Devils on Horseback: Nate Read Free Page B

than a bit of anything.” Lee’s eyes widened at the sight of the food.
    Nate couldn’t be bothered to get angry at the sourpuss. Instead, he untied the pack and handed it to Zeke, already standing at his side. The blond man took the supplies and walked back to the campfire. Lee tried to snatch it from him, but with a roll and a twist, Zeke moved from the one-armed man’s grasp.
    “Bastard.”
    “Nope, our parents were married, little brother.” Zeke set the pack down by Gideon.
    Funny how the easygoing Gideon had become their leader. He hadn’t asked for it, it came by him naturally. They’d all unofficially adopted him as the man in charge, even after the war. It spoke volumes that Zeke handed the food over to his cousin Gideon without a word.
    “Where did you get these, Nate?” Gideon’s quiet question made them all pause.
    “In town at the store.” Nate started unsaddling Bonne Chance, knowing that Gid would not approve of buying supplies with nothing to pay for them.
    “How did you get them?”
    “I ran into a man in town named O’Shea. He’s a big man in Grayton. After conversing with him, I was able to hang our advertisement in the store. The proprietor”—he swallowed—“allowed me to purchase some food stuffs on credit.”
    “On credit? What does that mean?” Lee demanded.
    “It means he gave his word he’d pay for them, but no money changed hands.”
    “That’s all right, Gid,” Jake piped up. “We can’t work if we don’t eat. Better than what I was planning on doing later.” He raised on auburn eyebrow at Nate, then winked.
    “I don’t think it’s all right. With Captain Nessman dogging our tail, we don’t need to leave a debt behind we can’t pay.” Gideon eyed the burlap wrapped sack with unease on his face.
    “Fuck Nessman,” Lee snapped. “I’m tired of living my life wondering if that Yankee is going to arrest us for being ex-Confederate soldiers. If that dick has nothing else to do then I say fuck him.”
    Gideon frowned at Lee. “We haven’t seen Nessman in almost a month. He’s not what we’re talking about.”
    “I don’t care if it’s been a month or six months. Nessman is ghosting us, Gid.” Lee scratched at the stump of his arm. “Ol’ fancy pants is getting us knee-deep in shit.”
    Nate’s good mood started to fade. “I got us some food. We’re starving, Lee, not living high off the hog. Gid, it’s not chocolate and cigars. It’s flour, coffee and bacon.”
    “Did you say bacon?” Jake eyed the bundle even closer.
    Gideon looked at Zeke. “What do you think?”
    Zeke followed Jake’s gaze then glanced at Lee. “Lee’s got a point about Nessman. Gid’s right about promising money we don’t have for food.” His gaze turned to Nate. “But I think Nate did the right thing. We are starving and even if we have to work it off for the store owner, we needed food.”
    Nate breathed an inner sigh of relief. At least Zeke and Jake agreed with him, and that was three out of five. Lee leveled a dirty look at Nate, but he didn’t respond in kind. Nate’s stomach actually hurt from being empty for so long and from the constant bickering.
    “How about we have some biscuits and beans?”
    His simple suggestion seemed to take the edge off everyone’s anger. Zeke went to get water while Jake stoked up the fire. Gideon examined everything in the sack carefully as if gauging the worthiness of the purchase. Nothing Nate had brought back was frivolous—a word that did not exist in Nate’s world anyway.
    When Gideon finished looking at the supplies, he nodded at Nate. It was an approval and Nate finally breathed normally. The last thing he wanted to do was alienate anyone in his family, something the ragtag Devils had become.
    After they filled their bellies for the first time in weeks, Zeke and Jake went off to hunt, while Gideon, Lee and Nate cleaned their tack.
    Gideon broke the silence. “What was this man O’Shea like?”
    Nate pursed his lips.