she let Tyler Monteigne charm her into his arms again. Not his bed. She hadn't liked that. Just his arms. She wanted his mouth on hers, and she wanted to know that he wanted the same thing. But then, he wanted that with any woman he saw.
Cursing to herself, Evie went to the window and watched as Tyler stepped down from the hotel veranda and headed for the cafe. He was going to go get Daniel and Ben and eventually drag the story out of her. She wasn't at all certain that she was prepared to give it to him. Would Tyler's eyes light quite so nicely when he discovered she was a bastard instead of a lady?
She watched as the sheriff intercepted Tyler's determined path. She breathed a sigh of relief as the two men wandered back to the sheriff's office. Maybe they would get caught up in men's talk and leave her alone. There was time to look into a few things on her own.
Chin set in determination, Evie consulted the distorted hotel mirror, adjusted her hat, found her gloves, and set out on her own.
By the time she returned, Daniel was sprawled across her bed reading a book, waiting for her. She kept her expression carefully blank, but he still worriedly set the book aside.
"I thought you were with Tyler," he accused.
Evie removed her hat and lay it upon the dresser. "All this time? Shame on you."
"You went looking for that lawyer, didn't you?" His eyes widened. "You didn't try talking to him yet, did you?"
"He wasn't there." Evie sat down on the padded seat of a wooden chair and began to unbutton her gloves.
"It's kind of late in the day. I suppose he went home. But you found his office, didn't you? We can go back tomorrow."
"He won't be back tomorrow." Evie peeled off the gloves and examined a chipped fingernail. Perhaps she ought to cut her nails back. It was hard to write on a chalkboard without scratching them against it.
"What do you mean he won't be back tomorrow? Is he dead?" Daniel sat up and stared at her with horror.
That summoned a small smile. "I certainly hope not. After coming all this way, it would be terrible if he were, wouldn't it? I hadn't thought of that. But he's not dead. He's just away on business. They don't expect him back for weeks, maybe months. It's just so terribly disappointing to come so far to sit and wait."
Daniel didn't exactly express relief. "Months? I don't think our funds will hold out for months. Pecos gave us as much for our help in that game as he's charged us, but even so, this hotel isn't cheap, and neither is food. What happens if our families find out that Nanny is dead and they stop sending our monthly allotments?"
"I've thought about that. Knowing Nanny, I should think she must have sent them some report on how we fared, so the chances are very likely they'll get nervous if they don't hear from her. On the other hand, since they didn't want anything to do with us, just cashing their checks might be enough notice. If we keep on forging her signature, they might never know. But we can't take that chance."
Daniel waited for the inspiration she always provided.
Evie smiled at his loyalty. "I'm going to get that job as schoolteacher. I found out who to apply to, and I'm going there tomorrow. I'm sure the pay will be very small, but we don't need more clothes. You know that. And surely they'll pay enough for room and board. We'll just have to find a less expensive place to stay than this hotel."
Daniel's face reflected his misgivings. "We can't keep paying Pecos for months. What if the lawyer won't tell you anything?"
Evie shrugged. "Tyler resigned. I can't imagine what he could do in any case." Her eyes brightened. "Maybe you could get a job in the lawyer's office as his clerk! We wouldn't even have to tell him who I am that way. You could go through his files and find out everything. I'm certain there's more money where my checks come from. Maybe we can get our hands on some of that, and then we can go looking for my parents on our own."
"That's probably about the craziest thing you've ever dreamed up." Daniel collapsed against the pillows he had propped against the wall. "The chances of anybody hiring me are about nil. I imagine a