Peter watched the shrink's car pull away and head off into the distance with a trail of dust behind it; he was nearly done cleaning out Busters stall but loomed around for a bit in the barn before he headed back inside the house. Charlotte was back to work at her dusting with a damp rag and bucket of water at her side and seemed to be in better spirits then when Esme first arrived. There were few words between them on most days and he was okay with that over the last week or so, he figured she'd come around to talking when she was good and ready to do so, but then again, there was little that needed saying. He went to get cleaned up and start getting supper ready for the both of them. All things considered he rather liked the company of another person than just his horse and dog, a guy does eventually get lonely, he figured. Peter had hoped that her company would eliminate the need for him to go to town all together except when he needed necessities but with her around he didn't want to make her want for anything 'fresh' to eat so he found himself going just as often as he was before. He had asked her if she wanted to go into town the week before but she declined and didn't ask him for anything. He guessed she didn't want to impose any further on him but it really wasn't nothing to him. When he had things ready he called her in to make her plate and eat.

Charlotte initially dreaded the thought of meeting with Esme, thought it was a ploy to get her to divulge James's identity which she feared would lead him right to her but it wasn't at all like that she soon realized. Esme, the first time they met made it very clear that she didn't want to know, she didn't care who abused her and was only concerned with her; it wasn't about him at all. Charlotte then thought it was a trick but with each question Esme asked it was more clear to her that it was indeed true.

Peter calling her in to eat from her slow dusting was what she looked forward to every night, it was one of many moments in the day that she was thankful for; not just for a meal but his kind company. She started scooping the stew he had made into a bowl and was about to sit down when he mumbled 'take more' at her and in went another ladle full. She wasn't skimping on her portion because she was concerned with her weight or he wasn't a good cook but rather because she was already thankful for him having gone to the trouble of making it and already given her so much already. "This has smelled so good cooking that I was looking forward to dinner all day." She was met with a kind thankful mumble; Peter was eating steadily, he was really hungry from his day's work. "I was worried that it'd burn on the stove, you never checked it."

Peter snorted and finished what was in his mouth. "We have been trying to burn that stew in that pot for decades and it can't be done. Grandma, ma and my sister all tried so I'm pretty sure I can't." He got back to finishing what was in his bowl and went for another helping. It was rare that she initiated a conversation, he thought, but he was glad to share a bit of his family history with her. She was a good guest, kept herself busy with the work he gave her and he noticed that the house was a bit more brighter with her in it; he suspected she cleaned the windows that he never touched. "Is Esme well?" He wanted her to keep talking, as Charlie suggested last time he saw him in town, to build her trust in him so she might open up about the fella that assaulted her.

Charlotte looked off though the window near the kitchen table. "She's well. Her cold seems to be gone." She shrugged. "She was telling me how doc is courting her and I thought it odd that she would share gossip with me so I asked her why she did. Esme said that she wanted me to feel like a part of the place, included." They intended her to stay, that was what she suspected, or wanted her to decide to. Not that it mattered, she was far from being able to be on her own. "Vicky was the same in the hospital, told me all about everyone."

Peter eyes raised up from his bowl. "She likes to talk that girl." He took another spoonful of stew. "She's been sweet on me since the fifth grade and I still haven't been able to shake her."

Now that was odd, she could have sworn Peter liked girls. "So you like boys then?" Peter nearly choked on his stew but kept eating; that was a no she figured. "Why don't you like her, she seems nice."

There was a list of horrendous embarrassing things that Vicky had put him through throughout the years that he didn't want to say that would tarnish Charlotte's opinion of her. "She's a bit too forward for my liking."

That made sense Charlotte thought, she was a very forward person from all that she saw. She recalled her marching into her hospital room without even asking and start talking to her, about what, she couldn't even remember. Charlotte did like her company though, and she did like that Vicky didn't need much response to keep talking. "Yes she is. So this gossiping thing, am I being talked about?" Peter shook his head at her and that gave her a bit of a pause.

"No. Not in front or around strangers that is. I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you, no one knows anything about you to say much at all. Doc & Esme certainly won't, Charlie is a rock and even he'd talk to Vicky if he thought she was being too lippy." This might have been more conversation with her than they have had their whole time together and Peter suspected that Esme may have been the reason for it. Taking was fine he thought, but a change of subject was in order, she seemed to be too concerned with idol gossip and that might lead back to himself who he really didn't want to talk about. "Doc mentioned that he wanted to see you soon to check up on you so you will be coming into town with me in the morning." Charlotte spoon was set down, she seemed upset. "Your not done, keep eating." Peter gruffed at her. "I'm not having doc accuse me of starving you so eat up." The spoon was picked up and she complied but it was out of protest he figured. "We will be stopping in at the store too so figure out what you need or want so we can get it and not make another trip too soon."

"I'm fine, don't need anything and…" Charlotte started to say almost as a knee jerk reaction but was abruptly cut short.

"I'll have none of that young lady. I'm not that ignorant to know that you girls need stuff, girl stuff, and that suitcase wasn't all that big to hold...all that stuff. I've lived with women and know that, you know, you need stuff and I'm not going out to get if for you." What had he done; Peter instantly regretted the change in topic now, he was even more uncomfortable talking about a girls monthly needs with a strange girl than his mom or sister. This wasn't a taboo topic in the house growing up, it just was what it was without ceremony, nature was nature. "Anyway, I'll give you your pay so you can get that on your own." He got up and set his plate in the sink, he'd wash up the dishes later as he had forbidden Charlotte from doing them and risk getting her cast wet. "Going to feed Buster." he grumbled and left.

Charlotte thought to herself that the trip into town was a bother but a glance to her arm made her too grumble. She gathered what Peter was trying to say but also reasoned that she wasn't planning on staying that long ether to need the things he was alluding to. She recalled doc saying she was dehydrated but then recalled him saying her 'system' was all messed up due to malnourishment. She was mostly worried about seeing people now, she liked the seclusion of Peters house and the security it afforded. Her appetite was gone but she forced down the last of the stew and set her dish in the sink, rinsed it off and went back to dusting while there was still a bit of daylight left.

-—-—

Buster whined, he hated the larger saddle on his back but he perked up when he realized Charlotte was his passenger. Peter wondered what else he could get the horse to do using her as collateral. He was able to get Charlotte up and onto Buster easily enough, once he was on, and her rear was nestled into him securely, they started out. Last time this saddle was used was by his parents and that memory made him a little sedate over the current state of his situation. The ride in was initially slow so Charlotte could figure out how to move with each of Busters steps and hold on to the reign he let her use for her balance, and for him to figure out how to hold her against him without making her feel uncomfortable and get accustomed to having her so close in front of him. He could easily feel the few ribs beneath her several layers of clothes she had on and that concerned him. He also noted how she said she felt cold most of the time and made a point to mention it to doc. He had to admit he tried to get her to put on a few pounds and remind her to always take her vitamins but was it enough. Peter accepted the fact that he did care for her, recalling how bad she was to how she was when Charlie brought her to him to how she was now.

Charlotte was all around nervous over being on a horse again, going to town, seeing doc and then being put back on a horse again. Buster was being good for her and with how firmly Peter was holding on to her she knew he wouldn't let her fall. Seeing doc would be nice, she did like like him and she needed to tell him how badly her arm was itching now. After a few minutes of riding she felt a wave of calm over her, like she was grounded in that moment of time; was this why Peter always went for rides? With her casted arm being clutched to her chest, her other hand on one of the reigns and Peter holding on to her and his hand on the other reign she settled into him and set her head back against him, his hat even shaded her a little bit. She liked being up high and seeing into the distance and being above everything; it gave her a sense of prospective. When they approached the town Peter lead Buster around, off to the side streets to get to the hospital; Charlotte smirked at the little hitching post waiting for them at the non emergency entrance. Peter got off first and easily helped her down to the ground. She gave Buster a pat while Peter tied him off and then followed Peter inside. There were many 'hellos' as they went down a few hallways before arriving at a nurses station and being shown into an exam room. Doc wandered in a few moments later and opened up a thick file with only her first name written on it; it made Charlotte sad in being too afraid of sharing her last name.

Doc knew her file, he wrote the entire thing but still skimmed over her last test results before looking up at Charlotte. "On the scale please madam." She did what she was told and slid the weights over on their slides and called out her weight. Doc noticed Peter shifting towards the door. "So how has her appetite been Peter, what have you been feeding her?" Doc wrote down the number that Charlotte called out.

Peter didn't feel right being in the room suddenly, "Mostly stews from ma's recipes. Meat and potatoes, you know doc, farm food."

Doc tapped his pen on the page. "This is ten very good pounds then. Good, good." He noted Charlotte scratching at her arm, yes it was time the cast came off now, past due actually. "Let's get that off first h'm?" He went for the saw and flicked it on to check the speed of the wheel was right and by the time he looked over to where Charlotte was she was gone and fighting to get out of the room. "We don't have time for this girl. Peter?" Doc knew the man could handle a calf with ease, a girl who weighed a quarter of one would be no problem.

Charlotte was clawing to get by him but he wasn't about to let her pass no matter how much she begged; there may have been a tear but extending sympathy in this case wasn't going to work on him. Charlotte was looking between doc and her arm and the door but when she looked up at him her eyes locked on his. "Really Char, it's not going to hurt one bit." She was trembling; with all the broken bones she'd suffered he thought she would have had a cast on her before but it wasn't the case it seemed. He found himself angry again at who had abused her. With one arm he scooped her up against him and shifted her back to where doc was waiting with the saw; she did struggle still. In a motion he had her sitting on his lap, laced her fingers with his and he held her casted arm down on the table. "He's not going to cut all the way down to skin, just though the hard part and then crack it off like an egg shell. Go ahead doc." Charlotte squirmed on his lap, not that he minded but a tear did fall on the hand holding her to him that sobbered him up quick. Doc made several quick and careful cuts down through most of the cast and stopping short of the thick layer of gauze that was right next to her skin. Setting the saw down he peeled away the shell and cut through the gauze to expose her arm. Peter loosened his grip once her arm was free of the cast and slipped out from under her and set her down on the chair. 'Sorry' she whispered and hung her head low as doc checked her arm for movement. Peter showed himself out and kept near the closed door just in case she decided to bolt away again for some other reason. Many of the nurses on shift passed by and said hello as he waited for some time. It had been a few weeks since doc had seen her so he must have had a bit of ground to cover with her. A few more moments had passed and the door opened and doc had him come back in.

"Alright then." Peter wasn't her guardian per say or her significant other so doc was minding what he could say. "Unless there are any issues then, if she needs or wants to come see me Peter then I'll put it on you to bring her here pronto."

Peter gave the man a nod, "Yes sir doc. Did she mention that she is cold often?" He had to be sure he knew.

"Yes she did and that should go away once she puts on a bit more weight. She did mention how good your cooking was so next time you make your mama's stew I'll expect an invitation." He smirked, he loved that woman's cooking. "Can you make sure this little lady doesn't overdo it on her arm too soon, the bone is still tender and needs to work up to full strength." The boy gave him a nod and then he followed Charlotte out. His part was done, he did what he could to patch up and heal what her could in the girl but now was the hard part, getting her soul healed so she would come out from the veil of fear he still saw over her. From what he saw earlier, she saw Peter as a safe person, him too when he wasn't holding a saw in his hands.

Many greeted them as they left and went back out to where Buster was waiting; the horse didn't care for town so he was happy to see them. Peter took his reigns and lead him down to their next stop. They were still off the Main Street and he wanted to keep it that way to avoid people and not spook Buster; as well as keep Charlotte out of sight. They walked quietly for the two blocks and then he found a spot to park Buster. Into his side saddle he went and pulled out an envelope of money. "This is your pay and I'd like you to get whatever you need alright?"

Charlotte was still upset with how she acted in front of doc and didn't' want to argue with him so she took it and wandered around to the front of the little store and went in without too much notice from anyone. Once inside she peeked into the envelope and noticed a tidy little stack of twenties. It took her a few seconds to come to he senses; he had given her way too much money for what he thought she needed. A very small part of her wanted to take the money and run so she could get further away from James but the bulk of her wanted to give it back to him; he had given her so much already that she felt like she didn't deserve this. 'Can I help you Miss?' Came a voice that snapped her out of her head. "Um no, I'm fine. I'll just wander around if that's alright and figure out where everything is." The eyes on her gave her a once over and then the lady nodded and wandered off. Charlotte wondered if she knew who she was or anything but that would have to wait, Peter was waiting for her so she found a basket and started looking around. The store had a wide assortment of various things and a few made it into her basket. Underwear and a bra that were about the right size. Slippers and socks. Tampons. She wandered up and down the aisles a few times just for the sheer joy of it a few times before finding herself up at the register. It dawned on her that she couldn't quite remember how long it had been since she was out shopping when the clerk buzzed off her total to her. Out came the envelope and a few pristine twenties were handed over. Charlotte imagined that by how she still looked, a little on the disheveled side, the sight of the money must of looked odd but the cashier didn't seem to be phased. 'Do tell Peter not to keep you on that ranch of his so much.' The dead stare Charlotte gave her was one of shock and a bit of thanks for knowing her on some level; it had been some time since that had happened to her. 'If you need something sent out and he's being stubborn just give that number on the bag a ring and we can have it sent out to you hun.' Charlotte swallowed hard, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." The girl handed over her change and the bag that contained all her things. 'I kinda know everyone who lives here, everyone eventually stops in so don't be a stranger Cha… alright?' The girl looked around then smirked at her as the next person found her way up to her till. Charlotte took her bag and went out to find Peter to go back home, this was enough socializing she was comfortable with for the day. She turned the corner to go back to where he and Buster were and found him talking to Charlie. He tipped his hat to her and kept talking to Peter. Peter noticed the bag in her hand and motioned for her to hand it over. She did and he stowed it away in the saddle pouch for her.

Charlie was glad to see the girl even though it had only been a few days since their last meeting; it was good to see her off the farm. Being able to speak to Peter for a few moments alone he was able to question him if she had said anything that might give him any leads on who abused her but he had none. His next stop was the hospital; perhaps the nurses might have heard her sleep talking he hoped; he really wanted to put the bastard who abused Char away. "So then, Vicky hasn't mentioned if she had been out to your place lately?"

Peter smirked, the girl was nowhere to be seen since Char had moved in; he shrugged at Charlie. "I don't know but," Peter thought carefully about what he was going to say next, one wrong word and she'd end up moving in with him and Char. "well, we have been so busy that I don't think we'd of noticed her if she did stop in. It's a busy time of year ya know." He hoped that'd be enough to keep Vicky away a bit more. As a rancher he was always busy so it was hardly a lie.

"Charlie, can you send along my thanks to Victoria that I appreciated her visiting me in the hospital, it really did help pass the time and made me feel like a part of the community." Char thought back to this 'being busy' that Peter alluded to but couldn't bring up any instances of it. In fact she did recall how she watched him for a few hours after dinner one night trying to teach his old mutt a new trick. Sam wouldn't have any of it, he was set in his ways. No, he really didn't care for Vicky being around at all it seemed.

"I'll send along the thanks Char. If you do ever want to come over for coffee to get away from this slave driver just give a holler, I'm sure Vicky would like the visit." Charlie wasn't sure if she would ever say anything about her attacker but he knew that time could break anyone of any secret; not much went to the grave in these parts as people knew that they were the sum of the memories they left behind as well as family. He tipped his hat and wandered back to the main road to find his deputy.

Peter helped Char back on to Buster after checking all the side saddle bags were secure before he got on in behind her. She was getting better at getting on his horse and with the cast off she should be able to ride him without her in no time. Peter wasn't sure where that want of his came from but he figured, at least in his mind that everyone in Texas should be able to ride. He got them off and out of town with a few hellos here and there; no one gave them too much attention which he rather liked. After a few minutes of riding, buster knew the way anyway, he handed the reins to Char and set his hands on the horn of the saddle and the other around her waist. He gave her uncasted arm a look; she had her sleeve still up to give it some air he figured. "How does your arm feel?"

Charlotte's shoulders gave a little shrug, "Weird I guess. I've never had one of those kinds of casts on before, they were always air ones that you could take off." The skin on her arm felt hyper sensitive to her, even the air was making it uneasy to feel but the sleeve was worse. She figured that the oddness of it would pass in a few hours; she was glad she bought a little bottle of lavender moisturiser for her hands, she'd use it on her arm too. "Did Charlie have anything else to say?" Her asking was more out of curiosity than being cautious, she did feel like she was in a safe place at the moment but her secrets were still hers to keep.

"Well," besides the grilling Charlie gave him over what he had her doing and if she had said anything about the fella that attacked her. "He was wondering when I'd be getting you your own horse to ride rather than making you ride with me." He chuckled to himself.

Without missing a beat Char replied, "I don't think Buster would take too kindly in me on another horse." she grinned to herself; she had over the last few weeks figured out that cowboys were somewhat attached to their horses. She could almost feel Peters gears grinding behind her as he processed what she said. Buster didn't seem to care, he only wanted to get back home to his barn.

"Good think he doesn't get a say in who rides him." Peter grumbled, "he's my horse after all." 'women, taking your stuff and if that wasn't bad enough, your horse too'. He adjusted his arm around her waist and seriously considered taking the reins back from Char but that would defeat the purpose of him letting her learn something new.

Charlotte let Peter stew for several minutes, it hardly seems fair that she could egg him on while he tired to remain the polite host. She had to admit it to herself yet again, she liked riding on Buster, just like this with him holding on to her keeping her steady. It was that certainty that she also liked, the feeling of someone beside her, a friend she could rely on after what seemed like years of being without. Her old life tricked back into her memory, before James and the living hell he put her though. Old faces of people she once knew, instructors and recitals; little black dresses and sweeping ball gowns, the excitement of performances. So many secrets she needed to keep from the one person who had rescued her and gave her a new start at life; it was going to slowly eat away at her. "You will let me help you with supper now, or at least let me do the dishes?" The cast was off so there was no reason for her to be waited on like she was; it was bad enough he was paying her to dust.

"I'll let you help do the dishes, I don't know IF you can cook so let's just start there." Peter wasn't sure if he had another culinary disaster like Vicky on his hands so caution was needed, but he did recall how she disliked the redheads food so that was a good sign. He mused at how well they got along and how she was so easygoing with anything that came along even the time Sam got sick and threw up on the porch beside her. Most girls would have recoiled at the sight but she got up from where she was sitting and cleaned up the mess; even gave the sorry mutt a pat on the head and said it was alright. She had told him about Same getting sick earlier before he had gotten back from feeding Buster and Peter figured he had probably eaten something that had spoiled because he'd done it again and seen her do it.

"I can cook alright, I won't poison you if that's what you're worried about." It was almost insulting but he was a better cook than she was but she was paying attention to what and how he liked his meals. Charlotte rattled the reigns on Busters neck, "A little faster Buster?" Peter snorted behind her but soon shut up when the horse obeyed her.

'Loyalluss creature.' His armed tightened around her waist as their pace picked up. Her hair that was still under the bandana that she never took off, blew back and tickled his neck; it did smell nice, she smelled a lot nicer than when he first rode with her. He wondered why she always wore the bandana, he recalled she had it on when she first came to live with him and he never saw her without it on. He then wondered if it was hiding something, another injury. He put it out of his mind as the house came into sight, no need for the anger now but he was a little sad that he'd need to let her go and get on with his chores for the day. They rode up to the barn and Buster stopped for them to get off so he did and helped Charlotte off. He went into the saddle bags and got out her bag of things and handed it over. She was back in the house quick and he went about getting Buster settled. He mused at what he and Charlie talked about and continued to wonder about how Charlotte was doing in general; he hoped she was happy enough staying with him, at least he thought she was.

Charlotte debated starting supper the moment she entered the house but opted to go wash her freed arm off and put some moisturizer on it; it felt very strange in the open air. One thing she was eager to do was properly brush her hair out and see if the scar was still noticeable where doc had stitched her up.

—