When the school day was over, Monte walked with Charlie to the livery to collect Gurth. He was quieter than was usual, and so Charlie was

quieter, too. She couldn't help but feel badly for Monte.

As Charlie led the saddled Gurth out of the livery, she said, "Will you go home now?"

"Not just yet. I've gotta catch somethin' for the babies to eat," Monte said.

Charlie stopped abruptly, staring at Monte. "You're going there? Today?" she asked, shocked.

"The kits have to eat," Monte said.

"But, you can't!" Charlie said, truly aghast.

"I gotta."

"But then when you go home-"

"Then I gotta face my Pa."

Suddenly, Charlie remembered what Monte had said the afternoon before. About how even if his father whaled the tar out of him. that

he would keep going to spring the traps.

Charlie felt near tears, and said, "You can't keep going there, Monte. Please."

Monte looked at her, puzzled. "What's the matter, Charlie? I been goin' there a long while."

"But-" Charlie hesitated, realizing that now that she'd had some time to think, now that she'd seen how worried Scott had been, now that

she'd felt his wrath, she understood. "You could lose your toes. Or your whole foot. You'd have to spend your life like that! Not being able to

run or-or anything!"

"I take care what I'm doin'," Monte said. "Ya seen that. I don't go around there all willy-nilly. I know where each and every trap is

at."

"What about when the old codger moves them and puts them in new places?" Charlie demanded.

"I won't go so often, likely," Monte conceded. "I mean-I'll try to feed 'em up, so I only go every few days or so."

"What difference will that make?!"

"Ya don't gotta worry about me," he insisted.

"You're being hard-headed," Charlie said, and started walking, leading Gurth by the reins. Monte kept up with her face pace with ease.

"I can't let the babies starve," Monte said.

Charlie stubbornly remained silent, staring straight ahead as she walked.

"Don't be mad with me, Charlie. Please."

At the heart-felt plea of those words, Charlie stopped, and turned to face him. Monte looked regretful, hopeful, and Charlie sighed.

"I won't be mad," she said, with a sigh.

At Monte's look of glee, Charlie went on. "But-you have to do something."

"What?"

"You have to not go there today. You said you fed them frogs this morning-they'll be alright for today."

"They gotta eat every day, though-"

"I have an idea, though-will you just wait until tomorrow, please?"

"Tomorrow mornin'? I guess-" Monte said.

"No, not in the morning. That's too soon. Wait until the afternoon."

"How come? What are you talkin' about?"

"I have an idea," Charlie said, again.

"An idea about what?" Monte demanded.

"Just an idea. I'll tell you about it tomorrow. If it works out."

"You're actin' loco," Monte accused.

"Yes. I know. Just promise me that you won't go today."

Monte agreed, looking puzzled and reluctant, and then, at the edge of town, they parted ways. Charlie, mounted on Gurth to head

home to the ranch, and Monte, his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched with dread, heading towards his own house.

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Charlie rode home, plans rolling over in her mind. Once at home, she turned Gurth out to pasture, and went to change her clothes.

Then, in her overalls, she took the cookies that Maria handed her on her way out the back door, and went to do her chores. Feeding the dogs

and the barn cats, and then she went to sit in the barn loft, looking out over the pastures, watching for Johnny.

Scott came first, though, riding with a few of the ranch hands. One of them, Piney, who was one that Charlie was most fond of,

saw her sitting there, with her legs dangling out of the loft opening.

"Hellooooo there, Charlie," he called out.

Charlie waved down to him. "Hi, Piney!" she called.

"My Belinda-she will be visiting soon. Will you meet her?"

Belinda. That was Piney's niece. She was a year younger than Charlie, and lived quite a distance away.

"I will, yes!" Charlie called.

Charlie went down the ladder and walked towards Scott, who was unsaddling his horse.

For some reason she didn't quite understand, she felt shy. Not awkward, exactly, since she and Scott had talked easily enough

that morning on the ride to town. But, that had been about simple things. Trees and flowers-

Now, Charlie wondered if he would greet her as he usually did, as though he was truly glad to see her, or if he would be stiff, and

stern. He'd been so kind last night, so gentle, and it had felt so normal and so very right, to go to him for comfort. But still-he'd been so angry yesterday afternoon-the thought of it made Charlie slow her steps. She was contemplating not going over to talk to him now after all. She stopped and stood still. Scott had

his back to her. Maybe he hadn't noticed that she'd come down from the loft-

Before she could decide for certain, Scott turned halfway and said, "Hello, kiddo."

"Hello," Charlie said, and walked the rest of the way over to where he stood, brushing down his horse.

Charlie was still, watching him, and Scott said, "Piney's happy about his niece coming to visit."

"Yes." Charlie thought for a moment and then felt a little jolt of worry, still a bit unsure of Scott yet. "Is it okay that I told Piney I'll visit with Belinda?"

"Yes. It's fine. It's always good to meet a new friend," he said.

Feeling relieved, Charlie said, "I hope Belinda and I get along."

"I'm sure you'll get along fine," he said.

Charlie stood quiet, watching Scott's caring for Barney.

"Did you sleep well the rest of the night, after your bad dream?" he asked, as he tended to the horse.

"Uh huh."

"Good. I'm glad."

Charlie went to pet Barney's nose. She studied Scott covertly, nibbling at her lower lip.

"Did you talk to Monte's father?" she asked.

Scott's eyes lit upon her face. "Yes. I did."

"Oh," Charlie said, in a small voice.

She looked away from him, feeling embarrassed and her face getting hot.

"It was the right thing to do, Charlie," Scott said, quietly. "I don't want Monte to keep going there and possibly get injured."

Charlie thought of Monte's bravado, saying that he was going to keep going to spring the traps, no matter what his father said, or did.

"He might still go," she said, without thinking it out first, and then, when Scott's eyebrow rose in question and he looked surprised, Charlie

wished that she'd held her tongue.

"What's that?" Scott asked.

Charlie focused on petting Barney's velvety nose. She shook her head. "Nothing," she mumbled.

"Charlie. Look at me," Scott ordered.

Reluctantly, Charlie lifted her eyes to his face.

"Is Monte saying that he's going to continue on?" Scott asked, an edge to his tone.

Caught between the urge to lie or the results if she told the truth, Charlie worried at her lower lip, and, to avoid either of those,

said, instead, "He's worried an awful lot. About the baby foxes," in a small voice.

Scott looked stunned for a moment, and then he said, "We'll see how he's thinking after his father's finished with him."

Charlie winced. It was like Scott wasn't really Scott. He was harsh, and he sounded glad that Monte was getting punished.

She felt her ire rise, and the need to defend Monte. "Monte's kind-he cares about animals, and he just doesn't want the baby

foxes to starve, that's all!"

Her voice had risen, as well as her ire, and Scott lifted an eyebrow again, and eyed her with a mixture of surprise, and

sternness.

"That's fine, that he cares for animals," Scott said. "But, in this particular situation, that isn't the point at all, Charlie."

Charlie remembered how worried she'd been just a bit earlier, when Monte had talked about going to feed the babies, and how she had

pleaded with him not to go. Before she could say anything else, though, Scott said, "Do you and I need to have another discussion

about the dangers of trap tripping?"

Charlie stared at him in sudden horror. Was he suggesting...

"No, Scott!" she said, earnestly.

Scott was eyeing her, looking stern, almost as though he wasn't certain at her word, and Charlie felt her throat tighten.

"I'm not-" she said. "I mean-I wouldn't. I'm not going there again."

After another long moment, Scott said, "Alright," and went back to brushing Barney.

Charlie felt as though she wanted to cry. She was sorry she'd come over to talk to him at all...

"Folks trap for a number of reasons," Scott talked on, as though he hadn't just given her reason for her knees to quake. "It seems cruel to

you, I know, but some people need the money it brings by selling the pelts."

Charlie didn't think that the fat old coot was so poor that he needed pelt money, but she didn't say so.

"Sometimes the animals bother the stock, become a nuisance," he went on.

"How was the mother fox a nuisance?" Charlie said, and felt fat tears drop off her chin.

Scott looked at her and sighed. "Ah, kiddo," he said, sounding regretful. He reached out and ran his thumb over her

cheek. "She could have been killing chickens. I know it's hard to understand."

Charlie was grateful for that kind touch, still wishing that things weren't so awkward feeling with Scott.

"Let's talk about it later, alright?" he said, and Charlie nodded, feeling relieved.

"We'll read tonight," he said, and Charlie nodded again. No matter that she was feeling badly about Monte, or for the dead mother fox, or

that she worried if she and Scott would be easy together again sometime. She wanted to hear him reading, because somehow when

he read to her, it seemed as though all was well.

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