Texas Rose TH2 (31 page)

But Evie's interest was more in the man behind the desk. He wore unrimmed glasses as he studied a stack of papers that had apparently accumulated in his absence. His blond, thinning hair seemed barely able to cover his skull. But when he looked up, his smile was genial, and then appreciative, and Evie felt right at home.

He wasn't much taller than herself when he stood up. Accustomed as she had become to tall men like Tyler and the Hardings with their wide shoulders, she was slightly taken aback at Mr. Hale, who seemed almost slender and effeminate. But she remembered men like that from St. Louis—very successful men—she reminded herself, and she relaxed.

"Mr. Hale?" she inquired.

"Jonathan Hale, at your service, ma'am. How may I help you?" He gestured toward one of the leather chairs.

Evie chose the chair without arms and spread her skirts as she chose her words. "It's a rather delicate matter, sir. I don't know how to put it." She smiled a little, just enough to get him slightly flustered. It was purely ridiculous the way men would fall for a woman's smile, but she had very few weapons in her arsenal, and she had learned to use them skillfully. "I'm Mrs. Maryellen Peyton, the new schoolteacher here in Mineral Springs."

Hale had reason to remember the name "Peyton" well, and his interest intensified. As he studied the woman before him, he grew even more excited. The hair, the eyes, the clothes, all fit the description. The name was baffling, and her appearance here was a matter of some concern. Unaffected by her smile, he listened as she continued to speak at his nod.

"I've just come from Natchez, but I have corresponded for a long time with a friend of my childhood in St. Louis. When she heard I was coming here, she was most anxious that I make a few inquiries, and she gave me your name." Evie hesitated a moment to see how this elaborate network of lies was being absorbed. The lawyer nodded thoughtfully, waiting for her to continue. He wasn't being very helpful.

Slightly miffed, Evie elaborated a little further. "She's an orphan, but she has reason to believe her parents are from this area." Evie silently cursed her choice of assumed name. There would be questions about that "Peyton" if she wasn't careful. She summoned all her powers of creativity to the problem. "As a matter of fact, she was quite excited when I married Alexander Peyton, my late husband, because she thought Peyton might be part of her family name." There, that should do it. She had Tyler to thank for that little absurdity.

Hale formed his fingers into a little tent and studied her intently. "Are you asking me to find your friend's family, Mrs. Peyton?"

Evie took a deep breath, but the little man didn't seem to appreciate the sight. She exhaled slowly to give herself time to place this as delicately as possible. "She found your name on some papers, Mr. Hale. She thinks you might already know about her family. Her name is Evangeline Peyton Howell."

Evie waited in triumph while the lawyer took off his glasses and polished them. He knew the name all right. She could see it in the way his hand shook. The test of his honesty would come with his next words.

Hale replaced his glasses on his nose. "The Howells were a prominent family in this town, Mrs. Peyton. They paid well to keep their secrets. They're all dead now, of course, sad to say, but I can't ethically give secrets to a stranger. Perhaps you should have Miss Howell write to me."

Swamped with disappointment, Evie folded her hands in her lap. She wanted to know now. She had half a mind to tell him who she was just to shake him out of his complacency, but she had promised Daniel to be cautious. She didn't want to be cautious. This man had what she wanted, and she wanted it with every hair and particle of her body.

But she stood up and smiled sweetly. "I'll do that, Mr. Hale. I do appreciate your time. Evie will be quite delighted to hear you know of her family. You don't have any idea what that will mean to her."

Hale rose and saw her to the door and watched as she swept down the stairs in a flurry of silk petticoats and a cloud of cinnamon-rose scent. It was all he could do to keep his heart beating as she walked out of sight. When he closed the door, he gave a sigh of relief and felt what could only be a shiver of anticipation. It had been a long time since he'd had a feeling of anticipation. He'd given up hope long ago when he was just a boy and his father had informed him that he was going to be a lawyer and not a cowboy.

He no longer had a child's dream of roping cattle and riding a horse in the hot sun all day, but the life of a cattle baron could be a very lucrative one. The Hardings lived simply, it was true, but as their lawyer, he knew how much wealth had accumulated out there. And he knew to a dime how much more would accumulate now that the war was over and profits were skyrocketing. And that bundle of living joy who had just walked out owned half of all that.

The knowledge was sweet in his mouth. He wanted to savor it for a long time, a very long time. But he had to make plans.

He almost laughed at the pile of work on his desk. He had come back here a failure. He had searched St. Louis high and low for the elusive Miss Evangeline Howell, but she had disappeared with all her worldly belongings and hadn't been seen since the funeral of her guardian. Who would have believed that the little heiress would have turned up here, right under his nose?

And under the nose of her stepbrothers. Hale wondered what the Hardings would do if they knew their beautiful new schoolteacher was the owner of half their spread. He didn't think he would let them know right away. If things worked out well, he wouldn't let them know until his wedding day, his wedding to Miss Evangeline Peyton Howell, formerly known as Maryellen Peyton.

* * *

Tyler was waiting for her around the corner. Evie stopped in her tracks and regarded him suspiciously. After last Friday night, she wasn't at all certain that she wanted to speak to the cad. She certainly hadn't thought he'd want to speak to her.

"You're tricked out mighty fine this afternoon, Miss Peyton." He removed his hat and offered her his arm. When she didn't take it, he caught her gloved hand and pulled it through the crook of his elbow.

She didn't want to be this close to Tyler Monteigne. She could smell his shaving soap. And she smelled the smoke of the saloon he'd probably been in since this morning. She remembered the strength of the arm she was holding, and she tried to draw away.

It was a futile battle. His hand covered hers, and she couldn't struggle with him in full view of everyone. Digging her fingers in and hoping they hurt, she turned her sweet smile on him. "And it's a pleasure to see you, too, Mr. Monteigne. To what do I owe this honor?"

"I just thought you might be interested in telling me why you went to see the town lawyer as soon as he got back. Another man might think it suspicious after our discussion last week, but I'm a better man than that. I figure you're bound to be looking for your long lost sister."

"Maybe I was looking for a way to sue you for everything you have, Tyler Monteigne. After all, a man who does what you did ought to be forced to a little responsibility."

Tyler kept smiling as she was doing. He stopped in the window of the millinery shop and pretended to show her a hat there. "I had the clerk at the general store set up an account for you, and I've told Daniel about it so you can't pretend it isn't there." He had never tried to talk through clenched molars before. It wasn't easy, but it was better than shaking her until her teeth rattled. "I told you I was willing to support you.'

"Why, that's generous of you, I'm sure." Evie disengaged her hand now that he'd loosened his grip. "Perhaps I won't be needing a lawyer after all." She picked up her skirt and hurried in the direction of the livery but Tyler caught her arm before she could escape.

"I think I'll walk you back home. You never know when a lady will be accosted by strangers in this town.

His grip was hard as it steered her in the proper direction. Too furious to speak, Evie let the angry tap-tap of her shoes on the boardwalk speak for her.

Kyle Harding was just coming out of the house as they turned down the alley. He saw them approach and pulled off his hat.

"Monteigne, it's mighty thoughtful of you to find the lady for me. Mrs. Peyton." He grinned and saluted her with a gallant bow. His eyes danced as he noted Tyler's scowl and the lady's blinding smile. "I've come a-courtin', Mrs. Peyton, just as I promised. Do I pass inspection?"

Kyle held out his arms so she could fully admire his formal attire. The cravat was now askew and his linen crumpled, but he was a well-built man with masculine assurance that didn't require fancy clothes. Tyler didn't require the refinement, either, but she wasn't currently speaking to him.

Evie smiled her appreciation. "You are quite the most handsome man I've see today, sir. Have you spoken with Daniel?" She ignored the irritated grip on her arm.

"I have, and he gives me his permission to take you over to John's to eat and then to dance out at the church afterward. I think he regrets he can't go along as chaperon, but I very much suspect one or more of your little charges will have their noses pressed against the window to keep an eye on you, so I'll behave."

Evie could just imagine Manuel or Jose peeking in the church windows and hiding under chairs at Daniel's instigation, not to mention Tyler's. She threw her escort a look of indignation and discreetly removed her arm from his hold.

Kyle grinned easily, not having missed a moment of his opponent's discomfiture. After losing the better part of his cash to the gambler this afternoon, he wasn't extending him any sympathy. "Well, Monteigne, you know what they say about being lucky in cards and unlucky in love..." He held out his arm for Evie.

She took it and walked off without looking back.

And from the second-floor lawyer's office, Hale watched the woman he intended to marry emerge from the alley with Kyle Harding on her arm. First the fancy stranger, now Harding. He would have to work fast if he meant to capture Miss Evangeline Howell.

Knowing full well how his looks compared to her other two suitors, Hale applied his active mind to other methods of persuasion. Harding and Monteigne might look prettier, but he was smarter. He was certain to come up with something, sooner or later.

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.