Read Jake, Devils on Horseback, Book 2 for Free Online

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    Just the thought of his shining blue eyes brought the flush back to her cheeks even as she cooled them down. Gabby had met handsome men in her twenty-three years, some of them charming too. Jake was both, and although Gabby was intelligent enough to run a mill, her stubborn body refused to listen to her head.
    Love had been a fickle emotion for her. First there had been Christopher, then her huge mistake with Alvin Carmichael earlier this year. Not something she cared to ever repeat. The bastard had stolen more than her trust. Shaking off the anger that arose each time she thought of Alvin, Gabby tried to focus on being calm.
    The last six months had been the hardest of her life, not as if things were better before then, but since the raiders had targeted Tanger, Gabby had to dig deep to keep strong. Jake threatened that control. Her immediate, unquestionable physical reaction to him told her in no uncertain terms, he was dangerous.
    She cupped her hand under the cold stream and swallowed a mouthful, then a second. After wiping her mouth on her sleeve, Gabby took a deep breath and looked around. The muddy puddle in front of the pump was the only indication she’d been there. No one saw her lack of control or her frantic need for water. It was embarrassing enough and she was the only one who knew. God forbid Jake or one of his friends had seen her.
    That thought was enough to make her stomach rebel as it sloshed full of water. Gabby reined in the urge to vomit by kneeling down and putting her head between her knees. Self-control had always been a hard animal to ride for her. It was a familiar battle she fought each day. God help her if she got any closer to Jake Sheridan and lost the war with herself.
    “Gabrielle?” Her mother put her hand on Gabby’s shoulder. Through the cotton, her mother’s skin felt cool against her heated flesh.
    “I’m all right, Mama. Too much sun I think.” A lie, of course, but her mother wouldn’t understand how a man could take away Gabby’s self-control.
    “You shouldn’t be walking around town, especially in those trousers.” She clucked her tongue. “It’s bad enough the town thinks you’re odd, don’t give them more reason to.”
    Gabby glanced up at her mother, a petite brunette with light blue eyes and kinky curls. She stood at least six inches taller than her mother, and weighed almost twice as much. Her mother looked like a china doll, all tiny and delicate, an illusion to be sure since she was anything but delicate. She told Gabby often that some giant must be in her papa’s lineage for her to be so big. Gabby didn’t care for the comparison, particularly since there wasn’t anything she could do about her height or the width of her fanny.
    “First of all, I wear trousers for protection. Second, I don’t care what people think of me.” She watched for the expected play of emotions on her mother’s peach-colored skin, first a pink blush of displeasure, then the steel of anger. “There are new strangers in town, just so you know. Mayor Wolcott hired gunslingers.”
    “It’s about time, I say.” Her mother folded her arms beneath her breasts. “Phineas should have done it long ago. It was obvious the Rangers weren’t going to help us. This town has become a den of evil.” She tsked, disapproval in her expression. “You met these men? Alone and unchaperoned?”
    “Yes, Mama.” Gabby rose to her feet, the rush of blood leaving her head making stars sparkle in her eyes. “I lived to tell about it too.”
    “Don’t be smart with me. What did you find out about them?”
    Gabby rolled her eyes. “Mama. Are you listening? These are gunslingers , not men I met at the Sunday social. All I know is there’s four of them, they’re Southern, possibly from Georgia or Alabama, and they have good quality horses. Their names are Gideon, Lee, Zeke, and”—she swallowed—“Jake.” Gabby hoped like hell her mother hadn’t heard the pause or realized that his name