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

back into the dining area.
    Lee sat in the corner alone, surveying the four tables that had customers eating dinner, pointedly ignoring Lucy. The two of them had never gotten along and all during Zeke’s drunk phase, the hostility had only grown.
    Lucy smiled like a sunrise when she saw him, and that’s when the truth hit Zeke square between the eyes. She was in love with him. Damn, how had that happened? He’d never so much as kissed her hand.
    Zeke didn’t know what to do about Lucy—women were not his specialty. He sat down heavily and shoveled in the remaining pie. Might as well at least fill his belly if he had to deal with females all day.
    * * * * *
    The next day dawned cloudy and a little cool. Zeke gulped the last of his coffee, still amazed at how clearheaded he felt in the mornings when he hadn’t been drinking the night before. With a salute to Gideon, he left the restaurant and headed down the street.
    The town council asked him to walk the streets during the day, and several times in the evening. He’d been doing just that, and actually enjoying it, which was a surprise. Folks were a bit suspicious the first day he’d walked through with the badge on his vest, then they began to warm up to him.
    This was his third morning as sheriff as he made the rounds through town. Aphrodite’s was quiet, as it usually was in the mornings, yet coming out the door was the blonde, Naomi.
    She was dressed in a plain green frock, with no lace or anything frilly on it. In fact, it looked like a work dress. She held a sheet-wrapped bundle in her hands. Stopping dead in her tracks, she looked at him with surprise clearly written on her face.
    “Mr. Blackwood.” Her gaze dropped to the badge. “Or should I say Sheriff Blackwood.”
    He tipped his hat, recognizing too late his pulse had sped up at the sight of her. She was as beautiful as he remembered, with large doe eyes and lashes that could probably double as dusters.
    “Either one is fine, ma’am. You see I’m still trying out the badge for size. The town council was looking for a lawman, and, well, I’m an ex-soldier so they thought I might be a good choice. Anyway, reckon it’ll be another month before it’s official.” He almost babbled at her for Chrissakes. “You headed out for a walk?”
    She nodded. “Lucy told me there’s a lake just outside town. I thought I’d do my laundry and perhaps go for a swim.”
    The thought of her wet and maybe even naked sent a shiver up his spine. His body reacted, even though he told it not to, and he shifted to ease the discomfort of a sudden burst of blood to his dick.
    “Would you like an escort?”
    She looked as surprised as he felt by the invitation.
    “I mean, there’s lots of men who would take advantage of a female alone. So, I could, ah, protect you.” Zeke had never felt like such a complete idiot before. Why didn’t his tongue work right?
    “That’s very kind of you, Sheriff. I expect you’re right about strangers, but I carry a small pistol with me at all times. Thank you for the offer.” She tied on a straw bonnet with daisies and did a little curtsey before she walked away.
    A curtsey?
    What the hell was that? Zeke remembered the last time he’d seen any woman curtsey and it was before the war, before the death and destruction. It was during the last dance at Blackwood Plantation, when hearts were light and the booze was plentiful. Miss Naomi just put herself into his memories with her little curtsey.
    He only hoped he could dislodge her, or she might take up residence in his mind permanently. And there was no way in hell he wanted that to happen.
    After watching Naomi walk away, Zeke pulled his head out of his ass and continued his rounds. The town council had informed him a new bank was opening finally. It’d been almost a year since the last banker, the ex-mayor Phineas Wolcott, had pulled up stakes and left town. Tanger’s residents were wary of anyone handling their money, with good