Adam, Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

children, firmly but with respect. These were good people, by her estimation. Another rarity.
    That didn’t mean she was any less tense. The delicious stew and biscuits now sat like rocks, weighing her down. Her heart thumped painfully as she waited for the conversation to begin. She waited for them to ask her who she was and why she was with the Roma. Eve wasn’t prepared to reveal the truth yet. Probably never.
    Mr. Sheridan eyed his son with a frown. “Now tell me what happened. Don’t skip anything.”
    She listened while Adam told the tale of the wagon accident, the flour explosion and the foot journey into Tanger. To her surprise, he spoke of her with respect, taking responsibility for the entire mess.
    She could do worse for a husband. Not that she wanted one. From what she knew and had observed, men were a lot of trouble. Especially husbands. Yet she was stranded without a way to make money or survive. Adam was an unattached man.
    The Sheridans listened as Adam spoke, asking questions now and then. Until today, she’d never experienced such a family as the one who surrounded her.
    “You spent the night alone with Miss Tate. You’ve compromised her reputation.” Mrs. Sheridan had been the soul of kindness since Eve walked in the door. She’d helped her clean up, made sure she had quenched her thirst and even made her laugh. She was also the person who owned the mill, not her husband.
    Eve was intrigued by a woman business owner, particularly one who was a wife and mother. Mrs. Sheridan was a formidable person in her own right.
    “She’s a stranger in town.”
    “Everyone saw you walk into town with her, covered in flour and dirt. Do you think there’s anyone who hasn’t heard the story? I can only imagine the different versions that are being whispered as we speak.” Mrs. Sheridan scowled. “I know you didn’t do it intentionally, but you’ve caused her harm and damaged her self-worth.”
    Eve opened her mouth to refute that claim but stopped herself. She didn’t even know what she was worth. All she ever allowed herself was the instinct to survive. There wasn’t anything else.
    “I still don’t understand why she was alone on the road.” Mr. Sheridan glanced at her with concern. “What happened to your family, Miss Tate?”
    Eve decided she needed the Sheridans to continue to believe she was an injured party. It would give her time and an odd, but safe, place to stay. “I don’t have a family or people. I find work where I can, but you’re right. I was alone with your son and spent the night with him.”
    Mrs. Sheridan shook her head. “I’m sorry, Miss Tate.”
    She shrugged, but she didn’t feel at all casual. “Thank you for your kindness. Things happen that we can’t control. I can fight against it or I can accept it.”
    “I’m sorry. Having no family must be difficult. I only had my parents before I met Jake, then I had a big family, and children to love.” Her olive skin and dark eyes reminded Eve of the women she’d lived with. An unexpected pang of homesickness washed over her.
    Eve’s childhood had been anything but ordinary and didn’t involve parents or a family. She was a canvas that had been painted, erased and then painted again. Over and over.
    “I’ve been on my own for a few years.” She wasn’t ready to tell them the entire story. Although they’d been nicer than she expected, they were still strangers. The first rule of being a chameleon was to change her colors without notice or noise.
    “Do you want to marry Adam? That seems to be the question on everyone’s mind.” Mr. Sheridan casually asked the question as he speared her with his blue eyes, a shade lighter than his son’s.
    Eve looked at Adam. He met her gaze, and she recognized he was giving her the choice. She wasn’t truly compromised but the temptation to take what was offered was great. There were very few moments in her life when she had control. She’d waited while the world carried her