the door. He was too cocky by far, and the laughter in his dancing eyes was sorely irritating. But she remembered the heat of his kiss and the press of his body against hers too well. She hadn't lived this long by being a total fool.
"What makes you think I'm lying?" she asked evasively.
"Let's just say a little bird told me. And that same little bird will tell me again. You lie beautifully, Miss Peyton. That lovely little face of yours never reveals a thing—when you don't want it to. That was quite a masterful performance tonight. You wouldn't happen to be an actress by any chance, would you?"
"Nanny wouldn't let me even perform with the girls at school. She said acting isn't for ladies." Evie straightened her skirts and took the room's only chair. With a graceful move that kept her petticoats covering her, she lifted her foot to examine her ruined shoe.
She was good, very good. Not even a protest. Tyler removed his shoulders from the door and checked the bolt. "Well, I wouldn't recommend what you did tonight as being healthy for your career, either. From now on, I'd prefer you'd stay in your room when I tell you."
"But he was cheating. Even Daniel noticed it. I couldn't let him keep on cheating. You might have lost our tickets or worse."
"I make my living by gambling, Miss Peyton. I had no intention of losing. You just made a long night shorter. And much more entertaining." This last Tyler added as an afterthought. He would have skinned Dorset of his last dollar if it had taken him all night and day, but it would never have been as much fun as watching Maryellen Peyton at work.
"He was cheating. I was just getting even for it. Why did you take his watch? I don't think it's nice to rob a man of his last possession." Removing her shoes, she cast the room's lone bed a furtive look.
Tyler stepped to the lantern and drew out the watch, snapping it open and examining the contents with an air of satisfaction. "Because it was my daddy's watch. This is my mother's portrait." He handed it to her so she could see. "It's all I've got left. Vandals destroyed the family portraits after she died. This is the only one that survived."
Evie examined the miniature of a lovely blond woman in pink satin. She was the picture of delicate Southern womanhood. She threw Tyler a glance as she returned the watch. "She's beautiful. Did she die during the war?"
"They all died during the war. My father, my brothers, most of my neighbors. There are times when I think I died with them. But that's another story. You can have the bed. I'll go down to the main cabin and see if there's any interesting games going on. I'll lock the door from the outside. That way you'll be safe until I'm back."
He was already combing his hair in the mirror and reaching for his coat. Evie shook her head and tried to put everything together, but she was too tired to think. Tyler Monteigne was turning out to be a man of more facets than she had imagined, even putting secret agents and Pecos Martin aside. But if he thought his sad story would persuade her to allow him to stay with her, he picked the wrong woman.
"I'm sorry about your family, Tyler. Will you be safe in the cabin? Dorset won't come looking for you there?"
Tyler examined his crumpled cravat and threw it aside. His mouth wore a wry grin as he turned to her. "Your brother's inadvertent brilliance of feeding beer to a man drinking whiskey ought to keep Dorset sleeping it off for a few more hours. I'll be most discreet when I return. You needn't worry."
Evie didn't know whether she blushed at Tyler's words or at the sight of his open shirt. Tugging on his coat had loosened the linen, and she could see a portion of his chest and a slight curl of brown hair there. The sight did strange things to her insides, and she looked away.
"If we had my luggage, there would be blankets and things you could use. How will you sleep?"
"The same way I always do. Lightly." Tyler leaned over and kissed her hair.
She jumped, startled, but he was on the way out the door before she could do anything.
* * *
Evie woke to the sound of furious shouts and soft snores. Since the