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

along on the path selected for her.
    This time it was up to her.
    “Does he want to marry me ?” she blurted before she could stop herself. What was she thinking? She couldn’t marry anyone. It was time to move on.
    Adam’s eyes widened and his lips twitched. “You turned that around on me.”
    “I won’t pretend I have no home, no family and no place to sleep tonight. But I won’t take charity or worse, pity, from anyone.” Her voice grew stronger as she spoke, “I can’t choose to marry someone I don’t know.”
    “Does that mean you’ll stay and get to know him?” Mrs. Sheridan raised her brows. “I think that’s a marvelous idea. It will stop the tongues from wagging, but Adam will have to sleep at the mill.”
    “She can sleep in Mary’s old room.” Rose’s voice came through the closed door. “Mama and me can teach her about the mill.”
    Mr. Sheridan shook his head. “Are you sure you want to be around us?”
    Eve was no fool. A roof over her head, food and kind people were a gift she couldn’t refuse. It would give her time to determine where she would go next and who she would become. “Yes, if you’ll have me. I can work hard and do any chores you need doing.”
    “Sounds fair enough.” Mr. Sheridan crossed his arms. “Adam will be a gentleman while you do your thinking. Is two weeks enough time? The town’s Founder’s Day celebration is on that weekend. It would be a nice time for a wedding.”
    “We were married in less than a month,” Mrs. Sheridan reminded her husband. “I think I knew the moment I met you that you were the man for me.”
    The look that passed between them made Eve question what she was seeing. This couldn’t be real. These people couldn’t possibly be normal. Who offered to take in a perfect stranger, and possibly marry their son, with only half a day’s knowing her? It was beyond strange.
    Yet they’d given her a choice. Two weeks to choose the path for the rest of her life. Two weeks to decide if a man was to be her husband or if she would face the world on her own. She didn’t need two weeks to decide since she already knew she wouldn’t marry him. However, she would accept their hospitality for that time. Why wouldn’t she?
    Eve managed to nod. “Two weeks.”
    * * * *
    The morning sun kissed the horizon as Adam rode beside his father. The first half hour of travel had been strained silence. The only sounds were the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves and the twitter of birds in the trees.
    He normally would be talking with his pa about this and that. Today, however, they were on their way to meet his uncle Lee to retrieve the broken wagon and whatever flour they could salvage.
    This was not a pleasant trip.
    “Before we meet up with Lee, I wanted to talk to you.”
    Of course he did. Adam was angry with himself, enough for two. He’d made an absolute mess, cost the family money, reputation and had caused big issues for a young woman caught in Adam’s web. His damn stars would never align, no matter what.
    “I apologized for the accident, Pa.”
    “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” His father cleared his throat. “Not that this situation is good for any of us, but I wanted to talk to you about the mill.”
    Adam couldn’t help but be surprised. Pa never talked about the mill He simply ordered everyone to do their chores. “What of it?”
    “I’ve heard your complaints about the mill, the flour and being trapped.”
    Shit.
    “I know you don’t like it, but I need you there, boy.” His father’s voice had dropped to a husky whisper. “We work hard as a family and we fail as a family. No matter who’s at fault, we need time to recover from the loss of the flour.”
    Adam felt about two inches high. It was true he’d never truly liked the mill or the process of making flour. But he loved his family more than anything and knew he was responsible for a financial disaster that hurt them. His chest constricted with