Lunch was tasty, but Charlie wasn't as hungry as her usual appetite warranted. She ate her ham and her roll, but pushed
the vegetables around on her plate.
The others at the table were finishing their meal, and preparing to rise from their chairs, while Charlie was doing that pushing of her
peas.
Murdoch was offering to walk out with Katherine, showing her the area around the hacienda.
Katherine was being polite enough about accepting the offer, even though Charlie knew she hated having to walk far.
"That was a good meal, sweetheart," Murdoch said to Teresa. "Thank you."
"Yes, it was very nice," Katherine said.
"You're welcome," Teresa said.
Murdoch paused behind Charlie's chair. "Finish your meal, and then you can join us," he said.
"I'm finished now," Charlie said. Walking out with Katherine wouldn't be so bad if Murdoch was along, and it was preferable to eating
the rest of the unappealing peas. Her very least favorite vegetable.
"Finish those first," Scott said.
Charlie looked up at him, giving him a pleading look. "They're all squashed," she said, low, so that Katherine wouldn't hear, as she walked
from the dining room with Murdoch.
"I believe you're the one that did the squashing," Scott told her. He reached out and began to gather up plates, along with Teresa.
"Can't I just be finished?" Charlie asked.
Scott was surprised by that. It was obvious. In a matter of seconds, though, his surprised expression shifted to stern.
He handed the plates in his hand off to Teresa, who gave Charlie a shocked look and left the dining room.
"No, you can't," he said. "Finish your vegetables."
Charlie turned her eyes from him, and back to her plate, where the peas were waiting. She heaved a huge sigh. She jabbed at
the peas with her fork, and then sighed again. Heavily.
Before she could move her fork or do anything at all, really, Scott had pulled out the chair next to Charlie, seated himself, and
twisted her chair sharply so that she was facing him. It happened so quickly that Charlie was a little breathless, and when
she took in his demeanor, she felt like a turtle, wanting to withdraw.
"What's this about?" Scott asked, not unkindly, but not gently, either.
Charlie hesitated, and Scott pressed her. "Is it about not wanting vegetables, or is it about Katherine? Or, is it just about you wanting
to dig your heels in about something?"
His tone was quiet, though they'd both heard the front door open and then close behind Katherine and Murdoch.
Charlie looked at him tremulously, and then said, in honesty, "I don't know."
"Hmm," he said. "Well, ordinarily, I wouldn't accept that for an answer. But, today, right now, I will. Go and scrape your plate, and
then go along with them on their walk. Katherine will be leaving soon to go back to town."
"I don't have to finish eating?" Charlie asked, surprised, and sure that she'd misunderstood him.
"No." Scott surveyed her, as though he was going to say more, but then said, only, "Go on."
Charlie gave him still a puzzled look, and then stood up, taking her plate and going to the kitchen.
L
Charlie found Murdoch and Katherine, walking in the garden.
"I'm sure you know the value of a good education," Katherine was saying.
"I do, indeed," Murdoch answered.
"And Scott? He was well educated, I understand? In the East?"
"That's right," Murdoch said. "He was. He lived with his grandfather during his early life."
"If he'd lived here with you during those years, would he have attended the local school here?" Katherine asked.
Charlie felt as though she knew exactly what point Katherine was trying to make, about the school and the lack of quality
education it could provide. Charlie's temper rose.
Why couldn't Katherine leave well enough alone? Why was she so persistent in sticking her nose in where it did not belong? She-
"Here's our girl," Murdoch was saying, looking at Charlie with obvious fondness, and not answering Katherine's question.
Charlie walked the rest of the steps over to Murdoch's side. She felt so ruffled and cross that her face felt flamed.
"Yes, Murdoch. Your girl," Charlie said, the last two words said pointedly. There was no our girl to it at all.
Murdoch was astute. He immediately caught Charlie's meaning, and, though he raised a warning brow at her, he only said,
"Yes. Definitely my girl."
Katherine was astute as well. She gave Charlie a knowing glance, and Charlie turned away, looking towards the pastures, where
the horses were grazing.
"Perhaps you could show your aunt your horse," Murdoch suggested into the stilted silence.
"Katherine doesn't like animals," Charlie said, very definitely.
Murdoch's other brow went up at that, as Katherine said, "I don't dislike animals, Charlotte. I haven't had much need to be around them,
truthfully."
Charlie felt like scoffing at that. "Remember that old dog that came around your house in Stockton? You said we weren't allowed to
feed it any scraps or anything at all-"
"My goodness, your memory is over-long," Katherine said, with one of her tinkling, fake laughs that Charlie disliked so very much.
"I remember a lot of things," Charlie said, and would have begun to share some of those not so good things, but for the fact that she saw Murdoch's
face. He looked serious, not angry, but disappointed. As though he were let down. Charlie felt that look of Murdoch's piercing her, as painful as if she'd
stepped on a cactus. Only this pain was on the inside. It made her want to cry, that look on Murdoch's face.
Charlie felt her face flame hotter. She cast another look up at Murdoch's large frame. She wished she could take back the last words.
"I'll get my horse," she said, swiftly, and went off on a run.
She got her halter from the barn, and squeezed between the panels of the gate to go out into the pasture. She whistled to Gurth, who
came agreeably. Charlie slipped on the halter, and led Gurth towards the corral, as Murdoch and Katherine walked from the other direction.
Standing with the fence between them, Charlie laid a hand on Gurth's neck, patting him.
"This is Gurth," she said, introducing the horse. And then, she felt foolish. Katherine would laugh at that. Either outwardly, or certainly
inwardly.
To her shock, Katherine said, "I don't know much about horses, but he is beautiful."
Shocked, and yet heartened, Charlie said, "You can pet him if you want. He's friendly."
"Well," Katherine said, and reaching out one tentative finger, she touched Gurth's nose.
Charlie swept her eyes up to Murdoch's. Murdoch gave Charlie a nod. One of approval, she thought. She much preferred it over
his just-previous expression.
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