"Do you think the prisoner Kidd escaped?"

Running feet pounded the street as people rushed toward town, some carrying lanterns that swung back and forth like shiny sabers.

Meg reached for Amanda's hand so as not to lose her in the crowd. Why would Papa ring the bell at this time unless something was terribly wrong?

She searched the crowd for Grant. Had he heard the bells? Would he ignore them? Or would he, like all the others, rush out to see what the fuss was about?

The crowd spilled onto Main like floodwaters, hundreds of feet pounding the ground. Since there was no traffic, they filed down the middle of the street.

"I don't see any smoke," someone called out.

"Maybe the sheriff will know something."

But neither the sheriff nor his deputy was in the office, and the crowd kept going. They swept en masse by the hotel and Farrell Jewelers, and continued on past the gun shop and the general store.

The bell grew louder and seemingly more urgent as they neared the Lockwood Watch and Clockworks shop.

Meg lost Amanda in the confusion. Hoping to spot Josie or Ralph, she craned her neck, but it was hard to pick out any one person in the mob, even someone as tall as Grant.

The memory of another time-another ringing of the bell-came to mind, and it was all Meg could do to breathe.

Happy New Year, Meg.

The crowd reached the clock shop where Papa stood tugging on the bell rope with all his might. T-Bone stomped up to Papa and pointed a threatening finger. For once, he wasn't wearing his butcher apron. Instead, he was dressed in a white nightshirt that made him look almost ghost-like.

"You better have a good reason for dragging us out of bed in the middle of the night, Lockwood!" T-Bone said, ripping the bell rope out of Papa's hands.

"Yeah," yelled Blacksmith Steele.

Fists pumped the air as several men, including the dogcatcher and the mayor, crowded around her father. Papa had always seemed big and strong-invincible, even-but in the midst of the angry mob, he looked surprisingly vulnerable.

Meg waved her arms. "Stop, please. Everyone!" Her voice was drowned out by the angry shouts around her.

Trying not to panic, she glanced around. Where was her brother-in-law? The sheriff? Even Tommy. Oh, Grant, why aren't you here? You would never let anyone hurt Papa...

Her hand brushed the side of her cape, reminding her of the gun in her pocket.

She hesitated, but the shouts only grew louder, the threats more serious. T-Bone shoved Papa and yanked the rope out of his hands.

She pointed the gun at the rooftop, squeezed her eyes shut, and pulled back on the trigger. When nothing happened, she cocked the hammer. This time when she pulled the trigger, the gun practically exploded in her hand. Crying out in alarm, she dropped the weapon, and it fell to her feet.

Silence followed the report, and all eyes turned to her, even Papa's. The crowd backed away, leaving her alone in the center of a circle.

T-Bone dropped the bellpull and gaped at her. Things might have ended there, had Papa not grabbed the end of the rope and resumed ringing the bell.

Just when things seemed about to grow ugly again, Sheriff Clayton pushed his way through the mob. "Don't move, any of you," he yelled. He stalked up to Meg and picked her weapon off the ground where she'd dropped it. "What's the meaning of this?"

Before anyone could answer, another bell rang-this one a distance away. The Farrell bell.

The sheriff whirled around. "What the-"

A hush settled over the crowd, followed by a nervous buzz. The Farrell and Lockwood bells ringing together in the dead of night? Never before had such a sound been heard. What could it mean?

"The world must be coming to an end," a voice shouted.

T-Bone cursed. "If it is, I wish it would hurry. I ain't got all night."

Meg suddenly spotted Mama standing between Josie and Ralph. She looked as puzzled as everyone else.

Papa stopped ringing the bell and wrapped the rope around its hook. He then faced the hushed spectators. "Ladies and gentleman," he said. "I'm sure you all want to know why I brought you here."

"You better have a good expl'nation!" Sheriff Clayton growled. "Or I'm runnin' you in for disturbin' the peace."

"Then you'll have to run us both in," a voice sounded from behind.

Spotting Mr. Farrell, Meg's hopes soared. Could this possibly be the good news she and her sisters had been waiting to hear?

People stepped aside to let Farrell through, and he joined Papa in front of the shop. The two men standing side by side without fighting was a rare sight indeed. The mob grew so quiet that the sound of moths could be heard butting against the gas streetlight.

Farrell lifted his voice. "Lockwood and I have an announcement to make."

Papa nodded. "Starting tomorrow at precisely twelve noon and twelve-forty, the town of Two-Time will become a one-time town. We will follow standard time as set by the railroad so that there will never be another accident."

Meg's jaw dropped. How did Papa ever get Mr. Farrell to agree to such a thing?

Her father continued speaking, but whoops and hollers drowned out the rest of his statement. No one cared about details. Let the two jewelers work that out. Tonight was the time to celebrate.

No one wanted the occasion to end. People stayed to talk to friends and neighbors about the wondrous event that would forever change their town. Before long, fiddle music filled the air, along with Mr. McGinnis's dreaded bagpipes. Young people started dancing, and a few older folks followed along. A group of mariachi players eventually appeared, strumming guitars.

Amanda nudged Meg's arm. "Oh, look!"

Meg turned just in time to see Mama throw herself into Papa's arms.

Moments later, Meg chased after Tommy's father as he headed down Main.

"Mr. Farrell!" she called.

Turning, he waited for her to catch up. "Meg."

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank your pa for tearin' up that check. Sure took a burden off the family."

"I'm sorry we put you through all that," she said.

Mr. Farrell ran his hand over his shiny bald spot. "Tommy had it coming to him. He should never have left you danglin'."

"Is that why you agreed to the time change? Papa tearing up the check?"

"That was part of it. I was also afraid he'd lost his mind." His jowls quivered beneath his beard. "He kept bangin' on my door yellin' somethin' about Lord Byron. Whoever he is."

Meg smiled to herself. So Josie's column did do some good.

"I finally opened the door, and that's when your pa told me everythin'. Just want you to know, there never was anythin' between your ma and me."

"I know that, and Papa knows it now too."

"When the wife found out Elizabeth left him, she got it into her fool head to do the same to me."

Meg stared at him. "Mrs. Farrell left you?"

"That she did. Said she wouldn't come back till Henry and I solved our diff'rences."

Meg couldn't believe her ears. Just wait till Amanda heard about this! Gaining the right to vote and marching for a cause was one way women could exert power, but it was by no means the only way. Mama and Mrs. Farrell together had done what no one else in town had ever been able to do-they'd brought an end to the Lockwood-Farrell feud.

"Do you think you and Papa can be friends again?"

Mr. Farrell shrugged. "You and Tommy are still friends. Guess that means anythin's poss'ble."

Mrs. Farrell called to him, and Mr. Farrell's face lit up. It was clear that he loved his wife very much and was glad to have her back.

"I better go. Thanks to your pa, I have a whole bunch of clocks I've got to reset tomorrow." He turned. "Dang it," he muttered. "Why'd it have to be railroad time?"

No sooner had Mr. Farrell vanished into the crowd than someone grabbed Meg by the arm and twirled her around.

Startled, she gasped. "Grant!"

He laughed. "Is that why you couldn't meet me? Because you were trying to get your father to end the feud?"

"Something like that," she said.

His expression suddenly grew serious. "I knew you had something up your sleeve." His gaze intensified. "You asked me to wait, and I decided to give you till the weekend before I broke down your door. Do you think your father would have sued me for destruction of property?"

"At the very least," she said and laughed. She then told him everything that had happened. He chuckled when she got to the Miss Lonely Hearts letter.

"I remember that letter. My landlady had a devil of a time trying to figure out who wrote it. I think Lord Byron threw her."

She laughed. "It confused Mr. Farrell as well."

His eyes sparkled. "If I ask you to dance, will you think I'm up to no good?"

Heart pounding, she smiled up at him. "Are you?"

"Absolutely."

Joy unlike anything she had ever known rushed through her, and much to her dismay, she burst into tears.

A look of horror crossed Grant's face. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said, reaching in his pocket for his handkerchief. "If you'd rather not dance-"

"I want to," Meg said, taking the offered handkerchief. "I'm just so h-h-happy." Mama and Papa were back together, the feud was over, and here she stood with the man she loved more than anything else in the world. What more could she ask for?

He stared at her all funny-like. "Do you always cry when you're happy?" he asked.

"Nope. This is the first time." And with that, the tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

After a good cry on Grant's shoulder, Meg returned his handkerchief. They stood only a foot apart, but even that short distance seemed too far.

"I'm ready to dance now," she said, feeling breathless with pleasure. Facing him, she dropped her arms to her sides.

A brass horn joined the violins and guitars, and the music seemed especially sharp in the cool, clear air. Mariachi music was designed to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of the Mexican people, and tonight the music spoke to Meg's heart in ways it never had before. It spoke of new beginnings.

"I know my way around the dance floor in Boston," Grant said, "but haven't the slightest idea how to dance here."

"It's easy," Meg replied and demonstrated. Swaying her body from side to side, she hammered her heels into the hard-packed soil. Driven not by the music but the smoldering flames in his eyes, she felt as lighthearted as a butterfly.

"Every time you strike with your feet, you must do a backswing like this," she said.

Grant was all arms, legs, and awkward moves. Soon they were both bent over in hysterics. Never could she remember having so much fun.

Finally, after much trial and error, he pulled her into arms, locking her in his warm embrace. He then led her in a slow waltz, gently rocking her back and forth.

Sallie-May giggled as she whirled by in the arms of her new beau, and Meg was happy for her. It was too early to tell, but it sure did look like Sallie-May had finally found herself a wealthy rancher.

"I'm afraid this is more my style," Grant whispered apologetically, giving Sallie-May and her partner a rueful look.

"I like your style just fine," Meg assured him and smiled.

He grinned back. "Do you now?"

Eventually the musicians drifted away, along with the crowd. Soon it was only the two of them. He led her in a slow dance down the middle of Main, accompanied by a big, bright moon peering through lacy clouds.

Angry shouts wafted from a nearby saloon. The sheriff hauled a handcuffed man down the street toward the jailhouse. A group of rowdies roared out of town on horseback, shooting a barrage of bullets into the air. Madame Bubbles had a scream fest with one of her clients. Two dogs chased a cat into an alley. A drunk walked by, singing at the top of his lungs.

"Glad to see things have returned to normal," Grant teased. "I was afraid that Two-Time was becoming too civilized for my blood."

"No fear of that," Meg replied. "We still know how to put on a good feud now and again."

At long last they stopped dancing, but Grant's hands remained at her waist.

He looked at his watch, and at the stroke of midnight, he asked, "Do you know what today is?"

Head pressed on the strong expanse of his chest, she gave a happy sigh. "It's the day Two-Time will become a one-time town," she murmured.

"It's also January 29."

She looked up at him, not sure what he was saying. "Don't tell me it's your birthday."