To Mike’s mind, she’d shown up the arrogant, bragging, insufferable man. But when Hayes’s expression changed from astonishment to...to... She wasn’t sure what it was, but it wasn’t triumph. There was no look of We showed him! on Hayes’s handsome face. No feeling that they were a pair fighting a mutual enemy.

The only thing she was sure of was that she’d just made a mistake. A huge, enormous mistake.

But maybe she could fix it. She tried to appear helpless as she looked up at Hayes. “He’s not worth the bother. Let’s go back to the fair.”

Hayes took a moment to nod to Bradley and Arthur to take care of his bow. Then he walked away, with Mike close behind him. He went back through the new gate to the carnival grounds. He didn’t speak, didn’t take her arm.

At the gate, she stopped and looked back. The stranger was standing under a tree and looking at her. There was a lot of hair hiding his face, but it seemed as though he was trying to figure out something.

To her annoyance, he raised his hand and gave her a military salute. A salute from the loser to the winner.

She glared back, then looked to see if Hayes had seen it. No, he hadn’t. His face was as cold as a glacier in Antarctica.

He walked past the rides and turned right.

“The food is this way.” She knew she was pleading.

“I have some things I need to do. I’ll see you later.”

Before Mike could say a word, he had slipped around a booth and was out of sight. Her impulse was to run after him, but then what? She’d say she should have told him that she knew how to use a bow and arrow? Or maybe if she apologized and explained her side, that would be enough. She’d say it was them, together, against the stranger.

She ran after Hayes, but by the time she reached the gate, she saw his blue Jag leaving the parking lot.

“Everything all right?” Mrs. Chandless asked.

“He didn’t like something,” Mrs. Sanders said, and they looked at Mike.

“He had an urgent call from home,” she managed to say, then turned away. All she wanted was Papi. He would understand. He would know what to do to make things better.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Miguel was in his old schoolhouse and marveling at what Kelly had done with it. The whole back of it was now floor-to-ceiling glass, with double sliding doors. The view was of woodland and an exquisitely pretty orchard. It was the scene Cait used in her publicity photos for Heritage Harvests. Now he and Vera would see it every day.