believed her story. She should never have used her middle name. She was beginning to think that it was the cause of all her trouble.
Tyler went back to the hotel to change his clothes, but he was back in time to escort them to church. Evie supposed she ought to be worrying about her reputation, but her mind was on more important things.
Letting the children get farther ahead, she tugged on Tyler's arm and whispered, "Have you told anyone about where I come from or anything?"
Tyler lifted a golden brow and looked down on her. "What is there to tell? I know about as much as anyone around here."
"You know my name is Evie," she pointed out.
"I know you call yourself Evie upon occasion," he agreed, "but I haven't mentioned the fact to anyone. Why?"
She tried a different tactic. "Have you heard anyone mention a family named Howell?"
The children were already in the church. Tyler nodded at the people standing around the church door. Through his smiles, he whispered back, "I remember Jace saying his mother's maiden name was Howell."
Evie's face went pale. "Oh, hell."
A sudden silence fell around them, and she looked up to discover they were standing in the church doorway, and every face in the place was turned toward her.
The acoustics in here were very good.
Chapter 26
"I wonder if that was the sermon the reverend meant to preach this morning," Tyler mused aloud as the church crowd departed and he casually steered Evie through it.
"I think I like Maryellen's version of it much better." Kyle laughed, coming up on Evie's other side.
Tyler raised a disapproving eyebrow at the familiarity of using first names, but Evie was going red, and he held his tongue. "Harding, you're intruding. Go away."
Kyle kept his pace. "I've been commissioned to ask Mrs. Peyton if she would join us out at the ranch for Sunday dinner. At least I haven't driven her to swearing at me yet."
Evie's fingers clenched Tyler's arm tighter. Surprised but more pleased than he cared to admit at her unspoken plea, Tyler dismissed Kyle's request. "You'll have to plan further in advance than that. She's already accepted my invitation."
Kyle looked to Evie for confirmation. She offered a smile. "The excitement last night was rather wearing on my nerves, Mr. Harding. I haven't put together tomorrow's lesson plans. Maybe another time?"
"Next Sunday?"
Evie's fingers dug deeper, but Tyler let her wield this one on her own.
"It might be better if you were to dine with us, Mr. Harding. I have the children to consider, and Daniel would be disappointed to be left behind. His leg still gives him a great deal of pain."
Kyle was obviously disappointed, but he succumbed. "Of course, I should have thought of that. Just let me know, and I'll be there."
He walked away, and Evie relaxed and released Tyler's arm. Completely out of the blue, she asked, "Tell me, Mr. Monteigne, when was the last time you attended church?"
Tyler could find no reason for this question, and he watched the children skipping ahead as he debated his answer. If this were some kind of test, he was about to fail it. "Sometime before the war, I reckon."
Evie nodded. "That's what I thought. And why did you choose to attend today?"
"Because I'm not letting you out of my sight until I get a few explanations."
Evie watched Manuel and Jose run off with their friends. She was about to reprimand them for not changing their good clothes, but she needed to talk to Tyler more. She let them go as she subjected him to the questioning needed to shore up her confidence in the only man in town she might trust. He had gone to church for her sake. Could she trust him with the truth?
"I see," she murmured, then thrust from a different direction. "I understand some men like a challenge. If I hand you all the pieces to the puzzle and you put them together, will you lose interest and go away?'
Astounded, Tyler didn't immediately reply. When he did, it wasn't an answer. "Do you want me to?"
"That isn't the question at hand. I need someone I can trust. Daniel has a broken leg and can't help me. You and Ben are the only ones I know, but you've been here long enough to be getting itchy feet. If you're ready to roam, I'd just as soon you move on now, before I come to rely on you."
Tyler squinted up at the sun, as if the answer