Charlie hustled outside, and over to the corral, where Jelly was at, and was brushing Gurth down. He'd already taken off the saddle, and it

was resting over the top railing of the corral, waiting to be put away.

"I'll do it, Jelly," she said, sort of breathless, and Jelly gave her a squint-eyed look.

"Told ya I'd do it for you, didn't I?"

"Yes. You did, but-I need to do it. Please?" Charlie said, and held out her hand for the brush he held.

Jelly handed off the brush to her, and still stood there, looking puzzled.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked.

"I shouldn't have asked you to do it for me," Charlie told him, and had to blink back tears. "It's my responsibility."

Jelly looked at her, and then towards the hacienda, putting two-and-two together.

"Johnny give you what-for?" he asked, then.

Charlie turned to concentrate on the brushing of her horse, not wanting the old man to see her watery eyes. She shrugged to deter him

from asking any more.

Jelly cleared his throat a couple of times, and then ambled off. Charlie wasn't looking at him, but she knew he'd gone, because there was

stillness around her now. Other than the whinnying of the other horses, calling to Gurth.

Charlie did an extra special brushing of her horse, and then spent some more time rubbing his legs, and petting him, before she

led him over to the water trough, and then to the pasture gates.

She took off the halter, and gave Gurth a final stroke of his soft nose. "Sorry, boy," she said, softly, to his ear. "I wasn't treating you

right."

After she'd turned the horse out, and Gurth had galloped off to greet his friends, Charlie shut the gate carefully, and then went to

put her tack away. Then, when she could avoid it no longer, she went back to the house, going in the front door instead of the back, hoping

to avoid Johnny in case he was still visiting with Teresa there.

She slipped up to her bedroom, where she shut the door, and began to take off her boots, and stockings.

Scott had said for her to take a bath. Charlie laid down on her bed, on her stomach, dirty overalls and all, feeling as though she

still wanted to cry. She knew she should not have left Gurth to Jelly's care, without having a good reason for it. She'd been wrong,

and thoughtless, too. But it hurt so, for Johnny to have spoken like he had to her. She felt it to her very inside. Charlie was still laying there,

with her face turned so she could look out the window at the sky, when there was tapping on her door.

"Charlie?"

"Yes."

Teresa opened the door, and said, "Here you are. Aren't you supposed to be having a bath?"

"I guess so."

Charlie was still staring up and out the window top, and Teresa came on into the room, sitting down on the edge of the

bed. "You're going to lunch with Scott and his grandfather. You need to get cleaned up, and into a dress."

Charlie was still, and Teresa laid a hand on Charlie's leg. "You're getting fish smell all over your quilt," she said.

Charlie sighed, sadly, and Teresa said, in understanding, "I know you feel bad. Johnny's that way about horses. You know that."

"I know," Charlie said, rolling over onto her back, and looking up at Teresa.

"Just remember-that the majority of the time how Johnny is with you. He's kind to you, and he's there to listen."

"That's why it hurts so much," Charlie said, tears filling her eyes. "He's so good to me-and he's nice, and he's fun-and then when

he does what he did, it hurts, Teresa!"

"I know it does," Teresa said, with sympathy. "You and Johnny will work it out, and things will be alright again."

Teresa patted Charlie's leg again, and then lifted her hand. "But it's not going to help to not do what you were told to do by Scott. Now

your bath water is ready. Go and bathe. You'll feel better."

After Teresa had left the room, Charlie roused herself off of the bed, and went to the washroom, where the warm bath was waiting.

She shed the fishy smelling clothes, and climbed into the bathtub, sinking down into the sweet smelling water. Charlie scrubbed her body,

and even worked the dirt from under her fingernails. She shampooed her hair, and dunked her head, and sat up, water streaming

down around her.

When she climbed out of the tub, and dried off, she wrapped a large towel around herself, realizing that she hadn't brought

her clean clothes to the washroom with her.

She scampered down the hall, wrapped in the towel, just to nearly bump into Scott, coming out of his own bedroom. He was wearing one

of his dress shirts, and they nearly collided.

"Whoa, there," Scott said, as Charlie paused, looking up at him. She wondered and worried that Johnny had told Scott about

her earlier not care of Gurth, and putting off her own onto Jelly.

Scott didn't look as though he was vexed, though. He smiled at her.

"We'll leave as soon as you're dressed, alright?"

Charlie nodded in response, and hurried to her room.

Charlie dressed quickly in her underthings, and her stockings and petticoat, and a pale blue dress with a bit too much ruffle on it to suit her. She pulled on her

church shoes, and then worked at brushing out her auburn curls. She finished by tying a blue ribbon in her hair, and then went downstairs.

Scott and his grandfather were waiting at the bottom of the staircase, along with Murdoch. All three of the men looked and watched her

as she came down the stairs.

"You look lovely," Murdoch told her, and Charlie gave him a grateful smile. Dear Murdoch.

"Thank you."

"You do, indeed," Harlan added, while Scott gave her a pleased smile.

"Thank you," Charlie said, again.

"Blue is a very good color on you," Harlan said.

"Blue is your favorite color, isn't it, Pa?" Charlie said, smiling back at Scott.

"It is," Scott said.

Charlie looked at Harlan, and was about to ask him what his favorite color was, when she went silent, as she saw the startled

expression on Harlan's face. Startled, yes, for certain. Charlie realized it was likely because she'd called Scott Pa the way that she had.

She didn't make a practice out of constantly calling Scott that, but sometimes she said it, and it was then that it came out in a natural way.

So, she didn't ask the question about color of Harlan, and the three of them left shortly after. As Murdoch stood at the door to see them

off, Charlie looked back at him, and gave a wave, wishing that Murdoch was coming along with them.

During the buggy ride to town, Scott and Harlan talked together, while Charlie, sitting in between them, listened.

There was a bit of reminiscing, about shared times in Boston. Charlie found that talk interesting, since it concerned Scott's

younger life.

"Has Scotty talked to you about his young days in Boston?" Harlan asked Charlie.

Charlie swept her eyes up to Scott. "He has, a bit," she said. "I like hearing things about when he was little."

That seemed the right thing to say to Harlan, as he launched into fond memories of Scott as a young boy. That took much of the

ride to town, where Scott pulled the buggy to a stop in front of the restaurant.

"This is the only restaurant in town?" Harlan was asking, as they got out of the buggy.

Scott was holding out his hand to Charlie, to assist her to the ground.

"They serve certain things at the saloon, but this is the only restaurant that serves full meals besides the hotel cafe," Scott answered.

As they proceeded to go inside the restaurant, Scott added, "The food here is good. Isn't it, Charlie?"

Charlie nodded and said to Harlan, "Especially the pie. They have the best pies here."

For the first time since he'd arrived at Lancer, Harlan looked as though he was close to smiling. "Well, that's fine, then. I enjoy a good piece

of pie now and then."

"More often than now and then," Scott said, with a glance at his grandfather, and then a smile.

"Now, Scotty," Harlan said, with a full smile now. "I admit I do have a bit of a sweet tooth-but you'll be having Charlotte thinking

that I condone meals with only desserts."

The moment or so of loving camaraderie between the two men made Charlie feel glad inside. She wasn't sure just why, but it did. Well, it

seemed to make Scott happy, so she supposed that was why.

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They had a fine meal at the restaurant, consisting of steaks, and baked potato, with asparagus. There were fluffy rolls, too.

Charlie drank milk while Scott and Harlan had coffee. Charlie had never had asparagus before, and she was a bit disappointed that

that was the vegetable of the day, instead of corn or green beans. Or carrots or even peas. Charlie was not very fond of peas, either, but

she thought she would prefer those to these long green things. Asparagus.

Because they were out this way, though, for a pleasant meal, and because she didn't want Scott to have reason to be ashamed of her,

Charlie decided to eat the asparagus. Without complaint. She would, she told herself, choke it down somehow...

For the first bite of it, she mixed it with a forkful of baked potato and butter-thinking it might help to mask the taste if it was awful.

To her surprise, it wasn't awful. Tentatively, Charlie took another bite of just asparagus by itself. It had a somewhat unusual taste,

Charlie thought, but it was good.

She ate all her food, and then when the waitress came to offer dessert, she listened to the list of pies that were available.

Lemon. Pecan. Apple. Cherry.

After some talking, Charlie decided on cherry, while Scott had lemon, and Harlan pecan.

When the pie was brought to the table, the coffee was refilled, and Charlie began to eat her pie with relish.

"Good?" Scott asked her, and Charlie nodded her head in answer.

"It's been years since I've had pecan pie this tasty," Harlan remarked. Charlie was glad that Harlan said that, and that he didn't

criticize the small town restaurant or compare it to Boston eating places.

After dessert was finished, they lingered at the table a bit longer, while Harlan smoked a pipe. Charlie had never seen anyone smoke a

pipe before, and she watched, finding it interesting.

When they left the restaurant, Harlan paused on the sidewalk, looking at Charlie.

"Should we go to the mercantile?" he asked her. "Perhaps there's something you want there?"

A gift? Before Charlie could respond, Scott spoke up. "That's not necessary."

"I'd like to buy Charlotte a gift of some kind," Harlan said, with insistence. "There's no harm in it, Scotty."

It made Charlie smile when Harlan called Scott Scotty the way that he did. She watched the interaction between the two men

with interest.

Scott gave a brief nod. "Alright," he said, in acceptance.

"Shall we go?" Harlan asked Charlie, and offered her his arm as though she was a grown up lady.

Charlie kept herself from giggling, and instead took the offered arm, and said, "Yes."

They walked to the mercantile, where Harlan looked about.

"Not a large store, but I suppose it's sufficient for folks around here," Harlan said.

Charlie walked with him as Harlan went about the store. "What interests you, Charlotte?" he asked. "There's a pretty doll."

Harlan picked up the china doll with velvet dress.

Charlie hesitated. "She's pretty," she said. She looked at Scott for help, and he gave a brief nod, indicating that Charlie should

speak up.

"I don't really care for dolls," Charlie said, in honesty. "She is pretty, though."

"Don't care for dolls, hmm?" Harlan asked, setting the doll back on the shelf. "Well, I thought all young girls did. I guess I must

not be very educated yet in the way of things. What do you like?"

"I like books," Charlie said, and thought she detected a glimmer of approval in Harlan's eyes.

"Do you?" he asked, sounding pleased.

"Yes, sir."

"Well-look over the books, then, and pick out a few," Harlan said.

"A few?" Charlie asked, her eyes wide.

"One or two," Scott said.

So Charlie went to the shelf of available books. There was Rose in Bloom, and Charlie plucked it down with glee.

"Look," she told Scott, holding the book up. "It's the sequel to Eight Cousins!" She and Scott had finished reading Eight Cousins

some time before.

"It's by Louisa May Alcott," Charlie said to Harlan. "Scott and I already read the one that comes before this!" Her eyes shone, and

something seemed to pass over Harlan's face. Charlie was too excited to notice the softening of Harlan's expression, but Scott saw it.

"Yes, I've heard of her work," Harlan said. "So-you'd like that book, then?"

Charlie clutched the book to her chest. "Yes, sir!" she said, looking up at him.

"Well, then," Harlan said. "That's fine. Pick out another."

Charlie looked over the shelf of books. "I haven't read this one," she said, pulling out a volume of Phebe, the Blackberry Girl.

"Well, then get that one," Harlan told her.

Charlie held the two books close.

"What else?" Harlan asked her. "Something else?"

"That's enough for today," Scott put in.

"Well, alright," Harlan said, and they went to the counter to pay for the books. "A bit of candy?"

Charlie looked up at Scott."Is it alright?" she asked him.

"It's alright. A little."

So Charlie chose some lemon drops, and some jellybeans, as well. As they walked out of the store into the sunshine, Charlie looked

up at Harlan. "Thank you for the books, and the candy," she told him. "I think I'll start reading it today!"

"Which one first?" he asked.

"I think Rose in Bloom," Charlie said.

"Well, that's fine. And, you are very welcome indeed," Harlan said.

They went to the buggy, and as they began to drive, Scott asked his grandfather if he wanted to drive to any certain area nearby.

"Anywhere that you care to drive is fine, Scotty," Harlan said, so Scott drove them about, pointing out certain area landmarks to

his grandfather.

Charlie opened the sack of lemon drops, and took one out, and then offered some to Scott, who shook his head no, and then to

Harlan, who took one of the candies from the bag.

"I always share jelly beans with Murdoch," Charlie said.

"Oh?" Harlan asked.

"Yes. Murdoch loves jelly beans," Charlie chattered on. "We're always eating them together."

"I see," Harlan said.

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