Evie frowned at a thumping on the door. She sent Daniel a thoughtful glance, then nonchalantly began to file her nails as she called for their visitor to come in.
Tyler entered, hat in hand. He glanced at Daniel lounging across the bed, then to Evie sitting innocently in the corner making herself beautiful. He wasn't entirely fooled by her display. Many women were so vain that they thought of nothing but themselves. This one had too devious a mind for that.
"The sheriff's posse just returned. They didn't find any trace of the thieves. I told him I'd go back out with them tomorrow. If we're having that little talk, it had best be tonight."
Evie set her file aside and made a graceful gesture at the other chair in the room. "Won't you have a seat, Mr. Monteigne? That's mighty kind of you to offer your services to the local sheriff. I do trust he isn't expecting you to single-handedly catch the outlaws, is he? He seems to be under the impression that you are someone that you aren't."
Tyler sent Daniel another look. The boy still believed he was his hero, Pecos Martin. And it looked like the sheriff had read the same silly novels. He could guess where the sheriff had got the notion.
Shrugging, he set his hat on the table and crossed his legs. "I know how to shoot a gun as well as the next man, I reckon. Southerners learn to shoot and ride before they can walk. Don't worry your pretty little head about me, Miss Peyton."
Evie smiled and batted her eyelashes and pretended to be the simpering idiot he was playing up to. "Why, Mr. Monteigne, how could I not? I'll say a prayer for you tonight before I go to bed."
"You do that." Tyler sent her a smoldering look that spoke of what he would prefer she do in that bed, but he played the part of gallant for the boy's sake. "Now, you were going to tell me how I could help you here in Mineral Springs."
"I thought Evie said..."
Evie sent Daniel a quenching look and looked regretful. "I'm afraid you won't be able to help, after all, Mr. Monteigne. It appears we'll have to stay here for some little while, and we wouldn't wish to delay your return to Natchez."
Tyler swept his frock coat back and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets as he considered the evasive little witch across from him. He had no reason to demand that she assuage his curiosity other than that she had dragged him all the way out here and he wanted to know why.
But he was damned tired of hearing her lies, and he could tell by the set expression on her face that was all he was going to get right now.
So he rolled his shoulders and shrugged. "I'm not planning on returning to Natchez anytime soon. There's no profit in reaching a new territory without exploring it first. I mean to look into a few business enterprises while I'm here. You just let me know if I can be of any help, you hear?"
She smiled sweetly in mocking reply. "Why, of course, Mr. Monteigne, I wouldn't hear of anything else. Now you take care tomorrow, won't you?"
Tyler slowly unfolded himself from the chair and rested his hand on the doorknob. His gaze fell on the lovely bird of paradise perched on the worn bedroom chair, then flickered in the direction of the boy on the bed. Daniel was tense and upset, but he was keeping his mouth shut.
Tyler nodded at the kid. "You tell me when your sister gets herself in too deep. And if there's anything else you want to tell me, I'll be keeping rooms here for a while. You just come find me."
Daniel looked relieved. Satisfied, Tyler bowed farewell and walked out.
Evie kicked the washstand. "Who does he think he is? I didn't hire him for a nanny. Why doesn't he just go away and leave us alone?"
Daniel sent his "sister" a look of curiosity and raised himself from the bed. "I don't know what you've got against the man, Ev. He's only trying to help. Maybe he could be looking around for you while he's here. It's a lot easier for a man to snoop and ask questions than for a lady."
"Don't be ridiculous." Evie rose and helped Daniel find his cane. She wasn't at all certain that she liked the idea of sleeping in a strange hotel room without Daniel nearby, but she supposed if they were going to stay here, she was going to have to get used to the idea. They had shared rooms when they were little, and it had seemed natural enough when they started out on this journey, but Daniel was close to being a grown man now. She couldn't continue to pretend he was a little boy. "I'm perfectly capable of asking all the questions I need."
Daniel took the cane and limped to the door. "And getting your nose bit off doing so. Let's just wait until that lawyer gets back. It could all be very simple."
Evie didn't think so, but she let Daniel leave with her reassurances. Nothing was ever simple in her experience, and Tyler Monteigne's decision to stay in Mineral Springs was only just one example.
Closing the door after Daniel and staring at her empty room, she tried not to think of how Tyler had looked when he sat in that chair, or the way his eyes had all but undressed her. She knew why he had stayed all right. A man like Tyler couldn't stand rejection.
Like a dog after 'coon, he had his nose to the scent—and she was his prey.
Chapter 11
Evie clasped her gloved hands in the lap of her blue serge skirt. She hadn't worn blue for Tyler's benefit. This just happened to be the most schoolmarmish outfit she could find. And it seemed to be working very well. She smiled meekly for the benefit of the stout, graying man across the desk from her.
"I had references from the school where I taught in St. Louis, but they were lost in the confusion of the robbery. I can give you their address, and you are free to confirm them." She spoke with just enough soft Southern charm that she would be believed without making her seem like a meek-mannered Milquetoast who couldn't handle a schoolroom full of children.
The man across from her folded his hands over his ample belly. He wore a gold watch chain across his vest, but he hadn't consulted his watch as yet. Evie thought that might be a point in her favor.
"I understand you arrived here in the company of a gunslinger, Mrs. Peyton." Disapproval rippled through him as he spoke these words.
Evie widened her eyes and touched a gloved hand to the discreet cameo at her throat. "A gunslinger?"
The school board chairman shifted uncomfortably in his wooden chair. "I wasn't born yesterday, Mrs. Peyton. My brother Alan is the sheriff here. He told me you rode in with Pecos Martin."
Evie scrambled for the man's name. Powell. He'd said his name was Powell. And the sheriff was Alan Powell. She was going to have to remember that this was a small town and everybody was related to everybody else. She gave a small smile that should indicate something vaguely embarrassing but amusing.
"Oh, dear. Since you have a brother, perhaps you'll understand. Daniel wanted to impress the hotel manager, so he made up that story about Pecos Martin. He's been reading those penny-dreadfuls, I fear. As far as I know, there is no such person as Pecos Martin. Tyler Monteigne is an old friend of the family from Natchez. I'm sure you can write and confirm that. He had business here and offered to escort Daniel and myself. After you meet my brother, you'll see that there is some concern for his health, and the physicians thought this climate might be more salubrious to his recovery. I certainly hope it doesn't lead to encouraging his imagination."
David Powell nodded understandingly. "Well, we'll see that doesn't happen. You are orphans, I think?"
Evie summoned a sad smile. "My husband and I tried to be parents to Daniel for some years now. But since my husband's death—Well, his family has been more than kind, but it is time we stand on our own. Daniel has expressed some interest in studying law, but I fear his health wouldn't allow him to go back East to study. I don't suppose there is a lawyer in town who might be interested in a clerk?"
He took it hook, line, and sinker. Evie could tell the moment he swallowed the whole story. In a little while, it would be fully digested and all over town. She sank back in her chair with a feeling of satisfaction for a job well-done.
"Jonathan Hale is our local attorney. I'll mention the matter to him when he comes back. You have come at a tim
ely moment, Mrs. Peyton. It hasn't been easy to establish a school in these parts. The money and support just hasn't been there. But the late Louise Harding saw the need and established a fund before she died. We've been functioning since last fall. Unfortunately, the young man we recruited to teach our children decided to take a more lucrative position last month, and we haven't found another candidate. To be truthful, Mrs. Peyton, we had hoped to hire another man. A young and pretty woman isn't likely to remain single for long around here."
Evie smiled understanding. "I am dedicated to my teaching, Mr. Powell. I continued to teach after I married. And I imagine the salary you are offering would be difficult for a man to support a family on, but I won't have that problem. So perhaps this is the best way for everyone concerned."
The salary being offered was positively miniscule, but it was better than nothing at all. Had she wished, she could have taken room and board with the families of the children she would be teaching and saved that expense, but Daniel's presence made that awkward even had she wished to live with strangers. Which she didn't.
Gathering up her reticule, shaking Powell's hand, agreeing on the day she would begin, Evie escaped the musty office with the school board chairman at her side. She didn't escape his presence, however. As they gained the street, Powell noticed a tall man walking in their direction, and he caught Evie's shoulder and halted her escape.
"Here comes Jace Harding now. His mother's the lady who set up the trust fund. He's on the board. Might as well meet him while you have the chance. He's one of those single young men I've been warning you about."
Evie took all this in as she watched the man approaching. From the way he carried himself, she had assumed Jason Harding would be older, but it appeared he couldn't be more than in his early thirties. Beneath dark curly hair, his eyes were a serious gray and his jaw a stubborn square, but there was the same familiar light of inquiry in his expression that Evie had seen in many another man. She offered a small smile and was rewarded with a quickness in his step.
"Howdy, Jace, this here's Mrs. Maryellen Peyton, our new schoolteacher. Mrs. Peyton, let me introduce Jason Harding, owner of one of the biggest spreads in the area."
The only spread she knew of covered a bed, and Evie couldn't imagine a big bed something to be bragged about, but she surmised the word had a different meaning in Texas, and she offered her hand. Harding took it in his large one and grinned blindingly at her.
"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Peyton. The sheriff's been telling me about your little incident. I hope your introduction to Texas doesn't put you off none. It would be a pure shame to lose you before we had a chance to get acquainted."
"I have a little more spirit than that, Mr. Harding. I understand there's a posse out now tracking down the culprits. I'm sure we'll all be safe once they're caught."
Evie was beginning to feel bad about deceiving all these nice people. She hadn't come here to deceive anyone. She had only wanted to protect herself—and her family, if it came down to it. But now one lie was topping another, and the lie of being a widow seemed to be the worst one of all. Darn Tyler Monteigne, anyway. If it hadn't been for him, she could face this nice man in all innocence and accept his attentions just as if she were the kind of young lady he might be interested in.
But she wasn't, so what was one lie on top of another? Being a slightly soiled widow certainly wasn't worse than being the bastard she really was. She didn't know why she had adopted the married title in the first place. She wasn't going to be around long enough to allow a little flirting to develop into courtship and certainly not marriage. So no one would have ever known she wasn't anything but what she seemed had she not continued the lie.
But it was too late to take it back now. She was a virgin no longer, so she might as well act the part of experienced woman. Harding was telling her something about his days as his mother's student, but her mind had wandered. Now she smiled at the right moment, made reassuring noises, and was about to move on when a movement down the street caught her eye. Tyler.
He was supposed to be doing posse duty. Couldn't she do anything without him interfering? Ignoring him, she turned a brilliant smile on the older man who had evidently fallen for her vapid Southern belle pose.
"I can't wait to meet my new students, Mr. Harding. I wish I could learn something about them before class begins. Will many of them be attending Sunday services?"
"I'd be more than happy to introduce a few of them to you now, Mrs. Peyton." Mr. Harding took her arm and gave the school board man a nod, which Powell returned with a wink. "I'm certain the ladies in town are dying to meet you, too. We could..."
Jason halted as Tyler stepped up on the stair in front of them. Sweeping his hat off the golden glory of his hair, he made a formal bow. "Mrs. Peyton." He lifted a questioning brow, forcing her into introductions.
As Evie seethed, Tyler ingratiated himself with the two men, calling himself a plantation owner looking for new ventures and all but patting Evie on the head since she had introduced him as an old family friend. When Jason lost interest in her and seemed more intrigued by Tyler's new herd-breeding theory, she nearly put her foot through the floor.
Instead, she smiled her most saccharine smile and turned to Mr. Powell. "Well, I can see that my services aren't needed immediately, sir, so I'll bid you adieu for the moment. I must see how Daniel fares."
Jason recovered rapidly, catching her arm before she could escape. "I meant that, Mrs. Peyton. I'll introduce you around if you would like."
Tyler replaced his hat and neatly drew Evie's hand into the crook of his elbow. "The lady has a prior appointment, but I'm certain she'll be happy to take up your offer at a later date. Gentlemen." He doffed his hat in farewell, then swung Evie out into the street.
She wanted to dig her heels in and screech, but she knew as well as he that such a scene would ruin her chances. As it was, it was going to look mighty odd that an "old family friend" would behave so proprietarily. She followed at his side in hostile silence.
"You can't keep from flirting with every damn man who crosses your path, can you?" Tyler asked from between clenched teeth. The sight of Evie batting those long lashes at a good-looking man who reeked of respectability and wealth had given him a few bad moments, and he meant to make her pay for them.
Until now, he had thought they had something in common. Seeing her with Jace Harding was making him think twice. She might be a liar, but she gave every evidence of being a lady of means. And until he had ruined her, she had been an innocent whether he wanted to believe it or not. Just because she had fallen into his company didn't mean she was accustomed to low life. So they really had nothing in common at all. She looked quite in place with that damned rancher.
Evie sent Tyler a look of incredulity. "Flirting? Is that what I was doing? How absolutely criminal of me. 1 should be taken out and flogged. Or perhaps you have found a card game where you have some use for me?"
He could throttle her. He didn't think there was a man in this town who would condemn him once he heard the whole tale. But she wasn't worth the explanations. Tyler stopped in mid-stride and glared at her. "Do you want to discuss this privately or publicly?"
"I don't wish to discuss anything with a man who cannot see reason. You are no longer in my employ, Tyler Monteigne. You have no call to act like this."
She was wearing blue. It brought out the blue in her eyes as he had known it would. Damn, but she shouldn't have lashes like that. Any other woman with hair that color would have skinny red lashes and freckles. She ought to dye her hair black if she was going to look like that. Tyler tried to unclench his teeth before he made a scene.
"Did it ever occur to you, Miss Peyton, that you could already be carrying my child? Aside from protecting her reputation, that is the reason a gentleman marries a lady if he dishonors her. If we should have to get married, 1 don't want a wife who flirts with every damned man between the ages of fourteen and ninety."
Evie went pale, then gathered
up her skirt and hurried toward the boardwalk. "You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Monteigne. I have no intention of being your wife under any circumstances. And you're a fine one to talk about flirting. Haven't you found the local bar girl yet? I'm sure there must be one. Why don't you go ply your charms on her and leave me alone?"
He had her hand trapped on his arm, but she was practically dragging him. Tyler had the uncomfortable feeling she had been dragging him around since the day they met. He didn't know himself anymore. He had never forced a woman in his life. He certainly never had any intention of even seducing a woman like Evie. And marriage was the last thing on his mind. So why in hell was he behaving like a jealous lover?
Shaking his head to clear it from whatever webs she had woven in it, Tyler released her hand when they reached the boardwalk. "Fine, I'll do just that. At least bar girls manage to be honest about what they want."
He stalked off, leaving Evie to dart into the hotel without him. She hoped the men from the school board hadn't been watching all of that. She didn't know what they would make of it. She didn't know what to make of it. She would never understand Tyler Monteigne if she lived a million years.
Daniel was waiting for her when she came in. She would have to find something for him to do besides sitting in his room and reading all day. Nanny had forced him to accompany her on all her rounds, but Evie wouldn't be in a position to do that if she spent her time in a schoolroom. But for now, it was good to have a friendly face to come back to.
"What happened? Did you get the job? What did they say?" Daniel threw his book aside and waited eagerly for her response.
"I've got the job. Don't crow yet. I was the only applicant." Evie threw off her hat and glanced out the window. Tyler was heading into the saloon. Tightening her lips, she turned her back on the window. "And I inquired about a law clerk position for you, so when Mr. Hale returns you can apply without anyone thinking anything of it. And I met the nicest man, a Mr. Jason Harding. He's on the school board. He would have taken me to meet some of the ladies, but Tyler interfered. I thought he was supposed to be riding a posse or something."
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