Texas Rose

chapter 28

"You're imagining things, Tyler. No one here wants to hurt me." Escaping the house and children who might listen, Evie tucked her hands under her elbows and walked away from him. The sun hadn't gone down yet, but it was throwing long shadows across the grass as she headed out of town.

"Damn it, Evie," Tyler said, following on her heels. "This isn't a dime novel where nothing ever happens to the heroine. Will you come down out of those clouds and listen to me?"

He clenched his hands into fists. Not in all the years since the war had he been bombarded with so many frustrations at once. He didn't want the responsibility of worrying about a house full of kids and a crippled adolescent. He sure as hell didn't want to play nursemaid to a beautiful dreamer who couldn't tell the difference between fantasy and reality.

The worst of it all was that he couldn't keep his mind off that dreamer's swaying skirts and tiny waist and kissable lips. He needed a woman, and he needed her now.

"I'm not a complete incompetent, you know," Evie replied, as if he were offering an intellectual debate rather than a screaming argument. "I like colors. I wish I could paint that sunset." She gestured toward the horizon. "I suppose I read a lot, but that's because Daniel and I are so close. He could never go out and play with the other children, so we read together."

Evie stopped and waited until he was beside her. "And I like to write stories in my head. I don't think that's a crime. It's mostly because I want a story to go with the pictures I like to paint."

"And maybe sometimes you like to act them out," Tyler finished bluntly. "I'm not Pecos Martin, Evie. I'm not riding to the rescue when the bad guys arrive. I think you'd better leave this town and let a proper lawyer find out the answers to your questions."

"You want me to leave the children? And leave the school without a teacher again? And disappoint Daniel? Do you think he could find a job at any other newspaper office? Not a chance in a million, Mr. Monteigne. You may think I'm a dreamer, but I know what responsibility means. I'm staying here. I'm not running away."

Perhaps there wasn't accusation in her voice, but Tyler heard it anyway. He steeled himself against the guilt and kept his hands in his pockets. "Fine. Stay here and play Joan of Arc. But don't expect me to come to the rescue when they start lighting fires under you."

Evie continued to cup her elbows as she faced him. "I never imagined myself as a martyr. I like it here, Tyler. I want to stay. Help me to do that."

Tyler kept his curses to himself as he searched her pensive face. He didn't want to consider this aspect of his wife. Evie was meant to be a wild and beautiful butterfly. He liked watching her. He liked hearing about her wilder flights. He admired her beauty and cleverness. He didn't want her tied down with all the baggage the world would pile on her shoulders. But if he left her to do things on her own, that was what would happen. Evie needed a man to take the burden from her. And he didn't want anyone but himself to be that man.

That was a damned foolish thought, and he didn't intend to think it again. He needed a woman and this one appealed to him and that was all there was to it. Without a qualm, Tyler pulled his hands from his pockets and caught Evie by the waist, pulling her to him.

She came without protest, fitting into his arms as if she belonged there. As he bent his head to her, she slid her hands around his neck, and he swelled with pride that she did so trustingly. He had never tamed a butterfly before. He held her gently and plied her lips with kisses.

She took his kisses and gave them back twice over. When he pulled her closer, tightening his arms around her, her breasts brushed against his shirt and he felt it to his toes. It was a glorious, dizzying feeling, and he reveled in it.

It couldn't last. A carriage rolled by on the dirt path behind them. Tyler set her back down. News of the gambler kissing the schoolmarm would be all over town by morning if that was one of the town's biddies. The driver of the carriage, however, was definitely male. It looked to be the lawyer, but the carriage was well on its way now, and he couldn't tell for certain.

He looked back to Evie. Her lips were puffy from his kisses, and her dark eyes were watching him questioningly. She was his wife, for heaven's sake. There wasn't any reason to feel guilty for kissing his wife.

But remembering the wrong name on the marriage papers and the promises they had made, Tyler dropped his hold on her waist. "That was a mistake. I'm sorry." He turned and started walking back toward town.

Evie stayed where she was. He could ride off into the darned sunset and kiss his horse for all she cared. She wasn't following him. He knew where to find her when he missed her.

* * *

The following Saturday, Tyler watched as Hale came headed for the cafe as he always did at noon. As long as he was hanging around town, he might as well put himself to good use. His gut feeling was that the sooner they found out about Evie's parents, the better off they all would be. He wasn't certain where the relationship between the thieves and Evie's abductors and her unknown past might be, but he had a suspicion a few clues were locked away in the lawyer's office.

Nodding at Ben lingering in the shadows, Tyler strolled down the alley behind the office building. He had examined the territory earlier. The office had a back entrance. And that entrance led to interior stairs. He didn't have to use the outside ones where all could see.

He was inside Hale's office within minutes. The man didn't believe in locked doors. Admittedly, few buildings around here even had locks, but the secrets held in this office should have required a minimum of caution. Hale either had nothing to hide or he had hidden it well.

Tyler started with the huge oak filing cabinet. Most of the files inside were coated with dust and yellowed with age. Cryptic notes made it impossible to determine the file's contents without examining them. Tyler cursed and looked for some pattern. There didn't seem to be any that he could discern. Old wills for one family were intermixed with mortgage deeds for another. Scribbled notations fell out of files without any clue as to whom they applied. Hale didn't need a key to open his secrets; he needed an interpreter.

Giving up in disgust on that source, Tyler turned to the mahogany desk. He'd seen one like it over in Georgia during the war. That one had been over a hundred years old and shipped from England. Chances were good that this one had come across the Sabine with some Hale ancestor with respect for his past.

Tyler found the secret drawer that all these old desks had, but there was nothing in it but fifty-year-old dust, some old coins, and a ledger with meaningless entries from years ago. He could almost swear that Jonathan Hale didn't know the drawer was there. It probably hadn't been opened since his father died.

Evie's lawyer might be honest, but he was a nitwit.

Scowling, Tyler scanned the papers littering the top of the desk. There were a few legal briefs, some deeds in the making, an assortment of ancient books, and the usual tools of the trade. He didn't want to disturb anything that might be noticed, but curiosity had him lifting the large blotter in the desk's center. He could remember his father shoving papers he referred to often under there.

A thin file lay beneath the heavy blotting pad. Holding his breath, Tyler eased it out, attempting to leave the rest of the desk contents undisturbed.

The first paper inside was a yellowing copy of the last will and testament of one Cyrus Howell. Not taking the time to read it yet, Tyler flipped to the next document. A trust agreement entered into by Elizabeth Howell Harding. Tyler glanced over it swiftly, finding the name Evangeline Peyton Howell almost immediately. He wanted to grab the file and run, but Hale was certain to miss it.

The last document in the file was the will of Randall Harding. Tyler frowned. Hale's filing system left a lot to be desired. Maybe Evie had the right idea. Daniel could clean this place up with one hand behind his back. Unfortunately, those stairs outside presented a certain obstacle to a man with only one good leg.

A sharp whistle from the porch below caused another curse. With regret, Tyler shoved the file back where he found it, checked to make certain he hadn't left anything out of place, then slipped to the door. He heard footsteps coming up the back stairs.

Tyler cast a quick look around. There was no place to hide. His gaze fell on a door down the hall. It had no transom or window, so he suspected it was little more than a closet, but that suited him just fine. Hale's visitors weren't likely to visit a closet.

The door was unlocked; the room was unlighted and windowless. Tyler glimpsed towering stacks of old law books and crates of papers, then eased the door closed and waited in silence. Ben had been out front waiting for Hale to return. The lawyer usually took an hour for lunch. Tyler didn't think it had been an hour yet, and the footsteps had come from the rear of the building. If Ben had seen Hale's visitors, he would have whistled sooner. That must mean Hale was coming down the street to meet the men pounding noisily down the hall.

"Look, I just want to check on something, all right?"

Tyler didn't recognize the voice, but it was loud and clear enough to carry through the wall and the crates of junk. He stood motionless, afraid any wrong move would start an avalanche. The next voice mumbled, and he strained to hear, but all he caught was the first man's reply.

"Look, I don't trust lawyers any more than you do. That's why I'm here. I saw him put them papers in a drawer, and I want to take a look."

The other voice was closer now, just outside the door. "I don't like it. I don't like messing with no kids; I told you that before. I can take this Pecos fellow out without touching the damned kids."

The first voice hissed angrily. "Shut up. We're not doing anything unless I know we're getting paid. Because of those damned kids, I'm going to have to pull up and start operations somewhere else. I want something out of this. Go keep an eye out the window."

Tyler felt something in his chest constrict. There were probably dozens of kids in town, but there were only a few who might be mentioned in connection with "this Pecos fellow." Damn, and double damn. He wanted to throw open the door and grab these two and send them flying down the stairs. He wanted their necks broken. His hands clenched into fists. He couldn't afford to lose control. He didn't even have a gun on him.

Tyler felt like every blood vessel in him would burst as he waited for these two to ransack the lawyer's office and leave. He could hear drawers opening and closing, but no further conversation. Then there was a shout from the one watching the window, and two pairs of boots hastily retreated down the back steps. Hale was coming.

He had to get out of here now. He didn't know what they were looking for or what they were talking about. He just knew he had to find out who they were and get the kids somewhere safe. To hell with the damned lawyer.

Tyler left the closet fast on the heels of the two intruders. He cast a look out the window overlooking the alley, but he couldn't see anyone down there. He prayed Ben had got a look at them, but he had a sinking feeling that they had stayed to the back. Heart pounding faster than was good for all concerned, nerves on edge, Tyler clattered down the back stairs.

The street behind the building was empty. How could they have disappeared so fast? Not daring to attract attention by running, Tyler strode swiftly down the alley to where Ben waited.

Ben heard him and left the porch, meeting him in the alley. His expression didn't change as he caught Tyler's grim look. "Hale went on to the livery. Did you find anything?"

"Did you see anyone coming out of here?" Tyler demanded, hurrying toward the street.

"Not a soul. What's going on?"

"Have you seen any of the Rodriguez kids?"

Ben glanced at his friend and picked up his pace. "Not lately. Why?"

"I'm going to check the house. You check the livery. Be careful. If you find them, just get them over to the sheriffs office. I'll figure out what to do with them from there."

They were already to the hotel. Nodding his head, Ben took off in his long-legged stride while Tyler tried not to run the distance to the little house behind the stables.

Evie looked up in startlement as Tyler burst through the door without warning. His expression terrified her. She dropped the pot she was holding and hurried toward him.

"Where are the kids?"

She didn't question why he wanted to know. The urgency in his voice was apparent. "Daniel's at the newspaper. Carmen and Maria are at the general store. Manuel and Jose could be anywhere."

"Get Carmen and Maria over to the sheriff's office. I don't think they'll bother Daniel, but get him anyway. Tell the sheriff I'll be over as soon as I find the boys. Do you have any idea where they might be?"

Hands shaking, Evie took off her apron. "The livery, most likely. Tyler, you're terrifying me. Can you tell me what this is about?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you. Just do what I say, as quickly as you can. I'll tell you what I know after I find the boys."

He was gone as quickly as he had come. Frightened, Evie picked up a fire iron from the fireplace and hiding it in her skirts, hurried down the alley. If anyone else meant to jump out at her, she intended to take a piece of their shins first.

She saw Tyler slipping into the livery, so she hurried toward the newspaper office. The printing presses were creating a racket that made it nearly impossible to hear, but the printer was apparently used to the cacophony. He gave her a questioning look but nodded at her request. Evie ran out the door and on down the street to the general store.

She took a deep breath of relief when she found Carmen admiring a red ribbon and dawdling over the counter with Philly and Delphia. The twins gave Evie big smiles, but she merely nodded, took Maria into her own arms, and hastened Carmen out the door.

Evie tried not to panic. At least, she tried not to let the children know she was panicking. They could see Daniel making his awkward way toward the sheriff's office at the other end of the street, and they hurried to catch up with him. He gave Evie a searching look, but she had no answers.

"Go on without me," he ordered. "You can go faster than I can."

Evie gave him a stricken look. They had always done everything together. Daniel was her partner in crime. She couldn't leave him behind. But the stoic look on his face warned that his pride would be damaged more if she insisted on hovering over him. Daniel was growing up.

With one last desperate look, she hurried the girls toward the end of town.

Tyler wasn't there. The sheriff looked up in surprise when they entered, so he didn't know what this was about either. Evie wished she had her gloves and hat on instead of a fire iron and a child in her hands. She always felt better when she was dressed properly. Handing Maria back to Carmen, she looked blankly at the fire iron, then glanced to the sheriff who seemed to be waiting expectantly.

"Tyler's looking for the boys. I think they're in danger. I've got to go find them." She hadn't expected to say that, but as the words emerged, Evie knew that was what she had to do.

She turned in a swirl of skirts and started for the door, but Daniel blocked her way. He stood in the doorway leaning on his crutch, and she couldn't get by without knocking him over.

"I have to find Manuel and Jose." She waited for him to move.

Daniel looked pointedly at the fire iron. "Not if Tyler told you to come here, too, you're not. Sit down and wait for him to explain."

"He's not here!" Evie cried. "I have to find them. I don't know what's going on, but I can find them. I'll be fine. Just let me by."

The sheriff interfered. "Now Mrs. Peyton, I'm sure Tyler will be here in a minute. You just sit down and relax and everything will be just dandy."

A shot echoed in the street outside.

Daniel swung and nearly toppled as Evie shoved past him. Carmen bit back a scream and clutched Maria. Cursing, the sheriff physically removed Evie from his doorway and stepped out to the boardwalk.

Standing in the center of the street were two of the gang that had escaped earlier. And in their hands were Manuel, Jose, and two smoking guns. Tyler was nowhere to be seen.