"Tyler has apparently suffered sunstroke or cracked his head on something. Just bear with him for a little while until Ben comes." She threw Tyler a cross look. "Where is Ben, anyway? Have you already driven him away?"
As if the wind had carried his name, a light knock sounded, and Benjamin stuck his head around the door without waiting for a reply "Heard 'bout the fall. How you doin', boy?"
Before Daniel could muster an answer, Tyler gripped Ben's collar and hauled him into the room. "Keep her here until I get back. Use your gun, if you have to. A bullet in the leg should slow her down."
He gestured his head in Evie's direction to indicate who he was talking about, as if she weren't the only woman in the room. She smiled sweetly at him, and Tyler scowled and stamped out.
Ben crossed his arms over his chest. "You got him mighty riled about something. What happened, boy? Did Miss Evie throw you down the stairs?"
"We've just had a minor disagreement over something perfectly frivolous," Evie purred, doing her best Miss Nightingale routine as she straightened Daniel's cover and offered him a sip of water. She had always admired Miss Nightingale's work. Perhaps she ought to study to be a nurse. "You needn't bother staying. It's Friday night, and I'm certain you have other plans."
Ben grinned and planted himself against the door. "My plans include staying alive, and I won't be that for long if I'm not here when Tyler comes back. How's that leg feel, boy? Should we be hollering for someone to fetch you a beer?"
Evie smoldered. She wasn't going to let Tyler get away with this. Marriage was forever. She meant to marry a man who would give her a good solid house and who would love her no matter who she was and who would have a steady job and come home to her every night. She wanted security and respectability. She didn't want Tyler Monteigne.
She wished the pain in her midsection would go away. It would be much easier saying no if she wasn't constantly reminded of why Tyler was doing this. He was taking away her reason to get rid of the child. With Tyler's plan, the child wouldn't have to be a bastard. But would having a rambling, gambling father be much better?
She didn't know. She just didn't know. She was too tired and confused and desperate to know what to think.
She needed time, and Tyler wasn't giving her any. She didn't want a baby. She had never thought about having babies. She had scarcely thought about having a husband. She wanted to know who her parents were. She didn't even know who she was until she knew that, and now Tyler wanted to make her a wife.
No, he really didn't want to make her his wife. He didn't want a wife any more than she wanted a husband. She remembered very clearly the relief in his eyes when she had refused him that first time. She knew perfectly well that the only reason Tyler had agreed to accompany them to Texas was to get away from two women who wanted to shackle him. So he wasn't doing this for her sake. He was doing it for some mistaken ideal of what a gentleman was supposed to do.
Daniel was watching her worriedly, and Evie tried to smile and be reassuring. She would take Tyler into another room and speak to him quietly. She would make him see that her way was better for all concerned. But she had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that Tyler wasn't open to reason on that point.
Well, if she had to have the child, that child was going to have a father. She would make certain clear on that point. Mr. Tyler Monteigne was going to have to settle down and get a job and be a proper respectable husband and father if he meant to go through with this. That ought to scare the pants off him.
She didn't want to think about Tyler with his pants off. Her face felt like fire already. She took a hasty sip of the water beside Daniel's bed. That was another aspect of this marriage business that she didn't want to face.
But the alternative was even more grim. Discovering her hand was shaking on the glass, Evie set it down and went to the window.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Evie." Daniel was the first to speak. "Ben can move me over to the newspaper office. I'll be up and about shortly, and I can read and write lying on the floor for all that matters. And something could come in the mail any day."
A ghost of a smile lifted Evie's lips as she stared at her reflection in the rain-drenched window. She wondered if Tyler had considered that he would be supporting Daniel as well as herself and a child. That much responsibility ought to drive the man berserk.
"You're not getting out of that bed until the doctor says you can. You could ruin your whole life if you got up too soon. And if you exercise the way he tells you, maybe your leg will be even better than before. Think what you could do if you could throw away that cane." Evie turned and gave him a smile. She was good at hiding her heart. Daniel was worth hiding it for.
"I could take care of you then, Evie," he replied eagerly. "I could own my own newspaper someday. Do you really think my leg could get better?"
"Not unless you take care of it." She unfastened her jacket and threw it over the chair. She wished she could open the window. It was growing warm in here. "How's the pain? Should I give you more laudanum?"
Daniel set his jaw stubbornly. "I'll wait until Tyler gets back."
Ben hummed and fished around in his pockets. Finding what he was looking for, he threw it in Daniel's direction. "Reckon you could use a bite to eat, but I can't fetch you nothing until Tyler gets here. Try some of that. It's like chewing rope, but it's got some flavor."
Daniel tried the beef jerky with curiosity. It gave his mouth something to do while Evie paced the floor.
"I need to change clothes," she decided firmly, in her best schoolteacher manner. She looked up at Ben as if daring him to defy her.
He did. He glanced over her white shirtwaist with its frilled sleeves and the gray skirt showing a telltale trace of mud at the hem and shook his head. "You look just fine. We'll wait for Tyler."
"I can't be married in a walking suit. I'm just going next door. It's not as if I could go anywhere else on a night like this." Evie stood defiantly in front of the tall black man, who looked down at her with bemusement.
The mention of marriage had both men staring at her, but Evie didn't dare let the knowledge scare her. She was shaking like a leaf on the inside, but she wouldn't let anyone know that.
"I don't reckon Tyler can produce a wedding at this hour of night. You'll have plenty of time to dress fancy when he gets back." Ben remained where he was, although his face showed a trace of discomfort now instead of amusement.
The room was so fraught with tension that none of the occupants noticed the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs until they walked on by. Evie breathed a sigh of relief and returned her concentration to her brother's reaction.
"You're going to marry Tyler?" Daniel asked with incredulity. "Why? He isn't a lawyer or a banker or any of those other things you said you wanted. He doesn't even have a house."
Ben grunted, and Evie sensed his disapproval. She turned her back on him and faced Daniel. "Well, you just tell him that when he gets back. It doesn't seem to make any difference to Tyler."
The man in question shoved against the door, sending Ben stumbling into the room. He carried with him the heavy humidity of the night as he shook out his hat and threw his canvas coat over Evie's. He also brought with him a man they all knew as the recently arrived circuit preacher.
Evie stared at the bearded stranger with dismay. She hadn't really thought Tyler would go through with this. She didn't think he would actually be able to carry this out so quickly. She thought there would be time to talk, to come to some other solution.
The bearded stranger took off his black homburg and made a polite bow as Tyler made curt introductions. "It's an honor and a pleasure, Mrs. Peyton. I've heard you've worked wonders with the children. I trust your young man's hasty change of plans doesn't mean you will be leaving this lovely town?"
Evie sent Tyler a nervous look. He wasn't wearing the light linen suit she had first seen him in, but he still managed to look the part of gambler in a dark frock coat an
d string tie and a slight ruffle on his shirt front. Gold glittered on his cuffs and in the embroidery of his waistcoat. Raindrops glittered on the gold of his hair. He was handsome enough to take her breath away. She wished she owned a gun.
"Our plans aren't certain yet. I've been looking into the cattle business. We might settle here, if the atmosphere is congenial," Tyler answered smoothly for her. Catching Evie's waist, he pulled her closer to his side, his gaze drifting possessively over the curve of her bosom beneath the lace-edged shirtwaist before coming to rest on the fury in her eyes. "If you'll say the words, Mr. Cleveland, I'd like to get this over with. She doesn't believe I'm a marrying man, and I intend to prove her wrong."
"This is all very improper," the preacher murmured with a show of distress. "I like to have a chance to talk with the bride and groom before the wedding. These things ought to be gone into with much consideration and planning, not with haste. I'm sure Mrs. Peyton agrees with me. Why don't we set the time as Sunday after church? Then I'd feel as if you'd had time—"
Tyler rudely cut him off. "Reverend, I don't mean to be impolite to a man of the cloth, but we want to be married now. Can you do that or do I need to find the judge?"
"Tyler!" Evie hissed. She turned to the red-faced preacher. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like a moment to freshen myself. Perhaps Ben could fetch something for you to drink?"
Tyler caught her waist tighter. "You can freshen yourself later, after the reverend says his piece. Then we can all have a drink."
"Tyler," Evie looked up at him pleadingly. She couldn't think, not with him standing so close. That night returned to her with sudden clarity, and she remembered the solidity of his muscles as he held her. She remembered other things, too, and her cheeks flushed with color as she realized Tyler was thinking along much the same lines. His fingers dug into her corset, and his other hand came up to touch her cheek.
"Just say yes to the man, Evie. It doesn't require any more than that." Tyler's voice was soft, almost gentle as his hand trailed down her cheek, then lingered a moment to rest at the nape of her neck.
The golden flecks in his eyes held her captivated; she couldn't look away. He was mesmerizing her like a cat does a mouse. Evie wanted to protest, but she could only return his stare as the others in the room stirred restlessly.
"Start the ceremony, Reverend," Tyler ordered, never turning his gaze from Evie.
After harrumphing and sending another look around the room in an appeal for assistance, the preacher pulled out his book and began repeating the words to the wedding ceremony.
Rain clattered against the tin roof. The heat of the closed room caused Tyler's wet coat to steam. Daniel stirred with restless frustration. The combination of wet and heat brought out the scent of cinnamon and roses in Evie's hair, and the smell wafted through the room as the preacher droned on.
Tyler pinched her when it came time for her response. The reverend didn't know her full name and thus called her Maryellen Peyton as the town knew her. Evie repeated the lie, wondering how that would affect the vows they were exchanging. She noticed there was no mention of Pecos or Martin when Tyler gave his vows. This whole ceremony seemed unreal, like some act put on by a traveling theater troupe. Surely it took more than this to seal her to one man into eternity.
But the ring Tyler pulled off his finger to put on hers was very real. And it was even more real when the reverend told Tyler he could kiss the bride and Tyler did so. He smelled of tobacco and leather and a faint scent of spicy shaving lotion. His lips were hard and firm and very decisive as she clutched his loose ring in one hand and tried not to touch him with the other. He was making a point here, and Evie wasn't at all certain that she was ready to accept it. The pain in her stomach had changed to swirls of something very like anticipation.
The reality was even stronger when Mr. Cleveland produced a printed license with scrolls and flowers around the sides and asked that everyone present sign it. Evie was first, and she hesitated, wondering what she was doing when she went to sign her name and knew she couldn't use her real one. She put an "E" in front of the Maryellen and told herself that the Peyton was real enough. It just lacked the "Howell" to be complete.
Tyler signed his with a flourish. His middle name was Douglas. He didn't look like a Douglas. Evie sent him a surreptitious look from beneath lowered lashes, but he was patiently handing the pen to the preacher.
Ben signed in a very distinct copperplate hand, then carried the paper to Daniel. Daniel was still looking at Evie with uncertainty, but when she stood without protesting beneath Tyler's hold, he slowly carved his name across the final line.
The preacher rolled the paper up after the ink dried and handed it with satisfaction to Tyler. "All right and tight, sir. May I congratulate you on your fine choice of wife? And Mrs. Monteigne, may I be the first to welcome you to your new name? I hope you will settle here so I might christen your first child."
The color that drained from Evie's cheeks at the mention of her new name flared briefly at the mention of the child. She was married and going to have a baby. She thought the appropriate thing to do would be to swoon.
But no matter how hard she concentrated on it, she couldn't seem to manage a swoon. Evie clenched her teeth as Tyler bade the preacher farewell. She walked out of his presumptuous hold and toward the door as soon as the man left. She didn't even turn around to speak to the other men in the room. She walked out, and they all stared after her, listening carefully to be certain her footsteps went no farther than the room next door. They didn't.
Tyler exhaled a heavy breath, ran his hand through his hair, and turned an uncertain look to Ben and Daniel.
They were both waiting for him to give explanations. He didn't have any to give. He'd just gone and got himself shackled when he had only just decided it was time to find another woman. He'd been planning on finally taking Starr to her room tonight. Now look at him.
"She's carrying my baby," he finally admitted before walking out, following Evie from the room. Daniel's furious cry followed him, but the silence from Benjamin was equally ominous.
Benjamin knew his history, and it wasn't a good one. Walking slowly, Tyler faced the panel separating him from his newly acquired wife. He could open the door and meet the future with a ball and chain that he had spent years avoiding, or he could walk away and never look back.
He'd done the latter once. He had regretted it ever since. With calm resolution, Tyler opened the door.
Chapter 16
Evie stared at the flowers in her bedroom through tear-misted eyes. She wasn't much of a gardener and wasn't certain of the proper names for everything, but the riot of color struck her with sobs that could have been joy had the circumstances been different.
A giant bouquet of paper roses adorned the old oak dresser. Entire branches of real lilac were strewn across the bed, filling the air with heavenly scents. Green stalks topped by dancing yellow heads filled the water pitcher. Branches covered in pink occupied her sitting chair. She hadn't thought the entire town had held that much color. Obviously, it didn't any longer. Tyler must have robbed every garden in the territory, and maybe a cemetery or two. She didn't know where he'd found the paper roses.
Tears were rolling down Evie's cheeks when Tyler entered. She didn't look at him, just stood there clasping her elbows and shaking with sobs. He glanced around to better examine his handiwork in the light of the one lamp he had lit earlier.
The easel and canvas he had glimpsed once were stored away, as were the books and other niceties that Evie liked to travel with. The towering stack of trunks told their story. She had meant to move out of this room.
He didn't want to know what that meant. He came up behind her, but he was afraid to touch her. He'd thought the flowers would add a festive touch for a less than festive occasion, but he hadn't expected floods of tears. Not from Evie. He was afraid she would crumble if he touched her.
"The stores were closed. I couldn't buy a wedding gift," he offered tentative
ly. He'd never really had to court a woman before, and Tyler felt awkward at the business. Had she been anyone but Evie, he could have her out of her gown and on the bed within minutes. But Evie had every reason to despise him and what would happen on that bed. It put a man in a damned awkward position.
Evie dashed at her tears with the back of her hand. "They're lovely. I wish I knew what they were all called. I'd like to have a garden someday with all of them in it."
"Roses, lilacs, Easter flowers, and I don't know what they call the pink things, but I can find out. It's a good thing they don't hang a man for flower theft around here, or you'd be a widow tomorrow." He tried the light touch, but it didn't sound so light after he said it.
Evie nodded hesitantly. "It would be very confusing to be twice widowed and never married. I guess it's a good thing you won't hang."
The laughter wasn't there, but at least she was making jokes. Tyler allowed himself a small breath of relief as he loosened his tie. The Evie he knew wasn't overly inclined to tears. That must be the effect of pregnancy. Already, she was starting to bounce back. They would have to learn to make the best of a bad situation.
"I guess the live ones ought to go in water. I don't suppose that collection of trunks has vases?"
"The top one has the china," Evie answered vaguely, her gaze traveling to the flower-filled water pitcher. She would have to wash and prepare herself for bed. How could she do it with Tyler in the room? She didn't think stringing a sheet across the room worked with a husband.
Tyler reached for the trunk. "Take the Easter flowers out of the water pitcher. I've ordered up hot water. You can go behind the dressing screen to get ready while I dig out your china."
She watched worriedly as he lifted the smallest trunk from the stack, but he handled it with care. A knock at the door sent her scurrying for the screen. She didn't want anyone to see her right now. It was as if the whole world knew she was newly married and could see in their heads what was about to happen to her. Or she thought would happen to her. Tyler hadn't touched her. Maybe he would leave her alone.
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