That evening at the ranch house passed enjoyably. Beets planned to stay thru lunch the following day, on Sunday, and leave

on an afternoon stage.

After church, some of the children from school gathered outside to talk, while the adults did their visiting, as well.

As an afternoon picnic was planned for the following day, to be after school, at the edge of town in a grove of trees,

Charlie felt discouraged, knowing she was not going to be able to participate.

Talking of whose mother could pack what food began, and then games that could be played.

Sitting at the edge of the group, Charlie was quiet. Rebecca noticed, and said quietly, "You can't stay after school for it? You're

sure that Scott won't let you?"

"I'm mostly sure that he won't," Charlie said.

"Well, maybe he will," Rebecca encouraged.

Still new to the whole family dynamic thing, Charlie asked her, curiously, "If your father says no, can he change his mind?"

"Well," Rebecca considered. "No. Not usually," she admitted.

"I don't think Scott will, either," Charlie said.

One of the other kids, a boy, Samuel Walton, said that he could run home after school was dismissed, and get his family's

ice cream freezer. He recruited another of the boys to help him carry things, and said that they could crank the freezer, and

have ice cream at the picnic.

Charlie sighed, and Rebecca heard. She squeezed Charlie's hand in sympathy.

As parents began to call to their children now, including Murdoch calling to Charlie, she stood up, and Rebecca

walked with her towards Murdoch's buggy. "Ask Scott if you can come," she encouraged Charlie quietly.

They were within what might be hearing distance now, so Charlie only nodded at Rebecca. Some of the other children

were calling out goodbyes to Charlie, including Jason, and she waved.

Mr. Beets was bound to climb into the buggy to ride home with Murdoch. Teresa had ridden in with them, but

was being squired home by her suitor, Don Johnson.

"Do you want to squeeze in with us, darling?" Murdoch was asking Charlie, as he prepared to join Beet's on the

buggy seat.

Scott was just walking up now, and Charlie said, "I think I'll ride with Scott, but thank you." She looked to Scott.

"Can I? Ride with you?"

"Of course you can," he said.

So Scott mounted, and then gave Charlie a hand up. They were heading along out of town, when Murdoch went around them, at a good clip,

with a merry wave from both he and Mr. Beets.

"They're like two young men when they're together," Scott asked, sounding amused.

"They're great good friends now, aren't they?" Charlie asked.

"It seems that they are."

Charlie subsided into thought, and when Scott asked, "What's that sigh for?" Charlie was startled.

"What?" she asked.

"I asked what the deep sigh was all about," Scott repeated.

Charlie, who didn't know that she had sighed at all, let alone loudly enough to be heard, shrugged, and then realized

that since she was behind him on the horse, he wouldn't be able to see.

"I was just thinking about something," Charlie admitted.

"Ah," he said.

Charlie wondered if she should wait until later to approach her request to Scott, or whether she should even make

the request at all.

It had only been three days since Scott had given her the punishment. Three days since he'd said she would

not be allowed to ride Gurth to and from school, or go fishing with the kids.

But, Charlie argued with herself, this wasn't fishing. It wasn't walking past, or going anywhere near the old man's shack. It

was a picnic, right there in town, just down from the where the church was. Maybe that would cause Scott to put a

different light onto it.

"Scott," she began slowly, "I want to ask you something, but it's hard to ask-"

"You can ask me whatever you need to, Charlie," Scott said. "I hope you know that."

"Some of the kids are having a picnic tomorrow," Charlie began. "And everybody's supposed to bring food

and things-"

"For lunch?" Scott said, assuming. "Well, ask Maria to help you figure something out to take to share."

"Not for lunch," Charlie said, correcting his assumption that the picnic was during the school day. "It's after school."

When Scott shifted slightly in the saddle, giving Charlie a glance, and then turned forward again, and was silent,

Charlie added quickly, "It's right after school. At the grove of trees just past the church. And one of the boys is

bringing an ice cream freezer."

"May I stay for it?" Charlie asked him.

"Charlie," Scott said, and he sounded sort of tired as he said it.

"You, or one of the family, has to come get me anyway," Charlie reminded him. Unneccesarily, Charlie knew, but she

couldn't seem to stop her run-on tongue. "You could just come a little bit later. To get me, I mean."

"You are on restriction, and I know that you remember that you are," Scott said. "So, I'm not certain just why

you're asking me this."

Charlie felt her hope thud.

"I would be right there in town, though," Charlie said. "I would only walk from school to the grove. That's all. I

wouldn't go anywhere else!"

"No, Charlie," Scott said, sounding very firm. It was said so firmly, in fact, that it caused Charlie to stay quiet for the

rest of the ride home. Quiet though she was, that didn't mean her thoughts weren't hopping around, all over the place.

She wasn't so upset that she felt like crying, or anything. But, she did sulk. It didn't seem as though Scott was

being fair. At all.

At the house, Murdoch and Mr. Beets had already parked the buggy, and were standing there, next to it, talking.

As yet, Teresa and her suitor had not yet arrived.

Once Scott had reined his horse in, instead of waiting for him to offer her his arm, Charlie slid to the ground without

his help. It wasn't as easy as she'd thought it would be. She had to rest her hand on the back of the saddle, and

hop quickly, without using Scott for any support at all.

She managed it, though.

Scott took notice of her quick descent, as well. He gave Charlie a long look, and then dismounted himself.

Charlie knew she only had a few minutes before lunch was called. She looked up at Scott. He was already

gazing at her. He looked questioning. As if he were studying her, Charlie thought. And he looked disappointed, too.

Charlie hated that.

She turned her face away, then back again. Scott was still standing there, his eyes fixed on her, looking all disappointed, and

annoyed.

Charlie tossed her head, and began to walk towards the house. "Unfair," she muttered, under her breath.

"Charlie," Scott said, first quietly, and then louder, harsher, "Charlie!"

Charlie stopped, and turned around, noticing that Murdoch and Beets had both had their attention caught by Scott.

"Come back over here," Scott ordered, quieter now, but sternly.

Charlie walked back over to where he stood. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Murdoch and Beets were talking

again, though both occasionally looked her way.

Still holding the reins in one hand, Scott said, "You think I'm being unfair?"

It might have sounded as though he was open to discussion, by the words that he chose. But, Charlie knew that he

was not open to discussion, but was more requesting her to restate what she'd hissed at him under her breath.

Charlie didn't answer his query. That would be foolish. To repeat what she'd said.

"Answer me," Scott insisted.

"Yes," Charlie said, bravely.

Scott regarded her intently for another long moment. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But, what you did was serious. You

deserve consequences for it. I thought we had an understanding about all this."

"We did," Charlie said. "I mean, we do. I was just thinking that you might make a sort of an exception for tomorrow."

"You thought that, huh?" he asked.

"I was hoping," Charlie amended.

Maria had come outside, and was ringing the dinner bell, just as Teresa and her beau came into view in his buggy.

Murdoch and Mr. Beets had begun walking towards the house now.

"I'm not going to make an exception for tomorrow," Scott said, with finality, though he spoke quietly.

"Alright," Charlie said, grudgingly. After all, what else could she say? She'd tried, and failed. Might as well go and eat

Maria's lunch, and then try to enjoy the rest of the day.

With Scott's next words, though, Charlie saw that enjoyment of the rest of the day going awry.

"After lunch, you need to talk with Beets for a bit, before he leaves, and then after that, I want you to go and

sit in your bedroom," Scott told her.

Charlie looked at him, aghast. "Why do I have to sit in my room?" she asked.

"I want to you to rethink over what we talked about the other night. About trust being broken. And about why you

got punished."

"I know why-" Charlie began. She wanted to ride her horse in the sunshine, not spend the afternoon in a stuffy bedroom.

"I thought you knew why, but we must have some things to clear up about it, since three days later, you think I'll change

my mind."

"I was just hoping, Scott!" Charlie protested. "That's all!"

By now, Teresa was headed their way, her arm hooked thru her young man's.

"Hello, Scott," Don said, and put out his hand. Scott shook hands. Then as they all walked towards the house, Scott

said quietly, to Charlie, "Mind what I say, and we'll talk about it later."

L

During lunch Charlie was mostly quiet, speaking when spoken to. Conversations at the table were many and animated. The more

that Teresa's beau was around, the more he talked the next time.

Johnny, who'd stayed home and not attended church services, was involved in talking to Beets and to the young Don, as

was Scott.

Once the meal was over, Teresa prepared to take a walk with Don. Mr. Beets pushed his chair to

the table, and said, "Could we take a walk together, as well, Charlotte?"

Charlie nodded, and headed off with Mr. Beets. The longer she stayed walking with him, the less time she would

have to spend in her room. Then, she felt guilty for thinking such a thing. Mr. Beets was a nice man, and

he was kind, and she didn't mind spending time with him. She shouldn't look upon it as an excuse for avoiding her bedroom.

As they walked out into the fields south of the house, Mr. Beets took a deep breath of air, in and then out again.

Charlie looked at him curiously.

"The air here is different than in the city," Beets said, in explanation. "Cleaner. Crisper."

"You can smell the flowers and things, too," Charlie said.

"Yes. And, thanks to you, I know more of their names than I ever did before," he said, and smiled at Charlie.

"That's because Scott taught me-" Charlie began, and then trailed off.

Mr. Beets seemed to give her an intense look. "I'm sure that whatever troubles there are right now, will work out

in a satisfactory way," he said.

Charlie glanced at him, and then let her gaze skirt away again.

When Beets made no further comment, or appear to be judgemental, Charlie said, "It's just-Scott's sort of

strict."

"And that's difficult to get accustomed to? Isn't it?" Beets asked, sounding kind.

"Yes," Charlie said honestly.

"Many things in life take some adjustment."

Charlie nodded. "Yes."

"Do you feel that the Lancers are kind to you? Scott, in particular?"

"They're-" Charlie hesitated, searching for the right word. "Well, they're immensely kind."

"Immensely," Beets said, as if thinking over the word. "I like that word."

"That's what they are. Immensely kind."

"I know, from speaking with all of them at differing times, that you are loved. Immensely loved," he added, and smiled

at Charlie.

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