Adam, Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1 by Beth Williamson Read Free Book Online Page B

her, wary of the way the other woman’s brows had drawn together.
    “I have to say something else.” Mrs. Sheridan sat down beside her. “I don’t know where you came from, or who your family was, but I’m not as trusting as my husband is. A woman caused a lot of damage to this town, to my family, and I’m wary of strangers. I’m asking you not to hurt my son. If you do, I’m a woman who doesn’t forgive easily, nor would I let it pass. I will return the hurt to you twofold.”
    Eve’s mouth dropped open. She’d never heard a woman speak her mind, no matter every one of them thought it. Never mind the fact that most women didn’t threaten bodily injury while maintaining a polite expression. “Pardon?”
    “I own this mill, not my husband, but he works with me, not for me. We’re partners in everything and that’s what I wish for my children.” She took Eve’s hands into her cool, calloused ones. “What I’m trying to say is you have a choice to do the right thing. We can help you settle in town, if that’s what you want. Or we’ll ask our extended family, my husband’s best friends, to help you find where you do want to live. All I ask is that you not hurt my son or anyone else.”
    Eve understood threats and Mrs. Sheridan had a right to be suspicious. Eve was a survivor, no matter how she had to accomplish it. From the time she could remember, no one had treated her as though she were as important as they were, that she mattered. In one swift fell, Mrs. Sheridan twisted that perception by offering to help her and at the same time threatening her.
    One thing Eve had come to know—nothing was as good as it seemed. And no one, no matter who they were, did something without an end goal in mind. She wanted so much to believe the older woman, but experience had taught Eve to guard herself. Not that she thought Mrs. Sheridan was lying, but when push came to shove, no doubt, self-preservation would come into play. The kind that left Eve alone on a dark road with nothing but the clothes on her back.
    “I don’t plan to hurt Adam. He’s been gallant and kind to me.” Eve put the right mixture of confusion and wariness in her voice. Most of which wasn’t forced.
    “Don’t say anything. Just think about what I said. I wanted to speak with you without the men around, or Rose. She’s my youngest and tends to run roughshod over the world.” Mrs. Sheridan smiled with what appeared to be genuine relief. “I’ll get back to supper, then.” She returned to the kitchen, leaving Eve alone with her thoughts.
    She stared at the prisms on the floor. What was it about this family that set them apart? In all her years moving around, Eve had never run across a group of people willing to help her for no backhanded purpose. Perhaps when she was very small and had found herself alone, she’d looked to others for comfort and protection.
    No more, though. Eve patted the knife sheathed at her thigh. She would do her best to find out if Adam was going to be a good prospect to use or if she would disappear into the night. She was skilled at vanishing without leaving a trail.
    If the Sheridans proved to be as selfish as the rest of the world, she would have no qualms about leaving. Perhaps she would take a prism with her to remind her of the time spent with them.
    To remind her she had no angles and no light pouring through her. No, she was more like a plain, discarded stick on the ground. They might think they know her, but once she burned, Eve was nothing but ash.
    * * * * *
    Adam sipped his coffee the morning after he kissed Eve, his thoughts trapped with the taste and softness of her lips. The sounds of the morning drifted around him. Rose was arguing with Mama and Bella about what to cook for the charity bake sale at the Founder’s Day celebration. Nothing new there.
    He’d retrieved a piece of black onyx from his collection. It was a gift for Eve, to apologize for kissing her and for putting her in a situation like