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“Apparently it didn’t work.” She pursed her lips and started for the house.

Chase’s fingers tightened around her arm. “Don’t say anything to him.”

“Why not?”

“’Cause part of the deal was that I wasn’t supposed to let you know anything about it. And,” he smiled to himself, “I think he learned his lesson.”

“Oh, no,” Dani whispered. “How much does he owe you?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Yes, I do! He’s my son and—”

“And I think his gambling days are over. Let it lie.”

Dani let out a sigh of frustration. “All right. This time. But if he ever so much as—”

“He won’t.”

“You sound so sure of yourself.”

“I am. It’s a lesson my pa taught me when I was just a little older than Cody. We were playing cards with a neighbor and Dad let me bet against him. I kept pressing my bets and I lost to the point that I owed the guy over two hundred dollars. I spent that whole summer working off my debt doing yard work for the neighbor.”

“And regretting every minute of the card game.”

“You got it.”

“So how is Cody going to pay you back?”

“He doesn’t have to. I let him off the hook this time. But I doubt if you’ll ever have trouble with him gambling over his head again.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Cody returned with three glasses of lemonade, downed his and after asking permission, took off on his bike to visit the Anders brothers.

“Don’t bother them if they’re working,” Dani said as the boy hopped on his ten-speed.

“I won’t! I already called. Jonathon wants me to go fishin’ with him.” Then he pedaled out of sight with Runt galloping behind the back wheel.

Chase leaned against the fence under the shade of the apple tree. “He’s a good boy,” he observed, finishing his drink. “You worry about him too much.”

Dani swirled her ice cubes in her glass and stared across the fields to the creek. “Something I just can’t help.”

She felt Chase’s hand on her shoulder, his fingers gentle as they forced her to turn and face him.

“Have you wondered why I stayed away this past week?” he asked.

“I thought you’d changed your mind.”

“Nope. First, I didn’t want Caleb to get too suspicious. If he gets wind of the fact that I found that drum of dioxin, he’ll cover his tracks.”

“So that wasn’t just a story.”

“What? The herbicide?”

She nodded.

“No. But I’m still doing some checking with the agriculture department and the extension office. I want to make sure I know where I stand before I confront Caleb.”

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