Free Devils on Horseback: Nate by Beth Williamson

she was practically blubbering over a man who took her virginity. At least now she was spoiled goods and maybe no man would come sniffing after her. That’d suit her just fine. She didn’t need any man by her side.
    Elisa was strong. She’d stand alone and protect her family and land. Nate Marchand had no idea what he’d thrown away, but she’d show him. She’d show him good.
    The ride helped clear her head of the cobwebs of confusion that surrounded her. Nate and his friends were skilled, better than average, perhaps nearly unbeatable. Elisa would do her damnedest though. She rode out to Daniel, who looked about ready to fall asleep. It was no life for a fourteen-year-old boy, but he took the responsibility like a man.
    Elisa was proud of him, although if she dared said that to him, he’d probably blush and tell her to go to hell. He was Irish, after all.
    “What are you doing here?” he asked when she got closer.
    “I need to talk to you.” She reined up beside him and gazed over their precious herd. “Those five men O’Shea hired are plotting to kidnap you or Da to try to get me to give in. They already know a lot about us and what we’ve been doing so we need to change our ways for a bit.”
    He nodded. “I didn’t get a good look at them, but they seemed pretty big. Who are they?”
    “Ex-Johnny Rebs. I don’t know from where, but likely Alabama or maybe Georgia. I’m guessing they worked together in the war.”
    “That’d make them pretty fierce then, since they survived.” Daniel might be a boy but he was even smarter than Elisa.
    “You’re right. Since they survived together, they probably are very fierce. We’re just going to have to outwit them.” She reached over and grabbed his hand. “I need to know if you’re ready to try. We can take what we have and leave Grayton.”
    If Daniel said he didn’t want to fight, it would hurt, but Elisa would accept it. She didn’t want to fight alone, and without her family, it wasn’t worth the fight anyway.
    “I don’t want to give in to that bastard. Let’s fight, Lissy.”
    He looked so grown up at that moment, Elisa’s breath caught. She’d always thought of him as a boy, but she realized now that their life had turned him into a man early. Just as she’d grown into a woman too soon. Their childhoods had both been cut short.
    If she had anything to say about it, their lives wouldn’t be.
    The Devils finally agreed that a multi-pronged attack would work best. Since they outnumbered the Taggerts five to three, it would be easy to overwhelm them if the Devils each attacked from a different angle.
    Attacked seemed like a strong word to Nate, but since it was a battle of wills, it was appropriate.
    “What time will we do this?” Jake seemed so serious, so unlike himself. He must have sensed how grave the situation had become, even if he didn’t know the details.
    “Don’t we want darkness to cover us?” Lee appeared calm, for once.
    “No, not the dark,” Nate offered. “We don’t know our way around there well enough. The Taggerts grew up learning every nook and cranny of the land. We need to catch them by surprise.”
    “I agree.” Gideon rolled a cigarette as he stared into the fire. “What about at dawn?”
    “That’s what I would do.” Zeke snatched the cigarette from Gideon, then lit it with a burning stick from the flames. “They won’t be expecting it so soon either.”
    “You mean tomorrow?” Nate shouldn’t be surprised. They always acted quickly and decisively.
    “Yes, tomorrow.” Gideon put the stamp of approval on the plan, which meant it was now set in stone. “Ready to ride?”
    Those three words had been said and responded to so many dark times during the war. It was a splash of cold water on a warm night, a shock to Nate’s system.
    One by one, they all responded, as they always had.
    “Ready.”
    The rest of the night passed with everyone completing their preparatory tasks in silence. Nate had to stop