Waiting at the station for the train to arrive, with Murdoch, Charlie sat with him on a bench, and pulled the sack
of jellybeans from her pocket.
She held it out to him, in offer, and Murdoch shook out a few of the candies into the palm of his hand.
He thanked her, handing it back. They didn't have long to wait, before the train whistle could be heard.
They were standing, waiting, after the train had come to a stop, and passengers were beginning to get off. When
Teresa stepped off, Murdoch came forward, relieving Teresa of one of her bags. He embraced her.
"How was the trip?" he began asking, as they walked out of the depot area.
Teresa began chattering about everything she and her friend had seen and done.
"She didn't return today?" Murdoch asked, when Teresa paused for a breath.
"No. She was staying an extra day or so."
"Well, I'm glad you're home," Murdoch said. "We missed you."
As they reached the buggy, Murdoch put Teresa's two bags and packages in the back.
"Where are Scott and Johnny?" Teresa asked. "At home?"
"No. They're at the auction," Murdoch told her.
"Is that why there's so many people in town today?" Teresa mused.
Charlie sat between them on the ride home, munching on the jelly beans, until Murdoch told her to
close the bag, and save some for later.
"You eat so much candy that your teeth are going to turn black," Teresa chided.
Charlie shrugged. "Oh, well," she said, carelessly.
"You won't think that, when they're paining you because they've rotted," Teresa said.
Charlie made a face at Teresa, crossing her eyes, and Murdoch tapped Charlie's knee. "Don't be rude," he said.
Charlie subsided, not particularly happily, and folded the top of the sack of jellybeans down.
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When Scott and Johnny arrived home another hour or more later, Johnny was leading his purchase. Charlie ran outside,
followed by Murdoch to look over the newest arrival. The horse being led was one of the paints that Charlie had
admired so much.
She climbed up on the corral fence in excitement.
Johnny was turning the newest addition into the corral, saying that he wanted to keep an eye on it for a few days.
"She's beautiful," Charlie breathed.
"A mite thin," Johnny said, "But we'll get her fleshed out." Johnny went on to tell Charlie that the mare was expecting a foal.
Charlie was abuzz with excitement. "Can I help with the foal when it's born?" she begged, pulling on Johnny's
hand.
"We'll see," he said.
Usually, it was Scott who gave the non-committed answer of 'we'll see', not Johnny, when she asked something.
Charlie gave him a puzzled side-look. She had the disturbing thought that Johnny might still be put out with her
over her disappearance earlier in the day.
"Johnny-" she began, and he turned to look down at her.
Johnny seemed to understand what was in her mind because he said, quietly, "I figure you need to tell Scott about
what happened."
Upset, and unhappy, Charlie said, "But, you already told me-I know I shouldn't have left that way-"
"I still say he needs to know," Johnny maintained.
Remembering Scott's recent pronouncement about how he was going to be harsher with her, Charlie felt
her stomach drawing into nerves.
"Please don't tell him," she resorted to near-pleading.
"I won't. You will," Johnny said.
Feeling horribly let-down and disappointed, Charlie gave him an accusing look.
"This isn't what uncles do," she informed him, her eyes wide with hurt.
"Yeah?" Johnny asked, and he looked hurt, too, for a moment. "Well-I'm new to this uncle stuff, so maybe I'm not
doin' it all the right way."
Seeing that look on his face, Charlie immediately felt remorseful. Before she could say so, though, Johnny said,
"You're still gonna tell him, pequeno."
Feeling the brick wall, and knowing there was no way around it, Charlie met his blue eyes and sighed.
"There he is," Johnny said, with a nod, at Scott, who was carrying his saddle to the tack shed.
Giving Johnny one last look, still a bit reproachful, Charlie walked to the door of the tack building, and waited
until Scott came out again, into the sunshine.
"Get your horse settled?" Scott asked Johnny, in reference to the newly acquired horse.
"Yeah. She's enjoyin' some oats," Johnny said.
Scott took his hat off, and ran his arm over his forehead, and then put his hat on again.
He took in Charlie and Johnny's silence, and Charlie's look of discomfiture.
"Something on your mind?" Scott asked, in a general way, to both of them.
Charlie shot Johnny another pleading glance, and he met it, not unkindly, but unwavering.
In short, stilted words, Charlie reported what had happened. That Johnny had said she could go for a short
walk, but that she'd been gone a long while, and he'd had to go looking for her.
Scott listened to her short explanation, and then, stood quiet, and Johnny said, "I reckon I'll leave you
two to your talkin'."
When he'd gone, Charlie looked up at Scott again. He was looking contemplative, but the muscles at the side
of his jaw were working in and out, like they did when he was put out, or angry.
"What were you doing?" he asked, shortly.
"Monte showed me the foal at his uncle's house," Charlie admitted. When Scott's raised eyebrow nearly
disappeared, Charlie added, hurriedly, "It's only on the edge of town. That stone house-"
"I know where it is," Scott said, cutting off her words.
He put his hands on his hips, and stood, surveying her, his expression stern.
"I've never seen one that young-" Charlie began.
Scott held up one hand, halting her words. "Stop," he said, curtly.
At Charlie's startled and wary expression, he said, "No excuses. You were told something, and you disregarded it.
That's disobedience."
Charlie felt her face get hot, and her stomach knotted. The look on his face was scaring her. He looked good and
mad. For the first time, the full enormity of the situation struck Charlie.
"Johnny took you with him today, because you wanted so much to go. He didn't have to do that. Did he?" Scott asked,
his voice lower.
Charlie shook her head in answer, watching him tremulously.
"Then when he does take you, you repay him by disobeying," Scott said.
"I apologized to Johnny-" Charlie began to defend herself.
"As you should have," Scott said definitely. He paused. "Did you stop to think how worried Johnny must have been, before he
found you?"
Charlie hadn't stopped to consider that Johnny might have been worried about her. Now that she did think, though, she
remembered his expression as he'd been standing on the sidewalk as she and Val walked up to him.
Without waiting for her answer, Scott continued, "That's no way to treat somebody that's doing something nice
for you."
Charlie's face flamed in embarrassment, and Scott gave a small sigh, looking as though he was thinking.
"Go up to your room. I'll be up there in a few minutes," he said.
Charlie knew then, she knew, that the situation had escalated into something far larger than she'd thought.
She was in trouble. Charlie took in his set expression, and then hustled inside the house, thru the kitchen, past
Maria, and then thru the dining room and up the stairs at a half run.
Once in her room, Charlie paced back and forth for a few minutes, going to her window seat to look
out. She could see Jelly and Johnny, walking to the pasture past the barns. The pups were walking with them,
jumping happily. Charlie wished she was there with them, instead of up here, waiting for the shoe to drop.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting, her hands folded, when Scott rapped on the door. Once.
He came in, and closed the door behind him, coming over to the center of the room. He took the chair that sat in front
of the desk, and pulled it out, sitting down.
"Charlie, look at me," Scott said, abruptly.
When she did so, he said, "You have to follow rules. You have to obey."
"I will," Charlie said, earnestly.
"You say that, but your behavior doesn't change."
"So you think I'm a bad kid?" Charlie asked, feeling defensive. And, admittedly, she hoped to make Scott feel
sorry for her, so he would stop scolding.
Scott showed that he was onto her play for sympathy by saying, "I've never thought that you were a bad kid, Charlie. I do think
you need some help curbing your behavior, though."
"Do I have to write lines?" Charlie asked, feeling resigned.
"No," Scott said. When she looked at him in question, he said, "Come here," to her.
Charlie wrinkled her forehead at him, but stood up, and walked the few steps to him. Scott had her stand in front of him, putting
his hands on the sides of her waist.
"I'm disappointed in you," he told her, quietly. "I want you to do better." His eyes were intent on hers. "I'm going
to give you a spanking."
Eyes widened, feeling panicked, Charlie realized things were worse than she'd thought. She hadn't considered that Scott
might spank her. He'd only done it that one time in all her months at Lancer. The once at Val's office, when she'd locked herself
in the jail. And then, a while back, when he'd given her a non-frightening three swats when she'd gone to Burl's without
permission. It had been a long time. So long that Charlie had begun to think that he might not do so anymore.
"I don't want you to," Charlie protested.
"I know," he said, sounding kind, and not really angry. "But you need it, kiddo."
He was calling her kiddo at this moment? Kiddo was his term of affection for her. How could he sound so calm
and matter of fact right now?
Charlie shook her head at him in protest. Protest that she needed any such thing. In the midst of her
head-shake, Scott pulled her closer and over his knee.
At first, when she saw that he was intent on spanking her, Charlie bit her lip so hard it hurt, and determined to be stoic.
Two swats in and she was remembering-remembering how much it hurt. To be stoic proved difficult, and then, impossible.
She began to wail and holler, and plead. Scott took no notice, seemingly, and continued, determined in his own way.
Though it seemed interminable to Charlie, it wasn't all that long until Scott stopped, standing her on her feet.
Snot and tears dripping down her face and out her nose, Charlie wished she could throw herself down onto her
bed in misery.
"Come here," Scott said, again, and pulled her over into the crook of his arm. He took a handkerchief from his
shirt pocket, and put it in her hand. He tightened his arm, running his hand over her lower back gently.
Charlie covered her face with the handkerchief, sobbing.
Scott pulled her closer, into his chest, patting her back. "You're alright," he said, quietly.
Charlie didn't think that she was alright, really, but she didn't say that. She didn't say anything at all.
Scott, too, was silent after that. In truth, he wasn't sure what to say. He knew he should reassure her, that she was
loved; that he believed she could improve her behavior; all of that, but he found himself feeling unsure of the words.
"It's near supper time," Scott said, instead. Charlie took a step back, rubbing at her face with the handkerchief,
and he said, "Wash your face, and then come down."
"Do I have to?" Charlie asked, so softly that he nearly didn't catch the words.
"Have to what?"
"Come down. I'd rather stay up here, Scott."
Figuring that she was feeling embarrassed, Scott hesitated, "You need to come down and eat your supper. After that, if you
want to come back up to your room, then you can."
Charlie tightened her lips, but made no protest. She knew it wasn't any use. Scott patted her shoulder as he stood up,
and said, kindly, "See you in a few minutes downstairs, alright?"
Charlie nodded and when he'd gone out and closed the door behind him, Charlie went to wash her face in the basin, but
gave it up, and threw herself on her bed instead. She burst into fresh tears. After a few minutes, there was a light tap
on her door, and then it opened without notice.
Charlie raised her face to see Teresa standing there, in the doorway.
"Charlie," Teresa said, softly.
Charlie turned her face away, and Teresa came over to sit down on the edge of the bed.
"It's supper time," the older girl said.
When Charlie was silent, Teresa said, "Charlie, it's alright."
Charlie shook her head vigorously to deny that statement.
"Yes. It is. It doesn't seem like it is, right at this moment, but it will," Teresa said, reaching out to brush Charlie's
hair away from her face.
Teresa stood up and went to wet a cloth from the basin, and brought it back over and said, "Sit up."
When Charlie sat up, Teresa sponged her face with the wet cloth. Her dark eyes took in Charlie's face.
"Let's go down to supper," Teresa said, laying the cloth aside.
Charlie looked at Teresa beseechingly. "It's embarrassing," she said.
"I know," Teresa acknowledged. "But, that can't be helped. And, you won't die from embarrassment. I promise."
Charlie gave in and stood up, going downstairs with Teresa. Because, really, there was no other choice. She thought
sullenly, that if she didn't go, and go quickly, it would only get her into more trouble.
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