nothing. It was just something in the pit of his stomach that felt wrong, and maybe something in Carmen's expression.
* * *
"Jailbreak! Them stage-robbing bastards done broke out!" A voice shouted from the front of the church hall.
The music skidded to a halt.
The dancers stopped where they were, and Evie found herself on the arm of one of the Double H cowboys. The man had brown-stained front teeth and a distinctive odor of tobacco. He spat a wad at the call for a posse. Without taking another look at her, he stalked off to join the other men rushing out.
Evie recognized Tyler's embrace as he caught her waist and led her to the edge of the crowd. He was different from any man in here. He didn't lift or shove her but steered her firmly out of the crush of people. She didn't spare time to be angry for his presumption. She was worried about the children.
"I need to get back to the house, Tyler. What if those men make a break for the livery?"
Tyler's thoughts were plunging along those lines, too, but it was Evie's safety that concerned him. He wanted to keep her from running smack into the arms of desperadoes. Looking a the fear in her face now, he knew the trouble was multiplied by the children.
Kyle Harding plowed through the crowd to meet them. "I'll have to join the sheriff, Mrs. Peyton. Are you staying here, Monteigne?"
"I brought the bastards in once; somebody else can have the pleasure now. Those kids are back at the house alone. Somebody needs to check on them."
It was obvious that Kyle was struggling to remember what kids and why anyone should care, and Tyler felt a surge of impatience. "You go on, I'll take care of it." He turned to Evie. "Let me take you over to Miss Horton. You can stay with her while I look in on the kids. I'll be back shortly."
Relieved of any further responsibility, Kyle made a bow and hurried after the others. Evie clutched Tyler's arm before he could escape.
"I'm going with you."
"You're not leaving until it's safe. Be sensible, Evie." Tyler steered her in the direction of Claudine Horton. Even from here he could see the other woman's fury, but he wasn't much inclined toward soothing ruffled feathers at the moment.
Evie jerked her arm away, caught up her skirt, and started for the door on her own. When Tyler tried to catch up with her, she started to run.
Tyler gave up trying to halt her. He wasn't about to be charged with assault, and that was more than likely what it would take to bring Evie down now that she was in full flight. He simply caught her upper arm, slowed her down slightly, and hoped for a graceful exit.
Outside, men were running for horses, checking ammunition, and unfastening rifles as they swarmed through the town's main thoroughfare. Shouts and yells could be heard up and down the street, but the search party hadn't reached a stage of organization yet. Torches flared, and Tyler grabbed one from someone's hand as they ran by.
Hurrying down the street, he released Evie's arm to unhook his holster flap. The alley would be black. He needed more hands and more guns. He whistled in relief at a dark shadow stepping out of the hotel doorway.
"Where the hell have you been?" Tyler shoved the torch into Ben's hand.
"Around. I'll tell you later. One of the kids just ran down the alley. I ain't seen anyone else." Ben glanced down at Evie. "You'd better get inside the lobby, Miss Evie. Tyler's gonna need both his hands."
She gave the rifle in Ben's hands a nervous look. "I can hold the torch."
"Then you stand right here and hold it, 'cause we don't need it yet. You just stand here and holler if you see anything." Ben passed the torch to her, primed his rifle, and started down the alley.
Tyler followed without a backward look. Evie wondered how she had been hoodwinked into this position. It seemed much safer if the alley were lighted as they walked down it, but then, it also seemed wisest if someone guarded their backs. She hesitated, and before she could make any decision, she could see Tyler running up to her front porch and Ben disappearing down the side to the back.
No one followed. No one interfered with their progress. She could see the shadow of Tyler pressed against the front wall as he looked through