Charlie stared at Johnny, wide-eyed, and horrified. It washed over her with a suddenness that Johnny had brought her here with intent. To
show her what could happen-what could have happened to Gurth.
To her somewhat shame, Charlie's eyes filled with tears. Johnny was watching her, not looking angry, but as though studying her.
He reached out, and with a gentleness, wiped away a tear with his thumb.
"Lesson learned?" he asked, softly.
Charlie bobbed her head. "Yes, Johnny," she said, hardly above a whisper.
Johnny nodded. "Let's go to the house. You haven't lived until you've tasted Lainey's magdalenas."
Still feeling emotional, Charlie followed him as he began walking. She swiped at her cheeks as she walked.
"What are magdalenas?" Charlie asked, keeping up with him.
"You'll soon see. I promise you'll like them," he said.
Charlie didn't think she'd feel like eating anything straight away, upset as she felt about the horse. She didn't say that, though, but just followed Johnny as he
returned the medication tin to the barn, and then went on to the house.
Inside, there was the smell of cinnamon and something else, Charlie wasn't sure just what. Chocolate, perhaps.
Lainey, her round form covered by a large white apron, greeted them again with warmness. Charlie and Johnny washed up
at the pump, and then were welcomed to sit at the worn table in the kitchen. Johnny had coffee and after Lainey had set
a plate full of sweets that resembled a muffin on the table, she brought a cup of something steaming to place in front of Charlie.
"Have you had that?" she asked Charlie. "Chocolate Caliente?"
Charlie looked at Johnny, who only raised his eyebrows at her.
"No, ma'm, I don't think so," Charlie said.
"Well, you'll like it, I'm sure," Lainey said.
Lainey settled herself across from Johnny, and the two of them began a conversation, in Spanish, mainly, with lots of
laughter from them both. Charlie hadn't thought she would want to eat, but when Lainey offered her one of the prepared sweets, she
took one, and after a few bites, found that she could easily eat another. The Caliente was delicious as well. Charlie sipped and then licked
her lips over the sweetness of the drink.
The Magdalenas were like a muffin, but sweeter, with a taste of ingredients that Charlie couldn't quite recognize. But they were
wonderful. As good to eat as Maria's churros.
After she'd eaten, and was still sipping at her sweet drink, so as to make it last longer, Charlie was quiet, just listening to
the lilt of the Spanish that Johnny and Lainey were speaking together.
After a time, Johnny got to his feet, pushing in the chair he'd been sitting in. "We need to be goin'," he said. "We've got a bit of
a ride."
Lainey stood, too, as did Charlie.
"Tell Louis I'll see him next time 'round, alright?" Johnny said.
"He will be sorrowed that he missed your visit," Lainey said. Again, she put out her hand to Charlie.
"I am glad that you came to visit today. Perhaps Johnny will bring you again," she said.
Charlie looked to Johnny, and he nodded briefly, so Charlie said, "Yes, ma'm, I'd like that."
Johnny wrapped his arms around Lainey's ample waist, and kissed her forehead.
When they were on their way, after their visit, and after the horses had been refreshed with water, Charlie rode in silence
for a bit.
Finally, she braved herself to ask. "Will he be alright? The black and white horse? He'll get well, I mean?"
"He'll heal. As long as an infection doesn't set in."
"Oh," Charlie said, worriedly.
And then, for the next little bit, Charlie kept thinking of how she'd raced Gurth thru those woods-so as to get away before
the landowner, the man from church, could see she and the boys. She'd just blindly made him gallop-going in the direction that
Monte and John had told her to go. The boys could have been wrong, though-John especially-he didn't know the woods like
Monte did. Gurth could have come upon one of those traps while he was running. While he was carrying she and John to safety.
So, basically, if she could but admit to it-she'd put Gurth in great danger, just so she and John would be safe from being
caught out. The thought of that-
Charlie let Gurth fall behind Johnny's horse, so Johnny wouldn't see, and she began to cry. But silent tears. As silent as she was able.
She wept for the mother fox, mangled and bloodied to her death, and for the orphaned kits. She wept for the black and white horse
with his open, angry wound. And, she wept for Gurth. Her beautiful, noble Gurth, who would do anything that she asked of him. Even if
it was to his own bad ending.
Johnny pulled up, and waited for her to catch up with him.
He was watching her, a knowing look on his tanned face. Charlie paused Gurth beside him, hanging her head down and rubbing at
her cheek with her palm.
"Look at me, pequeno," he said, softly.
Charlie kept her eyes down, tears dripping onto the saddle horn.
"Hey," he said, when she didn't look up.
"I can't look at you," Charlie said, in a near whisper.
"How come?" he asked, gently.
"Cause-I'm so ashamed," Charlie said.
Johnny's saddle creaked as he shifted position.
"Sometimes, shame's not a bad thing," he said. "Sometimes it helps a person keep from doin' something that'll make them
feel bad about themselves."
Charlie thought that over for a few moments, and then let out a deep sigh, raising her eyes to his.
"Your heart's tender for the mama fox and the other animals," Johnny said. "But, you can't put yourself or your horse in danger
like that. Not even to spring a trap."
Charlie nodded in understanding, and Johnny said, "We better get a move on, or Scott'll have eaten all the pie before we
even get there."
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At the restaurant in town, the rest of the family had already arrived, and were seated at a table, waiting for the two of them.
Murdoch and Teresa's greetings were as usual, as was Scott's, though Charlie thought his eyes lingered over her a bit longer, as
he laid his hand on her back.
Charlie knew with certainty that Scott was aware of where she and Johnny had gone to this morning. And that he was aware of
what Johnny's lesson to her was to be about. They would have talked it over.
"Alright?" Scott asked her, quietly, Kindly.
Charlie nodded her head, and Scott took her hand under the table, and gave it a squeeze before letting it go again.
Somehow, that made Charlie want to cry again.
L
That night Scott went out somewhere, with Johnny. Charlie spent her evening with Murdoch, as Teresa was out as well, with her
beau. It was quiet without everyone, but Charlie didn't mind it too awfully much. She wouldn't, she decided, like it if every night was
this way. She would miss them all too much. But, once in a while, it was alright. Pleasant, even. To sit with Murdoch, and draw
together, and then later, once Charlie was in her nightgown, she came back downstairs and she and Murdoch drank hot milk
and he read from the big green book of animals. Sitting, snuggled against Murdoch's side in the large chair, Charlie spoke up
quietly. "Monte wasn't at school yesterday."
"Perhaps he's ill," Murdoch suggested, and took a sip of his hot milk.
"John said he went with his father somewhere."
"Hmm."
"I got worried 'bout him," Charlie confessed.
"How so?"
"Because he was gonna be in trouble at home," Charlie admitted. "And then-when he didn't come to school, well, I got worried for
him."
Understanding what she was meaning, Murdoch said, "I've known Monte's father for a long time. Many years. He's a good, fair man. I
don't think you need to worry overmuch about Monte, darling."
If Murdoch said it was so, that likely it was so, Charlie thought.
L
Since the family didn't attend church on Sunday, Charlie headed off to school Monday morning hoping to see Monte. Before she left
for school on her horse, Scott stood with her as she mounted Gurth, handing her up her lunch pail that he'd been holding.
"Home after school," he said.
"Okay," Charlie said, and felt that she and Scott had come to enough of an understanding of late that she could ask.
"Will you let me stay after school sometime again, to go fishing or play with some of the kids?" she asked.
"Sometime," Scott said, in answer, laying a hand on the back of her saddle. "If you behave yourself, and there's no more issues about
the traps."
"There won't be," Charlie said, fervently, wanting to convince him.
"Well, you'd better head off, so you're not late," Scott said, not saying any more about reinstating some of her freedoms.
After they'd said goodbye, and Charlie was riding towards town, she let out a sigh. It didn't seem as though she would be
going fishing or anything else much for a while.
Monte was at school, to Charlie's gladness and relief. He and John came hustling in, nearly tardy, and Charlie was glad
to see him grin at her in greeting.
At recess they had a chance to huddle together and talk.
"I was worried 'bout you," Charlie said. "John said you went somewhere with your father on Friday."
"Yeah. We went to look at some horses that Pa's thinkin' to buy."
"Oh," Charlie said, surprised. "Was he real mad at you? About what Scott told him?"
"Yeah. He was plenty steamed about it."
"I thought he might hurt you-" Charlie said.
Now, Monte looked surprised. "Naw. I mean-he thrashed me, alright, but he wasn't mean 'bout it, or nothin'. Just don't want me goin'
over there to set off the traps, anymore."
"Okay," Charlie said, relieved. "Maybe the babies will be able to look after themselves by now-"
"They're way too young for that," Monte said.
Charlie felt suddenly suspicious. "You're not gonna go there, are you?"
"I didn't say I was gonna," Monte said. "I gotta figure somethin' out, though, about feedin' them."
Still suspicious, Charlie said, "What about your Pa? Will he help you move them?"
Monte gave a hoot. "Just cause he weren't mean bout it all, don't mean he'd do that. He don't feel for wild things like that."
"Oh," Charlie said. "Well-maybe Johnny will help."
Instantly, Monte gave her an interested look. "Yeah? You think?" he asked, sounding happy.
"Well, I don't know for sure," Charlie said.
"That would be the best, Charlie!" Monte said, his face lit up. "He could go up to the house, and tell the old coot what
he's doin', and then-"
"Wait-I'm not sure that he will-" she hastened to say.
"But, you're gonna ask him, right?" Monte pleaded.
"Yes. I'll ask him," Charlie said, in promise. Afterwards, she wasn't sure she should have promised or mentioned it at all. Johnny
might take the outlook that neither she nor Monte should be indulged in this matter. Still-Johnny did love animals-
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