Read Online Devils on Horseback: Zeke, Book 3 by Beth Williamson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Beth Williamson
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to keep her mind off her crazy, uncomfortable situation. “That’s where you took Lucy for dinner.”
“Um-hm. Me, my cousin and my brother rebuilt it, named it after the old man who used to run it.” He looked into the distance as if remembering, a deep pain in his gaze. “It burned down last year.”
“Who’s Margaret?”
Zeke shook himself, once again the unreadable man on the other side of the bars. “A widow who needed a job as badly as we needed someone who could cook.”
“You fixing on marrying her?” Naomi didn’t know how she let that question pop out of her mouth, but it did anyway.
Both blond eyebrows shot up. “Marry her? Hell no. I ain’t never marrying. No sense in getting tangled up like that.”
Naomi didn’t know if she was surprised or relieved, perhaps both. It was none of her business who the sheriff spent his time with. “Then Lucy is just your friend?”
Zeke chuckled without humor. “Lucy is the only townsfolk who still talked to me when I was at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.”
That bit of information gave her a glimpse into the elusive sheriff’s life, if only a tiny part of it. “She’s given me a chance and I’m grateful for it.”
“Too bad you had to spoil it by starting a saloon brawl. Never thought the first person in this jail would be a woman.”
“What? The first person in the jail? I mean, I realize the cell isn’t finished.” Naomi forgot all of her discomfort. This was a new jail?
“Yep, the blacksmith put it together a few days ago and, well, we had to use what we could get so it ain’t as pretty as it should be.” He grabbed one bar. “It’s strong though, or will be when the door gets finished.”
“I can agree with that,” Naomi said dryly. “Too bad you felt the need to test it out.”
“Are you going to start that again? You know you did wrong, so just accept the night in jail.” He stood and walked over to the desk, annoyance clear in the cadence of his steps.
“I did nothing wrong. That fool Jeb put his hands on me and when I said no, he didn’t stop. I smashed a mug on his head and, well, that’s when everything went wrong.” She gripped the rough metal bars with her hands. “I only defended myself. Can’t you understand that?”
He slapped the desk with one hand, then put his hands on his hips, his back to her. “I understanding defending yourself, but you have to understand that as the new sheriff of Tanger, I have to uphold the law or I’ll be booted out on my ass.”
“New sheriff? So the jail and its keeper are both new? Just my luck to be the first prisoner.” Her journey to Texas had been riddled with one unfortunate event after another. She’d hoped to leave the bad luck behind, but apparently it had stuck to her like a leech. “I’ve only been in town a week, for pity’s sake.”
Zeke walked back over and stared down at her. Their gazes locked and the moment hung in the air, timeless and breathless. He reached out and one finger touched her cheek. Naomi didn’t pull away because she couldn’t. This time it wasn’t out of fear, but wonder and longing.
“Give it time, little one.”
Naomi felt the ground beneath her feet shift and knew she’d just stepped into uncharted territory.
She was scared. Zeke expected her to be tough, used to jail cells. Naomi was a saloon girl, yet he saw the fear and sadness in her eyes. Much as he wanted to treat her like just another prisoner, she wasn’t.
In his experience, women were two types—regular females or ones like Lucy. He hadn’t met many who didn’t fall into those categories. Naomi happened to be one of them, although he was loathe to admit it, since she didn’t make money on her back. She’d started the brawl, after all, but damned if she didn’t hold her own, like a tiny warrior. Zeke didn’t want to respect her, or do anything else with her, and he definitely didn’t want to jeopardize his future as sheriff over her.
However, he found himself
“Um-hm. Me, my cousin and my brother rebuilt it, named it after the old man who used to run it.” He looked into the distance as if remembering, a deep pain in his gaze. “It burned down last year.”
“Who’s Margaret?”
Zeke shook himself, once again the unreadable man on the other side of the bars. “A widow who needed a job as badly as we needed someone who could cook.”
“You fixing on marrying her?” Naomi didn’t know how she let that question pop out of her mouth, but it did anyway.
Both blond eyebrows shot up. “Marry her? Hell no. I ain’t never marrying. No sense in getting tangled up like that.”
Naomi didn’t know if she was surprised or relieved, perhaps both. It was none of her business who the sheriff spent his time with. “Then Lucy is just your friend?”
Zeke chuckled without humor. “Lucy is the only townsfolk who still talked to me when I was at the bottom of a whiskey bottle.”
That bit of information gave her a glimpse into the elusive sheriff’s life, if only a tiny part of it. “She’s given me a chance and I’m grateful for it.”
“Too bad you had to spoil it by starting a saloon brawl. Never thought the first person in this jail would be a woman.”
“What? The first person in the jail? I mean, I realize the cell isn’t finished.” Naomi forgot all of her discomfort. This was a new jail?
“Yep, the blacksmith put it together a few days ago and, well, we had to use what we could get so it ain’t as pretty as it should be.” He grabbed one bar. “It’s strong though, or will be when the door gets finished.”
“I can agree with that,” Naomi said dryly. “Too bad you felt the need to test it out.”
“Are you going to start that again? You know you did wrong, so just accept the night in jail.” He stood and walked over to the desk, annoyance clear in the cadence of his steps.
“I did nothing wrong. That fool Jeb put his hands on me and when I said no, he didn’t stop. I smashed a mug on his head and, well, that’s when everything went wrong.” She gripped the rough metal bars with her hands. “I only defended myself. Can’t you understand that?”
He slapped the desk with one hand, then put his hands on his hips, his back to her. “I understanding defending yourself, but you have to understand that as the new sheriff of Tanger, I have to uphold the law or I’ll be booted out on my ass.”
“New sheriff? So the jail and its keeper are both new? Just my luck to be the first prisoner.” Her journey to Texas had been riddled with one unfortunate event after another. She’d hoped to leave the bad luck behind, but apparently it had stuck to her like a leech. “I’ve only been in town a week, for pity’s sake.”
Zeke walked back over and stared down at her. Their gazes locked and the moment hung in the air, timeless and breathless. He reached out and one finger touched her cheek. Naomi didn’t pull away because she couldn’t. This time it wasn’t out of fear, but wonder and longing.
“Give it time, little one.”
Naomi felt the ground beneath her feet shift and knew she’d just stepped into uncharted territory.
She was scared. Zeke expected her to be tough, used to jail cells. Naomi was a saloon girl, yet he saw the fear and sadness in her eyes. Much as he wanted to treat her like just another prisoner, she wasn’t.
In his experience, women were two types—regular females or ones like Lucy. He hadn’t met many who didn’t fall into those categories. Naomi happened to be one of them, although he was loathe to admit it, since she didn’t make money on her back. She’d started the brawl, after all, but damned if she didn’t hold her own, like a tiny warrior. Zeke didn’t want to respect her, or do anything else with her, and he definitely didn’t want to jeopardize his future as sheriff over her.
However, he found himself
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