<p id=”par-1_37″>You never know who might drop in! The latest episode of Hallmark Channel’s <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/when-calls-the-heart/?swcfpc=1″><em>When Calls the Heart</em></a><em> </em>Season 12 featured the surprise return of a character who we feared might be <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/when-calls-the-heart-teases-return-old-character-earl-wyatt.html/”>gone from Hope Valley</a> for good. </p>
<p id=”par-2_14″><strong>[Warning: This article contains spoilers for </strong><strong><em>When Calls the Heart </em></strong><strong>Season 12 Episode 5.] </strong></p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-fiona-returns-in-when-calls-the-heart-season-12-episode-5″>Fiona returns in ‘When Calls the Heart’ Season 12 Episode 5 </h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio” id=”emb-1″><div class=”wp-block-embed__wrapper”>
<iframe title=”Preview – Mom’s the Word – When Calls the Heart” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/2yqt8X1ombQ?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>
<p id=”par-3_44″>Hearties got a surprise during the Feb. 2 episode of <em>When Calls the Heart </em>when <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/when-calls-the-heart-kayla-wallace-fiona-leaving-show.html/”>Fiona Miller (Kayla Wallace)</a> returned after an extended absence. Hope Valley’s former telephone operator was back to visit some old friends. And she may have brought trouble with her. </p>
<p id=”par-4_69″>On the way into town, Fiona picked up a hitchhiker named Ava (<em>Ride</em>’s Tiera Skovbye) who claimed someone had stolen all her luggage. Sounds familiar? Years ago, Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) arrived in Hope Valley under similar circumstances, a story she shared in her book, <em>A Single Mother on the Frontier. </em>Not only has Ava read Elizabeth’s book, but she also came to Hope Valley specifically to meet its author. </p>
<p id=”par-5_45″>Ava’s compliments and sob story charmed Elizabeth, but there are signs the newcomer isn’t telling the whole truth about who she is. (Her story about being an heiress sounds pretty suspicious.) Is she just a misguided, overenthusiastic fan? Or could something more sinister be afoot? </p>
<p id=”par-6_46″>Meanwhile, Fiona has issues of her own. She left Hope Valley after season 10 to join the suffragette movement, returning briefly for Mike (Ben Rosenbaum) and Mei’s (Amanda Wong) wedding in the season 11 finale. Now, she’s back again, and she’s considering making a major life change.</p>
<p id=”par-7_36″>Advocating for women’s rights takes time <em>and </em>money, Fiona has realized. So, she’s decided to sell her salon and use the proceeds to further the suffragette cause in San Francisco. She also plans to get married. </p>
<p id=”par-8_47″>“I can finally be one of those married ladies funding voting drives and lobbying politicians,” she tells Mei and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/andrea-brooks-pregnant-filming-when-calls-the-heart-season-12.html/”>Faith (Andrea Brooks)</a>. “You know that fella that keeps proposing? He wrote me a few weeks ago and he asked again. I decided I’m going to say yes.” </p>
<p id=”par-9_35″>Fiona’s plan sounds good on paper. But her heart isn’t in it. She’s not in love with the man who proposed. Faith and Mei are concerned, but can they convince Fiona to change her mind? </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-why-did-kayla-wallace-leave-the-hallmark-channel-show”>Why did Kayla Wallace leave the Hallmark Channel show? </h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Kayla-Wallace-Fiona-When-Calls-the-Heart-Season-12.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Dark-haired woman driving a 1920s car in ‘When calls the Heart'” class=”wp-image-3770452″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kayla Wallace as Fiona Miller in ‘When Calls the Heart’ | ©2025 Hallmark Media</figcaption></figure>
<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/billy-bob-thornton-landman-season-2.html/”>
Billy Bob Thornton Wants to Make ‘Landman’ Season 2 </a>
</p>
</div>
<p id=”par-10_42″><em>When Calls the Heart </em>explained Fiona’s departure from Hope Valley by turning her into a fighter for women’s suffrage. In real life, Kayla Wallace had to step away from the show after she landed a prominent role in the <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/when-calls-the-heart-star-kayla-wallace-cast-new-taylor-sheridan-show.html/”>Paramount+ series <em>Landman</em></a>. </p>
<p id=”par-11_15″>“It was definitely a schedule thing that wasn’t going to work out,” Wallace told <a href=”https://people.com/kayla-wallace-teases-return-to-when-calls-the-heart-exclusive-8764225″ target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>People</a>. </p>
<p id=”par-12_37″>Despite her new job, Wallace remains connected to the world of <em>When Calls the Heart. </em>Her husband Kevin McGarry plays Mountie Nathan Grant, which means that the show is “still very much in my life,” she shared. </p>
<p id=”par-13_25″>While there’s no word on how long Fiona’s latest visit to Hope Valley will last, Wallace says she’s definitely open to returning to the show. </p>
<p id=”par-14_28″>“It’s never a goodbye,” she said. “It’s never a goodbye. It’s just always like — can it work out with whatever’s going on in my life that year?”</p>
<p id=”par-15_52″>Will Fiona pursue her San Francisco dream, or is she having second thoughts? We may get answers in the next episode of <em>When Calls the Heart </em>Season 12, which airs on a special date and time – Saturday, Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The episode streams the next day on Hallmark+. </p>
<p id=”par-16_16″><em>For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to </em><a href=”https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWmTM34h0-P7FcCwuA6h6sw/videos” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel</em></a><em>.</em></p>