Charlie puzzled over the odd conversation she'd had with the old man, as she rode home. She didn't rush Gurth, but let him

take his time, as she thought about what had happened.

The man was surely strange. No doubt of that. Why was he so different from one day to the next in his demeanor and the

way he reacted to things? And what he said, about not having a horse? Well, that was just the oddest thing ever.

She'd seen with her own eyes, that he took the old horse from the auction that day. Charlie thought

back to what Lucy had said. That the old man ate horses. Surely he did not. That was just one of those stories that ran rampant

amongst kids when they wanted to act like they knew something big.

Once at the ranch, Charlie unsaddled her horse, and rubbed him down, and turned him out into the pastures. She was putting

the tack away, still deep into thought, when a finger-poke to her shoulder made her jump, startled.

She turned swiftly to look up at Jelly.

"You scared me!" Charlie told him.

"Your mind was somewhere else, alright," he said. "I need your help picking some of that fruit off those trees."

"Okay," Charlie agreed, as another thought occurred to her. She followed after Jelly to the orchard, where they both began

picking apples.

"Jelly?" Charlie began.

"Hmmph?" Jelly said, in response.

"Do you know most everybody around here?"

"I reckon as I know about near everybody."

"Do you know that man that lives on the edge of town? In that tiny shack? The one that people say has a glass eye?" Charlie asked.

"I know him alright."

"You do?" Charlie paused in her fruit picking, and stepped closer to Jelly.

"Course, I do. Said I did, didn't I?" Jelly proclaimed sounding indignant.

"Well, why is everyone so frightened of him? And why does he never go around folks in town? And, does he really have

a glass eye?"

Peppered with her questions, Jelly stopped his task and gave Charlie an irritated glance. "I said I knew him. Didn't say I

knew all about him, did I?"

"Oh," Charlie said, and returned to her apple picking. "So you don't really know much," she added, disappointed.

"I know things," Jelly protested.

"Like what?"

"I know he's a loon," Jelly proclaimed. "And he likes to be left alone. That's all I need to know."

"Why do you say he's a loon?" Charlie asked.

"Well, 'cause he is."

"Maybe nobody has tried to get to know him," Charlie pointed out.

There was silence for a few minutes, as they both picked the fruit, and then, as they were gathering up the overflowing

buckets, and walking towards the house, Charlie said, "He has a lilt to his voice, sort of. Like he's from another place, or something."

Jelly, in front of Charlie, stopped so suddenly that Charlie nearly ran into his back.

"You been talkin' to him, have ya?" Jelly asked, suspiciously.

Charlie eyed Jelly speculatively. He seemed disturbed by her comment. Bothered.

"I've heard him talk," Charlie settled for saying. She didn't want Jelly saying anything to Scott, or anyone else.

"You'd best not be hangin' round him, you hear? Scott will skin you."

Charlie met his look, silently, and Jelly turned to begin walking again, adding, "Or iffen Scott didn't, then the boss surely

would."

By 'the boss' Jelly meant Murdoch. A shiver ran up Charlie's back.

After that, Jelly went on his way, and Charlie had the snack Maria had prepared for her. After that she was set

to helping peel a mass of the just-picked apples.

"Donde estan los peces?" Maria asked Charlie.

Charlie knew the word 'donde' and 'peces' was fish, she was fairly certain. Where are the fish?

Charlie settled for shaking her head, and said, "No fish," in a vague way.

Maria eyed her, but said no more. As Charlie peeled, Maria began to fry the apples, and then sprinkled them with

liberal amounts of sugar. The smell filled the air of the kitchen, and for a while Charlie forgot all about the mystery of the

old man, and just enjoyed her time with Maria.

They were still working on the apples when Johnny drifted into the kitchen, washing his hands at the sink,

and sniffing the air in appreciation.

"It's smellin' in here like what heaven must smell like," Johnny said.

Maria smiled at him in an indulgent way. Her fondness for Johnny was apparent. Johnny reached into the cookie jar and

took out two of the large cookies.

Biting into one, he said, "Hey there, pequeno."

"Hi, Johnny."

Johnny came over closer, to where Charlie was perched on the tall kitchen stool, peeling the apples.

"We havin' fish tonight?" he asked her.

"No."

"How come? Those boys take all the fish home again today? You need to tell them it's your turn."

"I'll tell them, the next time we catch any," Charlie said, in an off-hand sort of way, and felt a prickle at

the evasion of the truth. She hoped Johnny would let it drop.

"Were they bitin' today?" he asked then. "Maybe you all need to try a new spot."

Charlie felt her face get a bit warm. Johnny was watching her now, and though his blue eyes didn't show

suspicion, Charlie wished he would take his cookies and leave the kitchen.

She didn't say anything in response, and Johnny said, "You spose?" to her.

"What?" Charlie asked, sure that he could tell her face was warm.

"I said, do you suppose you need to find a new fishin' spot?" he repeated.

"Maybe," Charlie settled for saying, and looked away from those blue eyes.

As she peeled, Johnny took another step or so closer, and leaned down just a bit.

"What's wrong?" he asked, in a soft tone.

"Nothing," Charlie said. She kept on with her task, thinking he would drop it, but getting more uncomfortable

by the moment. He wasn't saying anything then, just standing there, at her elbow, and Charlie knew if she were to

look his way again, he would have that intent gaze on her, studying her.

"You're actin' peculiar," Johnny said.

"I'm not," Charlie said, and forced herself to look up at him. Brown met blue. "You're making me feel like

a bug," she protested.

"How am I makin' you feel like a bug?" Johnny asked.

"You're-" Charlie tried to think of the words she wanted to say, "Well, you just are!"

For a long moment, Johnny was silent, and then he said, "Well, alright. I didn't intend to make you feel like a bug." Now, he

sounded somewhat amused, and Charlie hoped he was done with his questions. Johnny took another cookie from the cookie

jar, smiling at Maria's protest, and left the kitchen, going back outdoors.

Charlie took a deep breath, releasing it.

L

At supper, they had the fried apples, along with their roast beef and vegetables. Charlie was biting into her roll, when

Teresa offered an innocent comment which began the downfall of Charlie's evening.

"I thought you were going fishing with Rebecca today," Teresa said.

Charlie swept her glance up to Teresa. She wrinkled her forehead, wondering in an instant why Teresa was saying that.

"What?" Charlie asked, to buy herself a moment or so.

"I thought you were going fishing," Teresa repeated. "And then I saw Rebecca with her mother at the store this

afternoon."

Charlie frowned at Teresa, wishing that Teresa could understand without words what Charlie wanted to convey. To

stop talking about fishing. And Rebecca. Teresa looked puzzled at Charlie's frown.

"What?" Teresa asked, setting the pitcher of lemonade back into the center of the table.

By now, the attentions of the Lancer menfolk were on both Teresa and Charlie, and their conversation.

Charlie took another careful bite of the roast beef, trying to appear nonchalant.

"Rebecca had to help her mother this afternoon," Charlie said carefully.

"So you went with some other children, then? Instead of Rebecca?" Murdoch asked, from his end of the table. His question

was not intrusive. Only that of a doting 'grandparent'.

Charlie was going to say yes to the question, then found that she could not.

"I didn't go fishing today," she said, slowly, and took a drink of milk. "Since Rebecca couldn't go."

The four adults at the table were all regarding her with varying degrees of interest, and concern.

"I thought I would wait, you know, until she could go," Charlie said, trying to sound casual.

She was going to, she promised herself, do everything she could to say just the basics, and not lie.

"So you got home at the regular time, then?" Scott asked.

Charlie knew that, if any of them wanted to, they could determine when she'd gotten home, by talking to Maria, or

Jelly either one. So, again, she said, in basic honesty, "No. A little later. I just rode home really slowly."

They were all still looking at her, and Charlie added, "It was such a nice afternoon. Gurth seemed to enjoy it."

There. That was truth. Gurth had appeared to enjoy their leisurely ride home.

"It was a nice afternoon for a ride, sure enough," Murdoch said, in apparent agreement, and Charlie felt

relief wash over her.

"Yes," Charlie agreed. "It was."

She was in the clear, she thought, spearing another bite of the roast beef on her fork. That was, until she looked across the

table, and met Johnny's eyes. Those eyes were full of questions. His expression was puzzled. Charlie felt her face

get all hot again.

L

Charlie went to help Maria with the supper dishes, though she hadn't been told to. Maria tied the over-sized

apron around Charlie's waist. They were in the midst of the chore, when Johnny came into the kitchen.

Maria gestured to the apple pie sitting in the center of the kitchen table.

"Tarta de manzana, Johnny," she said.

Johnny smiled at her. "Si, gracias."

Maria began to cut a large slice of the pie for him, and Johnny said quietly, "When you're done helpin' with the dishes, let's

take a little walk, pequeno."

He said it quietly. Not demanding. But, Charlie knew, by the way her stomach dropped in nerves, that it was not, by

any means, a suggestion. But more, an order.

"I've got homework," Charlie said, in feeble protest. She knew it would do no good.

"A short walk," Johnny said, in answer.

He took the plate of pie that Maria offered to him, and said, "After I eat my pie, I'll be waitin' for ya out by

the corral."

Charlie didn't answer. Her thoughts were swirling. With dread.

"Charlie?" he prompted. "You hear me?"

Charlie nodded, in silent response to his prompt.

"Alright," he said, and left the kitchen.

L