"The Farm Master is back! Everyone, look! The person in the passenger seat is the Farm Master."
Someone's shout sent the refugees behind them swarming forward. Evelyn Ford narrowed her eyes, sizing them up. Some carried firewood on their backs, while others had brought their entire families.
"Farm Master, please take us in! I'll only eat one steamed bun a day. Just a place to shelter from the wind and snow is enough. I can work. I studied architecture."
"Farm Master, we want to trade for supplies! Please, don't close the trading post. We'll have no other way to survive."
The sound was mingled with the wails of children. Face after face, etched with hardship, flashed before Evelyn Ford's eyes. She clenched her fists tightly.
"Drive back into the farm. Don't get out of the car," Ronan Kendrick said, then honked the horn. From inside, Officer Graham and Taylor Vance opened the main gate, weapons in hand.
"Farm Master, don't go! We need to trade for supplies."
