The Devil Behind Us Read online

  The Devil Behind Us

  Copyright © 2019 Shelly Wilson

  Published by Backabity

  Peru IN

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system or transmitted in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the owner of copyright and the above publishers.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover image copyright © www.fotosearch.com

  Cover design © Serendipity Formats

  ISBN 978-1-7323601-2-9

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  A note from the author

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter One

  1864

  Driving rain fell in sheets atop Mount Perish, the assault more insistent as the storm strengthened. Hail pelted the timber-framed structure Jesse McGinnis called home. Low-hanging branches thumped against the roof and a forked bolt of lightning cracked the sky. The flames from the evening cook fire danced, stirred by the drafts sneaking in through cracks in the chimney—swaying like ethereal dancers. The fire came alive.

  Toby, oblivious to the sounds of nature playing out around him, slept soundly in the loft, his incessant snoring audible amidst the chaos. Below him, Jesse and Abby cuddled together in a warm tangle of arms and legs.

  Jesse whispered, “Abs, we need to talk.”

  “Now?” Abby asked, her voice still husky from their lovemaking. She moaned, burrowing closer, head in the curve of Jesse’s neck. The nook fit perfectly.

  “You’re going to have to decide what you really want.”

  Sighing, Abby disentangled herself from Jesse and rolled onto her back. Moments before she’d had the most erotic experience of her life. This was not the time for serious talk.

  Another loud clap of thunder shook the small cabin. The horses shifted restlessly, bumping against the adjacent wall, their own contribution to the noise. Toby’s snoring remained uninterrupted.

  Abby turned to face Jesse, her comfortable position belying her irritation. “I want to be with you,” she said. “And, if that means living on top of a mountain, then so be it.”

  “You say that now, but you really have to think about what that would mean. You would be walking away from your life—your singing. What kind of life would you have here without that?”

  “Thinking,” Abby said, voice edgy. “That’s all I’ve been doing.”

  A bolt of lightning lit up the small space, illuminating Abby’s annoyed glare. She took a calming breath before continuing. “I know if I stay here with you, I’ll have to give some things up. I won’t miss them as much as you think: traveling around, singing in saloons, staying up all hours of the night. Those things don’t mean as much to me as you do. I don’t want that life anymore.”

  Abby was scared to death of walking away from the life she knew, only to live isolated on top of a mountain. The thought of walking away from Jesse was even more terrifying. She couldn’t do that. In her heart, she knew she belonged with Jesse, no matter where life took them.

  Jesse closed her eyes, her tension melting away. Abby’s words were music to her ears, their melody soothing a dread that had been building in her thoughts. She couldn’t imagine going back to a life without her. Jesse would be a fish out of water: scared, confused, and unable to breathe. She opened her eyes and continued. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets, that’s all.”

  “The only regret I’d have, Jes, is if I walked away from the only true love I’ve ever known.”

  Sharp when she started her declaration, Abby’s words found their edge blunted. All that remained was the pure, unadulterated affirmation of her devotion.

  Jesse swallowed hard against the large knot wedged in her throat. She pulled Abby close, wrapping her tightly in her arms. “I can’t wait to start our—”

  A loud shout from the loft interrupted her.

  “It’s ra-ra-raining in here,” Toby yelled after being awakened by droplets of water landing on his cheek.

  “I’ll take care of it,” Jesse shouted back as she jumped out of bed. Wasting no time, she tossed Abby her clothing and then scrambled to get dressed herself. She grabbed pots and pans and handed one of them to Abby, who was already halfway up the ladder to the loft.

  “Here, catch it in this,” Abby said, passing it up to him.

  After making sure each leaking section of roof had a container beneath it, Jesse tossed another log on the fire. She and Abby returned to bed, opting to remain in their clothes. They held each other but did not sleep. They waited to speak until the steady rumble of Toby’s snores once again cut through the patter of rain.

  Abby whispered, “Are you going to tell him about us?”

  “Um, I haven’t even thought about that. Maybe we should just keep it between us—for now.”

  “You know he’ll figure it out. Just because he stutters doesn’t mean he’s stupid.” Abby smiled.

  Jesse’s brow furrowed. “I never thought he was stupid.”

  Abby leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I only said that because that’s what he told me when we were coming up the mountain. Actually, he’s very smart. I don’t think he’s as simple as he lets on. I think he’s just had a hard time dealing with his stutter. He knows what he wants to say, he just has a hard time getting the words out sometimes.”

  Jesse’s expression softened. “At least he’s here and no one will make fun of him anymore.”

  “So, should we tell him?”

  Jesse shook her head. “I’m not sure how to explain it. I’m not sure he’ll understand. Hell, I’m not even sure I understand it myself.”

  “Let’s just wait and see how things go. I’ll do my best to behave myself around you, even though that may be awful hard to do.” Abby winked. “Do you think you’ll be up for traveling down soon? I know I won’t be able to bring a lot back with me, but if I’m going to stay here with you, I’ll need to go get some of my things. Oh, and I borrowed Edith’s rifle. I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t return it.”

  Jesse reached for Abby’s hand. “I don’t see any reason why we can’t. Moon should be full in a couple weeks.” She somehow kept the quiver from her voice, but it didn’t matter.

  Abby watched the discomfort pass quickly over Jesse’s features like a shadow. She might have dismissed it as a trick of the flickering firelight had she not grown so close to her. “Is the pain bad?” she asked. “Maybe we shouldn’t have—”

  Jesse cut her off before she could say it out loud. “It’s fine, really. Even if what we just did would have killed me, it would have been worth it,” she said, grateful for the dim
lighting masking the color she felt rising from her neck to her cheeks.

  Abby stared into Jesse’s green eyes, their effect powerful and immediate. Lifting Jesse’s shirt, her fingertips caressed the toned muscles beneath. She whispered even lower, “I never knew I could feel that way.” Her wandering hand paused when it found the fresh scar on Jesse’s flank. “I still can’t believe you got shot,” she said, tone shifting with the abrupt change in mood. “You should've let me stay with you.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t. You could’ve been shot, too. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I caused you to get hurt.”

  “I still can’t believe you found those men. I’m glad you took care of ‘em. The world is a much better place.”

  “I shouldn’t have done it,” Jesse said, “but I couldn’t stop myself. Makes me feel like I’m no better than them.”

  “Oh, Jes, there is a huge difference between you and them. Remember what I told you in the meadow—that day we went hunting—about Silas?”

  “Yes, of course I remember.”

  “Well, does that make me like them, too?”

  “No,” Jesse said, “and don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing.”

  “Good. Then you should know you did the right thing. Never doubt that. I call it justice.”

  Toby’s loud snoring echoed over a distant roll of thunder.

  “Sounds like the storm is moving out.” Jesse pointed to the loft. “I still can’t believe he’s here.” She shook her head, the joy of their reunion overshadowed by darker thoughts. “After all these years, I can still see him lying there—covered in blood, not moving. I thought for sure he was dead.”

  “I’m so happy you found each other.” Abby spoke quickly, eager to pull Jesse back into the light. “You two have a lot of catching up to do. Oh, and you could’ve warned me about the Indians, though. When I saw them out front…well, I thought I was a goner.”

  “I was just as surprised as you were. I had no idea they lived up here,” she said. “I’ve never seen or heard anyone other than Frieda.”

  “Didn’t you ever go to the other side of the mountain?”

  “Never. I’ve always stayed close to the cabin. Frieda always said if I went too far and got hurt, I’d be too far away to get help. She was right.” She pointed to the scar on her arm. “I got bit by a rattler when I was twelve and if I’d been any farther away, well, let’s just say things might have turned out different. So, I never had the desire to venture too far until Frieda told me how to cross the Devil’s Fork.”

  “Thank God they keep an eye on the crossing and found you. They’re wonderful people,” Abby said. “And Aponi is just lovely. She’s coming back here soon. Wants to check and see how we’re doing.”

  “I can’t wait to get to know them better.”

  Jesse and Abby lay awake for hours, talking well into the early morning. The sound of rain drumming on the roof mixed with the intermittent pings of drops landing in pots throughout the cabin.

  Jesse had never felt more naïve as she listened to Abby speak, explaining everything she knew about Indians.

  “Did you know Indians are actually hunted? Hated by some. An Indian scalp will fetch twenty-five cents. They pay five dollars for the entire head.”

  Jesse was sickened by this revelation. She listened, speechless and intent. Gooseflesh raised along her arms despite the warmth she shared with Abby.

  “Most Indians have left their homes, but not because it’s what they want. They have been forced to relocate and live on places called reservations. If they don’t leave willingly, the government steps in and attacks their villages. Groups of men follow the soldiers. After an attack, they go in and seize any children left behind. There was a man who came in the saloon one day. He told me about these men being able to sell an Indian boy for around sixty dollars. A girl can go for as much as two hundred.”

  The more Jesse heard, the more it disgusted her. Having lived isolated for so long, she knew she really didn’t have a clue about how things worked off the mountain. She’d been starting to believe it wasn’t as scary as she’d thought all those years, but now she wasn’t so sure. She had seen evil firsthand, had lost most of her family to bad men, but was still staggered by the scale of the horrors Abby described. She couldn’t understand why all those people—so many men, women, and children—were being treated so horribly. After all, it was their land first, so what gave white men the right to take it from them? Then, to be brutalized based solely on the color of their skin was something she couldn’t wrap her mind around. The way they were treated made her blood boil. She knew, should the time ever come, she would fight to her death to defend the Ponaks if necessary.

  Abby woke in the morning with Jesse’s arm wrapped around her. Last night really did happen. It wasn’t a dream. She opened her eyelids slowly, letting the rows of shelves against the wall drift into focus. Safe in Jesse’s embrace, the turmoil of the last several days behind them, she was finally free to contemplate what she had been ignoring for weeks.

  Why couldn’t Jes have come back a week sooner?

  Abby reached down and placed a hand on her stomach. A woman knows her own body. She hadn’t given much thought as to why she had missed her last monthly. Her cycle had been irregular at times, and she had skipped one on an occasion over the years. Now, she was terrified because she had missed two in a row for the first time in her life.

  I’m so stupid. How could I have been so careless?

  Abby thought Jesse was out of her life for good. Moving on made sense. She and Sam had only been intimate one time. It never crossed her mind this could happen. If she had known how things would turn out with Jesse, she never would have put herself in that position.

  “Abs, you awake?” Jesse whispered, pulling Abby from her thoughts.

  Abby sniffled. “Yeah.”

  “While Toby is sleeping, do you want to go with me and take a bath?”

  Abby rolled over to face her. She tucked a stray strand of Jesse’s hair behind her ear.

  “Are you all right?” Jesse asked. “You look like you’ve been crying.”

  She considered telling her, but fear strangled her voice. “I’m just so happy. That’s all.”

  “Me too. C’mon let’s go.”

  Sunlight broke through the low-hanging clouds as the two made their way upstream, hand in hand. The smell of the freshly washed earth intoxicated them.

  Jesse cupped Abby’s face in her hands, and they kissed each other long and slow.

  Jesse wondered if she would always feel a fluttering in her stomach. She hoped so. Hands trembling from nervousness, she untied the drawstring on Abby’s nightgown, slowly slid it from her shoulders, and let it fall to the ground.

  Abby, still uncomfortable being nude out in the open, quickly moved to cover her body.

  Jesse reached out and placed a restraining hand on hers. “Don’t hide yourself.”

  The soft touch and affirmation put Abby at ease.

  “You’re so b-beautiful,” she stammered as soon as Abby lowered her arms.

  The rigid set of Abby’s shoulders relaxed and she tilted her head, allowing Jesse to kiss her neck and the soft curve of her jaw line. The gentle tickle of hot, wet lips elicited a shudder that ran through her entire body. She pulled away and moved to the edge of the stream. The morning air was cool against her exposed skin, and for once she didn’t mind stepping into the slightly warmer water. Without a backwards glance, she waded out until she was waist deep and slipped beneath the surface, leaving just her head and shoulders visible. Only then did she turn to face the shoreline. She wore a seductive smile as she beckoned to Jesse with her finger.

  Jesse hesitated barely long enough to remove her clothing before hurrying in. When their bodies came together at last, even the crisp mountain air could do nothing to cool their passion for one another, which had once again been unleashed.

  Chapter Two

  Jesse and Abby returned to the cabin on legs still
tingling from the early morning encounter. They exchanged a knowing look, bemused and surprised, when they found Toby outside and clearing away remnants of last night’s storm.

  “I wo-wondered where you two r-ran off to,” Toby said from behind the sticks piled high in his arms.

  Jesse shoved her hands in her pockets and squirmed. “Uh, we um…just went to wash up,” she said, looking down at her boots. She desperately wanted to change the subject before any follow-up questions. “You hungry? I am.”

  “Starving,” he said, dropping the load of sticks next to a fire pit. The rain had saturated them, muffling their clatter as they fell into a semblance of a pile. He paid no mind to the damp streaks they left like shadows across his clothing.

  “Let’s clean this up later,” Jesse said, gesturing at the branches and other detritus strewn all about them, compliments of the storm. “How’s fish sound?”

  “Wonderful,” Abby said. “Why don’t you two go? You have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Don’t you want to come?” Jesse asked.

  “I don’t think fishing is for me. Besides, you know how I feel about getting bait.” Abby wrinkled her nose. She could almost feel the slimy worms wriggling against her fingertips.

  “All right.” Jesse chucked. “We’ll be back soon.”

  After fetching her fishing pole, Jesse and Toby headed toward the stream.

  Abby watched and waited until they reached a small bend, disappearing among the trees before climbing the porch steps. She closed the door and paced inside the cabin. As cozy as the small space was, it was her thoughts that kept her prisoner. The walls of her mind closed in, proving more formidable than the logs around her. Those, at least, had a door she could escape through.