him. She smiled at their audience, fluttered her lashes, and grasped Tyler's arm. "Gentlemen, you are embarrassing me enormously. Could you please wait until another time to interrogate Tyler? I have to get back to the children."
Tyler stifled a chuckle as the two men visibly blanched and stepped backward. Men might stand up to a man's weapons, but they fell before a woman's without a qualm. It was absolutely amazing what the power of a woman could do.
"I'll see you safely back to the house, Mrs. Pey—" the sheriff hesitated as Tyler shifted position—"Mrs. Monteigne. Then, if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow your husband for a while. I've got one man dead and another seriously injured, and I need some kind of report."
"I understand that, sir, and you deserve some explanations. It's a pity we don't have many." Evie tugged Tyler's arm and reluctantly, he stepped into the hall to follow the sheriff toward the back steps.
Tyler halted and glared at Hale when he attempted to follow. "As you can see, Mr. Hale, my wife doesn't need your assistance. We'll let you know if we need your services."
Hale glared back. "If she's married to you, the lady came to me under false pretenses. I think I deserve some explanation."
"When we're ready to give one, we might consider it. Until then, I'm asking you to leave, Hale. This is none of your affair." Tyler pulled Evie possessively to his side.
Evie glanced around Tyler's broad shoulders to smile her regret at the lawyer. "I'm so sorry if I've misled you, sir. It's a long story. Maybe we'll have time to talk later."
Tyler rolled his eyes heavenward, then dragged Evie toward the stairs. How in hell had he got himself hitched to a temptress who would inevitably attract every man within a fifty-mile radius? It was fitting punishment for his wandering ways, he supposed, but he didn't know how he would keep from killing every one of them.
Not wishing to follow where that thought led, Tyler started down the stairs. He'd get her back to where she would be surrounded by kids. He'd noticed she never looked at a man when the kids were around. That was the safest place for her to be.
When they arrived at the little house, Jose threw himself into Evie's arms, Daniel emitted an audible sigh of relief, and Ben discreetly removed himself from the scene with the entrance of the sheriff. Evie took a rocking chair and pulled Jose into her lap, hugging him close, and he surprisingly allowed it.
Maria wandered to Tyler and pulled on his pants leg. He scowled down at her, but she smiled almost as convincingly as Evie. "Tywer, up," she commanded.
Tyler glanced helplessly to Evie.
"She just wants to be picked up and held, like anybody would after a day like this."
Tyler scowled blacker as he read the significance of Evie's words in the flashing look of her dark eyes. But he leaned over and picked up the little imp. Maria crowed with delight and snuggled against his shoulder as if she belonged there.
The sheriff coughed, and Manuel eyed him with a degree of speculation, keeping a safe distance from the hand of authority. Carmen caught his shoulder before he could back off any farther.
"I don't mean to impose on your family, Monteigne." The sheriff didn't notice the sudden look of interest passing between several members of that "family." "But I've got a report to write. The city board will have my job if I don't explain this shooting to their satisfaction."
Tyler bounced Maria in his arms. "There isn't much I can tell you. I overheard some men talking about drawing out Pecos Martin and using the kids for shields. They found Manuel and Jose before I could. You need to talk to the boys about that part of it. I saw them carry the kids out to the street, so I slipped up to the hotel. It's the best lookout in town. You know the rest."
Powell didn't look appeased. "I told you I didn't want any gunfighting in this town, Monteigne, or Martin, or whoever you are. I want to know who those men are and why they were looking for you and if I can expect any more of this kind of riffraff around here. I'll have to ask you to leave, if so. I've never seen shooting like that in my life, and I'm not willing to see it happen again. You near killed those men from a