The name on the letterhead pierced through her like a knife. Not wanting to believe her eyes, she stared at the signature at the bottom of the page.

The letter had been signed by her uncle.

The bad loan that had caused Chase’s father to almost lose the ranch and to marry Royce’s mother had been borrowed from Fields & Fields!

How was that possible? Dropping the paper on the desk as if it had suddenly burst into flames, Emily pressed a hand to her mouth. She’d come all the way to Texas to escape her uncle’s shadow, but it appeared she hadn’t traveled far enough. Was there no place on earth where the long arm of Fields & Fields hadn’t reached?

Now it threatened her very existence.

Oh no! What would Chase say if he knew she was related to the man who had caused the ranch so much trouble? Would he blame her? Hate her? Want nothing more to do with her?

Sickened to her stomach, she stuffed the letter into the ledger and fled from the room.

* * *

“Mrs. McKnight, do you have a moment?”

At the sound of Peggy Sue’s voice, Emily stopped at the bottom of the stairs, her hand on the brass railing. She’d been so eager to escape to her room that she’d failed to see Peggy Sue in the parlor.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” She didn’t want to deal with the housekeeper at that moment, but neither did she want to appear rude. “Is everything all right? Ginny?”

“Yes, yes, she’s fine. I just want to thank you.” Peggy Sue curled her hands by her side. “Mr. McKnight said I should…uh…let you help me, and I’m glad I did.”

Surprised and pleased that Chase had rallied to the cause, Emily forced a smile.“I’m glad it’s all working out. But…I can only teach her so much.”

Now that she knew the part her uncle had played in the ranch’s woes, she didn’t know how much longer she could stay. “Perhaps we should try to find another tutor…”

Peggy Sue’s face darkened in alarm. “Oh no! Ginny wouldn’t want anyone else but you.”

In no mood to argue or explain, Emily let the matter drop.

Peggy Sue blinked as if holding back tears. “I hate that my daughter can never fully experience life. You know, like other children.”

“Ginny experiences life as fully anyone,” Emily said. “She just does it in a different way.” Through Ginny’s eyes, Emily had learned to look beyond the obvious and see the merits of ranching life. “She sees things that most of us miss.”

Peggy Sue lowered her gaze. “I apologize for the things I said.”

“You were just concerned. I don’t blame you for that, but I know a little about working with the blind. My mother did a lot of charity work and often took me with her. One of the places we visited was the Perkins Institution for the Blind, and I saw how they worked with children like Ginny. That’s where I got the idea to glue string on the globe.”