boys were already deserting her. Curiosity won out over the security of Evie's company. They were at the door and listening to the conversation within. Carmen and Maria waited patiently for Evie's decision.
Evie nodded. "He must be your uncle," she agreed speaking to Carmen and ignoring Daniel and all their hopes. "He has traveled a great distance. Bring him some of that beer your mother kept in the cellar. Have Manuel run over to the butcher's for another chicken."
Carmen accepted the orders with grave dark eyes that belied her years. She disappeared with Maria into the interior, leaving Evie to follow at an unsteady pace.
By the time she entered the cool darkness of the house, Evie had found her shield again. She shook out her skirt and touched a hand to her hair, then donned a sympathetic smile as she practiced the feminine walk she had been taught in school. Even through the grief written across his face, the gentleman near the hearth watched her approach with appreciation.
"Mr. Peyton, my sincere condolences. I trust Tyler has explained everything to you, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask away." She took the mug of beer that Carmen carried in and handed it to their guest. "Please, don't stand on formality. Have a seat. We'll have dinner ready shortly. You have to stay and join us. You'll want to hear all about the children."
The stranger set the mug on the table and searched Evie's face. "I have dozens of questions, thank you, but I don't want to be in your way. I can remember being a young boy and starving impatiently for Sunday dinner. Please go on and work without worrying about me."
Evie felt tighter than a bow string as she accepted the excuse to leave the two men while she and Carmen went to work at the kitchen stove. Most everything had been put on to simmer before they went to church. It was just a matter of frying chicken, putting in the biscuits, and finishing up the last-minute things that couldn't be done ahead of time. It gave her time to breathe and steady her nerves.
Although the stranger and Tyler sat not that far away, both men spoke in low tones, and with the clanging of pots and the chatter of nervous children, their conversation was not easily discerned. Evie tried to pretend she was just preparing a meal for a friend of Tyler's. The coincidence of his name meant absolutely nothing.
She heard Jose ask the stranger if he was going to stay and be their new daddy, but she couldn't hear the man's reply. That gave her one more subject to fear. He would take the children away. What would she do without the children?
She would have to stay with Tyler in his hotel room. They would have to take a room for Daniel, but he couldn't manage the stairs yet. She couldn't cook their meals. She would feel like a kept woman, sitting on the bed and waiting for her man to come home from the saloon. And she wouldn't have the children.
She tried to keep the tears from her eyes. Perhaps Mr. Peyton was a wealthy man and could take care of them much better than she could. The streets of California were said to be paved with gold, and he had just come from there. He would take the children back with him and they would go to good schools and dress in fine clothes. They would be just fine. She didn't need to worry about them.
Carmen set the table while Evie put the new chicken Manuel brought into the skillet. She ordered the boys to go wash their hands, and the men went outside to clean up, too. There was a great deal of noise and jockeying for position around the washbowl. Evie could hear Tyler ordering Jose to get the dirt out of his ears before potatoes grew in them, and she smiled. Tyler might be terrified at the thought of children, but he was good with them.
Freshly scrubbed, they trooped in and took their places around the table. Evie started setting the food out in bowls while Carmen got Maria arranged on her high stool with a towel around her neck. She could pretend this was a family gathering. It was a family gathering. She just wasn't part of the family.
When everything was served, Evie took her place beside Tyler and said grace. Hands reached and grabbed after that.