Tim blushed a little as he regarded her. He shyly shook the hand Charlotte offered him. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
“And you also, Tim. Will I see you in class in a couple of weeks?”
Tim shook his head. “No, ma’am, I’ve not gone to school for some time now. I like to read, though.”
She smiled. “That’s good. I have a few books I’d be happy to lend to you if you’d like some new material. One is about a boy a few years younger than you who goes on adventures. It’s called Huckleberry Finn. Does that sound interesting?”
His eyes lit up. “I’d sure as a gun like that. Thank you, Miss Rose.”
Charlotte caught Max smiling at her before he turned his attention to the boy. “We’ve got us a new job, son. Miss Rose is going to show me some desks that need fixing. I’ll be back shortly. Get going on smithing a length of chain about the width of my thumb if you don’t mind.”
“Will do, Max,” he said, and walked to the furnace.
Max took off his work gloves and untied the heavy chaps from his trousers, then draped them over a wooden chair against the wall. He washed his hands in a bucket of water near the door of the shop, clapped his Stetson over his head, and held the door open for Charlotte. She passed, and he stepped out behind her.
Chapter Four: To Be Frank
“How are you getting on so far in Weston?” Max inquired as they walked side by side along the wooden sidewalk to the schoolhouse.
“Fine, thank you.” She didn’t elaborate, and an uncomfortable silence followed. Only the sound of their steps gave away the presence of one to the other.
Finally Max spoke. “Something wrong, Charlie? You seem awful quiet. Did I do something to upset you, other than being my usual loutish self?”
“No, not really,” she said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.
He stopped and touched her arm to halt her steps. “I’m not an expert on women’s feelings, but I’m pretty sure your tone suggests I did. What have I done to vex you?”
Charlotte hesitated, not sure if she should be frank, but then decided it couldn’t hurt anything but her pride, which had already been smashed to smithereens in front of him. She sighed and looked at the ground. Her voice was smaller than usual. “I thought you might have inquired about how I was doing before now is all.”
She looked up to see his eyebrows lift in surprise. “You mean you wanted me to call on you?”
“It would have been nice,” she responded ruefully, looking away again and focusing very hard on a patch of dirt. “But only if you wanted to. It doesn’t really matter since you didn’t.”
“I did want to. Very much,” he said quietly, with regret in his voice. “Forgive me. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me. But trust me, Charlie, I’ve all but nailed my feet to the floor to prevent them from running to your doorstep. I’ve had a devil of a time getting you out of my head.”
Charlotte felt her heart swell at his words. She smiled at him. Her smile brought one from him, and they stood in the middle of the sidewalk smiling at each other without speaking for a time longer than what would be considered normal.
Max broke the spell. “Charlie,” he said with resolute force. “I’ve a mind to take you to lunch and have a good yammer, if that thought doesn’t offend you terribly.”
She momentarily forgave his impertinent nickname for her. Not only did he care about how she was doing, he fancied spending time with her, which was exactly what she wanted, though she hadn’t admitted it to herself until that moment. She blushed and looked down at the dusty sidewalk, then back into his eyes, which were twinkling and hadn’t stopped studying her face.
“I’m a bit hungry and admit the prospect of dining with you is not entirely displeasing to me.”
Max threw back his head and laughed, holding his hand on the top of his hat to prevent it from falling off. “I feel like that’s the best compliment I’ve ever received. Come along, Miss Rose.” He held out a bent arm. “Show me your desks that need fixing. Then I’ll take you to lunch before we both get back to work.” Charlotte smiled at him again and hooked her hand in the crook of his elbow.
Max examined the furniture in the schoolhouse and pointed out where some of the wood had rotted. He explained that there must be a leak in the roof that allowed rain to soak into a good number of desks, causing them to become brittle and likely to break sooner rather than later. Charlotte’s desk needed drawers, which he explained would require measuring and crafting pieces fitted with metal sliders.
Max shook his head. “This furniture is in a sorry state. I can’t help but wonder why the previous schoolteacher didn’t hire me.”
“Will it require a great deal of your time?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes, but it must be done. Even a small child’s weight could break some of these benches. I’ll get started on it tomorrow. Hopefully I can finish before your classes start.”
“That’s awfully good news, Max. As soon as I read my contract and determine the amount available, I’ll withdraw the funds to give to you.”