Adam, Devils on Horseback: Generations, Book 1 Read Online Free

turned and frowned at the red giant. Eve wondered if she’d wandered into a strange land of strange people. This woman had welcomed her, no matter how Eve looked. No matter that both of them were covered in flour, dirt and sweat.
    The most awful twenty-four hours in her life would at least allow her a tasty dinner and a comfortable place to rest her bones. It would be the second night she wouldn’t sleep beneath the wagon with the Roma in almost two years.
    They arrived at a beautiful two-story home beside a building with an enormous wooden wheel that moved with the power of the river behind it. The sound of the rushing water echoed around them. She couldn’t help but imagine what it was like to stand beside the wheel.
    They passed the other building and up the three steps into the house. A front porch stretched out the length of the house. Six rocking chairs sat at various angles. Each had a uniqueness about it. One had an embroidered pillow and beside it a pipe hung from a pouch on the arm. Another had a sleeping calico cat. It was an inviting picture.
    Adam tied the horse to the hitching rail in front of the house, then moved past them to open the door. His mother nodded regally as she entered, pulling Eve along with her.
    “Mama, I—”
    “I’m not interested in talking to you right now. Your friend looks to expire on her feet.”
    “She’s not my friend.” Adam closed the door behind him, the day’s strain evident in his posture and his tight expression. “I don’t know what she is.”
    “Did you spend the night with her alone?” Mrs. Sheridan asked.
    “Well, yeah, but we didn’t have a choice. You know we can’t ride Farina—”
    “You compromised this young woman, Adam. I’m disappointed. I know as a gentleman you need to make it right, but I hope you didn’t just throw your future away.”
    Holy hell. What just came out of his mother’s mouth? And why didn’t Eve want to run screaming? Her heart ached and she wondered what was wrong with her.
    Mrs. Sheridan turned her gaze on Eve. “That was some wagon accident.”
    To everyone’s surprise, Eve burst into tears.
    * * * * *
    Adam rubbed his clean hair with the towel Rose had brought him. A dip in the shallow part of the river had washed all the flour from his body and he felt moderately better. His gut still churned with tension.
    Eve was in the house with his mother and Bella, setting the table or readying the meal. Rose was outside with him, as she usually was. His youngest sister was only thirteen and she’d rather be outside in the trousers Mama had made for her than anywhere else. She’d taken Farina to the stables for Adam before she joined him.
    Rose, like all of his sisters, had their mother’s dark-brown hair and eyes. Adam was the only one who got his father’s red hair, although darker in tone. His blue eyes also marked him as Jake Sheridan’s son.
    His father wasn’t home yet, but there was no doubt he’d heard about Eve. Rose was a tattletale and she’d probably already told half the town about her. The time he spent waiting for Pa to come home was almost as excruciating as waiting for his mother to lecture him. One day he would live on his own and not have to deal with any of it.
    “You gonna marry that lady?” Rose sat on a rock, her knees up and her arms pillowed on the bony protrusions. Her thick hair had nearly escaped the braid and stuck out in a hundred different directions. She was the one sister whom he could talk to.
    “No, I’m not. I didn’t compromise her and Mama isn’t gonna force us to get married.” He still didn’t quite understand what had happened or why she was out there by herself. “Eve is all alone. I think she’s scared and confused.”
    “That’s awful.” Rose made a face. “I think we should keep her.”
    Adam shook his head. “She’s got a mind of her own. I expect that staying will be up to her.”
    “That’s mighty forward thinking, Adam. Most women don’t have a say.” Rose