The girls eventually won the spelling bee.

Emily was just about to tell them to wash up for the noontime meal when she noticed a cloud of dust heading their way. Someone was in a hurry. It soon became clear that it wasn’t just one wagon but two.

Leading the way was the twins’ father, Fred Benton. The wagon following close behind was driven by Alice’s mother.

Emily frowned. The children weren’t scheduled to be picked up for another couple of hours. What could have happened to explain such urgency?

The first wagon pulled up to the front of the house, the second close behind.

The twins’ father jumped to the ground and ordered his boys into the wagon. A compact man dressed in overalls, he sported a dark mustache and bushy eyebrows.

“What’s wrong?” Emily asked.

“Wrong?” he sputtered, shaking the days-old newspaper in his hand. “I’ll tell you what’s wrong! You pretendin’ to be a teacher, just so you can poison my sons’ minds!”

Worried about scaring the children, Emily tried to calm the man, but he would have none of it. Instead, he accused her in no uncertain terms of coming to Haywire to finish her uncle’s ghastly deeds.

He would have said more had Mrs. Riley’s shrill voice not silenced him. “After what you and your family did, how dare you show your face around here!” she shouted.

Their angry faces made Emily feel like she was back in Boston. She glanced at her four pupils looking wide-eyed and frightened. “You’re scaring the children,” she said, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

She didn’t notice Chase’s arrival until he spoke. “I think you’d better leave. Both of you.” Chase’s cool voice did nothing to dampen Mrs. Riley’s fury.

Scowling at him, she sputtered. “I expected more from you. To bring this…this…”

Benton glared at Emily but addressed Chase. “Mark my words, she’s up to no good. She’ll hurt you like her uncle hurt us and—”

Chase’s cold voice sliced off the rest of Benton’s words. “I said, leave!” This time, his voice left no room for argument.

Mrs. Riley grabbed her daughter by the arm and practically dragged her to the wagon. Ginny made a step to follow, but Chase stopped her with an arm around her shoulder.

Fighting tears, Emily whirled around and ran to the house.

* * *

Chase came to her room a short time later, his dark eyes hooded. Tension had stretched between them before, but it was even more evident now. It was as if they each waited for the other to let down their guard.

In the end, Chase was the one to break the silence. “I don’t know what to say, Emily. Except I’m sorry.”

Emily stared at him before asking, “Is Ginny—?”

“She’s upset, but I had Kansas Pete take her for a horseback ride.”

“She’ll like that.” Riding was Chase’s cure-all for whatever ailed a person. “I just wish she hadn’t been there.” Emily heaved a sigh. It nearly broke her heart to see the children looking confused and frightened.