marry me? Was that why he tried to get rid of you? I read something like that in a book once. The villain kept shooting at the hero and missing. It was terribly silly."
If Hale had been the one responsible for sending those two thugs out into the street with the children as hostage to draw him out, Tyler didn't find his actions very silly. But there were other forces at work here above and beyond Hale. Tyler wanted to rub his forehead and clear away the cobwebs, but Evie was right. It had been a long night.
What he wanted most was to pick Evie up and retire to that wonderful featherbed. But now that he had taken up the burden of responsibility, he wasn't setting it down again. Tucking the papers inside his shirt, Tyler reached for Evie. "It's time to find our villain, sweetheart. Are you going with me?"
As if he had to ask. Smiling eagerly, Evie swung around and started for the door.
Chapter 40
"You're either going to have to teach me to ride or find a saddle for two," Evie complained from her position behind Tyler. She shifted her arms around him as she tried to find a comfortable seat.
"The thought of you on a horse by yourself gives me the shivers, Mrs. Monteigne. I'll think about the saddle first."
She pinched him through his shirt, and Tyler laughed. It felt good to laugh again. He felt as if an immense burden had been lifted from his shoulders. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept, but the knowledge that Evie was behind him sent energy singing through his veins. He could conquer mountains the way he felt this morning.
But it wasn't a mountain kicking up dust down the trail in front of them. If it was Tom and his gang of thieves, they were in a mountain of trouble instead, but Tyler tried not to let Evie sense this. Tom ought to be in the sheriff's custody by now. And after their hiding place was blown to pieces, the thieves ought to be halfway to Kansas. That line of dust represented trouble of a different sort, he suspected.
It didn't take long for recognizable shapes to ride out of the dust. Tyler brought his horse to a halt, checked that his gun was within reach, and wrapped his big hand around the small one at his waist. "Here they come, Evie. This is your last chance to get rid of me."
He felt her teeth nip into his shoulder and smiled. She had her claws into him deep, and he ought to be shaking her free. For her own good, he ought to push her out of his life. But he was a selfish bastard and he didn't intend to give her up without a fight. After five long years of ambling peaceably through life, he was ready for a knock-down, teeth-spitting battle.
The sheriff led the pack. Right behind him rode Jason and Kyle Harding. Tyler frowned at the strangers behind them, the ones riding next to the lawyer, Hale. They looked surly and half-drunk. He could guess whose side they were on. His gaze drifted to the stragglers in the pack: Peyton and the real preacher from the church, quite a combination.
"There he is! Arrest that man, Sheriff. I told you to keep him away from the lady. My word, if he's molested her in any way..." Hale signaled for his cronies to move in.
Tyler had his gun in hand and aimed at Hale before the strangers could pull out of the pack or draw on him. He rested it calmly against his saddle horn as he met the sheriff's gaze. "I thought we'd come to an understanding last night, Powell. What is it you want now?"
Powell lifted his big shoulders against his tight shirt. "Hale says you're a danger to Mrs. Peyton. Claims he brought her out here for her protection until the two of them can get married." He threw a look at Evie peering from beneath Tyler's arm, not looking any too frightened.
Tyler shifted his position so Evie could see around him. The glitter of his eyes was decidedly dangerous as he looked down at her. "Is that right, Mrs. Peyton? Am I keeping you from your nuptials?"
She dug her thumb into the sensitive spot beneath his arm and made him twitch. "Actually, Mr. Monteigne," she answered sweetly, "these gentlemen are interfering with my plans. But since they so kindly brought the preacher along, perhaps