“You called me Max. Thank you.” He winked at her.
“You could thank me by not calling me Charlie.”
Max laughed. “I’ll try not to, but I make no promises. How about we get some chow? I’m feeling wolfish.” He held his arm out again. She latched on and they walked the few blocks to Mary’s Diner.
Once they were seated and had each been served their meal, he said, “I’ve been curious about something. What made you leave home and come all the way out here?”
Charlotte swallowed her bite of mashed potatoes, which were tolerable and had only a few lumps in them. “I wanted adventure, and I wanted to use my education. I was uninterested in becoming a wife and mother right away. Not that I don’t want children. I do,” she added hastily, then blushed, realizing her last statement was unnecessary.
“Me too. I’ve always liked children and thought I’d be raising a few long before now,” he said in a matter-of-fact manner. “Go on. What else rattled your hocks all the way here?”
Something about the way he spoke to her, in such a plain way without airs or devices, caused her to be forthright as well. “To be frank, I didn’t want to lead the life my mother led, married to my father, who never loved her or me. I felt afraid of that. I was courted by multiple men who seemed just like my father, and I guess I felt I needed to get away and see what else the world had to offer.”
Max cocked his head and frowned at her. “How could your father not love you?”
She shrugged. “He doesn’t think much of females in general, I suppose. Growing up, I heard him call my mother ugly and stupid or some variation of that every chance he got. My mother was able to protect me from his insults and scorn most of the time, but I didn’t always escape it.”
Max shook his head. “No wonder you’re so….” His voice trailed off.
Charlotte stiffened. “So what?” she demanded.
He smiled at her without mockery. “Defensive.”
Charlotte’s shoulders slumped. “I shouldn’t have been so upfront. I’ve never told anyone of my troubles with my father. I don’t know why I burdened you.”
Max set his fork down and reached across the table to cover her hand with his, causing her to look into his eyes. “I’m glad you told me, Charlie. I want to know you better. I took a shine to you the moment you first sassed me on the station’s platform, and the way I felt got stronger the more time I spent with you.”
Charlotte felt warmed by his touch and his words. She couldn’t believe how easily he told her that. “Really?” she asked, peering at him through her lashes.
“Don’t feign surprise,” he admonished with a smile, removing his hand. He picked up his fork and knife and sliced into the roast beef on his plate. “You must know I’m one of many men who would give up five Sundays for five minutes of your company.”
“I’m not feigning surprise, Max. I really do feel surprised. I know many men find me attractive, but you didn’t seem to like me much. I suppose I couldn’t blame you if you didn’t. I acted a bit spoiled on our first meeting.”
Max snorted. “A bit?” He ate a bite of roast beef and leaned back in his chair. His eyes twinkled as he chewed and waited for her reaction.
For once, Charlotte didn’t react with outrage at his needling. “You like drawing my ire, don’t you? You’re worse than a schoolboy who likes a girl and shows it by pulling her hair.”
He leaned forward and drank some water. “That’s probably true. I’d like to show you how I feel in nicer ways though, Charlotte.” He spoke in a low voice that held promise.
She felt her cheeks grow warm at his forward remark and the smooth way her name rolled off his tongue. She concentrated on buttering her roll. “Enough about me. I’m curious about you. Have you ever been married?”
“Yes, more than ten years ago. But it ended in divorce.”
“Really? That’s unusual.”
“Mm hmm, and unfortunate. Like you, she was from the east. She came all the way from New York but went back within a year of marrying me. It was too rough out here for her, and I was too stubborn and selfish to show any kind of understanding. If I had, it might have given her cause to stay.”
“It’s big of you to admit that,” Charlotte said, impressed by his humility and willingness to share his regret with her.
“I’m older and wiser now.” He gave her a pointed look. “I won’t make the same mistake. If I marry again, I will ensure my wife’s happiness.”
Charlotte looked down, unused to a man so openly explaining what kind of husband he intended to be. Max didn’t have a lick of guile or artfulness. She found it refreshing, but it also made her feel exposed and vulnerable. It seemed he knew the unspoken questions she had about him.
She changed the subject. “How long has Tim been your apprentice?”
“Going on two years now, but he’s more than an apprentice. He’s like a son to me.”