Once upstairs, in her room, Charlie poured water from the pitcher into the bowl, and scrubbed her hands, and then her face.

She took off the dirty overalls, and stood before the wardrobe, trying to decide on a dress to wear.

Here at Lancer, there weren't that many to choose from. A plain blue one, which was by far her favorite, a pale yellow one, a bit more fancy

than the blue. And lastly, a peach-colored one, with lace all around the neck, and lots of black buttons to fasten down the back.

Charlie finally chose the yellow one. Without Teresa or anybody else to help her, she knew she would never be able to manage

all those buttons down the back of the peach dress. She pulled on her petticoats, and then the yellow dress, and then sat down on the bed to begin on

her stockings. Muttering to herself about how it was too hot to wear the darned stockings, she finished and then stood before the

full-length mirror, trying to reach to fasten the few buttons at the back of the dress. Thinking that she'd heard Scott's voice in the

hallway, she went and opened the bedroom door, peeking out. There was no sign of anyone in the hall, though Charlie could hear

the rumble of the men's voices downstairs. She left the door ajar and went back to the mirror, turning her back and twisting to look

at her reflection, trying to finish the stubborn buttons.

Frustrated, Charlie muttered a swear word. One, which if Maria had overheard, would have earned Charlie a scathing look and

possibly a smack.

"Problems?" said a voice from the open door.

Startled, Charlie looked. Johnny's grinning face greeted her.

"I can't do up my buttons," Charlie said.

Johnny came into the room, and twirled his index finger in a circle. "Turn 'round and let me see," he said.

Charlie turned obediently, wiping her hand across her forehead, and thru her bangs. It was hot.

"I hate wearing a dress," Charlie complained, as Johnny began to fasten the buttons.

"You look real nice," Johnny consoled her.

"I still hate it," Charlie said.

"One of these days, you won't hate it so much," Johnny said. "You'll want to wear pretty dresses, and go to parties."

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked, looking at him from his reflection in the mirror. "It doesn't sound like me at all."

Johnny chuckled. "Oh, I'm sure of it, pequeno. As sure as I am of the sun risin' every day."

"Have you seen her?" Charlie asked him, in an abrupt change of subject.

There was no need to identify the 'her' of which Charlie spoke.

"Just in passin'. On my way upstairs to put on a clean shirt."

"How does she look?" Charlie asked him.

"Same as she usually does. Like she stepped out of a dressmaker's window."

"Men dote on her, just because of her looks," Charlie said. "That's how she gets by with how she treats people."

Johnny didn't respond to that comment. He gave her waist a pat. "There you go. All buttoned up."

"Thank you," Charlie said, turning to look up at him.

Johnny lifted one of the wayward auburn curls. "Better brush your hair," he said.

"Will you help me?" Charlie asked him. "It's hard to get all the knots out by myself."

"Brushin' a lady's hair isn't really in my area of talents," Johnny said. "But, I guess I can give it a try."

Charlie stepped to the dressing table, and got her hairbrush, handing it off to him.

Johnny sat down on the edge of the bed. "Come over here."

Charlie went to sit down in front of him, and Johnny went to work on the windblown curls.

"You've got straw in your hair," he said, pulling out a piece.

"From the hayloft," Charlie offered.

As he brushed her hair, Charlie's expression was thoughtful. "Do you think I'm going to be pretty, Johnny? When I grow up?"

"You're gonna be far more than pretty. You're already beautiful."

"Really? You mean it?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"Maybe if I am, then I can learn how to manage people like Katherine does."

Johnny paused in his brushing of her hair. "Turn 'round here a minute," he ordered.

Charlie turned to face him.

"I don't want to hear you talk like that, pequeno," Johnny said.

His expression, and his tone were both very, very serious.

"I don't want you to be mad at me, too, Johnny!" Charlie said, her eyes wide with worry. "I didn't mean anything by

what I said!"

"I'm not mad. I just don't wanna hear you talk like that. Do you understand why?"

Charlie nodded.

"Tell me," Johnny said.

"Because it's not the right thing to try to work people the way that Katherine does, just to get them to do what you want."

"If you know that already, that it's wrong, then why are you sayin' you want to learn how to manage people?" Johnny asked her.

"I just-" Charlie hesitated. Then she shrugged. "I don't know."

"Hmm," Johnny said, still serious. "Well, we'll have to talk some more about this another time. Turn 'round and let

me finish your hair. Murdoch's gonna be hollarin' up the stairs for us in a minute."

When her hair was finished, and she'd pulled on her shoes, the two of them headed down the staircase

together. At the bottom of the stairs, Charlie reached for Johnny's hand.

Recognizing the gesture for just what it was, a need for comfort and reassurance, Johnny gave her hand

a squeeze.

They went into the library then, where Murdoch was seated in one of the big chairs, and Katherine sat across from

him, on the settee. Mr. Beets sat on the other end of the settee, and Scott was leaning against the desk.

Mr. Beets and Murdoch both stood up, and Murdoch said, "Here's our girl," in greeting.

Katherine's gaze settled immediately on Charlie. "Hello, Charlotte," she said.

"Hello."

"I think you've gotten taller since I saw you last," Katherine said.

Charlie felt tongue-tied, with everyone in the room looking at her. She felt Johnny give her hand

another squeeze, encouraging her to answer.

"I guess I am, getting a little taller, maybe," Charlie said.

"I'm sure of it," Katherine said.

"You look lovely, sweetheart," Murdoch said, with a smile for Charlie.

"You do, indeed," Mr. Beets said in agreement.

"Thank you," Charlie said.

"Come and sit beside me," Katherine commanded, and Mr. Beets got to his feet.

"Yes, come and sit by your aunt," he told Charlie.

Charlie went and obediently sat beside Katherine on the sofa. "Tell me what you've been doing," Katherine

said.

Knowing that the interest in Katherine's voice and expression were merely for show, Charlie found it difficult to

answer at all.

"I've been helping Maria in the garden, and riding my horse a lot," Charlie said.

Katherine reached out a hand, as if she were about to touch Charlie's hair. At the last moment, she let her hand

drop back to her lap. "Yes. You look as though you've been in the sun a considerable amount," she said, managing to

sound disapproving. "Your skin is as tanned as any man's I've seen."

"The sunshine is good for a person," Charlie couldn't resist saying. "Maria says so."

"I'm not saying the sun's not beneficial," Katherine said. "But you should take care of your skin as well. And your hair-" She let her

voice trail off in disapproval.

Charlie put up a defensive hand to her hair. "What's wrong with my hair?" she asked.

"You should be putting it up, not wearing it down like that, tumbling all over your shoulders. You're becoming a young lady, and

young ladies put their hair up."

Charlie felt her face flush. Not really in embarrassment, but in anger.

Before she could speak out in that anger, Johnny intercepted swiftly, but with a touch of iron under the smoothness in his tone.

"That's my doin'," he said. "Charlie had to make do with me as a ladies maid this afternoon, to help with her hair."

"I see," Katherine said, giving Johnny a perusal.

"Charlie's hair is pretty, no matter how she wears it," Scott added. "And she has plenty of time to worry about all the requirements

for being a young lady."

His tone was firm, with no room for further argument or comments, and, as Katherine subsided, albeit ungracefully, Charlie gave

Scott a dimpled smile of thanks.

After that Mr. Beets took control of the conversation, telling Katherine about the activities around the ranch that

he'd seen Charlie take a part in.

After all he'd said, though, Katherine's only comment was a patronizing, "It sounds very interesting."

Charlie, as well as the others, was surprised by Mr. Beets stout reply. "It is interesting. I'm having a fine time." His eyes, behind

his glasses, met Charlie's.

"I do believe I'm having the best time I've had in years," Mr. Beets added, and Charlie gave him a genuine smile.

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During the supper meal, Katherine managed to bring the conversation around to Charlie's schooling.

"And, have you been reading while you're here at the ranch?" Katherine asked, looking across the table to Charlie.

"I've been reading a lot," Charlie said.

"Genuine reading? Or perhaps, instead, it's some of those western dime novels, about the outlaws?" Katherine countered, and

everyone in the room caught her condescending tone.

Before Charlie could speak up to reply, Murdoch answered for her. "No dime novels. Charlie has finished 'Little Men'. And you

and Scott are reading 'Alice in Wonderland', aren't you?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes."

"You've been reading 'Black Beauty', too, haven't you?" Scott prompted her.

"Yes."

"What about your other studies?" Katherine persisted. "Have you been keeping up with those?"

Charlie looked across the table at Scott, who was seated next to Katherine.

"We haven't spent much time on mathematics," Scott said, answering for Charlie. "We've been busy with other

things."

"Murdoch's been showing me some geography, though," Charlie spoke up. "In one of his books, about

places all over the world."

"That's good. I believe that traveling is one of the most rewarding things that a person can do," Katherine said, and then

began to talk of the places that she'd traveled to.

With Katherine managing to have the conversation centered on herself, Charlie sighed in relief, and dug into her

supper. She lifted her eyes to see that Scott was giving her a half-smile, totally in understanding about her relief.

After supper, Charlie envied Teresa, who was able to escape to the kitchen to help with the dishes. For the first time,

she wished she could do dishes, too, and plunge her hands into the hot soapy water, in order to have a respite from

Katherine.

As she would have slipped away, leaving the table, Scott put his hand on the center of her back.

"Come on into the library," he said, in a low tone.

"Is she spending the night here?" Charlie asked, in a whisper.

"I don't think so," Scott said, equally quietly. "I think she's taken a room at the hotel in town."

"I still don't understand why she's here," Charlie said, looking up at Scott for any sign that he knew the reason.

Scott's face gave nothing away. He merely said, "It's not going to hurt you to sit in the library for a little while

longer, and answer questions if you're asked."

There was no response that she could make to that comment, not any that wouldn't sound sassy. So Charlie

held her tongue, and followed along, as the family and Mr. Beets went into the library with Katherine.

Back in the library once again, everyone took a seat around the room. Charlie purposely held back, so that

she could go, at the last moment, to sit beside Murdoch, in his oversized chair.

Katherine began talking of Charlie's return to Stockton, and immediately Charlie felt her stomach

tighten in nerves.

Katherine gave all the men in the room an engaging smile. "After all, Charlotte has had a nice long visit

here at Lancer this time, and school will be beginning in just about three weeks. It's time to get her settled-"

"What school were you thinking of?" Mr. Beets asked.

"Well," Katherine said, giving the banker another of those disarming smiles. "It's as I spoke to you earlier, Emmett. There

is a very nice school in Bakersfield. The girls can board there and-"

"No, I don't think so," came a decisive tone.

Katherine swiveled to look at Scott. "Excuse me?"

"I said no, I don't think so," Scott repeated. "Boarding school isn't the right choice for Charlie right now."

"Well, Scott, I beg your pardon, but I don't see that it's any of your concern-" Katherine began.

"It is my concern," Scott said, with finality. "Charlie is my concern, and she has been for months now."

There were bright spots of color on Katherine's cheeks. "I see that we have a situation here. Emmett, I would appreciate

you setting Scott straight on this issue. I am Charlotte's guardian, and as such, I make all the decisions-"

"No, Katherine," Mr. Beets said quietly, but with authority. "I think our situation has changed somewhat."

"I will not be dictated to!" Katherine's voice rose in agitation.

Charlie, who had been watching, and listening to the exchange, her eyes wide, felt Murdoch's hand on her waist.

"Go on along to the kitchen, and help Teresa and Maria finish up," he said.

Charlie swung a look of protest at Murdoch. She wanted to stay right here, where she was. It seemed as though

Katherine was going to be meeting resistance for sure, and Charlie wanted to be a witness to it.

"Charlie," Scott spoke, from where he stood, swirling the drink in his glass.

Charlie looked to Scott, and he gave the briefest of nods. "Go on," he said softly.

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