Charlie and Murdoch's time together was interrupted by neighbors who came to pay a visit. Charlie took herself outside and went to the creek

with the dogs. She was throwing rocks into the water, and picking wildflowers, when she heard whistling. It was the whistle that Scott reserved when

he was greeting Charlie from a ways away, or when he was searching for her, whether in the house or outside.

Charlie scrambled up the creek bank with her armload of flowers. "I'm here!" she called out to him.

Scott walked to join her, reaching down to pet one of the dogs who ran to greet him.

"Here you are," he said.

"I told Teresa I was coming down-" Charlie began.

"She told me. It's alright," Scott said.

Charlie held up her bounty of flowers. "Look!" she told him, joyfully.

"They're real pretty," he said.

"There must be every color in the rainbow mixed in," Charlie said, in awe.

"There must be," Scott said, in agreement, reaching out to touch the flowers.

"I thought we could put them on the dining table, or maybe the kitchen table," Charlie said.

"You could split them. Put half on each," Scott suggested.

Charlie gave him one of her dimpled grins. "That's a good idea."

Scott put a hand on the back of her neck. "I have something to tell you about."

"What?" Charlie asked, instantly curious.

"I had a meeting Friday in Stockton. With Beets and the bank board."

Still curious, but also a bit frightened of bad news, Charlie sucked in a hard breath. "Is it bad?" she asked.

"No, kiddo. It's not bad," he said. "They've been considering a lot in the last few months-working things out, and they've decided that there's no valid reasons to keep

me from adopting you."

For the longest moments, Charlie was still, looking up at him with wide brown eyes. She could hear her heart pounding.

"For true?" she asked, barely above a whisper.

Scott smiled. "For true," he affirmed.

"When?" Charlie asked.

"Well, it'll be a week or two yet. Beets will know more when he comes this weekend to visit."

"A week," Charlie repeated, hardly daring to hope.

"A week or two. The bank's lawyers will write up some paperwork. Let's head back to the house. It'll be supper time soon, and you need to get washed up."

Charlie held his hand with one of hers, the bundle of flowers tucked tight in the other arm.

"What happens at an adoption?" Charlie asked, as they walked. "What do I do?"

"You don't have to do anything, really," Scott said, looking down at Charlie. "Wear a pretty dress, maybe. I know that's not your favorite thing

to do."

"I'll wear any dress you say," Charlie assured him. "Fancy, even!"

Scott squeezed her hand and smiled at her promise. "I'll sign some papers, and if any of the board members are there, they might want to

say something to you, and then-we'll go out to eat to celebrate, or come home and have a nice meal with the family."

"And-after that, then I'm Charlotte Lancer?" Charlie asked him, breathlessly, pausing in her walking.

Scott put a hand to the side of Charlie's face. Gently. He nodded in answer. "Sound alright?" he asked, lightly.

"It sounds the best," Charlie said, fervently.

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That evening after supper, curled up next to Johnny on the sofa, as the family sat about the library, cozy in their togetherness, they

talked about the adoption.

"We can have a nice party here, afterwards," Teresa suggested. "You could invite some of your friends, Charlie. Would you like that?"

"I'd like that," Charlie said. "If it was Jason and Rebecca." After a moment, she tacked on, "And maybe Monte."

"Whoever you'd like," Teresa said. "What do you think, Murdoch?"

"If that's what Charlie wants," Murdoch said, looking at Charlie fondly. "We can have a fine party."

"Maybe you can put some thought into what you might like as a present," Johnny told her, and Charlie turned to look up at him.

"I get a present?" she asked, in wonder.

"It might be so," Johnny said, with a grin.

Charlie looked at Scott. "Did you hear that, Scott?" she asked, with joy.

"I heard," Scott said.

Charlie felt so very full then. Of warm feelings. Of happiness. Of wonder.

Charlotte Lancer.

L

At school the next day, Charlie was so excited that she told Rebecca at recess about the upcoming adoption.

Rebecca, in true friend form, was full of happiness for Charlie. She squeezed Charlie's hand, and they talked about what it would be

like, once it was all final.

"You'll never have to worry again," Rebecca said. "About going anywhere else to live-this will be your real, true home. For always."

Charlie sighed. "I think it will feel like one of the best things in the world."

"What will you call him, then?" Rebecca asked.

"Scott, you mean?" Charlie asked, and Rebecca nodded.

"I don't know," Charlie said, in honesty. "I'll have to think about it. And talk to Scott."

"Probably he'll want you to call him Pa," Rebecca said.

"He's really too young to be my father," Charlie said.

"But-that's what he'll be," Rebecca said.

Charlie nodded. "I'll have to think about it," she said, again.

"I'll tell my Ma about your party," Rebecca said, with excitement. "Maybe she'll let me wear my Sunday best dress."

L

School let out an hour early that day. Nearly all the children has done well on the spelling test that morning, and the teacher decided

they deserved a reward. Once the doors opened, and freedom beckoned, the children scattered with glee.

Monte, as was usual, fell into step beside Charlie, as she walked towards the stables to retrieve Gurth.

"Wanna give me a ride?" Monte asked.

"Where to?"

"The usual," Monte said, as they walked into the stable. Old Tom, the man who worked part time at the stables, was surprised

to see Charlie an hour early. He saddled Gurth, and Charlie led the horse back out, into the sunshine.

Picking up the conversation where they'd stopped at, where other ears couldn't hear, Charlie said, "Why are you going back

there? He nearly caught us on Saturday."

"Aw, that wasn't even near close," Monte scoffed.

"You said it was. On Saturday, you said, 'that was a close one'," Charlie reminded him.

"I was just joshin'," Monte said.

"Well, it was too close for me," Charlie said.

"He ain't gonna be 'round today," Monte said. "I know it for a fact."

"How do you know that?"

"Cause he was talkin' to my pa at church yesterday," Monte said, as they reached the edge of town. "Told him he was goin' to Stockton

today for an overnight."

Charlie mounted Gurth, and then looked down at Monte, who was grinning mischievously up at her.

"How 'bout that ride?" he asked Charlie. "It'd save me some time."

Charlie gave a nod, and Monte hoisted himself up and onto the horse behind Charlie.

At the stopping point, Charlie pulled Gurth to a half, and Monte slid down.

"Comin'?" he asked.

"I told you I wasn't."

"Yeah. But, I thought ya might want to. See the baby foxes again," Monte said.

"I'd like to do that," Charlie said, in honesty. "But-I don't think I ought to go along any more. I'd be in real trouble if I got found out."

"Nobody's gonna find out." He looked up at Charlie with a challenge. "I'll do the traps after you're gone. Ya can see the baby foxes and then

ya can go."

In further temptation, Monte offered, "Ya got a free hour to spare."

"Okay," Charlie said, making up her mind. She slid down, and tied Gurth to a tree branch. Monte began to walk around so as to go the

way without crossing a fence.

"Go the shorter way," Charlie told him.

"Ya, but you said ya didn't wanna cross any fences," Monte said. "Said Johnny told ya not to."

"I'm already disobeying," Charlie said. "Not crossing fences doesn't make it so."

Monte made certain the mother fox wasn't nearby, and then led the way to the kit of baby foxes. They were all three still there, and

Monte said they looked fat and sassy.

When they'd looked their fill, Monte began to lead Charlie back out again. There was a moment when Monte paused so suddenly that

Charlie nearly walked into the back of him.

"What is it?" she asked Monte.

"Stay here," Monte told her.

"Where are you going?"

"There's somethin' in one of the traps," Monte said, and Charlie reached out to catch his sleeve.

"Don't leave me, I don't know my way out without walking into one of those traps," Charlie protested.

"I'll come back for ya-"

"No. I'll go with you," Charlie said.

"You don't wanna see it-if there's an animal caught," Monte said. "It's not anything a girl should see."

"Shut up about me being a girl," Charlie said. "Just let's go."

So they made their way thru the brush to come upon one of the traps. There was a flash of red before Charlie's eyes, and

she heard Monte say, "Oh, no," in a regretful way.

"What is it?" she asked, pushing her way to Monte's side.

"The mama fox," Monte said, and pressed his way forward.

Charlie's heart plummeted. "Please, no."

Monte knelt beside the trap, and began to work to loosen the catch. Charlie walked up more slowly, and pressed her hand to her

mouth in horror. She'd never seen a dead animal at all. And never-nothing-could have prepared her to see this. An animal caught

in a trap.

"Is she dead?" she said, in a whisper.

"Yeah," Monte said.

Charlie stepped closer, and sank to her knees beside Monte. His hands were covered in blood, and the limp body of the mother fox

lay at a twisted angle.

She saw to her shock that there were tears on Monte's face. He didn't stop to brush them away, though. He kept on with his task.

"Can't loosen the bloody thing," Monte mumbled.

"What can I do?"

"Stay back," Monte said, and sniffed.

"Let me help, Monte," Charlie said, low. Stubbornly.

Monte looked up and took in her face, and then said, "Okay. You gotta push the springs on the side-see?"

Charlie thought to say she could see nothing but the mangled body of the fox, but set her jaw, and pressed her lips together.

Between the two of them, they managed to gain leverage, and Monte said, "I got it now. Can you pull her out?"

Everything inside Charlie screamed that she could not. She could not touch that bloody, lifeless body.

"You do it," she said. "I'll hold the springs-"

"Naw. You ain't strong enough to hold 'em on your own," Monte said. "I don't want ya gettin' your fingers or hand caught. When I say, then

you pull her out."

"Okay," Charlie said, in acceptance.

"Ready?"

She nodded, and Monte settled his hands, and said, in a labored voice, "Now."

Charlie took the part of the fox that was easiest to get hold of, which happened to be her feet. She paused, not wanting to pull her

that way, by the feet, but Monte said, "She don't know now. Just do it."

So Charlie tugged, and the body of the animal came to her, landing in her lap.

The teeth of the trap snapped shut with a clapping sound. Monte reached out to take the fox from Charlie's lap, holding it close to his

chest. He stood up, and looked at Charlie, as she stood up, too.

"I'm gonna bury her, so she don't get ate by other animals," Monte said.

Charlie nodded. "I'll help you."

They went to the edge of the trees, where Gurth was tied, and then they walked some more, until they came to an open area.

Here they worked together, using rocks to dig a hole to put the mother fox into. After she'd been laid in the hole, they filled it in, and

piled rocks onto the top.

"She won't get dug up now," Monte said, as they stood there, beside the little burial site.

"Let's go," Monte said, and they walked more, until they were on the road leading to town.

"You okay?" he asked Charlie.

Charlie shrugged. "I guess," she said, but she knew it wasn't true. "Are you?"

Monte nodded. "Yeah."

And, Charlie knew that that wasn't true, either.

"Your dress is bad off," Monte said.

Charlie took in her appearance. Her school dress-one of her betters-was dirty and covered with blots of blood.

"Darn," she muttered. "This is gonna be heck to explain away."

"Sorry I drug ya in," Monte said.

"I made up my own mind," Charlie said, letting him off the hook. "I'm sorry about the mother fox."

"Yeah. Me, too," Monte said, with regret. He eyed Charlie with a wary eye. "You won't tell anybody, will ya? About how I almost cried?"

"I never would," Charlie said.

Monte nodded, believing her, and said, "I gotta go home and fetch some things. I'll have to get some food for the babies."

For the first time, Charlie realized that she hadn't thought of the baby foxes, left without a mother to feed them and provide for them.

"What will they eat?" she asked.

"They'd eat meat, like a rabbit, but they'll eat vegetables and fruit, too. I'll have to feed 'em regular, until they can take care of themselves."

"I can get some fruit for them to give you," Charlie said, and Monte nodded.

"I gotta go," he said, and studied Charlie. "If ya get caught, or somebody sees your clothes, then I guess you'll have to tell. I won't be

mad at ya if you have to."

Charlie swallowed painfully. "I'll try not to," she promised.

Monte nodded. "Even if ya have to, and my pa whales the tar out of me, I'm still gonna go spring those traps."

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