After John had made his speedy escape, disappearing around the corner of one of the buildings, Charlie mounted Gurth, and

began to ride towards home. Her stomach felt all funny. Clinched up with nerves. She tossed away the apple she still held, letting it

land in a patch of wildflowers beside the road.

Charlie muttered some choice words to herself. Why did everything have to be so complicated all the time?

All she'd been trying to do was set John straight. Give him a taste of his own medicine, so to speak. Show him that he needed not to

annoy and pester people. And that he shouldn't be mean and cruel, as he'd been to old Burl.

Instead, it looked as though her plan was going to backfire.

Well, maybe John's father would pay him no mind. Still, there was the off-chance that his stern seeming father would pay him mind. And, that

would present an even more pressing set of problems. To try to brush the thoughts from her mind, she urged Gurth into a full-on

gallop, and kept him to that until she reached the ranch.

Once at home, Charlie untacked Gurth, and then turned him out into the pasture. Gurth went immediately to get a drink from the

water trough. Charlie went to put away the saddle and bridle, struggling a bit under the weight of the saddle.

She'd come back out of the barn, and went inside, where she poured herself a glass of cold lemonade, but shook her head

in refusal of Marie's offered cookies.

She was still there, in the kitchen, drinking a second glass of lemonade, when she heard boot scuffling at the back door,

and then Johnny stood there.

Maria turned from her bread kneading to ask Johnny, "Bebida fria'?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. Gracias."

He turned an obviously put-out look onto Charlie. "You and me need to have words."

Charlie, sitting there on the tall kitchen stool, paused with her glass halfway to her mouth.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Put that down, and come with me," Johnny ordered, and turned on his heel to go back out the door.

Charlie looked at Maria, who raised her eyebrows. Charlie set the glass down slowly, and went outside.

Johnny had walked a bit away from the house, and then stopped. He had his hands on his hips, and those vivid blue eyes

were snapping.

"You run your horse all the way home?" he demanded, after Charlie had come nearer, and paused in front of him.

"Part of the way," Charlie said, wondering why Johnny would be mad about that.

"And then what?" Johnny snapped.

Charlie bit at her lip, still not certain why he was so angry.

"Then what, Charlie?" Johnny asked again, when she took too long to answer.

"Then I untacked him, and put the saddle away-" Charlie said.

"Come with me," Johnny said, again, and turned to stalk towards the corral.

Gurth was still standing near the corral gates, though not near the water trough. Charlie saw that he was now tied to a spot

further from the trough. At the corral fence, Johnny squeezed thru the openings, and then, without gentleness, plucked Charlie

from where she stood, and lifted her over.

Near Gurth now, Johnny nodded towards him. "Look at your horse."

Charlie looked, and knew then, for certainty, just what it was that had Johnny fired up. Gurth was lathered with sweat, and was

breathing hard, his nostrils flaring.

"I didn't cool him down," Charlie said.

"No. You didn't. And, then you put him where he could drink," Johnny said, his tone severe.

Charlie looked at him, confused.

"A horse can get mightily sick, if they eat or drink before they've been cooled down proper," Johnny went on.

"I didn't know that-" Charlie began.

"You didn't know that part. Alright. But, you did know to always, always cool a horse down after you work

them they way you did yours. I've told you that more than once before. Right?" Johnny said.

Charlie found she could only nod in response. Speaking seemed too difficult at that moment. Johnny looked so

ferocious. She'd never seen him like this. Not even when he'd caught her out in Stockton, running with the kids who were

busting the store windows. Not even when he thought she'd been less than honest with him a time or two.

"Then you do what you should have done. You walk that horse until he's cooled proper. I'll come back in a bit and make

sure he's breathing alright. You don't give him any food or water until I check him again." He gave Charlie the full-on benefit

of those flashing eyes. It was such that Charlie wished she could run for the house to avoid it.

"When I come back out here, we're goin' to have some more discussion, you and I," Johnny said. "Understood?"

Charlie nodded again. Johnny turned and walked away. Charlie wasn't even certain which direction he headed, because her eyes

were so full of tears. She cried the whole time she was walking Gurth around and across the pasture fields. When she

finished crying, and was only sniffling, she began talking to Gurth, telling him how sorry that she was, and begging him not

to get sick from drinking all the water that he likely had.

She heard a whistle from the corral area in the distance, and looked. Seeing Johnny standing there, and then he beckoned to

her with his hand.

Charlie walked that way, leading Gurth. Approaching Johnny, Charlie took inventory of his face, trying to decipher his expression, and his

demeanor. To see if he was still furious with her. She found that it was hard to tell, really. He didn't look his usual self, that was

for certain. He was still stone-faced, though he looked a bit calmer.

Johnny stepped forward as Charlie brought Gurth to a halt. He ran his hands over Gurth, and went to stand in front of the horse.

"Comere," he said, and Charlie obeyed, coming up beside him.

"See how his nostrils aren't flaring now?" he asked her. Without waiting for an answer, he took her hand and placed it on

Gurth's chest. "Before you walked him, his chest was warm. It's better now," he said, in explanation, his hand still on top of hers,

holding it there.

"Is he gonna be alright now?" Charlie asked, feeling timid. And concerned for her horse, and what she might have done to him.

Johnny released her hand, and turned to look down at Charlie. "He'll be alright," he said.

Relieved she was, yet she was not. Johnny's eyes were still snapping.

"What you did, that's no way to treat a horse," he said. His voice was quiet enough, but Charlie knew him well enough by now

to know that that didn't mean he wasn't angry. "You tend to your horse, always, before you take care of yourself."

"I'm sorry-" Charlie began.

"I don't want to hear that you're sorry," Johnny interrupted her. "What I do want you to do is answer a question. Would you treat

a friend that way? Have them run in the heat, and then just leave them without makin' sure they're alright?"

Charlie shook her head. "No-"

"Doesn't your horse deserve the same consideration you'd give a friend?"

"Yes-"

Johnny paused, giving Charlie another severe look. "Take him and let him drink now," he said.

Charlie obeyed, leading Gurth to the water trough. As the horse began to drink, Johnny, who'd been following,

said, "Havin' a horse isn't a right, Charlie. It's a privilege. If somebody can't take care of their horse as they should, then

they ought not to have it."

Charlie stared at Johnny in utter, absolute horror. His anger she understood. She'd done wrong, when he'd taught her

better. But, this! To take Gurth from her!

She began to cry in earnest again, not even embarrassed by her tears. "No, Johnny, please! You can-" Charlie searched for

something wild-something that would change his mind. She'd heard one of the boys at school talking that day about what

he'd received from his grandmother on the weekend. "You can cut a switch!"

Johnny raised his eyebrows a bit, looking shocked. "Cut a switch?"

"Yes!" Charlie remembered what else it was that Luke, (the boy at school), had said. "A boy at school said his granny made

him go get the switch himself, but I don't think I'd know which one to get-so maybe you should do that part."

"You don't want me to cut a switch, Charlie," Johnny told her, still looking slightly off-kilter at her suggestion. "I promise you that you

do not want me to do that."

"No, I don't! But I even more don't want you to sell Gurth off, away from Lancer! Away from me!" Charlie said, sobbing.

Johnny shook his head a bit, as if to clear it. "Good Lord, Charlie. I never said a thing about sellin' off your horse."

Charlie tried to slow down her tears, looking up at him in question. "You said a person shouldn't have a horse-if they

can't take care of them the right way-"

"I said that, yeah. But I didn't mean that I would take your horse away from ya. I'm just tryin' to make a point, and have

you understand this is serious," Johnny said.

"I can keep Gurth?" Charlie asked, hiccupping a bit.

"Are you gonna tend to him the way that you should?" Johnny countered.

"Yes! I promise! I'll never put him up without cooling him-"

"Alright."

Still breathing hard from crying, Charlie looked up at him, as he looked down at her.

It seemed to Charlie that they were both talking, though neither one of them spoke for a long few moments.

Johnny reached out to take the halter off of Gurth, and gave him a light pat on his hindquarters. He handed the halter

to Charlie, and then ran his thumb down her wet cheek.

"You'd better go inside and wash your face," he told Charlie. "And make sure Maria knows I didn't hurt ya."

L

Charlie went to do as Johnny had said, washing her face in the kitchen, and finishing the left-behind glass of lemonade.

After that, she went to change to her play clothes, and then went to do her chores. She still felt subdued. Worn out. She'd finished

gathering the eggs, and was latching the door to the chicken yard, when she saw Johnny and Scott in conversation near the barn.

Charlie sighed. Sure as shootin', Johnny was telling Scott about what had happened.

Suddenly, thinking of everything with Johnny, and now Scott knowing of it, and then concern about John telling his father

she'd threatened him with 'magic', Charlie felt overwhelmed. Fed up. There was just too many adults around here to

answer to.

She felt instantly guilty for thinking of it that way. This was her family now. She was lucky to have them. All of them.

Still, there was a parcel of them to answer to, and sometimes it was just too much.

She went to take the eggs inside to Maria, and told Maria she didn't feel like supper. Maria looked her over and pronounced

her fine. "Estas bien."

Charlie held her tongue, but felt that frustration rise up.

Murdoch, Scott and Johnny came in at that time, and began to wash up at the sink. Scott greeted Charlie as he

always did, calling her 'kiddo' and asking how her day at school had gone.

Charlie answered him, with somewhat of a more reticent manner than was usual.

Scott caused her to pause, with a hand on her arm, and then asked, "You alright?"

"I don't feel like eating supper," Charlie told him, in a low tone, knowing Maria was listening. "But Maria says I'm fine."

Scott exchanged a glance with Maria, and then looked back at Charlie, first laying a hand on her forehead, and then cupping

her chin in his hand.

"You don't feel warm," he said.

"Maybe not, but I still don't feel eating," Charlie said, quietly.

Johnny passed by in front of she and Scott, and Charlie caught the look he gave her. She knew what he thought.

"And it's not because Johnny got on to me, either," Charlie said, in protest. "I know that's what you all think, but it's not

that!"

Scott gave her a long glance, still cupping her chin in his hand.

"I think you should try to eat something," Scott said.

Charlie wanted to stamp her feet. Wasn't anybody at all listening to her?

Fuming, she looked up at Scott. Something she really had no choice but to do, considering the way he was holding

her chin.

Scott correctly read that frustration and fuming in her eyes and expression. All he said was, "Charlie?"

But Charlie knew what he really meant was, 'No tantrum; no arguing; eat your supper; we'll talk more later'.

Charlie nodded in response, and Scott surveyed her for a moment longer, and then released her chin.

"Something sure smells good," Scott said, smiling at Maria.

L

Charlie kept still thru supper, letting the conversations roll on around her. She ate the food on her plate, and then

spoke up quietly, "May I be excused?"

"There's blackberry pie," Teresa said.

"No, thank you," Charlie said, and looked at Scott.

"You can go," Scott said.

Charlie stood up, pushing in her chair neatly, and then went to the library to collect her school things. Then she went upstairs,

to her bedroom. She practiced her spelling words, writing them on her slate, and then worked thru her arithmetic problems. After

that, she sat in the window seat, drawing in the sketch book that Murdoch had given her.

There was a light tap on her door, and Charlie sighed. Likely Scott had come up, to talk to her about what

had happened with Johnny, and her horse. Charlie stayed slumped where she was.

"Come in," she said.

When the door opened, it was Johnny, not Scott, who stepped into the room, though. He'd loosened his shirt, letting it hang loose

from his waist.

"Hey," he said, in greeting.

Charlie hugged her sketch book to her chest, looking at him. Expecting Scott as she had been, she was more than a

bit surprised to see Johnny.

"Hi."

Johnny turned, and closed the door behind him. Then, facing Charlie again, he walked over, and sat, not beside her,

but on the edge of her bed.

"Everybody's missin' ya, downstairs," Johnny began by saying.

Charlie kept her eyes on him, but was silent.

"We've gotten used to ya bein' around, of an evening," Johnny said. "It's not the same without ya."

What he was saying got thru to Charlie. She knew that Johnny was likely feeling that he'd been too severe with her earlier. Johnny really

was a soft touch. Most of the time, anyway.

Charlie took a deep breath. "That's nice," she said.

"I don't think ya need to stay up here, sulkin', do ya?"

"I'm not sulking," Charlie said.

"No?" Johnny asked, looking doubtful.

Charlie shook her head. And then, in honesty, she said, "Well. At least I don't think so."

After a couple of moments, Charlie said, "I feel sorry for what I did to Gurth."

"I know ya do."

At that statement from Johnny, affirming his belief in her regret, Charlie went on. "He's my friend. And, I didn't treat him like

I would a friend."

"You won't do it again, so it was a good lesson," Johnny said.

"Yes," Charlie said, in agreement.

There were a few moments of silence then, but it wasn't a bad silence, Charlie didn't think. Johnny wasn't smiling, but his eyes

were. He looked like, well, like the 'Johnny' that she knew again.

Charlie laid the sketch pad to the side, and stood up. She went over slowly and stood beside the bed.

She wasn't sure what it was she wanted to say, exactly. She was saved from having to search for the correct words, when Johnny

reached out, and gave her wrist a tug, pulling her down onto his knee. He hugged her so tight that Charlie felt breathless. But, she

didn't mind. Not at all.

L