any other woman in this damned town for me. Now that it's respectable, I want you in my bed." Frustration laced Tyler's words. He took her hands in his and rubbed them.
"But you don't want to be married and you don't want babies and you don't want to settle down. That's not marriage, Tyler." Evie pulled her hands away. Temptation was close enough without adding to it. The possibility of spending the night in Tyler's bed caused rivers of anticipation to flood through her. She remembered her wedding night very clearly. She wanted that closeness again. But Tyler had had that closeness with other women, and he'd not settled down because of it.
"We exchanged vows, Evie. You're my wife. I'm willing to face up to that. I know it's not fair to you. I'll make a rotten husband and a worse father, but what's done is done. If we get a divorce now, you'll have to make it public. They'll run you out of town then. They won't let a divorced woman teach their kids. And every man in town will look at you as easy pickings. I won't let that happen, Evie."
He was right, of course. She had tried not to face it when he'd made their marriage public. She wasn't at all certain why he had done that. Surely they could have lied their way out of that little episode. People would gossip, but she could lead an exemplary life and the gossip would go away. But now he was standing here saying he wanted her to be his wife. How much of that could she believe?
"There will be babies," she answered sadly, crossing her arms beneath her breasts to protect herself from the hurt. "We can't give them a proper home. You can't even promise to be a proper father. I never wanted that."
Tyler fought the despair washing over him. With any other woman he could have given her a peck on the cheek and walked out. But not with Evie. Evie had gnawed a hole into his middle and burrowed there, and he couldn't get her out. He was growing comfortable carrying her around inside of him. Maybe that was all he needed, one woman who could tame the beast.
"We'll use Starr's suggestions and not make babies," he whispered desperately. "I've got some cash saved up. Maybe I can buy a herd and lease some land. Maybe I can learn to settle down. Just come back with me, Evie. I want you in my bed tonight."
She didn't know what swayed her. She wanted babies, so it certainly wasn't that. Perhaps it was knowing that he wanted her enough to actually think about settling down. Or perhaps it was just the fact that the womanizing gambler had finally offered to make the final commitment. He was actually pleading with her to be his wife. It was an occasion of sorts.
Tyler certainly hadn't mentioned anything about love. He wanted a woman in his bed, and she was that woman. She wasn't exactly flattered. But there was a certain ring of truth to his arguments. He wanted her, and she wanted him. They were married. Why shouldn't they go to bed together?
Feeling a panic much like the one of their wedding night, Evie met Tyler's anxious gaze. He really did want her. That could be enough. It was more than she'd ever had before.
Throwing an anxious glance to Daniel who was politely keeping his head buried in a book, Evie nodded. "All right, but we have to come back here in the morning to get the children ready for church."
He would have sung the "Hallelujah" chorus if she'd asked it of him. He didn't want to go back to that empty hotel room without her tonight. There were too many fiends in the dark, too many ghosts from the past. Evie's presence would chase them away.
Tyler reached for her shawl and pulled it around her as he spoke to Daniel. "I'm taking Evie with me tonight. You and Carmen behave yourselves. I'm sending Ben over to keep an eye on things. We'll be back in the morning in time for church."
Daniel peered over the top of his glasses, but he didn't raise his head. Evie's on-again, off-again marriage contained embarrassing elements that he wasn't prepared to acknowledge. He just watched her go.
Outside, Evie felt deliriously free, as if she were indulging in an illicit affair as Tyler led her toward the hotel across the alley. It was rather like