Devils on Horseback: Zeke, Book 3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

had risen to the bait he’d tossed at her. Her brown eyes had thrown sparks at him.
    Zeke had no idea why he was even thinking about her. She was too skinny, her tits were too small and for sure, her mouth was a detriment. Woman looked like she hadn’t eaten in weeks and that dress was picked from the rag bag at the church.
    So, what was it about her that grabbed his interest? He didn’t need or want a woman in his life, especially not one who aggravated him with one sentence. The last few days had been hard enough to get used to being the sheriff, get the jail together and keep his hands off the damn whiskey. A woman would foul everything up even worse.
    “Zeke, you’re not listening to me.” Lucy pinched his arm. “A lady doesn’t like to be ignored while she’s with a gentleman.”
    She knew she wasn’t a lady and he sure as hell wasn’t a gentleman, but he didn’t correct her. Lucy was a true friend and that’s all that mattered.
    “Don’t pester me, Lucy.” Zeke tugged his hat lower on his forehead. “I ain’t in the mood.”
    “That little blonde got your tail in a twist?” Lucy was too keen by half. “She reminds you of Allison, don’t she?”
    A surge of anger and hurt ripped through him. “I’m done talking.” Zeke pulled his arm out of hers. “You want to have dinner with me, you’d best stop now.”
    “No need to get all sore with me.” She pouted, tugging at his sleeve. “She told me she don’t work on her back anyway.”
    The admission shouldn’t have surprised him, but it did. Naomi worked in a saloon, and many girls who did worked as whores too. It didn’t matter one way or the other since he’d been ordered to stay away from the saloon and its women, which included Naomi. “It’s no never mind to me as long as she stays out of my way.” Zeke would be sure to stay out of hers.
    He ate dinner mechanically, without even tasting the meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It wasn’t until he has halfway through the meal he realized it was good. Actually it was more than good, it was delicious. He stopped in mid-chew and looked up at a smirking Lee in the doorway to the kitchen.
    “Told ya Margaret would be perfect.” He nodded in greeting at Lucy. “What do you think?”
    Zeke swallowed the meatloaf. “I haven’t had food this good in years, since before—”
    Lee’s eyes clouded with the same grief that slid through Zeke. “Yeah, before.”
    It seemed like a lifetime ago they’d sat at the dinner table at Blackwood Plantation back in Georgia and enjoyed long dinners with their family. Zeke hadn’t allowed himself to think of all they’d had, all they’d lost, very often. He closed his eyes for a second to beat back the dark feelings before they could grab hold of him.
    “Margaret settling in to stay then?” Lucy popped a bite of mashed potatoes in her mouth.
    Lee nodded. “Gabby brought her over and although she’s quiet as a grave, the woman can cook like an angel.”
    “Amen to that.” Zeke tried the green beans. “Damn, even these are good and I normally don’t like ’em.” He waved his fork at the kitchen. “She making desserts too?”
    His brother simply raised his eyebrows. “Finish your dinner and you’ll find out.”
    Zeke threw a green bean at Lee, but he sidestepped it and went back into the kitchen.
    “You know, I always thought your brother was just a mean bastard,” Lucy mused.
    “That’s not very nice.” Zeke felt his earlier annoyance at her returning. “You don’t know what we’ve done, or been through. Don’t judge him.”
    “And you don’t know what I’ve been through.” Lucy’s eyes hardened.
    “Are we gonna fight now?” Zeke frowned at the sudden hostility between them.
    Lucy sighed. “No, I think I just got my back up at the way you looked at Naomi.”
    Zeke didn’t know what to make of that. Was Lucy jealous? It wasn’t as if he’d ever made any promises to her aside from the ones he’d made to pay his tab at the