Texas Rose

chapter 24

"I didn't think to ask before, but I'm not trespassing on another man's claim, am I, Mrs. Peyton?" Sitting across the table from her at the cafe, Kyle Harding didn't look particularly worried, but they were both aware of the other couple who had just seated themselves not far away. They couldn't help but be aware. Tyler had made it a point to stop by to make introductions. Without a qualm, he had introduced Evie as a friend of his family, made a smiling jest about schoolteachers letting down their hair, and led his new-found friend off to another table.

Evie heard the other's woman soft trill of laughter and managed a generous smile at Kyle. Her face would crack before long. She'd been smiling ever since Tyler had introduced the banker's spinster daughter. The woman had a horse face and abominable taste in clothes, but she had all the other assets a man looked for in a woman: a fine body and the ability to give him all the attention he could desire.

Evie managed to look genuinely surprised at Kyle's question. "You mean Mr. Monteigne? Don't be silly. He's an old friend of the family, just as he said."

They both glanced at the other table. Tyler wasn't wearing anything fancy, but Claudine was practically panting over his golden head and charming smile. Neither seemed to be in the least interested in their table. But the coincidence of their arrival was suspicious.

"An old family friend who just happened to follow you all the way out here so he could punch out any man who dared look at you twice?"

Evie patted Kyle's hand. "Mr. Monteigne is a gambling man, not a family man. I'm not foolish enough to fall for a man who won't be around long enough to be remembered. I'm the marrying kind, Mr. Harding. I enjoy good conversation and music and dancing as well as the next person, but when all is said and done, I aim to have a home and family."

Kyle turned his attention back to her. "You couldn't find a man more settled than I am, Mrs. Peyton. Let's try that dancing part for a while."

As they rose and walked out, Tyler smiled deep into Claudine's eyes and asked what a beautiful woman like her was doing in a town like this. Inside, he was counting how many minutes it would take before he could gracefully leave.

* * *

"I can't find Manuel anywhere." Carmen stood by the open front door, staring into the night, a worried frown crossing her brow.

"He's probably following Evie. He and Jose were whispering together over supper." Daniel glanced covertly at the girl in the doorway and went back to bending his injured leg up and down as the doctor had told him. It hurt like hell, and his muscles felt like they were on fire, but he was determined to walk again, and walk straight.

Carmen turned asked curiously, "Why do you call her Evie? I thought her name was Maryellen."

Daniel blushed, but in the dim light the color wasn't noticeable. "Evie is her other name. She prefers Maryellen," he answered with a touch of curtness.

Before Carmen could respond, Manuel came barreling down the alley, swinging up on the front porch, nearly colliding with his sister as he slid into the house. "They're over at the church hall, dancing. Do you think she'll marry Mr. Harding?"

Daniel reached for his glasses to hide his expression. "I doubt it. She just likes to dance."

"But Mr. Harding is rich. He has horses. Maybe he would let us ride them if they got married." Manuel grabbed the crust end of a loaf of bread from the stove and sat cross-legged in front of the empty fireplace munching, building dreams of his own.

Evie could already be rich, but she hadn't come back here after seeing the lawyer, so Daniel didn't know. He shrugged. "She's more likely to tan your hide if she knew you were spying on her."

Manuel dug a coin out of his pocket and flourished it. "Mr. Monteigne gave me this to follow after them, but he's there with her now, and I didn't see why there should be two of us."

"Besides, you were hungry." Daniel gave the disappearing bread a knowing look while hiding a chuckle. Evie would be up in the rafters if she knew Tyler had been paying Manuel to spy on her. His hopes soared. Evie needed someone like Tyler to look after her, and after all, they were married. It was time they started acting like married people.

"Did you find Mr. Logan's money?" Carmen asked anxiously, closing the front door and peering into the bedrooms to be certain the two youngest children were asleep.

Manuel looked uneasy. "There wasn't any sign of it. You reckon he made up that story?"

Daniel noted that both sets of dark eyes were worried. He wanted to take away the worry, but he was stuck here like a useless lump of lead. There was something odd about the way Manuel had been behaving lately. "Was there anyone else near the livery while he was gone?"

The question made Manuel even more nervous. The boy fidgeted, finished his bread, and hopped up, heading for the door again. "I better go see if the dance is over yet. Do you think Mr. Monteigne will pay me more if I catch Mrs. Peyton smooching with Mr. Harding?"

"Manuel!" Carmen caught her brother's shirt and jerked him away from the door. "Answer Mr. Mulloney."

Mr. Mulloney. Daniel wanted to crawl in a hole and hide at the same time he swelled with pride. She thought of him as a "mister." Evie's decision to call herself "Mrs." had at least given him back his name, but their deceptions made him feel lower than a snake.

The boy shrugged and looked at the floor. "I'm not supposed to say."

A knot formed in Daniel's stomach. "Manuel, if you know someone stole that money, you're an accomplice if you hide that information from the sheriff."

Manuel looked defiant. "I didn't see anybody do anything. And you can't tell me what to do. You're not my father."

He ran out the door before anyone could stop him, leaving Daniel and Carmen to look at each other. There was something wrong, but who could they tell and what could they say?

"I'll talk to Evie. Maybe she'll know what to do." Even as he said it, Daniel knew it was a lie. Evie was too caught up in a dozen different things to think anything of Manuel's minor rebellion. It could mean nothing. It was just something in the pit of his stomach that felt wrong, and maybe something in Carmen's expression.

* * *

"Jailbreak! Them stage-robbing bastards done broke out!" A voice shouted from the front of the church hall.

The music skidded to a halt.

The dancers stopped where they were, and Evie found herself on the arm of one of the Double H cowboys. The man had brown-stained front teeth and a distinctive odor of tobacco. He spat a wad at the call for a posse. Without taking another look at her, he stalked off to join the other men rushing out.

Evie recognized Tyler's embrace as he caught her waist and led her to the edge of the crowd. He was different from any man in here. He didn't lift or shove her but steered her firmly out of the crush of people. She didn't spare time to be angry for his presumption. She was worried about the children.

"I need to get back to the house, Tyler. What if those men make a break for the livery?"

Tyler's thoughts were plunging along those lines, too, but it was Evie's safety that concerned him. He wanted to keep her from running smack into the arms of desperadoes. Looking a the fear in her face now, he knew the trouble was multiplied by the children.

Kyle Harding plowed through the crowd to meet them. "I'll have to join the sheriff, Mrs. Peyton. Are you staying here, Monteigne?"

"I brought the bastards in once; somebody else can have the pleasure now. Those kids are back at the house alone. Somebody needs to check on them."

It was obvious that Kyle was struggling to remember what kids and why anyone should care, and Tyler felt a surge of impatience. "You go on, I'll take care of it." He turned to Evie. "Let me take you over to Miss Horton. You can stay with her while I look in on the kids. I'll be back shortly."

Relieved of any further responsibility, Kyle made a bow and hurried after the others. Evie clutched Tyler's arm before he could escape.

"I'm going with you."

"You're not leaving until it's safe. Be sensible, Evie." Tyler steered her in the direction of Claudine Horton. Even from here he could see the other woman's fury, but he wasn't much inclined toward soothing ruffled feathers at the moment.

Evie jerked her arm away, caught up her skirt, and started for the door on her own. When Tyler tried to catch up with her, she started to run.

Tyler gave up trying to halt her. He wasn't about to be charged with assault, and that was more than likely what it would take to bring Evie down now that she was in full flight. He simply caught her upper arm, slowed her down slightly, and hoped for a graceful exit.

Outside, men were running for horses, checking ammunition, and unfastening rifles as they swarmed through the town's main thoroughfare. Shouts and yells could be heard up and down the street, but the search party hadn't reached a stage of organization yet. Torches flared, and Tyler grabbed one from someone's hand as they ran by.

Hurrying down the street, he released Evie's arm to unhook his holster flap. The alley would be black. He needed more hands and more guns. He whistled in relief at a dark shadow stepping out of the hotel doorway.

"Where the hell have you been?" Tyler shoved the torch into Ben's hand.

"Around. I'll tell you later. One of the kids just ran down the alley. I ain't seen anyone else." Ben glanced down at Evie. "You'd better get inside the lobby, Miss Evie. Tyler's gonna need both his hands."

She gave the rifle in Ben's hands a nervous look. "I can hold the torch."

"Then you stand right here and hold it, 'cause we don't need it yet. You just stand here and holler if you see anything." Ben passed the torch to her, primed his rifle, and started down the alley.

Tyler followed without a backward look. Evie wondered how she had been hoodwinked into this position. It seemed much safer if the alley were lighted as they walked down it, but then, it also seemed wisest if someone guarded their backs. She hesitated, and before she could make any decision, she could see Tyler running up to her front porch and Ben disappearing down the side to the back.

No one followed. No one interfered with their progress. She could see the shadow of Tyler pressed against the front wall as he looked through the lighted window. When he threw open the door, she breathed a sigh of relief and started down the alley after them. The posse was already forming, and she refused to be left standing here alone on the street.

She had forgotten about the side door of the hotel. As she hurried down the alley, the door opened and a dark figure stepped out. Evie screamed in surprise, but it wasn't a loud scream, not more than a squeak after the man's gloved hand closed over her mouth. The torch fell to the ground.