Too furious to speak, Evie let the angry tap-tap of her shoes on the boardwalk speak for her.
Kyle Harding was just coming out of the house as they turned down the alley. He saw them approach and pulled off his hat.
"Monteigne, it's mighty thoughtful of you to find the lady for me. Mrs. Peyton." He grinned and saluted her with a gallant bow. His eyes danced as he noted Tyler's scowl and the lady's blinding smile. "I've come a-courtin', Mrs. Peyton, just as I promised. Do I pass inspection?"
Kyle held out his arms so she could fully admire his formal attire. The cravat was now askew and his linen crumpled, but he was a well-built man with masculine assurance that didn't require fancy clothes. Tyler didn't require the refinement, either, but she wasn't currently speaking to him.
Evie smiled her appreciation. "You are quite the most handsome man I've see today, sir. Have you spoken with Daniel?" She ignored the irritated grip on her arm.
"I have, and he gives me his permission to take you over to John's to eat and then to dance out at the church afterward. I think he regrets he can't go along as chaperon, but I very much suspect one or more of your little charges will have their noses pressed against the window to keep an eye on you, so I'll behave."
Evie could just imagine Manuel or Jose peeking in the church windows and hiding under chairs at Daniel's instigation, not to mention Tyler's. She threw her escort a look of indignation and discreetly removed her arm from his hold.
Kyle grinned easily, not having missed a moment of his opponent's discomfiture. After losing the better part of his cash to the gambler this afternoon, he wasn't extending him any sympathy. "Well, Monteigne, you know what they say about being lucky in cards and unlucky in love..." He held out his arm for Evie.
She took it and walked off without looking back.
And from the second-floor lawyer's office, Hale watched the woman he intended to marry emerge from the alley with Kyle Harding on her arm. First the fancy stranger, now Harding. He would have to work fast if he meant to capture Miss Evangeline Howell.
Knowing full well how his looks compared to her other two suitors, Hale applied his active mind to other methods of persuasion. Harding and Monteigne might look prettier, but he was smarter. He was certain to come up with something, sooner or later.
Chapter 24
"I didn't think to ask before, but I'm not trespassing on another man's claim, am I, Mrs. Peyton?" Sitting across the table from her at the cafe, Kyle Harding didn't look particularly worried, but they were both aware of the other couple who had just seated themselves not far away. They couldn't help but be aware. Tyler had made it a point to stop by to make introductions. Without a qualm, he had introduced Evie as a friend of his family, made a smiling jest about schoolteachers letting down their hair, and led his new-found friend off to another table.
Evie heard the other's woman soft trill of laughter and managed a generous smile at Kyle. Her face would crack before long. She'd been smiling ever since Tyler had introduced the banker's spinster daughter. The woman had a horse face and abominable taste in clothes, but she had all the other assets a man looked for in a woman: a fine body and the ability to give him all the attention he could desire.
Evie managed to look genuinely surprised at Kyle's question. "You mean Mr. Monteigne? Don't be silly. He's an old friend of the family, just as he said."
They both glanced at the other table. Tyler wasn't wearing anything fancy, but Claudine was practically panting over his golden head and charming smile. Neither seemed to be in the least interested in their table. But the coincidence of their arrival was suspicious.
"An old family friend who just happened to follow you all the way out here so he could punch out any man who dared look at you twice?"
Evie patted Kyle's hand. "Mr. Monteigne is a gambling man, not a family man. I'm not foolish enough to fall for a man who won't be around long enough to be remembered. I'm the marrying kind, Mr. Harding. I enjoy good conversation and music and dancing as well as the next person, but when all is said and done, I aim to have a home and family."
Kyle turned his attention back to