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Embarking on a new journey

The print release for Devils on Horseback: Nate is the big step in a journey that began two years ago. In case you haven’t heard the story of the devils, the idea for the series came to me about two years ago at a Christmas party. There was an item on the menu called Devils on Horseback – an oyster dish with hot sauce. It immediately clicked in my head and characters jumped out of the woodwork at me. I knew I had to write their stories.

I chose Nate for the first book because he called to me, and like I always do, I fell in love with him. When I wrote, the story itself guided me as my fingers moved over the keys. I don’t think I ever communed so closely with a character before. I crawled inside Nate’s head and set up my laptop.

Now that’s an odd image, isn’t it? LOL! Anyway, if you enjoy a good story, with a strong yet damaged hero, hard cowboys, and a feisty heroine, I give you Devils on Horseback: Nate.

Enjoy the excerpt below when Nate and Elisa are battling for their lives and their love.

Excerpt:

Nate signaled for the others with his whippoorwill call and headed back to camp with Gideon. Nate helped him down from the horse, under protest, and sat him down by the dead coals of the fire. Within minutes, he had a fire going and water bubbling to clean the wound.

Lee and Zeke arrived and curses, along with appreciation for the fine shooting on Elisa’s part, rained in the air. Zeke sat and assessed Gideon’s wound.

“It’s gonna need a stitch or two.” He glanced up at Lee. “Bring me the pouch with the medical kit in it.”

Lee did as he was bade without argument. If Gideon was in trouble, the Devils were as serious as a group of gravediggers. None of them could bear to think about Gideon not being part of them. Even though the wound wasn’t life-threatening, the very sight of his blood brought home the reality that this job wasn’t going to be easy.

“Why don’t you go relieve Jake at the stream? He’s always had a hand at stitching,” Gideon said to Nate.

“Good idea. Besides he’s been waiting out there for at least four hours. He probably needs a rest.” Nate put his hand on Gideon’s good shoulder. “I’m sorry you got shot.”

“It’s not a big deal. It was either me or you going to take that bullet. At least she’s got good aim and didn’t hit me any higher or lower.”

“That’s the gospel truth. I’ll see if I can find us a rabbit or something for dinner too. You’ll need some red meat.” He nodded to Zeke and Lee, then mounted Bonne Chance.

The ride out to the stream was uneventful for the most part. The birds sang, the squirrels chattered and the bees buzzed. Life appeared to be normal for most of God’s creatures. Too bad mankind couldn’t get on that wagon too.

Nate still hadn’t quite accepted that Elisa had shot Gideon. He held the realization back, keeping it at bay until he was ready for it. The ability to control his emotions wasn’t easy, but he’d had plenty of practice. Being poor had taught him how to grin and bear hardship, his parents had taught him how to bury his feelings deep inside.

One night when Nate was eight, his mother simply walked out of their house and never returned. Nanette Marchand had apparently had enough of being a wife and mother, and chose not to stay any longer. Within a few months, he received a letter from her in Atlanta, telling him that she loved him but she just couldn’t stay.

His father took the abandonment hard, as hard as Nate, but he drowned his sorrows in liquor. Too many times his father had come home barely able to stand, yet strong enough to whip Nate for his transgressions, real or imagined. Afterwards, Nate would clean up the blood and vomit and make sure his father slept comfortably. And so it went. By day, his father was a teacher, by night, a demon of enormous proportions to a young boy. He’d spent his childhood both hating and loving his father.

Until Nate met Gideon Blackwood and his life changed irrevocably. Accepted as a friend, Nate felt like he’d found the family he’d never had. The brothers and cousins didn’t seem to care that Nate was the poor son of the town drunk. They spent their teenage years doing all the crazy, silly things young men do.
Then came the war and again, Nate’s life changed. It seemed he was doomed to having the rug yanked from under him, so to speak. As soon as he was comfortable and felt even the tiniest bit secure in a situation, all hell broke loose.

Now he’d met Elisa Taggert and damned if it didn’t feel like the rug had slipped again.

• • • *

Elisa heard men’s voices as she approached the stream on foot. She’d tied Midnight to a tree and crept up to the water. It was a good thing too because someone else was already there waiting. She’d bet a nickel it was one of Nate’s friends. They were exceedingly smart men who knew that once she discovered the well had been salted, she’d head for the nearest fresh water.

Two of them stood by the bank of the stream talking. One was a redheaded man with bright blue eyes, the other a brooding Nate. Her heart did a somersault and she silently cursed the wicked thing.

“Gideon’s okay though, right?” the redhead asked.

“He’ll be fine. Zeke’s taking care of cleaning him up, but he thought you should be the one to do the stitching.” Nate tied his horse off at the bank.

Elisa knew they were talking about the one who’d been shot, whose name she now knew was Gideon. She listened but her eyes kept straying to Nate’s hands. The memory of them still haunted her dreams, awake or asleep.

Focus on what they’re saying, you ninny.

“Never thought my mama being a seamstress would come back to bite me in the ass.” The redhead chuckled as he swung up onto his horse, a nice-looking bay. “I’ll send someone to relieve you in four hours.”

After the other man left, Nate sighed long and hard, then leaned his head on the horse’s neck. He spoke softly enough that Elisa couldn’t hear what he said, but she recognized the posture—one of emotional overload. She understood it too well. The last three years had been a constant barrage of pain and suffering.

She had to convince Nate and his friends to leave them be. Shooting Gideon probably wouldn’t help her in the long run since they were still standing guard over the fresh water supply. Elisa had to hold back a humph from escaping. Men could be the most perverse creatures on the planet. No doubt they considered it an insult to their honor and would want to avenge their friend.

Elisa had to stop that from happening, at any cost. A sudden thought struck her and it took her several minutes to work through it.

If she had time, she knew she could change Nate’s mind…so she’d steal the time.

By kidnapping him.

****

Devils on Horseback: Nate