappear once they arrived in Westville. As much as she fought against it, her love for Gideon had become firmly entrenched in her heart, in her soul. There would be no other man in her life to take his place, no matter what happened.
With her stomach in a knot, the big group rode through Westville, earning a few curious stares from the late-night inhabitants, which made her want to laugh like a crazy woman. The nice folks in this little town had no idea what they were getting into when they had helped Gideon and Chloe a few days earlier. Now the Blackwood clan had descended on them.
“Where to?”
“The doctor’s place is down the street a bit. He took care of Chloe after the horse fell on her leg.” Gideon looked pale and sweaty, and his bloody shirt made her want to turn away and hide. She didn’t even want to consider what would happen if he died. She’d already accepted him into her life; to lose him now would devastate her.
“A horse fell on her leg?” Jake looked her over, as if assessing just how clumsy she was. “How did that happen?”
“An accident,” was her only response. She didn’t want to talk to them about it. It still saddened her to think of the horse’s death. The trauma of that moment would live in her memories for years. No need to relive it so soon after it happened.
“I think we need to sit down and hear the entire story.” Zeke eyed them both with an intense stare. “Naomi almost kicked me out the door to come help you. The wire you sent turned Tanger on its ear.”
Chloe assumed Naomi was his wife, and she tried to imagine what Gideon had put in his wire that affected an entire town.
“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 been Granny’s idea, 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 okay?”
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 to Tanger.”
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?”
Gideon: Devils on Horseback, Book 5 Page 18