curiosity and raised himself from the bed. "I don't know what you've got against the man, Ev. He's only trying to help. Maybe he could be looking around for you while he's here. It's a lot easier for a man to snoop and ask questions than for a lady."
"Don't be ridiculous." Evie rose and helped Daniel find his cane. She wasn't at all certain that she liked the idea of sleeping in a strange hotel room without Daniel nearby, but she supposed if they were going to stay here, she was going to have to get used to the idea. They had shared rooms when they were little, and it had seemed natural enough when they started out on this journey, but Daniel was close to being a grown man now. She couldn't continue to pretend he was a little boy. "I'm perfectly capable of asking all the questions I need."
Daniel took the cane and limped to the door. "And getting your nose bit off doing so. Let's just wait until that lawyer gets back. It could all be very simple."
Evie didn't think so, but she let Daniel leave with her reassurances. Nothing was ever simple in her experience, and Tyler Monteigne's decision to stay in Mineral Springs was only just one example.
Closing the door after Daniel and staring at her empty room, she tried not to think of how Tyler had looked when he sat in that chair, or the way his eyes had all but undressed her. She knew why he had stayed all right. A man like Tyler couldn't stand rejection.
Like a dog after 'coon, he had his nose to the scent—and she was his prey.
Chapter 11
Evie clasped her gloved hands in the lap of her blue serge skirt. She hadn't worn blue for Tyler's benefit. This just happened to be the most schoolmarmish outfit she could find. And it seemed to be working very well. She smiled meekly for the benefit of the stout, graying man across the desk from her.
"I had references from the school where I taught in St. Louis, but they were lost in the confusion of the robbery. I can give you their address, and you are free to confirm them." She spoke with just enough soft Southern charm that she would be believed without making her seem like a meek-mannered Milquetoast who couldn't handle a schoolroom full of children.
The man across from her folded his hands over his ample belly. He wore a gold watch chain across his vest, but he hadn't consulted his watch as yet. Evie thought that might be a point in her favor.
"I understand you arrived here in the company of a gunslinger, Mrs. Peyton." Disapproval rippled through him as he spoke these words.
Evie widened her eyes and touched a gloved hand to the discreet cameo at her throat. "A gunslinger?"
The school board chairman shifted uncomfortably in his wooden chair. "I wasn't born yesterday, Mrs. Peyton. My brother Alan is the sheriff here. He told me you rode in with Pecos Martin."
Evie scrambled for the man's name. Powell. He'd said his name was Powell. And the sheriff was Alan Powell. She was going to have to remember that this was a small town and everybody was related to everybody else. She gave a small smile that should indicate something vaguely embarrassing but amusing.
"Oh, dear. Since you have a brother, perhaps you'll understand. Daniel wanted to impress the hotel manager, so he made up that story about Pecos Martin. He's been reading those penny-dreadfuls, I fear. As far as I know, there is no such person as Pecos Martin. Tyler Monteigne is an old friend of the family from Natchez. I'm sure you can write and confirm that. He had business here and offered to escort Daniel and myself. After you meet my brother, you'll see that there is some concern for his health, and the physicians thought this climate might be more salubrious to his recovery. I certainly hope it doesn't lead to encouraging his imagination."
David Powell nodded understandingly. "Well, we'll see that doesn't happen. You are orphans, I think?"
Evie summoned a sad smile. "My husband and I tried to be parents to Daniel for some years now. But since my husband's death—Well, his family has been more than kind, but it is time we stand on our own. Daniel has expressed some interest in studying law, but I fear his health wouldn't allow him to go back East to study. I don't suppose there is a